Society

Mostafa Kamal Majumder Political violence in Bangladesh is an old phenomenon. I came face to face with a very destructive such violence on 23 May 1980 when a public meeting of Khondaker Mushtaq Ahmad came under a bomb attack in front of the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque. The largely attended meeting was organized at the end of a series of ... Read More »

Mostafa Kamal Majumder The fifth Parliament elected under the interim government of Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed on 27 February 1991 had a host of new members to the Parliament. The election was like a festival with all parties taking part in it. The polling was exceptionally peaceful. Read More »

DHAKA, June 30, 2020 (BSS) – The life expectancy rate at birth has increased to 72.6 years in the country in 2019 from 72.3 years one year ago with women enjoying three years more longevity than men. Read More »

The Rajshahi University authorities suspended Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) department assistant professor Kazi Jahidur Rahman after his arrest on charge of making derogatory remarks about late Awami League leader Muhammad Nasim on Facebook. Read More »

Facebook said Friday it would ban a “wider category of hateful content” in ads as the embattled social media giant moved to respond to growing protests over its handling of inflammatory posts. Read More »

Rakuten Viber, one of the world’s leading messaging apps for free and secure communication, has cut all business ties with social media giant Facebook aiming to protect its one billion users. Read More »

Mostafa Kamal Majumder As The New Nation became more or less self-reliant and I could respond to demands of working journalists to improve their working conditions in the paper with a mission to make it sustainable I got a phone call one day from President Iajuddin Ahmed to join him over a cup of tea, several months after the Army-backed ... Read More »

Social Business Day to be observed on June 26-28 Dhaka, June 25 – Nobel Laureate Professor Dr Mohammad Yunus is going to hold several discussions with global social business leaders about the post-pandemic world in the observance of Social Business Day on Friday. Read More »

Chandpur, June 25 – A 70-year-old man, who was found abandoned by the side of GT Road in Chandpur district town on Monday, was rescued and hospitalised. Read More »

“Do I think that the U.S. is a racist country? Oh yes. Yes. This is a country that was built on that premise of the negation of humanity of part of its people.” —Faustin Linyekula “I think the United States is a racist country … I was appalled when I went to the U.S., at the level of racism that ... Read More »

The third anti-body test program organized by FOBANA (Federation of Bangladeshi Associations in North America) will be held in front of the Jamaica Muslim Centre on June 26. Its first and second anti-body test programs were held at Brookline and Jackson Heights on June 6 and 12. Read More »

Mostafa Kamal Majumder The Old Sangsad Bhaban at Nakhalpara was where I started my Parliament reporting. My seniors most of the time used to engage me to cover the question hour held at the start of sittings every day. The 1979 Parliament is sometimes referred to have had the richest composition with representation from Bangladesh’s political parties. The BNP had ... Read More »

Mostafa Kamal Majumder The New Nation was at a high trajectory in respect of its circulation through the Internet. But at least 14 years of soft copies of the paper were lost as the website from where it was available to readers from all over the world was abruptly stopped twice first due to family feud in the later part ... Read More »

by Francine Mestrum on 18th June 2020 @FMestrum Universal basic income would offer a deadweight subsidy to low-paying employers. The route to security for all lies in the concept of ‘social commons’. Read More »

Apple on Friday launched a racial justice initiative aimed at breaking down barriers to opportunity for minorities. Read More »

M Zahidul Haque During the on-going corona lockdown, Facebook is serving as a solace to the locked-down people passing their time in some creative activities and in keeping communication with friends, relatives and others. Read More »

by Marta Cillero Manzano on 4th June 2020 @martacille With agreement lacking on the future of Europe—even at the conference on that theme—it’s time to look to a European Citizens’ Assembly. Read More »

Written by Rem Bahadur Biswakarma It has been twelve years since Nepal became a federal democratic republic. The monarchy which was constitutionally considered as a symbol of Hindu feudalism was abolished on 3 June 2008 for Nepal to become a republic. Politically this was a historic achievement for Nepal and Nepali people celebrate this day like a festival. However, time ... Read More »

President Donald Trump escalated his war on Twitter and other social media companies Thursday, signing an executive order challenging the lawsuit protections that have served as a bedrock for unfettered speech on the internet. Read More »

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg on Monday urged the European Union to take the lead in setting global standards for tech regulation or risk seeing countries follow China as a model. Read More »

By Maimunah Mohd Sharif and Leilani Farha NAIROBI, Kenya, May 13 2020 (IPS) – Public health officials are calling the “stay home” policy the sacrifice of our generation. To flatten the curve of COVID-19 infections, this call of duty is now emblazoned on t-shirts, in street art and a celebrity hashtag. Read More »

Mothers in any culture are cited as the source of unconditional love, and in honouring mothers, people honour all women. While some jobholders are getting to enjoy the comfort of home because of the global shutdown, mothers on the contrary are facing the heavier than usual workload. As the occasion is for expressing love and gratitude towards the mothers, they ... Read More »

Over 55 government agencies, public and private organisations, and educational institutions on Sunday provided donations to the Prime Minister’s Relief and Welfare Fund to help the poor affected by COVID-19 fallout. Read More »

by Sevasti Chatzopoulou on 4th May 2020 How governments have addressed the pandemic has reflected different levels of social trust—which will have consequences for its aftermath. Read More »

DHAKA, May 02, 2020 (BSS) – Speakers at a virtual seminar here today called for spreading positive news on social platforms to remove fear and stigma associated with the coronavirus(COVID-19) pandemic in Bangladesh. The speakers made their remarks on live chat through a Webinar on “Rapid Assessment of Fear and Stigma Associated with the COVID-19 Pandemic in Bangladesdriveh” arranged by ... Read More »

Mostafa Kamal Majumder The Narayanganj Sadar Upazila administration is campaigning to persuade the residents of a mahalla of the district town not to disturb the family of a doctor for contracting coronavirus. Shilpi Aktar, the doctor who has been seeing Covid-19 patients at the 300-bed hospital in the town for months finds 17 members of her family proving coronavirus positive. Read More »

by Philippe Pochet on 30th April 2020 @philippepochet What kind of Europe will take shape after the coronavirus crisis? Four scenarios, widely varying in their social and ecological consequences, are possible. Read More »

Dhaka, April 26 – For the first time in centuries, the Chawkbazar Iftar Market in old Dhaka fell silent on Saturday as the government extended general holiday and imposed strict restriction on movement of people to curb the spread of coronavirus. Read More »

by Sarah Marchal and Ive Marx on 21st April 2020 @IveMarx The coronavirus crisis has punched a hole in Europe’s safety nets. But they were already frayed and urgent repairs are needed. Read More »

The government-declared shutdown to contain transmission of coronavirus disrupted the supply chain and brought economic activities to a grinding halt, hitting the low-income group and small-scale farmers the hardest. The unprecedented situation forced farmers in many places to sell their products at nominal prices – and some even left their vegetables to rot in the field. Moved by their plight, ... Read More »