As a child in Europe in the 1970s, Michael Miller loved playing with a train set that had a Flying Scotsman locomotive. Decades later, he sits in a snug sleeping car of the Jayantika Express as the European Union (EU) Ambassador to Bangladesh and says his fascination for trains remains, but it now
How much time is too much for children below 17 years of age to spend on digital screens? The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends no screen time for children below two years of age, not more than an hour a day for children aged two to five and less than two hours daily for the age group betw
In Kurigram's char areas, where hardship is a daily reality with loss of lives, even the family's main and lone earning member leaving the household for unknown, Mosammat Lal Banu Begum has carved out a path of survival by building resilience through empowerment. After losing her father and only b
Technology can be a killer. This is how our weavers lost their fingers in the colonial days. Now it is targeting our cerebral workers. The process has been on for a while as computers were getting smarter. First it was the office typists and now it is the knowledge workers. Many of the past jobs ha
Choosing a university or a subject is a major decision for students in Bangladesh after they complete their higher secondary education. Every year, thousands of students take university admission tests hoping to get into a public or private university and study their preferred subject, which can le
The Bangla month Baishakh is about to come to an end but the peak summer has conspicuously been absent. Both Chaitra and Baishakh have relatively been cooler this time. In fact, so cooler that it would be impossible to remember any moderate summer like this in people's living memory! Temperature be
On May 1, 1886 thousands of workers participated in a peaceful protest in Chicago, USA, demanding an eight-hour workday. On May 4, the fourth day of the movement, a clash erupted at Haymarket Square between the police and workers. A bomb explosion, gunfire, and subsequent police action resulted in
It is always a big challenge to get information of the actual amount of non-performing loans [NPLs] of commercial banks in Bangladesh. In most of the cases, the published data does not reflect the true scenario of bad assets. By definition, NPLs include three types of classified loans viz. Substand
There is a kind of leaving that does not show up in your attrition reports. The employee is still at their desk. They are still answering their emails, attending their meetings, and submitting their reports on time. On paper, they have not gone anywhere. But they have. Internally, quietly, without
The Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals (FDMN) in Bangladesh are in one of the largest protracted refugee situations in the world with an estimated 1,162,939 Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals (FDMN) living in 33 overcrowded camps in Ukhiya and Tekanf subdistrict of Cox's Bazar and in one camp o
In many developing countries, public trust in the education system has often been challenged. The challenge stems from examination malpractice. The reinstatement of Dr ANM Ehsanul Haque Milon as Minister of Education has renewed attention to discipline and accountability within the sector. During h
Liveability of Dhaka City is not its forte. Air and sound pollution, filth and chaotic traffic make it quite uninviting and yet this megacity pulls people from all corners of the country. Educated, half-educated, unlettered men and women of all ages, sexes, colours and faiths come to the city in se
Chattogram, the second largest city, hosts the main port of Bangladesh. Being the commercial hub, the city is considered to be the economical heart of Bangladesh. Thus, naturally, the city has developed quicker than other cities. However, the city faces massive flood water during monsoon every year
