THE emergence of artificial intelligence brings both promise and peril to the democratic process as Bangladesh prepares for its national and local elections. While artificial intelligence offers tools for efficiency, communication and data management, it also poses threats to electoral integrity, political stability and social trust. Without proactive measures, the...
鈥楢SSASSINATION,鈥� wrote George Bernard Shaw in The Shewing-Up of Blanco Posnet, 鈥榠s the extreme form of censorship鈥�. Such extremism visited Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif and his colleagues in Gaza City late on August 10. Resting in a tent located outside the main gate of Gaza City鈥檚 al-Shifa Hospital, he was killed alongside Al Jazeera correspondent...
IN CERTAIN corners of the Republic perhaps there are some curious institutions that pride themselves on their monastic devotion to austerity, where intellectual labour is performed not in cloistered stillness but in communal chambers reminiscent of well-behaved boarding houses, their perpetual murmur interrupted only by the occasional sigh of a scholar negotiating...
THIS article critically examines India鈥檚 expanding regional hegemony, characterised increasingly by domination rather than genuine partnership. Under diplomatic rhetoric, this posture undermines the core democratic values India professes to uphold, including pluralism and regional cooperation. Focusing on India鈥檚 sixteen-year dominance over Bangladesh, the article...
ADDRESSING the parliament, president Anura Kumara Dissanayake affirmed the government鈥檚 commitment to confronting human rights violations from the past, stating: 鈥榃e will face these grievous legacies openly, firmly, and with sensitivity to all...
RAHUL Gandhi鈥檚 chilling expos茅 of fraud in Indian elections offers far-reaching health benefits for Indian democracy even if it may not change the facts on the ground anytime soon. A change would require nationwide street- and village-level...
THE hope that the July uprising ignited appears to be fading after just one year. Those who once felt the experience of power are now scattered and beginning to feel powerless. Many have grown sceptical that there will be any qualitative changes. While the...
CRIME detection and law enforcement have undergone significant evolution with the advancement of technology. In many developed countries, artificial intelligence has revolutionised policing by improving crime prevention, investigation and...
TO SAY that Israel鈥檚 Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had lost the plot is to assume he ever had one. With a dearth of ideas as to how to come up with a 鈥榝inal solution鈥� to the Palestinian problem, he has received a majority approval from his cabinet colleagues to take over Gaza City. It took a late-night meeting with the security cabinet lasting some ten hours...
EVERY year on 12 August, International Youth Day provides an opportunity to reflect on the contributions of young people to global progress. The 2025 theme, 鈥榶outh advancing multilateral cooperation through technology and partnerships鈥�, is more than aspirational. It reflects a reality already taking shape. From climate action to digital governance...
AUGUST 8 marked the first anniversary of the interim government鈥檚 rise to power in the wake of the historic July uprising. The Yunus-led administration came into office buoyed by unprecedented public goodwill, both at home and abroad, and charged with the responsibility of healing a fractured nation. One year may not be long enough to fulfil every expectation...
鈥楾HE more they know, the less they obey鈥� 鈥� this unforgettable line is uttered by an authoritarian king who fears an educated public. Satyajit Ray鈥檚 dystopian film Hirak Rajar Deshe may be fictional, but the impulse to suppress political knowledge is very real. In both authoritarian regimes and fragile democracies, political education is often neglected, leaving citizens less equipped to understand and defend their rights...
THE non-life insurance sector in Bangladesh faces a number of structural limitations that continue to hinder its growth. One pressing concern is the practice of offering additional paybacks over the prescribed commission rates, even as insurance premium rates in the country remain significantly higher compared to overseas markets. This imbalance affects...
IT HAS been one year since our father, ambassador Serajul Islam (Shobuj, as he is widely known), passed away. And one year since Bangladesh charted her course for a better future. I don鈥檛 believe in coincidences, but sometimes history and grief collide in ways that feel undeniably meaningful. Our father devoted his life to the idea that Bangladesh could and must do...
IN A dazzling twist that no playwright could鈥檝e scripted better, the once-mighty Awami League 鈥� yes, the very party that lorded over Bangladesh for 15 and a half uninterrupted years 鈥� has now declared its own fall as the result of a grand, globe-spanning conspiracy. Naturally. Because when authoritarianism topples under the weight of its own hubris, what else could...
