Many across India and Bangladesh were affected as the Teesta river swelled above the danger level. However, dry seasons downstream tell a different tale as man-made obstacles stem the flow of the once-mighty river, writes Mehzabin Ahmed, 29, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Dhaka, Bangladesh. The Teesta, a river that used to hold water throughout the …

"Let the Teesta flow its natural course" Read More »

Over the past ten years, India’s shoot-to-kill policy at its borders has cost over 1,000 lives, most of them unarmed Bangladeshis. Shooting poor, unarmed villagers is not how the world’s largest democracy should behave, argues Mehzabin Ahmed, 29, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Dhaka in Bangladesh. Perhaps the most recognizable image of India’s Border Security Force …

“India’s shoot-to-kill policy defies human rights” Read More »

The tradition of a woman taking her husband’s surname on marriage needs examination, writes Naaz Fahmida, 27, a Correspondent living in Dhaka, Bangladesh, who argues the custom makes identity become an issue. When it is that-time-of-the-year again, you know, that uncomfortable time of the year, heralded by a restless feeling, accentuated by several mood swings and a …

"Woman power can reside in a name" Read More »

An unlikely revolutionary in women’s struggle for equality stood her ground nearly 200 years ago, writes Naaz Fahmida, 27, a Correspondent living in Dhaka, Bangladesh, who says revolution comes through great sacrifice. When I hear women today being extremely vocal about the power struggle with their male counterparts or simply speaking about a revolution, it …

"She achieved nothing short of a revolution" Read More »

Many Bangladeshi graduates leave the country, writes Kazi Prottoy, 20, a Correspondent from Dhaka in Bangladesh, who argues that enticing young professionals to stay means the government must tackle some significant urban problems. It has been seen as a trend for some years now that Bangladeshi graduates almost religiously go for the prospect of leaving …

"Fighting the brain drain in Bangladesh" Read More »

Bangladesh faces serious economic consequences from ongoing political unrest, writes Asif Reza Akash, 22, a Correspondent from Dhaka in Bangladesh, who says strikes are taking a toll in rising prices and lost income. Bangladesh has passed its tenth national parliamentary election under an amended constitution. The previous opposition and major political party BNP and its …

"Political unrest poses dire risk to country's economy" Read More »

Portraying themselves as the weaker sex is a common role for women, writes  Naaz Fahmida, 27, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Bangladesh, as she looks at the consequences of that concept.   In my interactions with women recently I have noticed a phenomenon which is a little more universal. It refers to the general psyche of …

"Inferiority complex fuels desire to be rescued" Read More »

Chivalry comes from the courtly behaviour of medieval times, but Naaz Fahmida, 27, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Bangladesh, argues that deferring to the supposed sensibilities of women does not advance gender equality. Chivalry is a concept I have often struggled with. While the vast majority of times I see women eyeing the ‘gentlemen’ qualities in a …

"Chivalry as an impediment to gender equality" Read More »

With World Cup fever raging around the globe, Asif Reza Akash, 22, a Correspondent from Dhaka in Bangladesh, describes the extraordinary commitment of fans in what is otherwise a cricket-playing nation. Bangladesh, a cricket playing country that organized the last T20 World Cup and the inaugural ceremony of the last Cricket World Cup, is now …

"Bangladesh – suffering the FIFA World Cup fever” Read More »

Mehzabin Ahmed, a Commonwealth Correspondent from Bangladesh, says Small Island Developing States are dependent on fossil fuel, but the renewable energy targets and initiatives of some of these small nations rival those of developed countries. When we look at the small island developing states, starting from Trinidad and Tobago to Tonga and Samoa, we see …

SIDS 2014: "The clean energy race for small island nations" Read More »