Reports on hunger and food insecurity are unnerving. The 2025 state of food security and nutrition in the world (SOFI) report finds that 673 million people constituting 8.3 per cent of the global population faced acute hunger in 2024. The SOFI is an annual publication by five important United Natio
Amid the unprecedented disruption in global oil and gas supplies due to lingering war in the Middle East, problems in the transport sector and concern over energy security are dominating the headlines. However, a parallel crisis is quietly unfolding in a vital sector of the national economy - agric
A recent study report on the impact of solar-based power on Bangladesh's small and medium enterprises (SMEs) has captured significant attention, not only for its environmental implications but also for its strong economic cause. Prepared by the Change Initiative, the report suggests that SMEs in Ba
Few statistics capture the scale of Bangladesh's economic vulnerability as starkly as this: $68.3bn illicitly transferred abroad in less than a decade. The figure, estimated by Global Financial Integrity, is not merely an accounting anomaly or a technical irregularity in trade data. It is a systemi
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has instructed the home minister to adopt stern measures against oil smuggling as well as creation of any artificial energy crisis. For a country critically dependent on imported fossil fuel, such strict directive from the government's highest level is a welcome step.
For the second time in three decades of World Trade Organization (WTO)'s history, the ministerial conference is taking place in Africa. More than a decade ago, the 10th ministerial conference (MC10) was held in Kenya, the first African nation to host the meeting of the highest decision-making body
There are cities where garbage is a problem, and then there is Dhaka, where garbage has become a condition of existence. It lines the waterways, chokes the drains after moderate rainfalls and piles high on street corners waiting for collection that never seems to come. Much of it eventually finds i
The three-day17thAsia Pharma Expo 2026 and the Asia Lab Expo 2026 are set to be held at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Centre from Sunday next. With 23 years' legacy behind this exposition, it is a major event on the calendar of the Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries (B
Bangladesh's economic journey started as a "basket case" soon after independence to an emerging economy in recent times is a story that has captured both international attention and admiration. The "basket case" tag, coined by international observers in the 1970s in reference to Bangladesh's econom
Ship-breaking, long recognised as one of Bangladesh's most promising industrial sectors, is currently navigating a difficult phase. Once hailed as a thriving source of raw materials and employment, the industry now finds itself slowed by regulatory hurdles and tightening global compliance demands.
For Bangladesh, rivers and canals are as vital as veins are to the human body. The country is uniquely blessed with a vast network of waterways that crisscross the land, sustaining its life, agriculture and economy. Today, this intricate system is in grave peril due to decades of neglect. Many cana
It is generally recognised that with the growth of technology, particularly information communication technology (ICT), youth employment all over the world is becoming increasingly reliant on the fast emerging needs of diverse skills in workplaces. Countries across the world are faced with this cha
The global context in which Bangladesh conducts its foreign policy is becoming increasingly uncertain. The international system that for decades rested on widely accepted rules and institutions is facing serious strain. Strategic rivalries among major powers, economic sanctions, and military confli
