The World Trade Organization (WTO) as a multilateral institution has been saved, for the time being, but at the cost of doing, and agreeing to do, almost nothing. 'WTO Reforms' was the catchword of 14th Ministerial Conference (MC14). Everyone agreed about the need for Reforms, but there was wide di
A report goes like this: at least 22 migrants died in a boat tragedy in the Mediterranean Sea as the rubber boat carrying them left Tobruk, a port city in eastern Libya, on March 21 bound for Greece. But the boat lost its way and was afloat at sea for six days. Those in the boat faced severe shorta
The Defence Officers Housing Society (DOHS) Parishad at Baridhara and the Animal Welfare of Baridhara DOHS (AWBD) are, according to a report carried in a contemporary, on a collision course over the presence of stray dogs there. Even the pet dogs' movement is not to the liking of the DOHS Parishad.
Eid is meant to be a homecoming—a return to one’s roots, a moment of happiness in the presence of loved ones. Yet, tragically, over the past few years in Bangladesh, the words “Eid” and “accident” seem to run in parallel. Just as we prepare to fill our homes with
While electricity now reaches even the remotest rural backwaters and chars, long hours of load-shedding are a fact of life in rural Bangladesh. Many hoped that the government would ensure uninterrupted electricity supply at least during the Eid vacation, when demand falls in cities as offices and f
The government's plan to support research and studies on the War of Liberation in 1971 and the July Mass Uprising by selected researchers is a good initiative. According to a report carried in a vernacular daily, an individual researcher or a research team will receive a minimum of Tk 0.5 million a
Are policymakers seriously thinking about what Bangladesh will be like in the next 25 years or 50 years if the current trend of losing land continues or even accelerates? It is not a hypothetical question; it is a question about the country's stability and security. Because the country is quietly m
International Women's Day 2026 has reiterated once again the significant role that women play in the context of socio-economic dimensions within the matrix of our world. Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's right
The Global South represents as many as 134-plus post-colonial or emerging economies. They include biggies and minnows, in terms of land area or size of the economy. The group includes some very large economies, including the world's second largest, China. The Global South plays a significant role i
That modern Dhaka, the nation's capital city, is still young, can be observed during each Muslim festival of Eid when the city crowds get thinner and the roads become near empty. The city already looks sparse as a large segment of its population has meanwhile left the city to reunite with their par
Kamalapur Dharmarajika Bauddha Vihara, the premier Theravada (Hinayana) Buddhist monastery has apparently nothing common with the Islamic ritual of fasting for a month and breaking of fast at the end of a day. But an innovative incorporation of the spirit of siam or abstinence by the monastery has
The tragic accident on the Khulna-Mongla Highway on Thursday afternoon, which claimed at least 13 lives, is yet another grim reminder of how unsafe our highways have become. Among the victims were 11 members of the same family, including a newly married couple who were returning from their wedding
Eid-ul-Fitr, the largest religious festival for Muslims worldwide, will be celebrated on Friday or Saturday, depending on the sighting of the new moon. In Bangladesh, the government has approved a seven-day holiday for Eid-ul-Fitr from March 17 to March 23, after declaring March 18 a public holiday
