Explainer

Explainer

Workers wearing protective gear sort and dismantle electronic components at an e-waste recycling plant in Savar. Photo: Syed Zakir Hossain/TBS

Bangladesh's $500m e-waste: Why is the country failing to recover valuable metals?

Turning Bangladesh’s $500 million e-waste liability into an industrial asset will require urgent regulatory enforcement, formal investment, and an overhaul of unsafe dismantling practices.

A car drives past a building of the Digital Reality Data Center in Ashburn, Virginia, U.S., March 17, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo

Data centres vs water security: What Bangladesh needs to consider

A model of an oil pump is seen in front of a Russian flag in this illustration taken January 9, 2026. Photo: Reuters

What's in the diesel deal between Putin and Trump?

A police officer stops people to access the area near Red Zone, a day after Pakistan imposed a state of emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, effectively suspending the provincial government run by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan's party, in Peshawar, Pakistan, October 12, 2026. Photo: REUTERS

What does Pakistan’s governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa mean?

A screengrab taken from a video released by Houthi Military Media on 15 September, 2026.

Why is it so difficult to defeat Yemen’s Houthis?

A semi drives past a sign advertising gas and diesel prices along Interstate 5 in Williams, California, US, 28 September, 2026. Photo: Reuters

What is the diesel deal between Putin and Trump?

File photo of Katie Zacharia. Photo: X/KatieZacharia

Who is Katie Zacharia, Trump’s new White House press secretary?

The photograph features a macro profile shot of a Nobel Prize medal. Photo: Collected

Decoding the Nobel: No campaigns, no self-nominees; only merit over popularity

Illustration: AI-generated

UK universities tighten admissions: What Bangladeshi students need to know

A protester is detained by security personnel during a protest by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) seeking the resignation of India's Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, near the protest site in New Delhi, India. Photo: Priyanshu Singh/Reuters

India cracks down on youth protesters: What next?

Photo: Collected

More than just football: How scandal-tainted City led Manchester's rebirth

Representational image. Photo:Collected

What is pneumonic plague and how does it spread?

Masked protesters react in a street amid clashes during a protest by high school students near the Lycee Berthelot high school in Aubervilliers near Paris as part of nationwide protests to demand the hiring of substitute teachers, increased resources and better learning conditions, as more than 400 schools remain closed following days of student protests that have escalated into violence in some places, France, October 2, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier/File Photo

Why are French high school students protesting?