Two separate developments involving improved relations between Sunni and Shia Muslims and women’s sporting rights demonstrate major shifts in how rivalry for the leadership of the Muslim world and competition to define Islam in the 21st century are playing out in a world where the Middle Eastern states can no longer depend on the United States coming to their defence.

In the 1970s, American sociologist and economic historian Immanuel Wallerstein (1930-2019) proposed an approach to view the global economic system as an interplay between three groups of countries: core, semi-periphery, and periphery countries.

An unthinkable and deplorable situation has risen out of the rigid position taken by the Minimum Wage Board (MWB) that was formed to fix the minimum wage for the hapless tea workers of Bangladesh.

The shroud of pandemic gloom is finally lifting after a solid year and a half. But for ordinary citizens, that is bringing no solace with the prices of everyday essentials spiralling -- beyond their means.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday sought continued support from Russia for building another nuclear power plant in Bangladesh’s southern region.

Around eight years ago, the government established passport and visa wings at different Bangladesh missions to provide better services to expatriates and visitors.

It is not often that an individual comes along with so many accomplishments and accolades -- that even a small sample size has more impact than what many achieve in their entire lives -- all the while being uncannily humble, open and beloved by fans and fellow artistes alike.

US Ambassador to India Kenneth Keating in a telegram sent today informed the US state department that Indian Foreign Minister Swaran Singh claimed that the East Pakistan insurgency was not dependent upon India.

Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Dmitry Muratov of Russia have won the Nobel Peace Prize for their relentless struggle to protect freedom of expression.

The Covid-19 pandemic has been hard for everyone, but it has been especially so on children.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said the government might set up another nuclear power plant in the southern region to meet the increasing demand for electricity.

Bad news comes in threes, it is often said.

The five-day-long Durga Puja, the biggest religious festival of the Hindu community, begins today through the Mahashashthi puja amid much festivity and religious fervour.

Dr AM Harun-ar-Rashid, eminent physicist and “Bose Professor” of physics at Dhaka University, died at a hospital in Dhaka on Saturday. He was 88, said a press release.

The Bangladesh Forest Department has given undue advantage to a particular company while purchasing four double-cabin pickups and related accessories worth about Tk 2.4 crore for a development project, said a government report.

The American consulate general in Karachi in a telegram sent to the US state department today informed that Pakistan President Yahya Khan accepted the US proposal for mutual withdrawal of troops and armour by both the Government of India and the Government of Pakistan to some distance from their respective borders.

Eminent cinematographer Samir Kushari, who was involved in hundreds of memorable television projects since BTV’s golden era, passed away yesterday at a hospital in the capital due to post-Covid complications.

Shipping of garment products through Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport has slowed down again as the Explosive Detection Systems (EDSs) at the airport remained mostly out of order for almost three weeks.

When Vithika Yadav returned to India in 2008 after living in the United States, she saw that many young people—especially girls—didn’t have a space to openly talk about the difficult issues they faced. Gender-based violence, child marriage, and other harmful social practices remain commonplace, and are hardly ever discussed.

The global community must invest much more and raise the scale and speed of its pledges to protect nature and prevent species loss,