Rohingya embrace tech for survival in refugee camp
Blockchain and odd jobs bring autonomy to refugees in Cox’s Bazar
By Eastern EyeJun 28, 2024
MYANMAR’S displaced Rohingya are using trade and technology to improve life in the world’s largest refugee camp, with aid agencies hoping that odd jobs and blockchain can deliver dignity alongside extra money.
Seven years after hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas fled persecution for the crowded Cox’s Bazar camp in Bangladesh, a sharp fall in humanitarian aid has forced new survival habits. Work is one way to supplement depleted food rations, with openings at international aid agencies and unofficial farm labour stints coveted to enhance life.
The Rohingya are also using blockchain technology with their ration cards to track their finances, giving a greater sense of ownership even while living hand to mouth. “Unfortunately, this conflict is not nearing an end, and these people are going to need our help,” the US official supporting United Nations aid told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in an exclusive interview.
“People in the camp should have more of an opportunity to improve their own lives and get involved in meaningful work,” Jeffrey Prescott, US ambassador to the UN agencies for food and agriculture, said during a recent visit to the sprawling site.
In 2017, some 730,000 Rohingya, a mostly Muslim minority denied citizenship in their Buddhist-majority nation, crossed the Bangladeshi border to Cox’s Bazar to escape a military crackdown at home.
Their arrival boosted an already crowded camp to nearly a million, with families, friends, and strangers jammed side by side in tens of thousands of huts made from bamboo and thin plastic sheets.
Once again, Myanmar’s Rohingya community is under threat of attacks and displacement at home as fighting between a powerful ethnic army and the country’s ruling junta escalates in the western state of Rakhine, according to aid agencies.
Thousands are estimated to have fled towards Bangladesh since mid-May, and many of those still in Rakhine are in dire need of aid.
Conditions at the camp are hard and rations are now low too, as competing conflicts – from Ukraine to the Middle East – absorb a growing share of the global aid budget.
Last year, the monthly ration in the camp was slashed from £9.4 to £6.3 per head as the world delivered only half of the £876 million that the UN had earmarked for Rohingya projects.
That ration is now set to creep back up to £8.6 after Prescott used last month’s visit to Cox’s Bazar to pledge an extra £24 million in aid. The World Food Programme aims to reinstate a full £9.8 monthly stipend by August, after the US aid pledge.
“The £6.3 food ration was simply not enough to fill our stomachs over the entire month,” said Mohammad Salim, who lives in the camp with two wives and several children. Until there is enough food to go around, aid agencies are innovating to help refugees bridge the gap. They are helping them find work and teaching the Rohingya to use digital technology while they wait for real life to resume.
Inside a large workshop made of bamboo and reeds, men and women sit in segregated sections working the production line for bags, baskets, and clothes to sell in the local market.
Fatema Begum, who was just 15 when she moved to Bangladesh, now makes handicrafts for 50 taka (£0.34) an hour. Workers are employed for four month stints to earn extra income and learn new skills, she said. “Thanks to this job, I can get better snacks in the evening for myself and my kids,” said the 22-year-old as she cleaned and sliced aluminium packages to upcycle into bags.
Employed by international aid agencies, Rahima Khatun takes care of trees that were planted to restore a riverside forest destroyed during the Rohingya influx. Given the small number of jobs available, candidates seize any opportunities offered, but proper, full-time jobs are not allowed by the authorities.
Shops set up by refugees inside the camps have previously been bulldozed by officials. Many Rohingya sneak out of the camps and work informally for £2.3-£3.9 a day – 25-30 per cent lower than Bangladeshi workers – stirring mixed feelings among locals.
“Our area has been tainted by Rohingya presence – as lots of trees have been chopped down to make room for the camps, while cheap Rohingya labour sometimes outcompetes local workers for farming jobs,” said local farmer Abdur Rahman.
