A monument of Bangladesh and the world

The month of December in Bangladesh is a time of remembrance and reflection. The country's independence in that month in 1971 was followed by a yearning to memorialise the heroism and sacrifice of the freedom fighters.
20 December 2016, 18:00 PM

Donald Trump Performing in Shaw's 'Pygmalion'

Both Trump and Higgins have their eccentricities, which are as alienating as attractive to many, as both have the power to transform the terms and trends of the society the way they want, like the mythological Pygmalion has his statue of Galatea transformed into a beautiful living woman.
19 December 2016, 18:00 PM

Burdened with Indiranomics

The most fascinating insight notebandi provides is to the Narendra Modi government's approach to exercise of state power, political and economic ideology.
18 December 2016, 18:00 PM

How authentic is the western media?

Since I had been to the region some time ago, a school invited me for a talk on Syria, particularly Aleppo, and why Assad was killing his own people.
17 December 2016, 18:00 PM

The triumvirate of the Diplomat, the Journalist and the Artist

Diplomacy, journalism and artistry are three powerful, yet sometimes confrontational tools in the world of international relations.
16 December 2016, 18:00 PM

Balancing strategic friendship

The two-day official visit of India's Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to Bangladesh has drawn understandable attention in the media and of political analysts alike for more reasons than one.
14 December 2016, 18:00 PM

Aung San Suu Kyi's 'buddy' solution

Persecution of Rohingyas in Myanmar is continuing with impunity and without a break. Dieng and Yanghee Lee, UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, have confirmed these atrocities and “requested independent UN investigations on the alleged 'ethnic cleansing' and other mass atrocities in the Rohingya region of Rakhine State”.
12 December 2016, 18:00 PM

Health challenges are more complex than ever

Though billed as a successor to the widely-known Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the new global goals — SDGs or Sustainable Development Goals — push humanity's ambitions much further and much wider.
11 December 2016, 18:00 PM

Being there for children, wherever they are

This year, UNICEF is celebrating its 70th anniversary just when Bangladesh is approaching 45 years of independence. UNICEF's 70th anniversary is far beyond a milestone, it gives us the opportunity to celebrate our work for children over the seven decades.
10 December 2016, 18:00 PM

The strange brouhaha over Uber in Dhaka

The suggestion that Uber cars must be painted and marked as taxis reflects an embarrassing failure to understand what Uber is. Uber is not a taxi service. It is a digital tool, and an ingenious one at that. What it does is use existing capacity to fill an urgent civic need without burdening the streets with extra traffic.
9 December 2016, 18:00 PM

Corruption control–is it feasible or a fantasy?

Under SDG target 16.5, Bangladesh is under obligation to “substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms”
8 December 2016, 18:00 PM

Bengal Foundation's magical music festival: A tribute

The interest, the patience, the discipline, enthusiasm shown by the Dhaka audience and the capacity to understand and appreciate the intricate renditions of a particular raga, displayed by our listeners with instant applause, speaks of the growth of a large number of genuine classical music enthusiasts that we never knew existed.
7 December 2016, 18:00 PM

What does democracy mean to Bangladeshis?

December 6 is observed as 'Democracy Day' in Bangladesh, a day that marks the overthrow of military rule of General H M Ershad through a popular urban uprising in 1990.
5 December 2016, 18:00 PM

Bangladesh's IT Industry

Information Technology (IT) gives fast, easy access to information which is essential for the development of a nation. Large IT
2 December 2016, 18:00 PM

Zila Parishads: At a crossroads

The history of districts tells both sides of the stories – underlining the important role played by the district administration and how district councils have been abused by successive governments for their narrow political interests.
29 November 2016, 18:00 PM

My Bittersweet Thanksgiving with Obama

Thanksgiving is the most quintessential of American holidays. With the arrival of winter, as the weather is buffeted by chill winds, people travel the length and breadth of the country to seek warmth in the affectionate ties of family.
25 November 2016, 18:00 PM

No one left behind- Cities enter a new era

The UN Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development, also known as Habitat 3, laid out a global strategy to guide the development of cities for the next two decades called “New Urban Agenda” - this is a rare opportunity we must seize.
22 November 2016, 18:00 PM

The ignorant educated

By containing the education within an academic setting, we are educating students without really educating them. The misdemeanour is a symptom which in a few years is likely to culminate to, amongst other things, violence against household members.
20 November 2016, 18:00 PM

Should Trump's win concern Bangladesh?

If there is one thing we have learnt from the US presidential elections this year, it's that polls, political commentary and predictions are of little significance.
19 November 2016, 18:00 PM

Celebrating Global Entrepreneurship Week

Increasing access to startup capital, protecting intellectual property rights, refining a supportive business eco-system, tackling corruption, and reforming education to provide people with more relevant skills for the labour market, can assure more sustainable economic growth.
14 November 2016, 18:00 PM