Bangladesh Bank and all other scheduled banks will remain closed on July 4 but those will remain open on July 16. Bangladesh Bank on Sunday took the decision, said its deputy spokesman Anwarul Islam. Earlier, the central bank took decision…
Tag: Op-Ed
Latin America’s revolution under attack
By Asad Ismi The Latin American revolution seemed unstoppable until recently. From El Savador in the north to Argentina in the south, leftists elected since 1998 have implemented the greatest redistribution of wealth in the region’s history, providing millions of…
Over 3 lakh posts vacant in public service: Minister
Public Administration Minister Syed Ashraful Islam on Thursday told Parliament that some 3.28 lakh posts are now vacant in the public service. According to the latest data collected in December 2015, the number of officials and employees in the ministries…
The life and death of peace activist Daniel Berrigan
By Rev. John Dear Rev. Daniel Berrigan, the renowned anti-war activist, award-winning poet, author and Jesuit priest, who inspired religious opposition to the Vietnam war and later the U.S. nuclear weapons industry, died at age 94, just a week shy…
What does Muslim mayor for London signify?
N. S. Venkataraman There are many cities in the world that are as big, and have a reputation and great history, as London. The mayors of these cities are elected or appointed at regular intervals and these are rarely reported…
Experts bat for India’s productive engagement in Myanmar
By Nava Thakuria As Myanmar (formerly Burma) is opening up to the world, various Indian experts come forward advocating for New Delhi’s pro-active initiatives in this fast changing neighborhood. Recently concluded a discourse at Guwahati also witnessed the participants in…
Suu Kyi must erase apartheid stain
By Dr. Habib Siddiqui Thich Nhat Hanh, a Buddhist monk, wrote, “When fear becomes collective, when anger becomes collective, it’s extremely dangerous. It is overwhelming… The mass media and the military-industrial complex create a prison for us, so we continue…
The abuse of privacy: Mossack Fonseca and the Panama Papers leak
By Binoy Kampmark “Privacy is a fundamental human right that is being eroded more and more in the modern world. Each person has a right to privacy, whether they are a king or a beggar.” Few could disagree with the…
How journalists cover ISIS and its vast propaganda machine
by Sharon Moshavi, Vice President, New Initiatives News organizations are struggling to cover ISIS, constrained by a lack of on-the-ground presence in the wake of its brutal murders of journalists, according to an International Center for Journalists’ panel of media…
The differing N.Korea sanctions and their goals
By Tristan Webb The first part of this series surveyed the wide variety of sanctions put on the DPRK by the UN and the relevant countries. Taken together, the result is a confused mess, where details of prohibited items stretch…
Why the E=West is keen dividing the Arabs
Ramzy Baroud When Arab streets exploded with fury, from Tunis to Sanaa, pan-Arabism seemed, then, like a nominal notion. Neither did the so-called ‘Jasmine Revolution’ use slogans that affirmed its Arab identity, nor did angry Egyptian youth raise the banner…
Chomsky wants you to wake up from the American Dream
By David Swanson If you’ve just seen Michael Moore’s movie and are wondering how in the world the United States got diverted into the slow lane to hell, go watch Noam Chomsky’s movie. If you’ve just seen Noam Chomsky’s movie…
In this race, the rat is ahead
Sudhirendar Sharma Whether or not you smell them, their presence remains ubiquitous. You will find them everywhere. Having followed humans to just about every corner of the globe, these creatures have demonstrated their incredible propensity for travel. Rats are as…
Obama’s Fair Remarks Regarding Muslims
US President Obama visited the mosque in Baltimore, Maryland a few days back. Of course, this made many Americans wonder as to why Obama would visit the mosque at the end of his Presidential term and just before the Presidential…
Day of solidarity with Palestine- Looking back, looking ahead
On November 29, 1947, after Great Britain–the mandatory power in Palestine–had asked the United Nations to meet in a special session to discuss the “problem of Palestine,” the General Assembly passed Resolution 181 (II) to end the British mandate by…
Credibility crisis for northeastern news channels
By Nava Thakuria In the time of internet where consumers become habituate with various free internet proving services, the news itself becomes the victim of circumstance as few people prefer to pay for a news channel? The increasing number of…
Health and trade: What hope for SDG3?