Technology has also been used to help the refugees, bringing efficiency to the camp economy and a sense of ownership to people who lack life’s basics.
In 2017, the World Food Programme introduced the world’s largest blockchain-based cash distribution system in the Rohingya camps – an innovation it has since expanded to provide aid from Lebanon to Ukraine. Under the system, refugees can buy food with the monthly cash allocated to them through a digital wallet, so they do not need a bank account or to wait in line for rations.
Nur Khatun, 24, came to buy rice, oil, and fruit for her family at an e-voucher outlet, paying with her digital card. “I come to buy my weekly groceries as and when needed – and we don’t have to line up for getting our monthly rations at one go,” she said. Aid workers say the tech gives refugees greater autonomy.
“Shopping with cards like other people gives them a sense of normalcy and dignity,” said Clara Ogando, head of digital solutions and innovation at the WFP.
But technology has been a double-edged sword for the Rohingya. In Myanmar, the government used biometric data and an enforced identity system to monitor and target the Rohingya. So UN agencies are careful to protect their information, sharing data only when necessary to deliver services.
WFP’s Bangladesh country director Dom Scalpelli told the Thomson Reuters Foundation that the UN agencies try to ensure safe and fair use of the data – and their biometrics are not shared in the food distribution system.
Odd jobs and tech may help, but they will not deliver a better future, according to Anas Ansar, senior researcher at Germany’s Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies.
“None of these solve the question about the Rohingya people’s future—while the world’s attention keeps shifting to other contexts like Ukraine and Palestine,” he said.
“Ultimately there needs to be a long-term solution that ensures safety and dignity for the displaced Rohingya people,” Ansar added.
A cross-party group has been formed to tackle the deep divisions that sparked last summer's riots across England. The new commission will be led by former Tory minister Sir Sajid Javid and ex-Labour MP Jon Cruddas.
The Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion has backing from both prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and Tory leader Kemi Badenoch. It brings together 19 experts from different political parties and walks of life.
It was set up following the violent unrest that broke out in 27 towns and cities after three young girls were killed in Southport last July. False claims about the attacker's identity spread rapidly on social media, helping to fuel the disorder.
Sir Sajid warned that Britain has become a "tinderbox of division" due to years of neglect. He said governments have only acted when tensions boil over, rather than dealing with the root problems. "We are more disconnected as a country than at any point in our modern history," he told reporters. "There is a pandemic of loneliness that has spread across the country."
According to Javid, who served as communities secretary, home secretary and chancellor in the cabinets of David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris Johnson, social cohesion had been treated as a “second tier” issue by successive governments.
“Communal life in Britain is under threat like never before and intervention is urgently needed," he told the Telegraph. "There have been long-term, chronic issues undermining connections within our communities for several decades now, such as the degradation of local infrastructure from the local pub to churches, the weakening of family units, growing inequality, declining trust in institutions and persistent neglect from policy-makers."
He pointed to several factors making the situation worse, including high levels of immigration that haven't been properly managed, rising cost of living pressures, social media spreading extremist views, declining trust in public institutions, and the breakdown of local community spaces like pubs and churches.
Cruddas, who represented Dagenham for over 20 years, said the commission would listen directly to people across Britain rather than impose solutions from Westminster.
Over the next 12 months, the panel will examine what's driving people apart and develop practical recommendations for government. The group includes former West Midlands mayor Sir Andy Street, ex-Green Party leader Caroline Lucas, and counter-extremism expert Dame Sara Khan.
The commission is being supported by the Together Coalition, which was founded by Brendan Cox after his wife, MP Jo Cox, was murdered by a far-right extremist in 2016.
Sir Sajid remains optimistic about Britain's future, saying the country has "phenomenal attributes" to overcome its challenges. The commission aims to create "a vision for communities that all British citizens can buy into."
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Masum was seen on CCTV trying to steer the pram away and, when she refused to go with him, stabbed her multiple times before walking away and boarding a bus. (Photo: West Yorkshire Police)
A MAN who stabbed his estranged wife to death in Bradford in front of their baby has been convicted of murder.
