Autor: pacifista

The Deep Wounds of Bangladesh’s Financial System By Asif Showkat Kallol (Dhaka Bureau) The banking sector forms the bedrock of a nation’s financial architecture, relying fundamentally on public trust and the security of savings. However, political patronage, lax regulatory oversight, and unchecked ownership by industrial conglomerates have pushed Bangladesh’s banking sector into a profound crisis.…

By G M Forhadul Mozumder (Dhaka Bureau) Amid escalating fears of a military conflict in the Middle East, a new diplomatic window has opened through international mediation between the United States and Iran. The US administration has signaled a pause on new military strikes to foster negotiations aimed at ensuring the safe transit of commercial…

By Taskina Yeasmin (Dhaka Bureau) Is there a world beyond what we see every day? How do we perceive the truths hidden deep beneath or far beyond the visible reality- the roads, traffic, cars, people, or the sky? Prominent Bangladeshi visual artist Zakia Khan Chandana has brought this unseen and subconscious reality to life on…

In several previous articles, I have explored the idea that many of what we call geopolitical conflicts may have much deeper cultural roots. We tend to understand the world through political positions: left and right, progressive and conservative, democracy and authoritarianism, capitalism and socialism. We explain international events through governments, military alliances, economic interests and…

The New Walls of Power “25 U.S. states decided to go to court to challenge the legal authority used by the president to unilaterally modify U.S. trade policy…” “For centuries, empires built walls to protect their borders.” “In the twenty-first century, the new walls are no longer always made of stone. They can also be…

One would think that after October 7 and the Gaza war that followed, the leaders from the main opposition parties would have drawn the obvious conclusion. Eighty years of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have not made Israel safer. It has made Israel strategically weaker, lonelier, and more reviled than at any moment in its history. Yet…

By Maksuda Lisa (Dhaka Bureau) A new chapter of political turmoil and controversy has unfolded around Shakib Al Hasan, one of the most successful all-rounders in Bangladesh’s cricket history. Following his participation in a contentious political press conference held in India, Bangladesh’s new Youth and Sports Ministry has toughened its stance regarding his return to…

8 August 2026, Quezon City.  Despite missed deadlines in 2020 and 2025, dangerous mercury-laced skin whiteners are still widely available in the marketplace, threatening people and the planet, the toxics watchdog group EcoWaste Coalition of the Philippines said. The EcoWaste Coalition, an advocate for a zero-waste and toxics-free society, made this observation ahead of the…

Half a century of diplomatic relations. Fifty years of cultural exchange. Five decades of strengthening trust, friendship, and shared aspirations for the future. The Republic of the Philippines and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam commemorate the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations through “Rhythms of the Land, Puppets of the Water: Vietnam Cultural Days in Manila,” a two-day cultural celebration taking…

Silvio Talamo is a poet, performance artist and founder of the Berlin literary magazine EXIT. He deals with contemporary poetry, art, philosophy and voice research, in particular with symbolic thinking, language and the transformation of perception. He lives and works in Berlin, Germany. In this conversation with Milena Rampoldi, founder of ProMosaik Poetry, Talamo talks about…