Emma Woodford “… the forces of power, particularly corporate power, are impatient with what is adequate for a coherent community. Because power gains so little from community in the short run, it does not hesitate to destroy community for the…
Kazi Zafar Ahmed: A Personal tribute
Anisuzzaman Chowdhury My close association with Kazi Zafar Ahmed (Zafar Bhai) began in earnest immediately after the independence of Bangladesh. Being in Chittagong, I did not have much opportunity to interact with Zafar Bhai earlier, especially because he was underground…
Assam loses an honest and courageous journalist
By Nava Thakuria He was an honest, brave and impartial journalist, who used to raise voices relentlessly against the separatist militants of the troubled northeast India. Moreover, he was also vocal in favor of basic minimum facility & rights for the working…
Closest British election gives conservatives sweeping victory
By Sally Hayden It was labeled as the closest British election in decades, but the result in the United Kingdom’s general election has been surprisingly decisive. The Conservative Party has won 330 of 650 seats, giving them an overall majority…
Laws to protect marine resources still a long way off
Legislation to protect ocean areas beyond national borders is moving dangerously slowly, a summit on ocean resources has heard. The meeting heard that many oceanic resources, such as fish stocks, minerals and coral reefs, need to be legally protected as…
Pakistan’s misguided approach to extremism: HRW
Saroop Ijaz The Pakistani government’s execution of two convicted Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) militants symbolizes a victory of form over substance in its avowed battle against extremist insurgents. The authorities hanged Attaullah Arif Qasim and Muhammed Azim Arif Sharif on February 3…
The goats fighting America’s plant invasion
By Joanna Jolly Each country has its own invasive species and rampant plants with a tendency to grow out of control. In most, the techniques for dealing with them are similar – a mixture of powerful chemicals and diggers. But…
Meeting India’s Maoist challenge – Analysis
By Gurmeet Kanwal and Bibhu Prasad Routray In a spectacular strike on the security forces, cadres belonging to the CPI-Maoist ambushed a large team of police and paramilitary forces and killed 14 personnel of the CRPF in Sukma district of…
The rise and fall of world’s poorest nations
By Thalif Deen UN, Jan 2015 (IPS) – The world’s 48 Least Developed Countries (LDCs) – a special category of developing nations created by the General Assembly in 1971 but refused recognition by the World Bank – have long been…
Will population growth end in this century?
New Worldwatch Institute analysis explores the debate about our planet’s future population. Washington D.C.-The human population nearly tripled from 2.5 billion people in 1950 to 7.3 billion today and will continue growing through 2070, according to two recent demographic projections.…
Dispatches: Leaked call, but where’s the truth in Ukraine?
Rachel Denber The Russian-government-funded television network RT (formerly Russia Today) has reported a “leaked” phone call between EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton and Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet that is getting a lot of attention, but all…
‘Devastating’ dossier alleging British war crimes in Iraq
By Felicity Arbuthnot A “devastating” two hundred and fifty page document: “The Responsibility of UK Officials for War Crimes Involving Systematic Detainee Abuse in Iraq from 2003-2008″, has been “presented to the International Criminal Court, and could result in some…
NSA could ‘spy on offline computers’, says latest leak
The US National Security Agency (NSA) used secret technology to spy on computers that were not even connected to the internet, it has been reported. Citing documents from whistleblower Edward Snowden, the New York Times said 100,000 machines were fitted…
St Petersburg 1914: The door to another age
By Steve Rosenberg As war approached in 1914, the Russian capital St Petersburg was the scene of imperial splendour and abject poverty, utopian hopes and portents of impending doom. I have never met anyone who is more proud of her…