Habibur Masum, 26, attacked 27-year-old Kulsuma Akter in broad daylight on April 6, 2024, stabbing her more than 25 times while she pushed their seven-month-old son in a pram. The baby was not harmed.
Bradford Crown Court heard that Akter had been living in a refuge since January after Masum threatened her with a knife at their home in Oldham. Masum tracked her using her phone location and confronted her after she left the refuge to meet a friend, believing he was in Spain.
Masum was seen on CCTV trying to steer the pram away and, when she refused to go with him, stabbed her multiple times before walking away and boarding a bus. He was arrested three days later in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.
Kulsuma Aktergetty images
Masum, of Leamington Avenue, Burnley, had admitted manslaughter and possession of a knife but denied murder. He was found guilty of murder, stalking, making threats to kill, and assault by beating.
The Crown Prosecution Service said the attack was “planned and premeditated”. West Yorkshire Police described it as a “brutal” daylight attack. Det Ch Insp Stacey Atkinson said Ms Akter “should have been safe”.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct found no breach of standards by officers involved prior to her death. Masum is due to be sentenced on 22 July.
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Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft, operating flight AI-171 to London Gatwick, crashed into a medical hostel complex shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12.
INDIA has declined a request from the United Nations aviation agency to allow one of its investigators to observe the probe into the Air India crash that killed 260 people in Ahmedabad on June 12, Reuters reported, citing two senior sources familiar with the matter.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) had offered to provide assistance by sending one of its investigators, following the crash of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner earlier this month. It was an unusual move, as ICAO typically deploys investigators only upon request from the country leading the investigation.
In this case, ICAO had asked Indian authorities to allow the investigator already present in India to join the probe as an observer, the sources told Reuters. However, Indian officials refused the offer. Times Now was the first to report this development on Thursday.
The civil aviation ministry said on Thursday that the flight recorder data was downloaded around two weeks after the crash.
Some safety experts had earlier raised concerns over the delay in the analysis of the black box data and a lack of information on the progress of the probe. The first combined black box unit was recovered on June 13, and a second set was found on June 16.
It is still unclear whether the black boxes are being read in India or the US. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is also participating in the investigation. The Indian government has held only one press conference so far, where no questions were taken.
According to global aviation norms under "Annex 13", a decision on where to read the flight recorders should be made immediately if the information obtained could help prevent similar accidents in the future.
An unnamed aviation ministry official said earlier this week that the ministry is "following all the ICAO protocols." The official also said that media representatives have been sharing updates on major developments.
Most air accidents result from a combination of factors. A preliminary report is expected within about 30 days of the crash.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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Wintour’s style of leadership earned her the nickname “Nuclear Wintour”
Anna Wintour steps down as editor of US Vogue after 37 years
She will remain Vogue’s global editorial director and hold senior roles at Condé Nast
Wintour transformed US Vogue into a global fashion authority
The 75-year-old has received numerous honours, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom
End of an era at US Vogue
Anna Wintour has stepped down as the editor of US Vogue, bringing to a close a 37-year tenure that redefined the publication and saw her become one of the most influential figures in global fashion.
The announcement was made on Thursday (26 June) during a staff meeting in New York. Wintour, 75, will no longer oversee the day-to-day editorial operations of Vogue’s US edition. However, she will continue to serve as Vogue’s global editorial director and Condé Nast’s chief content officer, maintaining senior leadership roles across the company.
A transformative legacy
Wintour took the helm of US Vogue in 1988, inheriting a relatively conservative magazine. She swiftly transformed it into a trendsetting, authoritative voice in fashion. Under her leadership, the publication became known for its iconic covers, high-end photography, and ability to shape careers in the fashion industry.
With extensive budgets and strong advertising support, Vogue became a global fashion flagship, influencing designers, celebrities, and brands worldwide.
