Mohammad Zainal Abedin writes from NY Ruling Awami League general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam on November 28 branded American Assistant Secretary of South Asia & Central Asian Affairs Nisha Desai Biswal, as minister of ‘dhuee ana’ (two pennies). This is…
Robert J. Burrowes In a recent article, full of insight, Professor Bill Quigley identified ten different illegal actions police often take ‘to prevent people from exercising their constitutional rights’ to take nonviolent action to address a grievance. He noted that…
Will the market become cosmos, leaving no alternative other than being sucked into its constantly expanding frontier? There are two reasons for the garment industry in Bangladesh to flourish – cheap labor and a favorable climate that is conducive to…
By Nava Thakuria The working journalists, more particularly the reporters covering insurgency related incidents, always face a two-edged sword. Often they face brickbats (reader threats) from both the insurgents turned terrorists and also the authority in power that implements counter-insurgency…
Robert J. Burrowes Several years ago, someone said to me: ‘The victim wouldn’t have it any other way.’ When I first heard this comment, it made no sense to me, largely because I had never appreciated being a victim of…
Masum Billah The planning and developing wing of directorate of secondary and higher education has revealed a report tiled institutional self-assessment summery 2014 at the National Academy for Educational Management (NAEM) conference hall recently. With a view to finding out…
Robert J. Burrowes The United Nations has just issued a report, ‘Why Children’s Protection from Violence should be at the Heart of the Post-2015 Development Agenda’ http://srsg.violenceagainstchildren.org/sites/default/files/publications_final/why_childrens_protection_from_violence_should_be_at_the_heart_of_%20the_post_2015_development_agenda.pdf This is a worthy ideal. Unfortunately, the UN Report does not identify the…
Sudhirendar Sharma In a predominantly growth-obsessed market-driven consumerist culture, the environment as a subject has remained on the margins of popular perception – arcane to some and obscure to others. Environment no longer registers! Even if it does, it is…
Masum Billah The results of Secondary School Certificate examination came out with the message of significantly high pass rates and higher grades. And this has been a common picture for the last six years which definitely make us elated as…
Robert J. Burrowes The human organism, at birth, is capable of becoming an integrated whole. And it is only by becoming an integrated whole that it can function optimally. What does this mean? In order to function optimally, the human…
Mostafa Kamal Majumder Bangladesh owes its origin to rivers. The landscape has been formed by its rivers. These rivers sustain its flora and fauna, and the lives and livelihoods of the people. Largest delta in the world, Bangladesh sits on…
S. Gopikrishna Warrier A trend towards bipolarity has its implications for environmental decisions in an ecosystem-diverse country like India. Take for instance the case of the mid-altitude plateaus of Kerala, represented by Idukki and Wayanad districts, which have been in…
Robert J. Burrowes It is easy to fall into the trap of assuming that each human being has a more or less identical range of emotions. This is not so. Just as each human individual is physically unique while fitting…
Dr. Atiur Rahman Corporate social responsibility, is no more a supplementary or optional activity for any corporate, so is for banks. CSR is really about companies operating in a manner that is sustainable, cognizant of their responsibility to the wider…
Masum Billah As individuals and members of society the students who make just better results in terms of academic performance may not be well prepared to face the practical challenges of life. They must be well-equipped with social and emotional…
-By Raquib Siddiqi Captive in the hands of vested interests of certain quarters, Bangladesh has so far failed to evolve a smooth and efficient functioning of Annual Hajj Operations. The vested quarters are so powerful that they have successfully foiled…
Robert J. Burrowes Certain religious traditions, including Christianity, emphasise the importance of forgiveness. I want to explain why forgiveness is misconceived and, therefore, a bad idea. And why there are important psychological reasons for this. In essence, the key question…
It never wavered, it never deviated, it never fell off course.
Mostafa Kamal Majumder The demise of Veteran journalist ABM Musa on Wednesday cast a pall of gloom in the journalist community of Bangladesh as among the conscious section of the people across the country. He had been suffering from various…
Rakibul Hasan Myanmar’s authoritative illegality continues in ‘legal procedures’ surpassing all UN standards regarding citizens’ rights. The United Nations has said all Burmese should be allowed an option to self-identify their ethnicity. But most recently, the country declares it won’t…
-By Raquib Siddiqi Biman Bangladesh Airlines Limited has gained significantly higher Available Seat Kilometre (ASK). This is expected to usher in a new era with prospect of profitable operation with efficient utilisation of the capacity. Poor utilisation instead will put…
Robert J. Burrowes Sociologists, political scientists, activists of various persuasions and many others often describe social stratification in terms of such measures as class, race and gender. There is much talk in the academic and other literature about the working…
Mostafa Kamal Majumder Election Commissioner Shahnewaz has on Tuesday blamed field level government officials for irregularities in Upazila elections. He has been quoted to have cited negligence of the officials to check irregularities for the dismal conduct of the elections,…
Amy Braunschweiger Abeba, a 31-year-old Muslim woman who worked for a local government branch of Ethiopia’s youth and sports office, was at work when Ethiopian security officials detained her and took her to a military camp. The authorities accused her…
By Nava Thakuria If you cannot protect the prized greater Indian one-horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis, dehorn them to save the animals from the poachers, as the species faces persistent survival threats for their horns- this is the logic seemingly taken…
As the boat plies upstream through the glittering splendor of the marble cliffs, the tranquility of river Narmada reflects the changing moods of nature at the picturesque Bhedaghat. The river and the rocks rival each other in beauty, yet try…
Robert J. Burrowes Apart from having its physical needs met, the primary needs of children are for stimulus and attention. Children are genetically programmed to move about to explore their world and to focus their attention on an endless succession…
Masum Billah Things have truly surfaced that students are still unable to use English in their practical life even though they attain good grades in the public examinations in our country. So, the assessment system should be changed to learn…
-By Raquib Siddiqi In the first eight months of the year 2013, international tourist arrivals grew by 5 per cent to reach a record 747 million worldwide, some 38 million more than in the same period of 2012. UK based Dr.…
Masum Billah Police is an integral part of any modern and democratic state. Hence the relations between the police and citizens should have been very friendly and mutually beneficial. To make the people aware of the roles and responsibilities of…