Views / Columns

Why is hilsa out of reach?

Why is hilsa out of reach?

The interim government's decision to increase food aid through vulnerable group feeding assistance during the lean days of ban on fishing to the fishermen families is a commendable move. Notably, the fishing ban comes on two occasions for 22 days between October 12 and November 2 to protect  m


Mamdani's democratic socialism: A test case for US governance

Mamdani's democratic socialism: A test case for US governance

Now that the dust has begun to settle after Zohran Mamdani's decisive victory in the New York mayoral election, the question that looms large is whether he can deliver on his ambitious promises as a self-declared democratic socialist. His victory, though confined to one of the world's most diverse

Addressing the challenges of new global trading system

Addressing the challenges of new global trading system

The global trading system is undergoing a profound transformation. What was once a relatively predictable, rules-based order -- governed by multilateral disciplines and anchored in the assumption of gradual liberalisation -- has given way to a far more volatile, transactional reality. Tariffs, once

Development damaging Nature, defying law

Development damaging Nature, defying law

Already ranked ninth globally for climate disaster risk, according to the World Risk Index 2023, Bangladesh, so far, seems to have resigned itself to its fate. Worse, it has been doing everything to make matters worse often in the name of development work. So, one is not surprised when, according a

Global FDI and Bangladesh

Global FDI and Bangladesh

The decline in global foreign direct investment (FDI) in the first half of the current year is not unexpected, even if it is undesirable. A tariff war initiated by US President Donald Trump has intensified global trade tensions in the first half of 2025. During the period, the world also went throu

Small businesses in a time of strain

Small businesses in a time of strain

It is hard to keep up with the dizzying pace at which the country is changing. Cityscapes are evolving every day. In almost every neighbourhood, new buildings have gone up in the last decade and, wherever space allows, more are still going up. These are the years of growth and modernisation that ha

Return back to Nature ensures survival of human race

Return back to Nature ensures survival of human race

Nepal has emerged as the most Nature-connected nation in the world, according to a research, first of its kind, conducted by academics from Britain and Austria. Involved with the ground-breaking research was Miles Richardson, a famed professor of Nature connectedness at the University of Derby. The

Is restoration of Dhaka's rivers elusive?

Is restoration of Dhaka's rivers elusive?

While rivers across Bangladesh face grave vulnerabilities-encroachment, pollution, siltation, and declining navigability-the situation is particularly dire for the rivers surrounding Dhaka. A couple of them are practically lifeless, having lost their channels altogether. Despite repeated calls for

Safety measures must to restore confidence in metro rail

Safety measures must to restore confidence in metro rail

It was a bright afternoon on October 26, 2025, when tragedy struck once again in Dhaka's Farmgate area. A bearing pad from the city's metro rail infrastructure fell from above, fatally hitting a young man named Abul Kalam Azad. He died on the spot-leaving behind a grieving mother, a devastated wife

Is the world closer to the doomsday?

Is the world closer to the doomsday?

As Trump directed his country's Department of War to what he said start testing their Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis in response to other countries' testing programmes, the world is going to enter the insanely competitive era of nuclear testing. Here, by other countries, he has evidently meant R

Bangladesh's struggle to make trade sustainable

Bangladesh's struggle to make trade sustainable

Can the trade and environmental policies interact? If yes, what will be its influence on climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, and global trade flows? The questions are not new, and the answer to the first question is a resounding 'yes': it is both possible and necessary to interact with tr

Who will take responsibility for the poor?

Who will take responsibility for the poor?

Over the last five decades, Bangladesh has seen governments come and go, each promising to position the country as a model of development or as the next rising economic star in the region. Certain governments have, to their credit, achieved notable progress, although in an inconsistent rather than