In your long illustrious career, you’ve written extensively on many issues, but I find your enduring interest in poverty, rights and justice fascinating. Has there been any personal motivation for pursuing what has been your lifelong crusade against the forces feeding off people’s sufferings?

he telecoms law is going to be amended for the third time to wipe out the residues of notional regulatory independence. The authorities have uploaded a draft amendment in their websites ostensibly for public consultation,

With the World Bank identifying Bangladesh as one of only three big economies, along with Pakistan and Mexico, with increased remittance inflow in 2020, and with remittances making up a substantial share of the country’s income for long,

Addressing the human development challenges of Bangladesh—whether lingering, deepening or emerging challenges—require both policy options and institutional reforms. An objective assessment and recognition of problems, strong political will and an honest implementation of strategies are preconditions for the success of policies and strategies.

Climate change is only too real and does not escape our eyes and ears anymore. Even if the average person does not know the complicated theories behind the concept, the drastic temperature rise is not fooling anyone.

On 22 June 2021, our nation was faced with an insurmountable loss.

The recent announcement by the University Grants Commission (UGC) on its plan to introduce Turnitin software in public universities has come as a sigh of relief for the research community in Bangladesh.

We criticise more than praise. Good news is no news. Sensationalising everything to attract attention for revenue, modern media spins everything just to prove the point that free speech is an end in itself.

The contentious Biden-Putin summit ended inconclusively on June 16, 2021, in the tranquil 18th century villa La Grange, surrounded by rose bushes, overlooking the serene waters of Lake Geneva.

Imagine a scenario where players are being booed for making gestures that contain a political statement, but when play resumes and the players clinch stunning successes, spectators in the same gallery go wild in celebrations.

I was recently conversing with a friend living in Cox’s Bazar who was boiling with anger against the Rohingya refugees on their prolonged stay in the camps in Bangladesh.

Criticising civil bureaucrats has become a trend for journalists. While it is true that bureaucracy is associated with procrastination, it is important to understand the role of civil servants under the Constitution of Bangladesh.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) in a May 19, 2021 note uploaded on its website stated that “Pandemic policy is also economic policy as there is no durable end to the economic crisis without an end to the health crisis.

Today, there are more than 82 million people around the world fleeing war, violence, persecution, and human rights violations.

I first met six-year-old Amina in the Kutupalong refugee camp in 2019. I couldn't help noticing the forlorn image of life in the camps she depicted—a child alone in a corner, playing with a pair of matchboxes instead of a toy.

Being disconnected from school education since March 2020 has affected students in more ways than one. Although the learning gap is an inevitable outcome, its extent and nature remain unknown, while other skills such as collaborative and social-emotional skills are also bound to suffer.

June 2002. I was on my first visit to Kabul. People were trying to put together their lives with new hope. Kids seemed happy and curious. Some were walking to whatever remained of the schools. Some were playing on the streets, while others were curiously watching the foreigners.

As the Asia-Pacific region confronts and recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic, we must continue our pursuit of sustainable development and take action on global climate change, the existential challenge of our time.

In February 2021, Covid-19 numbers started rising again in South Asia with the official daily case counts rising beyond 400,000 in India, 6,000 in Pakistan and 7,500 in Bangladesh, straining their health systems.

On June 8, South Asia acquired a rare salience at the United Nations after the Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid was elected as the new President of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) for a one-year term beginning in September.