PUBLIC spending plays a crucial role in shaping a country鈥檚 socio-economic development. Over the past decades, Bangladesh has experienced significant progress in economic growth, poverty reduction and human development indicators. However, the effectiveness of these achievements is often hindered by the complexities and inefficiencies in public spending...
THE handshake between the US president Donald Trump and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office on September 30 was more than a routine diplomatic photo op. It was a grim ratification of a final solution for the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu鈥檚 meeting with Trump, his fourth since Trump re-assumed office, was billed as a discussion on 鈥榣asting security...
The war on Gaza has crossed every imaginable threshold of human suffering. Since October 7, 2023, Israel鈥檚 relentless military campaign has resulted in moe than 67,000 Palestinian deaths, of which most are women and children, and more than 167,000 injuries, alongside hundreds of Israeli casualties and over 240 hostages taken from Israel. Ninety percent of Gaza鈥檚...
IN A nation long wearied by political noise and hostility, Tarique Rahman鈥檚 recent BBC Bangla interview arrived as something few expected 鈥� a voice of calm, maturity and reflection. After 17 years in exile, the acting chairman of the BNP has re-emerged not as a fiery partisan, but as a contemplative statesman, conscious of time, circumstance and transformation. The...
TO BE sustainable, Donald Trump鈥檚 peace plan for Gaza must serve the core interests of Arabs, including Christian Arabs, and the Jews of Palestine/Israel equally and fairly. Infirmities in the plan include the history of the Trump-Netanyahu axis to lure quarries with syrupy promises into death traps, as they did with Iran and Qatar. The trust deficit is thus an overarching challenge...
AFTER almost seventeen years, Bangladesh has unveiled a revised version of its Renewable Energy Policy, aiming to ensure that at least 20 per cent of the country鈥檚 total electricity supply comes from renewable sources by 2030 and 30 per cent by 2040. The policy promises lucrative incentives, including ten years of corporate tax exemptions for both public and private...
FOLLOWING the revolt of the besieged against their jailors on October 7, 2023, the Zionist hasbara machine mobilized across the world to impose a false narrative. Its goal was clear: erase history, distort reality and present Israel as the eternal victim. According to this framing, Israel was a peaceful entity blindsided by an unprovoked attack that supposedly emerged out of nowhere...
EARLIER today we arranged a video conference with doctors in Gaza. It was very emotional for all of us on board Conscience. Both for the bravery of the people still providing services, as well as the knowledge of the cruelty they were facing. Dr Hanne Bosselaers on board Conscience broke down as she saw her former colleagues describing the attacks on the hospital...
THE overall state of healthcare in Bangladesh remains a matter of grave concern. With nearly 180 million people living within a landmass of just 147,570 square kilometres, Bangladesh is among the most densely populated nations in the world. Yet, more than two-thirds of its population, around 120 million people, have little or no access to standard health services...
MACROECONOMIC headlines 鈥� GDP growth, export earnings and fiscal shifts 鈥� show what Bangladesh has achieved over decades. Yet, beneath the national progress lies a quieter revolution: the strengthening of the local economic development systems to make growth inclusive and resilient. As national growth moderates and climate threats intensify, empowering...
MONOSODIUM glutamate, or MSG, has been at the centre of culinary and nutritional debate for over half a century. Chemically, MSG is nothing more than the sodium salt of glutamic acid, an amino acid naturally present in a wide variety of...
AN INDEPENDENT police commission plays a crucial role as an oversight body by ensuring transparency, accountability and professionalism within the police force. In many countries, such commissions are entrusted with monitoring police conduct, investigating...
THE phrase 鈥榖reaking news, broken bones鈥� is meant to remind us that journalism here does not just uncover facts; it invites retribution. Each broken rib or jaw is evidence that truth is under assault. In Bangladesh, reporters set out with cameras and...
THE first Monday of October holds global significance as World Habitat Day, a United Nations-designated occasion to reflect on the state of our cities and the fundamental right to adequate shelter. In 2025, with the theme of 鈥楿rban crisis response,鈥� the...
OCTOBER 7 will mark the second anniversary of Israel鈥檚 ongoing genocide in Gaza. The World Health Organisation鈥檚 data page on Palestinian casualties, regularly updated using figures from the Palestinian health ministry and UN agencies, shows that around 66,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza over the last two years 鈥� 30 out of every 1,000 people who were...
