Leather industry targets $1.77bn exports
2 September 2026 Footwear Craft
How the shoe factory found its feet
S. M. Tahmid
2 September 2026 Footwear Craft
Bangladesh’s Footwear Market Steps Up
2 September 2026 Footwear Craft
Six generations of consumer trust meets comfort
2 September 2026 Footwear Craft
Taking Bangladeshi footwear up the value chain
2 September 2026 Footwear Craft
The making of Bangladesh’s leather industry
S. M. Tahmid
2 September 2026 Footwear Craft
Weathering the Seasons
Sadiya Afrin Hira
2 September 2026 Footwear Craft
Beyond the Basic Pair
Laura Z.
2 September 2026 Footwear Craft

Dhaka's transport sector: any sight of a bigger picture?

A city of over 14 million, roughly 400 years of history, rapidly rising incomes and mass migration patterns that seems unsustainable to outsiders—yet somehow Dhaka survives against insurmountable odds.
21 February 2018

Mega projects and our hopes and concerns

Recently, two facts drew our attention in the context of our overall national economic development—the first one is that our growth rate is now well over 7 percent and is one of the highest in the world at present.
21 February 2018

Dhaka Nexus - A Networks of Towns

Dhaka is “growing” in its own happy rhythm, spurred on every now and then by fragmentary planning initiatives. This “growth” is neither relieving pressures at the centres nor creating a decent urban development for the city and its regions. We propose a “Dhaka Nexus” linking the core city with a greater region. Dhaka Nexus is a new network of liveable towns and settlements based on improved transportation and economic opportunities to facilitate their
21 February 2018

Dhaka Circular Light Rail (LRT)

In this city with 15 million people, movement of the private cars always gets priority in planning and development. Government has realised that only increasing roads cannot pull this city out of the current transportation crisis. In response, constructions of MRT 6 and BRT 3 have already started with some others in the pipeline. Our analysis shows that Dhaka needs more public transport besides the ongoing
21 February 2018

Framing a shared urban vision

Bangladesh can become the world's 28th largest economy by 2030, according to PwC. Goldman Sachs has already listed the country as one the "Next 11" high potential economies of the 21st century.
21 February 2018

Urbanisation trends and sustainable transport

Our future is destined to be urban as urbanisation in developing countries is a defining feature of the 21st century. It is the most significant demographic transformation in our century because it restructures national economies and reshapes the lives of billions of people.
21 February 2018

Our wetlands and a sustainable urban future

Bangladesh is one of the fastest growing urbanising countries of the world. By 2025, 50 percent of Bangladesh is supposed to be urbanised. Cities are growing rapidly. By 2050 the number of city dwellers is supposed to increase by 66 percent (from 4 billion in 2016 to 6.3 billion in 2050).
21 February 2018

Civil aviation authority and infrastructure development

To an air traveller, an airport gives the first impression of a country. It is a picture that promises the offer of what a first-time visitor may expect in the country. The aviation authority, thus, can play the crucial role of promoting a country to the outsiders.
21 February 2018

"Quality literary works often go unnoticed"

Given your long-term teaching experience, how would you evaluate the education system of Bangladesh? When we were children, our Balyashikkha book would start with Bangla alphabets (au, aa, ka, kha). But nowadays the very first book for children starts with sentences and the alphabets come at the end of the book. This is a major fault in our primary education system.
20 February 2018

The language question in 17th-century Bengal

According to received wisdom, Bangla language was just fine until the fateful emergence of Fort William College. The pundits and the Sahibs of this college on the eastern bank of Hooghly River fiercely mauled, mutilated, and marred our mother tongue beyond recognition. Word had been married to thought and the literate had been immersed in the popular until this event drew an iron curtain of alienation.
20 February 2018

Amago Bhasha

RACIAL, religious, national, tribal, and ethnic lines dissolve on February 21. Unlike independence days, religious holidays, cultural festivals, or birthdays of national figures, International Mother Language Day celebrates something the whole world can appreciate: our right to use our native tongue. Whether we speak a national language sanctioned by the government or a local language spoken by only an
20 February 2018

Learning in the mother tongue

Whenever we talk about the state of education in Bangladesh, the age-old debate about English versus Bangla medium re-emerges with regard to quality of teaching, affordability, imparting knowledge about Bengali culture, etc. But while many of the broader concerns have merit, the less obvious aspects of the current education system that deserve some serious thinking are often overlooked. The importance of the mother tongue in education is one of them.
20 February 2018

Shahidullah, a linguist and language activist

By the time Muhammad Shahidullah was old enough to begin his secondary education, he already knew five languages. Besides his mother tongue of Bangla, he not only learnt Urdu, Persian and Arabic—perceived to be the languages of Muslims—but he also became proficient in Sanskrit, the primary liturgical language of Hinduism.
20 February 2018

Language, mine and ours

The lyrics of the famous song by Abdul Latif, Ora Amar Mukher Bhasha Kaira Nitey Chay, speak much more about the significance of one's mother tongue than many articles put together can.
20 February 2018

FOREIGN POLICY OF THE STATE OF KUWAIT

The cardinal principle on which the foreign policy of Kuwait is based had been enunciated by the late Amir of the State of Kuwait
19 February 2018

Investment opportunities in Kuwait

Investment is the key to development and progress and the Government of the State of Kuwait is pursuing an aggressive investment
19 February 2018

Where do we stand?

In the last five years Bangladesh has been maintaining a GDP growth rate between six and seven percent. Consequently, Bangladesh's energy consumption has been increasing at more than eight percent per year.
19 February 2018

Culture of Kuwait

Kuwait takes great pride in its rich culture, cherished values and strong traditions.
19 February 2018

Bangladesh's ailing tax system

The tax system in Bangladesh is not very different from that of most other developing countries. A significant share of revenue is collected at the border, while domestic taxes are primarily from the VAT and income taxes.
19 February 2018

Freedom of expression and media in Kuwait

Media in Kuwait serves as a watchdog of people's conscience, for respecting the principles and values of the country and upholding
19 February 2018