Continued spread of misinformation highlights the need for digital literacy
We share the concerns of experts and exporters in relation to US tariffs.
Persistent water crisis in Rangamati hills demands interventions
Bangladesh's extreme vulnerability to climate change has been well recognized by the developed nations and especially by the relevant international forums. So, it is only expected that Bangladesh is a strong candidate to draw the Green Climate Fund pledged by the rich countries at the recently held Cancun Climate Summit.
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One has lost count of factious fights taking place within the BCL which keeps on flaunting a ruling party label despite the amended RPO, since the AL government came to power two years ago. The copybook reaction of the ruling party ranged from rebuke through exhortations to dissolution of committees to disowning the wing -- mostly as public posturing while indulgence in some form or the other continued behind the scene.
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After a hundred and one ideas and moves to resolve the capital city's maddening traffic knots have failed to make any headway, the finance minister has come up with yet another proposition. This is about restricting or even banning the movement of private cars with less than five or four passengers on the city's roads, in order to provide the space for the larger vehicles for mass transit.
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The state of uncertainty over the fate of the crew of MV Jahan Moni continues. There is little sign of any progress having been made where freeing the crew, now captive at the hands of Somali pirates, is concerned. Since December 5, when the 26 Bangladeshis aboard the vessel were seized off the coast of Somalia, not much headway has been made in the matter of resolving the crisis. It appears that the government has either been playing a rather cautious role or is inclined to think that the problem will somehow sort itself out. To be sure, the authorities have given it out that they are trying out every means possible to free the captives, among whom is the wife of a member of the crew. That has not been enough. And judging by the result as also the feelings of the families of the...
Among the environmental hazards, under the spotlight in the backdrop of climate change-centred concerns, brick kilns make for an issue that is perhaps the least attended to. There is no reason why this should be on the periphery of national consciousness. Brick manufacturing plants stuck with primitive technologies are a major source of carbon emissions into the atmosphere. It would have been a statistical nightmare if the quantum of carbonization of the air through brick kilns was measured and made known.
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Sensing public mood accurately, if perhaps a little belatedly, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has come up with words of caution for her colleagues to deliver rather than still bask in the waning sunshine of electoral victory and taken-for-granted invincibility. One cannot but be heartened by her introspectively wise counsel that the AL government now needs to act to deliver over the remainder of its tenure. It has to leave something tangible on the ground to be judged by the people.
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The proposed Human Trafficking (Prevention and Protection) Act-2011 -- which has defined human trafficking as "sale or transfer of men and women by force, threats or cheating for sexual and commercial purposes or other forms of exploitation" -- also includes labour trafficking. Under the act, trafficking and related crimes will be non-bailable and non-compoundable and will be tried in speedy trial tribunals in all districts and metropolitan cities. While the initiative is commendable, implementation is another matter. The act is a broad one and enforcement must be as efficient.
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Begum Khaleda Zia's visit to China is obviously a good indication of the importance the Beijing authorities attach to relations with Bangladesh. We expect the leader of the opposition to speak for Bangladesh, especially in terms of its foreign relations, when she meets the Chinese leadership. We are, however, quite intrigued that Begum Zia, just before her departure for China, made a demand for the Awami League government to quit office over what she called its manifest failure to govern. She, like everyone else, is entitled to her opinion on how she perceives the performance of the government at this point. But what we cannot quite agree with is Begum Zia's berating the government on an occasion which should have been focused on what she expects out of her visit. What kind of signal...
Another tragedy has struck us. This time a motorboat carrying almost 100 people capsized after being hit by an empty cargo boat in the River Dhanu in Sunamganj. 35 bodies have been recovered, as of last report; most of the victims are women and children. Regrettably, accidents involving river crafts have been on the rise in recent times.
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The recently concluded visit of the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to India has opened up the potential for deeper interaction between the two in terms of trade and commerce among other things, while agreeing on the need to give more time to iron out the border question. It has once again established the predominance of economics over politics.
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