BANGLADESH鈥橲 agricultural heartland 鈥� rice fields, homesteads, wetlands and floodplains 鈥� is in the eye of a climate storm. As rising heat, erratic rainfall, salinity intrusion and floods threaten harvests and livelihood, a quiet transformation is under...
THE July Charter of 2024, born from the fervour of the July Uprising, remains suspended in uncertainty. Disagreements over its scope鈥攅specially how to grant it a durable, supra-constitutional status鈥攈ave stalled progress. The public is frustrated that...
A TELEPHONE rings in a rural household, and for a moment, there is relief; a son is alive on the line. But his words tumble out in panic: there is no work, no money, and his passport has been confiscated. Strangers in uniform pushed a Russian-language...
THE Gen Z in Bangladesh played a decisive role in toppling the most autocratic government in the nation鈥檚 history. It was the moral energy and digital mobilisation of this generation, students, young workers, and first-time voters, that ignited the July...
The theme of this year鈥檚 International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, observed on October 13 鈥� Fund Resilience, Not Disasters 鈥� should resonate powerfully in Bangladesh. For us, this is not merely a slogan; it is both an economic and moral...
ECONOMIC diplomacy is going through a vital transition. Over three decades, the strategy focused on achieving macroeconomic stability, leveraging preferential market access as a least developed country and relying on low-cost labour in...
THERE is no shortage of failed peace plans in occupied Palestine, all of them incorporating detailed phases and timelines, going back to the presidency of Jimmy Carter. They end the same way. Israel gets what it wants initially 鈥� in the latest case...
Bangladesh still stands at a precarious crossroads with regard to freedom of expression. While the July uprising triggered hopes for reform, the ground reality as painted in ARTICLE 19鈥檚 Global Expression Report and the UN鈥檚 own debates is far...
AS THE world observes International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction on October 13, the global call to 鈥楩und Resilience, Not Disasters鈥� carries particular weight for Bangladesh. For a nation that stands at the frontline of climate change, this theme is not...
IN THE age of social media, where likes, shares, views, and reach are controlled by tech companies seeking to maximise their profit, videos of rickshaws being bulldozed spread widely, drawing sympathy for rickshaw pullers. Meanwhile, clips of electric...
THE long discussion that I last had with SMI, as Syed Manzoorul Islam was known in the department of English at the University of Dhaka, was some day in October 1995. By then, I just left the Independent newspaper that had come out in...
When Professor Syed Manzoorul Islam passed away around 5:00pm on October 10, I was travelling with family. After visiting the hospital on October 7 when it seemed he was gradually recuperating, I felt so positive as many others did. The whole...
I SPOKE in September to a fish-drying micro-enterprise owner at Koyra in Khulna, whose traditional sun-drying business has become a daily struggle against unpredictable weather. When prolonged monsoons or unseasonal rains spoil his catch, he...
THE primary education system is equipped with an impressive competency-based curriculum. Subject- and grade-wise competencies have been identified and corresponding learning outcomes have been developed. Based on the outcomes, textbooks were...
THE UN and world governments must urgently call up an Emergency Special Session under the title 鈥楿niting for Peace鈥� to vote for the official recognition of Palestine and other actions to isolate Israel.
