Tag: Columns

By Pankaj Mishra To an Indian who grew up in the 1970s and ‘80s, the sights of Dhaka, Bangladesh, seem to belong to a past that Indian metropolises have mostly outgrown: exuberantly battered buses, unpainted buildings, pavement book vendors with…

Dr Sudhirendar Sharma

Masum Billah The streets of Thailand have been rocked by anti-government campaign which started last month after Yingluck’s ruling Pheu Thai party  had tried to pass an amnesty bill that critics said was designed to absolve Thaksin and others of…

Mohamed A. El-Erian Newport Beach – The US Federal Reserve sparked a global – and now month-long – guessing game with its decision on September 18 not to “taper” its monthly purchases of long-term securities. The Fed does not surprise…

Dr. Sudhirendar Sharma Herodotus’ prophetic words will soon be proven wrong! The Greek philosopher had long described Egypt as the ‘gift of the Nile’. But with the course of the river being diverted to fill the 145 meter tall Renaissance dam being…

Masum Billah Though the people of Bangladesh show optimism about ending the political impasse, yet the stances of the two alliances prove miles apart which threatens to crumble the notion of the optimists. Election Commissioner Mohammad Shah Nawaz said, “No…

Jeff Austin Countries accessing water in arid areas could learn from the lessons from the co-operative efforts of the wide range of stakeholders that make up the Great Artesian Basin Co-ordinating Committee (GABCC). The GABCC was set up to address…

John Sifton, HRW Thank you for inviting me to testify today at this well-timed hearing. Human rights issues are a central topic of any proper discussion of Bangladesh’s current situation, and Human Rights Watch appreciates the opportunity to highlight key…

Masum Billah Sri Lanka hosted the 23rd Commonwealth summit with a dazzle of dancers and red-carpeted stairway lined with smiling children to greet leaders from its member states. At a lavish opening ceremony held at the Nelum Pokuna Theater, Britain’s…

Matt Mcgrath, BBC Environment Expert UN climate negotiations are bogged down in a dispute over who will take legal responsibility for the loss and damage caused by climate change. Rich countries say they will strongly resist this move.

Michael Green, Climate Action Liaison Coalition Attempts to address climate change thus far have not been effective; we need to evolve our thinking and our approach to action.  One potential source of inspiration for new approaches are small business leaders…

Karin Lexén, Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) ‘Climate change has made us realise that water is in fact the very centre of the life support system of our planet: water is simply the bloodstream of the biosphere.’ Professor Malin Falkenmark,…

Abdur Rahaman Rana Weather and climate have affected human health for millennia. Climate change is altering weather and climate patterns that have previously been relatively stable. Over a longer time period, increased temperatures have other effects ranging from drought to…

Matt Leggett, Global Canopy Programme Despite current and future efforts to adapt to the impacts of climate change, median agricultural yields will fall by 1-2 per cent per decade until the end of the century, while corresponding demand for agricultural…

Raquel Rosenberg Intense. This is the best word to define my experience so far at COP 19. Today was only the second day and it feels like a week. Me and the Brazilian Youth Delegation are working together to guarantee…

By Sundeep Waslekar On the surface, the forthcoming elections in Bangladesh and India will create fog of uncertainty in the two countries. Beneath the surface, a unique opportunity will make it possible for 250 million people from Bangladesh and West…

Jelena Kiselova The 19th Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 9th Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP) begin today…

Robert J. Burrowes Every day, human adults kill 35,000 of our children. We kill them in wars. We kill them with drones. We kill them in our homes. We also kill children in vast numbers by starving them to death…

Dr. Atiar Rahman I am happy that the financial sector is taking the lead in achieving the nation’s vision. Most of the banking services are now provided through online IT infrastructures. Online banking service, mobile banking service, online CIB, Automated…

Masum Billah The country was again gripped by a 60- hour hartal beginning from November 4. According to the World Bank, the equivalent cost of a day’s hartal comes to roughly US$ 200 million in lost productivity. Going by our…

Dr. Sudhirendar Sharma Land-locked mountain kingdom conjures up an irresistible image of a Shangri-la, with happiness being its gross domestic product. In every direction around the kingdom, unhappy situations prevail in its diverse manifestations – be it India or Nepal…

Mostafa Kamal Majumder The rift over mode of holding the forthcoming general elections has brought the nation to the brink of deadly confrontation across the country. Apparently the contending parties are not buzzing an inch from their respective positions. Of…

Dr. Sudhirendar Sharma For most of us, entering into a conversation is akin to getting into a restaurant without a wallet. Stepping-up and sustaining conversation is even more daunting. Adam and Eve must have encountered such difficulty because they had…

– Daniel Gros Brussles – According to conventional wisdom, the eurozone crisis has reduced citizens’ trust in the European Union – and in European institutions in general – across all member states. Several recent reports have claimed that the German…

– Mohamed A. El-Erian Newport Beach – The US Federal Reserve sparked a global – and now month-long – guessing game with its decision on September 18 not to “taper” its monthly purchases of long-term securities. The Fed does not…

Masum Billah We are to prepare our learners to face the challenges of the 21st model of passively learning facts and reciting them out of context is no longer sufficient to prepare them to survive in today’s world.

True to its name, New Society Publishers are surely into the business of spreading ‘good’. Else, it won’t have been as eager in getting ‘Small Stories, Big Changes’ across to this reviewer. Fourteen ordinary folks narrate their unique ‘inner’ journeys…

Frances Harrison