We commend the government’s quick action in securing more vaccines for the citizens during the Covid-19 pandemic, especially since we have recently seen a spike in cases, prompting another round of lockdown across the country.

It is extremely disturbing to learn of the plight of Bangladeshi expats in South Africa, as over 400 Bangladeshi-owned shops have been vandalised and looted in Free State’s capital, Bloemfontein, since May 16.

We would like to join the call for an impartial investigation into the death of Hafizur Rahman—a Dhaka University student—whose death remains shrouded in mystery.

Expatriate workers are among the worst affected by the pandemic. They have had to suffer the consequences since the start of the pandemic and they continue to suffer.

Amid the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, a new infection has surfaced—black fungus or Mucormycosis. Although the infection has mostly spread in Delhi, Maharashtra, and Gujarat states of India, as a neighbouring country, we must also start taking preventive measures as it can have severe consequences, such as blindness, stroke and death.

We are relieved that journalist Rozina Islam has been finally granted bail by the court after six days of imprisonment.

We are relieved that journalist Rozina Islam has been finally granted bail by the court after six days of imprisonment. We thank the court and congratulate the wider journalist community and all those who came out in support of Rozina and the freedom of the press. The bail brings only temporary relief, however, as the court has set a July 15 date for the next hearing in the case. While we are encouraged by the news of the bail, the circumstances under which this case was initiated leading to her detention raise several questions.

In a country where the prime minister, the speaker of the parliament and also, the leader of the opposition political party are all women, the fact that none of the 39 registered political parties (to the Election Commission) have been able to make room for the required minimum 33 percent women members in all of their committees in the last 49 years is a very disappointing phenomenon.

By any definition the killing of Shahinuddin was a most gruesome and well-planned murder motivated by unashamed greed and business considerations.

While the most recent “lockdown” had helped bring down the number of positive Covid-19 cases in the country, it is now disappointing to see both members of the public and the authorities reverting to ways which led to the worst surge in the number of cases last month.

At a time when the country’s Covid-19 vaccination efforts are grinding to a halt due to shortage of doses, the foreign minister has remarked about delays in the procurement process caused by the health ministry’s mismanagement.

We applaud the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) for its Kanchpur, Meghna and Gumti 2nd Bridge Construction and Existing Bridges Rehabilitation Project, which won the Technology Award of the Japan Society of Civil Engineers Award 2021.

After 11 days of violence, we are relieved that an Egypt-mediated truce between Israel and Hamas came into effect on Friday. However, to call the violence perpetrated over the last 11 days lopsided would be an understatement,

The UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi has called for making livelihood options more available for the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, and we agree that it would indeed be “risky” to make them into a dependent group for so long.

According to experts, should we see any significant surge in Covid-19—or anything close to the situation in India—our healthcare sector will not be able to cope with it.

The February military coup in Myanmar has plunged our neighbouring country into unrest and brought its uncertain journey towards democracy to a grinding halt.

Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic last year, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has found itself mired in one corruption story after another.

That no action has been taken against at least four vice-chancellors of public universities, even after allegations of corruption and irregularities against them were found to be true, is disconcerting.

We are extremely disturbed by the way a senior reporter of a leading daily in the country has been treated in the line of her duty. Rozina Islam,

With people lowering their guard against Covid-19 during the Eid celebrations, health officials and experts fear that Bangladesh may face a grimmer health crisis than before.