Wintour’s style of leadership earned her the nickname “Nuclear Wintour” for her decisiveness, with some reports noting her tendency to make bold editorial decisions without extensive discussion. Her distinctive bob haircut and ever-present sunglasses made her a recognisable front-row figure at fashion weeks around the world.
Beyond the magazine
The British-born editor rose to wider public fame as the inspiration behind the character Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada — both the 2003 novel and the 2006 film adaptation. While Wintour rarely commented on the portrayal, she acknowledged the attention it brought, most recently during the launch of a stage musical adaptation in London in 2024.
She told the BBC, “They [my sunglasses] help me see and they help me not see. They help me be seen and not be seen. They are a prop, I would say.”
Wintour also became synonymous with the Met Gala, the annual high-profile charity event in New York City, which she has organised for years, drawing celebrities from fashion, film, politics, and sport.
Recognition and future plans
Wintour has received numerous accolades during her career. She was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2017 and became a Companion of Honour in February 2025. During the ceremony in London, she removed her sunglasses to receive the award and told King Charles III that she had no intention of retiring.
Wintour also became synonymous with the Met GalaGetty Images
In the United States, President Joe Biden awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom earlier this year before leaving office.
Despite stepping back from US Vogue, Wintour will continue to oversee several major Condé Nast titles including Wired, Vanity Fair, GQ, Condé Nast Traveler, and Glamour, as part of her global leadership responsibilities.
In her remarks to staff, she described the decision as “pivotal” but confirmed she would not be leaving the company or her office. “I’ll be turning all my attention to global leadership and working with our team of brilliant editors around the world,” she said.
FILE PHOTO: A Post Office van parked outside the venue for the Post Office Horizon IT inquiry at Aldwych House on January 11, 2024 in London. (Photo: Getty Images)
THE people responsible for the Post Office Horizon scandal may not face trial until 2028, according to the senior police officer leading the investigation.
Commander Stephen Clayman has said that the process is taking longer because police are now looking at a wider group of people, not just those directly involved in decisions about the faulty Horizon computer system, reported the Telegraph.
Between 1999 and 2015, more than 900 sub-postmasters were wrongly accused of theft and false accounting after problems with the Horizon software made it appear that money was missing from local Post Office branches.
Many of these sub-postmasters lost their jobs, reputations, and in some cases, their freedom. The scandal is now seen as one of the worst miscarriages of justice in British history.
Despite a court ruling that cleared many of the former sub-postmasters, hundreds are still waiting for compensation. The government has promised payouts of up to £600,000 for those whose convictions have been overturned, but delays continue.
Commander Clayman explained that the investigation, known as Operation Olympos, has grown in size and complexity. Police are now looking beyond the original group of suspects to include senior managers and others who may have played a role in the scandal.
“We are beginning to scope, looking at wider management. That will happen and is happening – it will just take time to get there,” he told the BBC. He stressed the need for the police teams to be “really meticulous and pay attention to detail”.
So far, seven people have been identified as suspects, and dozens more are considered persons of interest. The investigation is enormous, with more than 3,000 possible victims and 1.5 million documents to review.
No one will be charged until the public inquiry into the scandal has finished and police have carefully examined its findings. The inquiry is expected to provide crucial evidence about who knew what, and when.
Victims of the scandal say they are desperate for answers and accountability. Tim Brentnall, a former sub-postmaster, said it was important for the police to “do it properly”, even if it means waiting longer for justice.
David Enright, a solicitor from Howe and Co, whose firm represented most of the sub-postmasters involved in the inquiry, said many sub-postmasters have died without ever seeing those responsible held to account. He added that sub-postmasters are left wondering why there is no real urgency driving the police investigation.
A Post Office spokesperson said the company has “co-operated fully and openly with the Metropolitan Police since early 2020 to provide whatever information it needs for its investigations”.