Too many holidays are bad for any growth economy

Amid the prevailing Middle East crisis and economic lull, Bangladesh is heading into a prolonged holiday period around Eid-ul-Fitr.
18 March 2026, 00:05 AM

Bangladesh never had a Habermas, but it desperately needs one

Germany had a Jürgen Habermas, who died on March 14, 2026. He was not just a philosopher writing for academics; he was a public intellectual, someone who used ideas to help society understand itself, confront its own mistakes, and imagine a better future.
17 March 2026, 00:59 AM

Stories from a delayed flight: Migrant anxieties amid the Middle East conflict

The flight from the Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram to Dhaka was scheduled to depart at 8:30 pm on March 12.
17 March 2026, 00:56 AM

Piety, protest, and the search for a sacred public life

I do not think the contemporary public mood in Bangladesh can be explained only through the old argument between secularism and religion.
17 March 2026, 00:49 AM

Why Bangladesh needs a balanced energy security strategy

The global energy market is again in turmoil, this time because of the US-Israel war in Iran.
17 March 2026, 00:41 AM

Building energy resilience in an age of global shocks

For Bangladesh, the latest tensions in the Middle East highlight how intricately national energy systems—and domestic economic stability—are now intertwined with global political developments.
16 March 2026, 17:56 PM

The multiplier effect of investing in women

It is estimated that closing the gender gap will add nearly $7 trillion to the global economy.
16 March 2026, 15:05 PM

Why Bangladesh needs a brand reset

For decades, the international image of Bangladesh has been shaped by a narrow and increasingly outdated narrative.
16 March 2026, 00:23 AM

July charter and constitutional reform: Will we waste a generational opportunity?

The oppression of citizens under the Sheikh Hasina regime resulted in the July uprising.
16 March 2026, 00:21 AM

The burqa and the bomb: A disturbing war narrative

It is the burqa again—the piece of cloth that many Muslim women choose to wear for religious reasons. Yet this garment has been burdened with some of the harshest and most dehumanising representations imaginable.
16 March 2026, 00:12 AM

A risky moment to liberalise capital exit

The Bangladesh Bank’s recent decision to raise the threshold for approval-free repatriation of foreign investment—from Tk 10 crore to Tk 100 crore—marks a significant step towards liberalising capital flows.
16 March 2026, 00:00 AM

Rethinking 'Bangu' culture: Perpetual self-denigration will take us nowhere

There is a difference between constructive criticism and internalised stereotypes resulting in reflexive self-denigration.
15 March 2026, 14:53 PM

Why the government must prioritise RTI

After the first cabinet meeting of the new BNP government on February 18, a 180-day priority plan was announced focusing on controlling commodity prices, maintaining law and order, stabilising supply chains, and ensuring uninterrupted gas and electricity supply.
15 March 2026, 00:41 AM

Continued use of post-bail ‘shown arrested’ cases risks repeating past abuses

It is worth recalling that at his first press conference following BNP’s election victory, Bangladesh’s new prime minister, Tarique Rahman, was asked the following question:
15 March 2026, 00:37 AM

How tobacco companies target schoolchildren

Targeting young children to gain future smokers is a longstanding tactic of tobacco producers globally.
15 March 2026, 00:35 AM

We need education reforms that actually work

People’s expectations about real reform in education have been raised by the busy round of meetings and expression of resolve seen in Minister of Education Dr Ehsanul Haque Milon and State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj.
15 March 2026, 00:32 AM

Bangladesh's rivers are dying, and so is its future

A 2025 study by the River and Delta Research Centre (RDRC) reveals a grim reality: at least 79 rivers across the country have either died or are drying up.
14 March 2026, 02:31 AM

From population control to policy by numbers

At the heart of Mamdani’s analysis was Khanna, a district in India’s Punjab, where, in the 1960s, a long-term family planning study led by Harvard University was conducted. The objective was direct: if modern contraceptives were made available and incentives provided, would rural couples adopt them?
14 March 2026, 02:28 AM

Why Bangladesh’s vegetable exports fail long before take-off

When we talk about the challenges surrounding our vegetable exports, we often frame the issue as a simple question of export promotion, certification, or country branding. But the real issue is whether our vegetable production and supply chain can consistently deliver safe, traceable, and market-ready output.
14 March 2026, 02:25 AM

The unfinished promise to Bangladesh’s women

Given the election results, one could assume that the female voters have registered a clear electoral message. They do not want to retreat into the margins of civic life. And why should they?
14 March 2026, 02:15 AM