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Letting corporations define diversity

WHEN ‘Baaji’ debuted in August as part of Coke Studio Bangla’s third season, it was introduced as a celebration of Bangladesh’s cultural richness. Written by poet Hashim Mahmud and composed by Emon Chowdhury, the song draws on Tangail’s ‘Dhua Gaan Dal’, Marma ‘Kapya’ poetry, the bamboo dance of the Bawm community and Manipuri choreography. On the surface, it presents itself as a tribute to the country’s diversity, weaving together landscapes and folk traditions into a love story...

The geopolitics of the ‘great man’

THE Trump administration is currently attempting to rewrite American history by whitewashing the country’s negative legacy and scrubbing out references to anything connected to multiculturalism or diversity...

A way to ensure diversity of opinions

IN RECENT years, debates over electoral reform in Bangladesh have intensified, with many policymakers, academics and citizens arguing for a system that would represent the diversity of political opinions. One potential model comes from Japan’s house of representatives, which uses a combination of single-seat constituencies and proportional representation. Adopting...

US univ chief quits over diversity prog pressure

The head of a prestigious US public university resigned Friday amid pressure over his alleged failure to curb diversity programmes, the latest salvo in the Trump administration’s war on academia...

Journey in professional development

CLIMATE change has emerged as one of the most urgent crises of our time, bringing about widespread loss of human life and irreversible damage to nature. Extreme weather patterns — including rising temperatures, prolonged cold waves, water scarcity, wildfires, sea-level rise, flooding, polar ice melting, storms, landslides, hurricanes and a steep decline in biodiversity...

Govt wants to protect Arial Bil for biodiversity: adviser

Interim government environment, forest and climate change adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan on Thursday said that the government wanted to protect Arial Bil as a reserved wetland for its rich biodiversity...

India must face trial for destroying biodiversity, life: adviser

Fisheries and livestock adviser Farida Akhter said on Friday that India must face trial for destroying life and biodiversity in Bangladesh by unilaterally withdrawing river water upstream across the border.

Imperative of language policy

MARINE BIODIVERSITY PROTECTION: Bangladesh finalises Swatch of No-Ground management plan

Adviser for the ministries of environment, forest and climate change, and water resources Syeda Rizwana Hasan on Wednesday said that the government had finalised the integrated management plan for the Swatch of No-Ground Marine Protected Area in the Bay of Bengal...

Cultural programme calls for unity in diversity

Speakers at a cultural programme on Saturday called for unity in diversity to establish a discrimination-free society in the country...

UN biodiversity summit makes good progress

Crunch UN talks on ways to ‘halt and reverse’ species loss by 2030 have made ‘very good progress,’ officials said Friday, as the summit in Colombia marked its halfway point.

Biodiversity crucial for survival

INTERNATIONAL Biodiversity Day is observed on May 22 every year and the day is important in raising awareness about biodiversity and in deciding what to do about it. The day was set for December 29, 1993, but the UN General Assembly...

Ocean economy: advancing blue growth

BANGLADESH has rich marine biodiversity, which can contribute to a sustainable blue economy. An appropriate blue economy should ensure harmonious use of ocean resources, including human well-being, economic prosperity...

Heatwave and climate change

ONE of the biggest challenges of the 21st century is climate change and how to deal with it. Day by day, the impact of climate change has become a cause of great concern for us as it adversely affects human life and biodiversity...