Over the last 30 years, the phenomena of unchecked deregulation, privatisation, financial secrecy and globalisation has allowed big companies and well-connected individuals to use their power and influence to capture an increasing share of the benefits of economic growth. On the other side of the ledger, the benefits for the poorest have shrunk.

As soon as the international sanctions on Iran were lifted on January 16, the US Secretary of State John F Kerry said, “Today marks the start of a safer world.”

It must be borne in mind that waste collection and waste storage should go hand in hand. However, waste storage capacity in Dhaka is quite limited.

Does the Constitution of Bangladesh recognise education as a right? The plain answer is no.

Showing disrespect and indifference to teachers and professionals is certainly not the way to go about building a knowledge-based economy. The proposed increase in salaries is not any special favour being bestowed on teachers, as their emoluments are still far below those of their counterparts in neighbouring countries.

As per a projection put forward recently by the country's leading think-tank, the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), we find that a 10 percent reduction in fuel prices could propel the country's GDP growth rate by 0.3 percent, or in dollar terms, nearly $5.2 billion; raise its export earnings by another 0.4 percent and household consumption by about 0.6 percent.

While many Bangladeshis recognise the environmental menace of littering, a national wake-up campaign, actively championed by the national leadership, would be far more effective than the occasional focus on the issue by the media.

If the whole point is to highlight the role of world leaders in creating and failing to manage the refugee crisis, why on earth isn't David Cameron, François Hollande, Viktor Orban or Bashar al-Assad being turned into a caricature?

There is no such thing as a free lunch. And even if the price is symbolically peanuts, the lunch should not be free.

The Bangladesh RTI Act is similarly geared towards changing the culture of secretive governance inherited from colonial times. The goal is to replace it with more open, responsive, law-based and citizen-friendly rule.

In 1976, a book titled “Bangladesh: The Test Case of Development” drew significant attention and the hopeless implications of the title...

Beginning 2016 with a trip to the region for the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) hosted by the Bangladesh Navy in Dhaka sets the tone for the year ahead.

Nawaz Sharif is treating the attack in Pathankot as a direct challenge for him. He is aware of the domestic consequences, but he is confident that all the opposition parties in Pakistan will stand behind him if evidence against the culprits is strong.

An unusual secrecy shrouded Bangabandhu's departure aboard a special Pakistan International Airways flight on his release from captivity in West...

A year ago from today not even a savvy soothsayer would have dared to predict the change in our political climate that we are witnessing now.

Bangladeshis simply cannot allow extremists to triumph over liberalism and the way to defeat extremism is neither through dagger nor through 'development' but through unadulterated democracy.

It's 5 am. A record number of us offer our Fajr prayers ON time, WITH humility AND with sincerity. I am sure it's a similar situation in the case of a record number of those of all religions.

The recent gruesome killings and attack of young bloggers, and the murder of a publisher by unknown assailants last year...

It may not be wise to compare Bangladesh with France, but is there any scope of denying the fact that the true essence of democracy lies within the space of freedom of expression?

There was great hope that having tackled the immediate crisis, the government will put the energy sector on a robust track to achieve sustainability. But, it appears that it has been derailed. True, there is no load shedding, and the government will be able to meet increasing demands in the next two to three years, but many issues of the energy sector will plague us for a long time to come.