SILENT zones, or no-horn zones, in the capital of Dhaka have almost never been silent. They are, in fact, noisier than other areas where noise is usually high mostly because of a large number of vehicles honking horns. The interim government, after its installation on August 8, 2024 after the fall of the Awami League鈥檚 regime amidst the July uprising, declared the...
THE July uprising stirred a renewed sense of hope that Bangladesh鈥檚 damaging political cycle might finally be broken, paving the way for a governance system that genuinely serves its citizens. 鈥楻eform鈥� quickly became the national watchword. In response, the interim government formed several commissions to draft proposals on constitutional changes, elections...
I ONCE asked Shahriar Kabir: 鈥楢s children, you were our favourite fiction writer. How did such a creative soul become entangled in such barren, uncreative circles?鈥�...
BENEATH Bangladesh鈥檚 rivers and canals lies a latent economic promise capable of reshaping how the nation moves, feeds, energises and sustains itself. Inland water resources 鈥� including rivers, streams, and canals 鈥� function not only as lifelines for transport but also as engines of growth, yet their full potential remains constrained by neglect, mismanagement...
INTERNATIONAL Literacy Day 2025 was observed on September 8 under the theme 鈥楶romoting literacy in the digital era.鈥� This theme resonates deeply with Bangladesh鈥檚 aspirations of becoming a Smart Nation by 2041. Literacy is no longer confined to the ability to read and write words on paper. In the 21st century, it encompasses the skills required to critically engage...
BANGLADESH observed International Literacy Day on September 8 without having any accurate statistics on the literacy rate in the country. During the Awami League regime, the government had manipulated the literacy rate on a number of occasions to falsely claim its success in the education sector. During their three consecutive terms, the literacy rate increased...
THE home adviser to the interim government finally admitting that the country鈥檚 law and order situation has deteriorated is a positive step, particularly as the government has so far persisted in denying any such decline. The adviser made the admission on September 7 while addressing the media. In his speech, he stated that there had been a 鈥榮light deterioration in law...
ISRAEL, with US complicity, is committing genocide in Gaza through the mass starvation of the population as well as direct mass murders and the physical destruction of Gaza鈥檚 infrastructure...
THE Chinese government launched its global infrastructure project, the Belt and Road Initiative鈥櫬� on September 7, 2013. The project is also known as One Belt, One Road. The 鈥榖elt鈥� refers to the Silk Road economic belt, a network of overland road and railway routes connecting nations. The 鈥榬oad鈥� refers to the 21st century Maritime Silk Road, a series of shipping lanes and...
PLANNING for life after retirement is no longer a luxury but a necessity. As Bangladesh sees rising life expectancy and the expansion of its middle class, the central question has shifted: will today鈥檚 savings be enough for tomorrow? Retirement planning is not merely about setting money aside; it is about knowing how to save, when to save and how much to save...
EIGHT years after the mass flight from Myanmar, roughly a million Rohingya remain in Bangladesh, concentrated in 33 hyper-dense camps in Cox鈥檚 Bazar, with additional families relocated to the government-built settlement on Bhasan Char. The scale and duration of displacement, coupled with dwindling aid, have shifted the situation from a temporary...
A GROUP of people said to be connected to diverse Islamist parties and groups on September 5 attacked a shrine, known as Nura Paglar Darbar, at Goalanda in Rajbari. The attackers vandalised the shrine, exhumed the body of Nura Pagla, whose given name is Nurul Haque Molla, who died on August 23 and was buried in a grave on raised ground, and burnt it. The clash...
AN ACUTE shortage of human resources and essential facilities at healthcare institutions in rural areas, especially at upazila and district public hospitals, shows the systemic neglect that has rendered rural health services inadequate. The situation also disproportionately burdens the poor and low-income people as they primarily depend on these hospitals. Ill-equipped...
THE office was quiet, except for the soft hum of the server room. On the screen, an artificial intelligence system had just flagged a suspicious transaction 鈥� a few thousand dollars that didn鈥檛 quite match the customer鈥檚 usual pattern. The machine...
Is it finally happening? Is the West turning against Israel? Or are we, whether motivated by hope or driven by despair, simply engaging in wishful thinking? The matter is not so simple.