Mokammel Shuvo

Farmers in the Moheshkhali upazila of Cox’s Bazar, famed for its evergreen betel leaves, were the worst sufferers of Cyclone Hamoon, leaving them staring into the abyss as they wonder how to cover up massive losses.

For over six years, vested quarters have been illegally extracting sand from a more than 3km stretch of land in the hilly area of Kalirchhara Reserve Forest in Cox’s Bazar, resulting in extensive damage to the forest, hills, and wildlife.

Sharmin Akhter and her husband salvaging the ravaged fences and wrecked tin roofs of what was once their home in Samitypara area of Cox’s Bazar -- this is what this correspondent saw during his visit to the area yesterday.

Salt farmers in Chaufaldandi union under Cox’s Bazar sadar upazila are preparing their fields early this year as they aim to secure higher profits before imports potentially dampen the market.

Tourists who recently visited Cox’s Bazar have likely seen a few young men, in yellow t-shirts and red shorts, keeping a close eye over them as they ventured out into the waters. They only have a ring buoy on their backs and constantly roam the beach or survey it from mobile watch towers, keeping visitors safe from drowning, between the morning and evening.

The floods that hit Bandarban, Cox’s Bazar and parts of southern Chattogram early this month left a trail of destruction in their wake.

It was October 2017. A 13-year-old Kahed Ullah had to leave his home in Buthidaung, Rakhine with 13 other family members in the face of a brutal crackdown by the Myanmar military.

While Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury’s Gonoshasthaya Kendra has continuously caught the eye of the public during any crisis in the country, some of it’s remarkable works have been going on for year without much publicity.

“Only God knows how we survived. First, it was the cyclone, and then came the fishing ban, and then another depression. We could only hope for better days soon. But the wait was too long.”

Over 60 percent of the third graders and 70 percent of the fifth graders don’t have the proficiency in maths, appropriate for their grades, finds a government assessment depicting a grim picture of the quality of the country’s primary education.

On July 18, Mohammad Tuhin, 15, a resident of Cox’s Bazar, went to Sugandha beach for swimming with three of his friends.

Braving a cyclone, a 65-day fishing ban and another spell of inclement weather, fishermen in Cox’s Bazar finally got what they wanted -- going out to the sea and catching fish, the only occupation they know to earn their living..Most of the fishermen had a hard time, sitting idle for nearl

It should have been a busy, festive time for the fishers in Cox’s Bazar after the 65-day ban on fishing.

It should have been a busy, festive time for the fishermen in Cox’s Bazar after the 65-day ban on fishing

Heavy rains and high tide during the full moon are causing erosion to Cox’s Bazar sea beach, Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf Marine Drive, and in Matarbari of Maheshkhali, according to public representatives and government officials.

the erosion in some parts of the Marine Drive has taken a grave turn from Thursday, affecting at least 10 points in Teknaf

The EU will continue to support the Rohingya people for their right to return to their homeland, said Eamon Gilmore, the EU’s special representative for human rights.

Defying the 65-day ban on bay fishing, a worrisome trend has emerged along the coastal districts spanning from Cox’s Bazar’s St Martin’s Island to the Sundarbans in Khulna.

Rohingyas have urged a stronger US role for their safe and sustainable repatriation to Myanmar when Uzra Zeya, under secretary for civilian security, democracy and human rights, visited the camps in Cox’s Bazar yesterday.

Panic is consuming Rohingyas in the refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar following the killings of seven in three incidents within 36 hours at Camp-8 of Ukhiya.