A better understanding about the increasing economic importance of urban centres in national development is needed to shift the policy rhetoric towards increased urban investment.

Bangladesh is undeniably the world’s most disaster-prone country. Recurring disasters demolish the economic resource base of the poor people and drain out the economic potential.

The media is often considered to be the fourth pillar of a democracy—while the other three pillars are the legislature, executive and judiciary.

Renewable energy (RE) comprises of energy from the sun (directly), usually called solar, biomass, wind, tidal, geothermal and hydro.

Human society uses 10 times more energy today than it did in the early 20th century. While wood, coal and animal power dominated the energy scenario before the Second World War, the transition to oil and gas (hydrocarbon) started in the 1940s through 1970s.

Advanced technology-based society emerged in the period following the industrial revolution in the mid-1700s. Several major factors distinguished this new form of society from the previous ones.

As we enter the third year of the Covid-19 pandemic, the societal challenges we were fighting in the pre-Covid times all got worse over the past two years—be it extreme poverty, food and water crises, biodiversity loss, ecological degradation, or climatic change and associated disasters. But, can nature still be a part of tackling these challenges?

Bangladesh is regarded globally as one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change impacts.

One has to appreciate the fact that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman identified population boom as the “foremost national problem” for Bangladesh, even though the size of the population was 7.5 crore in the ‘70s. It amply indicates how farsighted he was in this case as we are burdened with a burgeoning population of over 16 crore today.

“Bring your work to Naveed’s Comedy Club’s cafe. No charge! Stay as long as you want to. No purchase necessary. We have everything here: a great workspace, WiFi, printers, projectors, whiteboards, even a stage to practice your presentations,” announced ace comedian Naveed Mahbub, in a recent video on social media.

Throughout the last two decades in Bangladesh, there has been a shift in storytelling on screen. Most notably, directors made films that not only initiated conversations in the country, but also made strides on global platforms.

Over the past year, we came up with new ways to experience life in a physically distant and virtually close-knit world.

Musicians in the country, more often the young and emerging ones, have always faced the dilemma of choosing between a quality instrument and an affordable price.

International artistes have long rallied for proper royalty disbursements, a fight that has been successful in bringing long-term security to their professional and creative lives.

Chances are, even if you don’t “follow” a social media influencer or even totally understand what they do, you are familiar with the concept of what they do.

Under Nigar Sultana Joty’s leadership, Bangladesh women’s cricket team qualified for the first time in the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup in 2021. She is one of the most talented players in the country. Cricket fans have praised her determination, dedication, and hard work over the years.

Dance, being a physical art form, is visually stunning, especially when presented on stage. However, owing to the coronavirus pandemic, institutionalised dance in Bangladesh had to embrace online platforms to sustain.

With an objective to redefine the live theatre experience, prominent troupe Spardha has been staging their third production, “Bismaykar Sabkicchu”, at people’s living rooms around the city.

The Covid-19 pandemic and resulting lockdowns saw public entertainment across Bangladesh grind to a standstill. With cinema halls, music concerts, plays, and other events closed – and new releases and productions put on hold – audiences flocked to over-the-top (OTT) platforms.

If you’re part of social media’s book-reading community in Bangladesh, you’ll remember the initial slump in and then an outburst of posts on how much people were reading books.