When I hear hardened words from trade union leaders, instead of critiquing, I try and reason, and pose a critical question to myself and most of my more self-aware colleagues: Do they sound the way they sound because of their years of dissatisfaction or disappointment? Perhaps.

Sure there are those who had warned of some form of extremism emerging having observed the inequalities that exist in the social, economic and political fabric of our daily lives (which sometimes give rise to extreme reactionary forces). But they don't really explain the Holey Artisan tragedy, as most of the attackers, all in their late teens or early 20s, came from comparatively privileged backgrounds, and, as such, were not necessarily victims of such unfair discriminations. One thing though is for certain, that they were somehow influenced by external forces.

President Pranab Mukherjee of India will complete his tenure of office on July 24, 2017. To elect the 14th President the Election Commission of India had asked political parties to submit nomination papers by June 28. Election will be held if there is more than one candidate. Several names, both from the BJP and the Congress-led opposition, have been doing the rounds in Delhi since early May.

The debate about “art for hedonistic pleasure or art for a greater cause” is ongoing and will continue. But there is broad consensus on one issue: a good work of art can connect you to your senses, not just your mind. In our fragmented world, it's important for people not only to comprehend adversity with their minds, but also to feel it emotionally and spiritually. This might motivate some of us to turn compassionate thinking into compassionate actions!

Holey Artisan attack was a watershed event for us – both the society and the state.

It is not a coincidence that Bangladesh survived Cyclone Mora with few casualties while a landslide in the Chittagong Hill Tracts caused by torrential rains has left over 150 dead. Deforestation and hill-cutting are known causes of “natural disasters” like landslides, but illegal land grabbing in the CHT is at the root of deforestation and hill-cutting in the first place.

The red marks on my three month old's face are definitely not mosquito bites. And mosquitoes are something we are REALLY scared of.

Now that the challenge of tackling global climate change has been universally accepted by all countries and people (with the notable exception of Mr Trump and his cronies in the White House and Federal US government) through the Paris Agreement, it is important for all countries, companies, NGOs, universities and other relevant stakeholders to share knowledge and hard technology for mitigation as well as adaptation across countries both North-to-South, South-to-South, and perhaps even, South-to-North.

The security situation in Afghanistan is getting worse by the day. Almost every week there are terrorist attacks on government installations or civilians with large number of casualties.

The Finsbury Park Mosque attack was another manifestation of Islamophobia that has gripped Britain and many other western countries including the US in recent times. Reportedly, there has been a fivefold increase in hate crimes against Muslims in London after the London Bridge attack. There has been a similar spike in incidence of hate crimes against Muslims in the US, particularly after January 20, 2017.

Years later, we are now witnessing the greatest movement of the uprooted that the world has ever known. Even more than during the Second World War, as some 65.3 million people were displaced from their homes, 21.3 million of them refugees, according to 2015 UN figures.

This year's budget eventually turned sour though its components are fine. The major aspects of the budget can be fit into a pentagon model that has five components.

Globalisation conceived and led by the western world has failed to deliver on most of its promises to the majority of the globe's inhabitants.

As the Lion goes in for the kill of the Kangaroo, the Tiger gets ready for the semi-finals. This is one day when every Bangladeshi is an

Saudi Arabia, in its bid to become leader of the Arab world, has once again raised tension in the Middle East, albeit at Donald Trump's instigation.

Like me, many haven't lost faith in adult education yet. In fact, I just read about a 74-year old PhD scholar. The oldest doctoral graduate of Sichuan University conducted his doctoral dissertation defence at the age of 74.

Tension is again rising in the Middle East after Saudi Arabia and its allies (mainly other Gulf countries) abruptly cut ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism in the region.

Is this the “tolerant society” we envisaged as the outcome of our independence struggle?

While we learned not to put all eggs in one basket, dumping all rotten apples in one basket might seem rather prudent. When two

The horizontal axis of the graph surely extends from the right to the left, Middle Eastern style. That is the only explanation for