TWENTY-TWO years ago, while I was returning from Portsmouth, UK on board the BNS Turag, the ship had three days鈥� stopover at Jeddah seaport. One afternoon, a large vehicle carrier vessel arrived and discharged hundreds of vehicles into the yard, which by evening was...
NOISE, dust, vehicle smoke, heat, mud and chaos; broken and blocked footpaths; being expected to climb stairs in the heat just to cross the road; madness and mayhem. No, walking in Dhaka is not often a joyful or rewarding experience, as the millions of people walking daily, whether...
PROPORTIONAL representation might appear to cure Bangladesh鈥檚 winner-take-all distortions, yet in a patronage-soaked, institutionally weak democracy, it would almost certainly splinter the parliament into quarrelling factions, paralyse policymaking and invite both foreign...
IT WAS astonishing to read about the death of Ahmad Saeed Tazazaa at 20 years old on Aug 3, 2025 inside Israel鈥檚 Magiddo prison...
THE world is going through a major crisis, with more than 120 million people forced to leave their homes because of war, violence, climate change and poverty. According to the UNHCR鈥檚 latest report, over 43 million of them are refugees who have crossed into other countries looking for safety and a better life. From Syria and Sudan to Venezuela and Myanmar...
THE word 鈥榩edestrian鈥� refers to all sections of people who walk, sit, stand in public spaces or use a mobility aid like walking stick, crutches or wheelchairs, be they children, teenagers, adults, elderly citizens, people with disabilities, workers, residents, shoppers or sightseers. But, they are the least bothered for in cities such as Dhaka, Chottogram, Khulna and others...
NEW Age鈥檚 August 16 editorial, 鈥楪ovt must not put ACC reform on the back burner,鈥� is particularly timely as the tenure of the interim government approaches. The Anti-Corruption Reform Commission, formed by that government, submitted 47 recommendations on January 15 to strengthen the Anti-Corruption Commission and insulate it from political and bureaucratic...
I SPENT the summer of 1965 arguing about the Vietnam War. I was 13, and my interlocutor was my 18-year-old camp counsellor in Vermont. She was headed for UC Berkeley in the fall, where she would, as she later described it, 鈥榤ajor in history and minor in rioting.鈥� Meanwhile, I was headed back to junior high school. I was already convinced that our government was...
A SECURE green future is not a slogan. It is a road map for any country that wants prosperity to last. As societies digitise everything from banking and energy to healthcare and education, two questions must be asked together, not separately. Does this system protect people鈥檚 data and livelihoods? And, does it minimise harm to the environment? If the answer to either...
BENEATH Bangladesh鈥檚 paddy fields, village homesteads and fish ponds, a quiet digital revolution is reshaping rural life. Real-time agricultural technology is providing timely insights into crop health, soil fertility and localised weather patterns. In a country where nearly half the workforce still depends on agriculture, these tools are changing the way farmers grow food and sustain their livelihoods...
THE year 2024 marked one of the most dramatic political shifts in Bangladesh鈥檚 recent history. The fall of Sheikh Hasina鈥檚 long-serving government, after more than a decade in power, was greeted with optimism among citizens, civil society, and particularly journalists who had long struggled under restrictive media laws. The Digital Security Act (2018), later repackaged...
AT THIS decisive moment in Bangladesh鈥檚 strategic course, a new vector has been set 鈥� one not drawn on land, but charted across the sea. In a nationally televised address, chief adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus signalled a maritime turn of historic magnitude. His proposition 鈥� that Bangladesh will 鈥榤ake the world our neighbour鈥� by turning decisively towards the sea...
WHEN most European countries and Volodymyr Zelensky were praying together with American neocons for the collapse of Vladimir Putin鈥檚 Alaska summit with Donald Trump, India was vocal in hoping for its success. The Indian idea was laudable, only the argument was a tad self-regarding. If the talks ended on a positive note, assorted Indian analysts reasoned, the...
CHILDHOOD, from birth to eighteen, is the single most formative period in human life. It is during these years that the foundations of physical, cognitive, social, emotional, motor and linguistic development are laid. Research suggests that up to 90 per cent of brain development, along with socio-emotional and linguistic skills, occurs before the age of three. These...
THE Trump administration is currently attempting to rewrite American history by whitewashing the country鈥檚 negative legacy and scrubbing out references to anything connected to multiculturalism or diversity...
