Fixing Bangladesh's VAT cash squeeze without reversing reform
19 September 2026
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Views
Ducsu’s mandate is student representation, not administration
19 September 2026
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Views
Bangladesh's population policy must go beyond family planning
19 September 2026
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Opinion
Without structural fixes, the one-crore job promise will remain hollow
18 September 2026
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Views
Why regional diplomacy needs a feminist lens
18 September 2026
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Views
Renewed push for open-pit mining in Phulbari ignores hard-earned lessons
18 September 2026
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Views
Abdur Razzaq’s memoir: Jamaat’s internal conflict for a 1971 apology
18 September 2026
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Views
'NAZA' exposes what Israel wants hidden about the Gaza war
17 September 2026
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Views
Taxpayers should not have to bear the cost of bad loans
17 September 2026
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Views
How the measles vaccine drive exposed gaps in coverage and data
17 September 2026
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Views
EVs make economic sense for us, so why is adoption still slow?
In the early noughties, Dhaka was choking on petrol and octane fumes, and it was then that the government pushed Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) as the answer.
23 June 2026
77 years of Awami League: From people’s vanguard to an autocratic machine
The territory that constitutes Bangladesh has been a political hotbed since the dawn of the 20th century. The country entered a new era in August 1947, after the partition of India, including Bengal.
23 June 2026
Ad-din tragedy shows why every hospital needs an air quality alarm
On the morning of May 27, 2026, six newborns died within hours of each other in the post-operative ward of Ad-din Medical College Hospital in Dhaka’s Moghbazar.
23 June 2026
Serajul Islam Choudhury at 91: Critique, commitment, and change
Today—June 23—marks the ninety-first birthday of Serajul Islam Choudhury, our foremost intellectual and writer in Bangladesh.
23 June 2026
Is the UK heading for a leadership change at the top?
I cannot recall another British parliamentary by-election in recent years that generated such intense media attention.
22 June 2026
A case for turning Dhaka's flyovers into rainwater harvesters
On June 12, the Bangladesh Meteorological Department said Dhaka had experienced about 43 millimetres of rain in just two hours.
22 June 2026
Don’t leave Kaiputras behind in the name of development
In Dakshin Alipur of Satkhira Sadar upazila, a tragedy largely invisible to the wider public is unfolding. It’s taking place not in some remote char or forest but beside an important highway.
22 June 2026
A watchdog without teeth: The problems with the draft NHRC Act
On May 17, the law ministry unveiled the draft National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Act, 2026, inviting public comments and feedback.
22 June 2026
Justice for the weak, immunity for the powerful
They also hurt diplomatic relations between Bangladesh and India
21 June 2026
Budget 2026-2027: A structurally old yet inspirationally new budget
Economists may think differently, but it appears that politicians and bureaucrats think alike when it comes to framing the budget document.
21 June 2026
Are our laws doing enough to address gambling?
When Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed announced the launch of a nationwide coordinated drive against drugs and gambling in April, two uncomfortable yet necessary questions arose
21 June 2026
Why Bangladesh’s small producers struggle to scale, and how to help them
Bangladesh is generating economic activity faster than it is building firms.
21 June 2026
How to restore the moral compass of corporate banking
For years, corporate banking in Bangladesh has been built not simply on lending but also on stewardship.
20 June 2026
Can the climate budget be just if resilience is ‘subsidised’ by women’s unpaid care work?
The allocation for climate action in the proposed budget for FY2026-27 deserves recognition.
20 June 2026
We cannot avoid the moral questions behind the measles and Ad-din crises
Reading a recent report by The Daily Star on the number of measles victims, I could not help but link the number “666” printed in red with something ominous.
20 June 2026
Does the government really want an independent NHRC?
The people of Bangladesh have suffered too heavily for too long from abuse of power, lack of accountable governance, deficits in the rule of law and access to justice, and multidimensional violations of human rights.
20 June 2026
Five ideas to turn PM’s Malaysia visit into a strategic reset in ties
When Prime Minister Tarique Rahman lands in Kuala Lumpur on June 21, the weight of this visit will be unmistakable.
19 June 2026
What the FY2026-27 budget reveals about Bangladesh’s climate priorities
For Bangladesh, climate change is no longer merely an environmental concern. It is increasingly a development, economic, and governance challenge.
19 June 2026
In planting 25 crore trees, we must not lose sight of the bigger picture
The BNP government unveiled an ambitious plan to plant 25 crore trees over the next five years as part of its election pledge.
19 June 2026
Turning the budget’s ambitions into reality will be a major test
There is always many a slip between the cup and the lip, which reminds us of the budget’s implementation challenge
19 June 2026