Arifur-Rahman-Rabbi | Daily Observer

Elated Gen Z voters hope for prosperous BD

Arifur Rahman Rabbi

After nearly 17 years of disrupted electoral participation, a new generation finally stepped into polling booths on Thursday - and they did so with excitement, pride and high expectations.Young voters, many casting ballots for the first time in the 13th National Parliamentary Election, described the moment as the fulfillment of a long-awaited dream and struggle.Outside RAJUK ...

Ex-ministers, MPs, bureaucrats to vote from jail in historic first

Arifur Rahman Rabbi

For the first time in Bangladesh's history, inmates will be allowed to cast their votes from inside prisons during the 13th National Parliamentary Election and referendum.Authorities reported that a total of 5,906 prisoners from 75 prisons nationwide have registered to vote. Among them are nearly 50 VIP inmates, including former ministers, members of parliament, and ...

AI-powered rumours pose major challenge to election

Arifur Rahman Rabbi

As Bangladesh heads into its 13th national parliamentary election, AI-driven disinformation has surfaced as a new and formidable threat, compounding already heightened political tensions. Experts warn that rapid advances in artificial intelligence have made the election information ecosystem more volatile than ever.Analysts say AI-generated falsehoods now pose a direct challenge to holding a free, credible and ...

Election season marred by political killings

Arifur Rahman Rabbi

Despite the announcement of the schedule for the 13th National Parliamentary Election, political violence and killings continue unabated across Bangladesh, raising alarm among senior leaders of various parties. Many fear that such violence could escalate further as the election process advances, threatening stability and law and order.Leaders allege that a series of politically motivated murders is ...

NIDCH expansion fails to ease service crunch

Arifur Rahman Rabbi

Despite physical expansion, the National Institute of Diseases of the Chest and Hospital (NIDCH) continues to fall short of patient expectations, hobbled by ageing infrastructure, chronic manpower shortages, outdated diagnostic facilities and entrenched irregularities.As Bangladesh's sole national referral centre for chest and respiratory diseases, NIDCH draws critically ill patients from Dhaka and distant districts alike. ...

Contraceptive shortage causes unplanned pregnancies among marginalised women

Arifur Rahman Rabbi

A prolonged shortage of government-supplied birth control materials, coupled with staff vacancies and funding delays, are reversing hard-won gains in reproductive health across Bangladesh.An acute shortage of government-supplied contraceptive commodities-persisting for more than a year and worsening sharply over the past six months-has put women at serious risk of unintended pregnancies, disrupted sexual and reproductive ...

Children, elderly bear the brunt of winter's chill

Arifur Rahman Rabbi

As the mercury drops and a biting cold wave grips the country, hospitals and clinics are seeing a surge in patients suffering from cold-related illnesses, with children and the elderly bearing the brunt. Respiratory distress, pneumonia, coughs, colds, fever and diarrhoea are now filling wards in Dhaka and districts nationwide.Six-year-old Alayna Rahman, a Class One ...

Cold snap fuels winterwear boom on Dhaka footpaths

Arifur Rahman Rabbi

A sudden bite in the air has signalled winter's sharp arrival, with temperatures plunging across the capital and several districts-sending daily life shivering and footpath winterwear sales soaring.Early mornings and late nights have turned unforgiving, pushing city dwellers straight to roadside markets in search of sweaters, jackets and hoodies. In Dhaka, the chill has translated ...

Biting cold paralyses daily life nationwide

Dhaka shivers at season's low of 13.5°C, Jashore records country's coldest at 9°C

Arifur Rahman Rabbi

Biting cold paralyses daily life nationwide

An intense cold wave sweeping across Bangladesh has brought normal life to a near halt, forcing millions-especially the poor, homeless, and day labourers-into extreme hardship as temperatures plunged to their lowest levels of the season.On Friday, Jashore recorded the country's lowest temperature at just 9 degrees Celsius, while Dhaka experienced its coldest morning this winter, ...

Illegal arms, targeted killings pose biggest challenge to election: Report

Arifur Rahman Rabbi

Fresh fears over security have gripped the country following the announcement of the national election schedule, with a spike in political violence, targeted killings and the use of illegal firearms threatening the prospects of a free, fair and peaceful poll.A report by the Human Rights Support Society (HRSS) shows that 129 people were killed and ...