We all know that noise pollution is part of living in a metropolitan city.

The draft of the Road Transport Act 2017 received Cabinet approval last week. Due to a High Court order, it has been drafted in the light of the Motor Vehicles Ordinance 1983, but with major changes.

The Child Marriage Restraint Act 2017 which allowed girls under 18 and boys under 21 to be married off under “special circumstances” was undoubtedly the country's most controversial law of 2017.

In the Vatican, there is a fresco by Raphael called “The School of Athens.” It depicts an imaginary congregation of many of the great Greek polymaths, philosophers, painters, sculptors, poets, and scientists—the very shapers of modern western civilisation.

The two-day Bangladesh Development Forum hosted by the Economic Relations Division on January 17-18 was an occasion to

A short film released this month caused quite a stir on social media. The short titled “Boishommo” (Discrimination) shows a young man, the protagonist, hanging out in the park with his friends, when he spots a woman smoking in public.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that the cost of attending a public university in Bangladesh is quite low compared to that of a private university.

Question: How do you know that a social campaign is working?

The pass rate of Junior Secondary Certificate and Junior Dakhil Certificate examinations hit an all-time low in 2017 at 83.65 percent, a 9.41 percent dip from 2016.

Stalking wasn't considered a crime until fairly recently. The High Court declared stalking of girls and women illegal, and directed the government to consider the offence as sexual harassment in 2011.

Seemingly, it's hard for some school “teachers” to imagine or appreciate that children have rights. Too often when the topic of human rights is raised, it's interpreted to refer exclusively to adults; and children only become entitled to these rights when they become adults.

Yeanur Rahman came to Dhaka with big dreams. She studied hard, aced her final exams maintaining a good GPA and got admitted into a public university in the capital. Things were going exactly as she had envisioned. Better yet, the freshman thought she had fallen in love with someone in her very first year.

This year, while Christmas celebrations take place as usual, there is an opportunity for the people of Bangladesh, especially the Christian community here, to look at Christmas from a different perspective following the visit of His Holiness Pope Francis to Bangladesh.

A few days ago, I was required to do some secondary research on the conditions of female workers in the readymade garments (RMG) sector in Bangladesh. While most of the study findings were nothing out of the ordinary, there was one outcome that struck me and has since been lingering on my mind.

The front page of The Daily Star published a photo that could be a poster for any women's empowerment campaign. In the picture, 15-year-old Ontora, calls passengers to board a Mirpur-bound BRTC bus, her face a perfect picture of strength and resilience.

It's that time of the year again, the season traditionally known for weddings and pitthas. But seasons undergo changes, and the winter can barely live up to its name anymore.

The predecessor of the SDGs was the MDGs, one of which was increasing equitable access to education. Bangladesh claimed to have achieved 100 percent primary education by the end of 2015 whereas it completely left out disabled children.

Economic progress is meaningless if the people are not healthy enough to enjoy the progress. As Bangladesh pursues its dream of becoming a middle-income country, this dream must also be one of a Healthy Bangladesh.

There is sometimes a jostling about which of the two ministers of education should represent Bangladesh in any international forum for education, such as a Unesco meeting or a UN System consultation in relation to the SDGs.

When I was an undergraduate student, I remember reading about a campaign in Libya by a grassroots organisation, Voice of Libyan Women. They were, at the time, running a campaign against domestic violence.