Covid-19 cases in the country are on the rise again. While infections had seen a drop in May with the infection rate coming down to 7.91 percent on the 29th of that month, the infection rates are back on an upward trajectory: as of June 21, 2021, it stands at an alarming 19.27 percent, as reported by this daily.

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.

Inter-national donors have played a key role in the development of the Bangladesh economy in recent years. Many global donors have huge purse strings and are often able to fund projects that otherwise might not get off the ground.

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 unreal target for revenue mobilisation has made the target numbers provided in the national budget unreliable and less authentic. For several years,

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.

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.

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.

Normally, you and I would not see fairies or hear them singing. They exist in a world where we fear (or do not care) to tread (anymore). Even if we do, we will not admit it in public.

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.

The news that the Dhaka University authorities said they will take legal action if the university and/or its vice-chancellor, Prof Akhtaruzzaman, is mocked in social media is quite shocking.

When will the world have vaccinated 80 percent of all adults (the level presumed by scientists to produce herd immunity against Covid-19)? Most people’s answer is 2023 or 2024, which suggests deep pessimism about the progress of vaccinations outside the rich world.

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.