When my wife told me we were expecting our third child, my first thought wasn't about diaper bags or sleepless nights. It was much scarier than that: "Oh God, can we afford to educate the third one?" It wasn't just the fear of another tuition bill - the deeper anxiety that we might have to compromi
Over a decade has passed since the devastating inferno at Nimtoli in Old Dhaka, which killed 126 people and injured about 200 others. The fire was triggered by flammable chemicals stored on the ground floor of a residential building. The tragedy carried a clear lesson: chemical factories or warehou
Last week's grand rally in Dhaka, organised by an extreme right-wing group, gave a wrong message to all. In the rally, several speakers spread hatred against women in the name of religious obligations. Some of them also made misogynist remarks about members of the Women Affairs Reform Commission. O
Dhaka, the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, is supposed to be the most developed and well-maintained city in the country. But the reality is quite the opposite. Garbage and faeces are often seen left on roads, footpaths and other open spaces. It is so common that people no longer object to s
The report that a teacher at the Chirirbandar Government Model Pilot High School examination centre in Dinajpur's Chirirbandar upazila has been fined Tk. 2000 and sentenced to 7 days' prison for helping a student to answer questions through mobile phone app is shocking. When teachers should set exa
Bangladesh is now going through a critical phase centring on the debates surrounding political reforms and parliamentary election, which will have far-reaching consequences for the country's future. Many people and parties tend to mix up the reform agenda with that of the interim government or thos
The GI (Geographical Identification) recognition for the Sundarbans' honey, Munshiganj's patkheer and Narsingdi's latkon comes as highly savouring news to the people. But these were not the only produce and products. Altogether 24 such items with their origins in certain localities spread across th
Polytechnic students have been protesting since 16 April to realise their six-point demand, which includes the cancellation of a High Court verdict that allowed the promotion of craft instructors to the post of the junior instructor, age restrictions on new admissions, and legal protection of techn
In the crowded streets of Dhaka, rickshaw is an essential nuisance. A frail, three-wheeled rickshaw, pedaled by a driver who may be in his early twenties or even late sixties and hurling abuse at another rickshaw driver pedalling past him is a common sight on the streets of Dhaka. Since it is risky
Three rounds of high level indirect talks on Iran's nuclear program have taken place in Muscat and Rome since 12 April, between America and Iran, with Oman as mediator, with the outcomes of the talks shrouded in secrecy. The background to these talks is the demand from the Trump administration that
The embankment built to protect the Padma Bridge project area is under severe threat, according to a report carried in a contemporary. A two-kilometre segment of the embankment at Jajira point of Shariatpur has started experiencing river erosion. The river has become deeper closer to the Padma Brid
Do you feel like a character in the "Among Us" game, where at any moment someone will hit the emergency meeting button and scream, "You don't belong here!"? Or, maybe, after you have landed the job or secured the degree, or somehow tricked a room full of intelligent people into thinking you belong.
The World Bank's Bangladesh Development Update, released on April 24, painted a gloomy picture of Bangladesh's economic outlook, warning of rising poverty, deepening inequality, and slowing growth. It indicates that an additional 3 million people may fall into extreme poverty this year, with the ex
