For the first time since the Cold War the German government is advising citizens to stockpile food and water for use in a national emergency. Some opposition MPs said the new civil defence concept, to go before ministers on Wednesday,…
Category: Opinion
Diagnostic or disease contracting centres?
Mostafa Kamal Majumder The other day a man in his early sixties was awaiting the arrival of a doctor for exercise tolerance test of his heart at a famous diagnostic centre in Dhaka. The doctor, very busy doing his shift…
The case for burning ivory
Chris Alden and Ross Harvey Jo’burg – Kenya is about to destroy its entire stockpile of elephant ivory. More than 100 metric tons of “white gold” – both illegally harvested (confiscated from poachers or traders) and naturally accruing (from natural…
Trisha recalls her step father
Trisha Ahmed, stepdaughter of slain writer-blogger Avijit Roy, remembers him as a fun dad who taught her to be informed, bold, and unafraid.And by dying for his cause, her father gained worldwide attention to the oppression and murder of scientific…
PBI asks to re investigate new year sexual assaults
A court has ordered a reinvestigation of a series of sexual assaults on women at Dhaka University during Bengali New Year celebrations. Accepting a prosecution plea on Tuesday, Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal judge Jayasree Samaddar ordered the Police…
Bangladesh loses its way: Kuldip Nayar
Veteran Indian journalist Kuldip Nayar has expressed doubts about possibility of holding free and fair elections that can change the regime in Bangladesh in the near future.In an article published in The Statesman on 11 February, he also tacitly blamed…
Ten inconvenient truths about Paris Climate Accord
Surya P. Sethi, India’s former Core Climate Negotiator To those who say the Paris Accord “signals an end to the fossil fuel era”; I say please look at Bloomberg’s commodities page – fossil fuels are being produced in never before…
Greece’s other deficit
Alessandro Galli Oakland – For the past decade, much attention has been paid to Greece’s public finances. And when, in November, the country faced the first review of its reform progress under its latest agreement with its creditors – an…
James Hansen, father of climate change awareness – Paris talks ‘a fraud’
The former Nasa scientist criticizes the talks, intended to reach a new global deal on cutting carbon emissions beyond 2020, as ‘no action, just promises’ Mere mention of the Paris climate talks is enough to make James Hansen grumpy. The…
Muslims must confront ‘extremist ideology’ : Obama
President Barack Obama urged Muslims Sunday to confront the “extremist ideology” in its midst and ally with the West in combating the Islamic State group.”We cannot turn against one another by letting this fight be defined as a war between…
The Copenhagen-Paris Express
by Lars Christian Lilleholt COPENHAGEN – In 2009, when Copenhagen hosted the United Nations Climate Change Conference, I was there as a member of parliament, and I had the feeling that I was witnessing a world-changing event. For years, negotiators…
Pragmatism in Climate Policy
by Oliver Geden BERLIN – The diplomatic effort to forge an international agreement to mitigate climate change is undergoing a fundamental shift. The top-down approach that has guided the effort since 1992 is slowly being replaced by a bottom-up model.…
Iqbal Sobhan calls for more women participation
Prime Minister’s Media Adviser Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury today called for increasing participation of women in policymaking activities of the government to raise their empowerment.”The dignity of women in a society reveals what progress the society has achieved. In this regard,…
Asma Jahangir blasts Pak govt
Pakistani rights activist Asma Jahangir came down hard on her government for demonstrating disproportionately high passion” against the execution of Salauddin Quader Chowdhury and Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed much more than those being hanged by military courts or Pakistanis executed…
Great role ahead is identifying solutions to climate change, Prof Lee
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – the international body for assessing the science related to climate change – has elected South Korean economist Prof Hoesung Lee as its new chair. Lee will lead the organisation into its next…
The growth of organic
Danielle Nierenberg The Organic Trade Association (OTA), a membership-based organization of organic food companies, is working to bust myths about organic food. “Despite organic sales and accessibility at all-time highs, consumer confusion about organic benefits remains significant,” say Laura Batcha,…
Opinion: Understanding education for global citizenship
By Kartikeya V. Sarabhai Ahmedabad, India, Dec 2014 (IPS) – Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) brings together concerns about the environment, economic development and social aspects. Since 1972, when the first U.N. Conference on the Human Environment was held in…
Agri journalism course at DU
It is encouraging to learn through the Press that the Dhaka University (DU) is going to introduce a specialised course on agriculture journalism under the assistance of the agriculture development project, Catalyst. William H Allen, a professor of agriculture journalism…
Tragic end of a decent man in Bangladesh journalism
Mostafa Kamal Majumder The sad demise of eminent journalist Zaglul Ahmed Chowdhury on Saturday night has come as a shock to all not only because of the suddenness with which the end came to the glorious career of a gentleman…
Obama pledges $3 billion for Green Climate Fund
President Barack Obama recently pledged $3 billion for Green Climate Fund (GCF) to help poor countries cope with the effects of climate change which include tasks like helping vulnerable communities with early-warning systems, stronger defenses against storm surges, and climate-resilient…
Of Kejriwal and Imran
Jawed Naqvi THIS is for my Pakistani friends who have often told me they see shades of Imran Khan in Arvind Kejriwal and for some Indian friends who have borrowed that view and propagate it as their own. In other…
Parliament without real opposition
The country witnessed an unprecedented election in its history and through there is a parliament and a cabinet have already been formed. Who has actually benefitted, the AL, the BNP or the masses of the people of this land? People…
Triumphs of Anna Chacha
Dr. M. S. Haq It is good to know the upper and the lower houses of India have now passed the lokpal bill and the champion of above bill Anna Chacha (Mr. Anna Hazare) has broken his latest round of…
The Bangladesh paradox
By William B Milam Bangladesh is in crisis mode again. Every five years, as predictable as its annual monsoon, but not nearly as monotonous, comes the quinqennial political crisis. These occur because the Constitution mandates a general election every five…
Is the sustainability profession failing?
by Erin Lyon
Point of view: Believe it or not!
Earlier people used to do politics for people’s interest and they spent their money and time for the people. Well off and learned people came to politics. Leaders were respected by all.
Point of View: Sheikh Hasina and thought on Development!
The newspaper headline “Hasina seeks vote to finish development tasks” has drawn my attention. Can I ask a simple question to her? What the incumbent government has done so far development in Bangladesh?
The past in Egypt’s present
– Tarek Osman
Enquire into Prof. Yunus matters
Dr. M. S. Haq