Column
Is a global goal on adaptation possible?
At the historic Paris Agreement on Climate Change made at the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2015, all the countries of the world agreed on a global goal on mitigation as well as setting a global goal on adaptation.
Can we make lockdown work this time around?
As the country scrambles to curb the spread of Covid-19, we will be entering yet another lockdown. The current infection rate stands at 23.86 percent, with specific regions crumbling under surmounting pressure to contain the disease.
Managing environmental resources for green growth in Bangladesh
The current pattern of global economic development is unsustainable. It is based on the extraction of natural resources and use of a carbon-intensive production and consumption system to produce goods and services for the economy.
It’s time to talk about cotton
Cotton is the lifeblood of the Bangladesh RMG industry, with our country among the world’s four largest users of this miracle fibre. The other three are China, India and Pakistan, the latter two of which also have large home textile markets.
Why can’t they get their fair share in our budget?
In Bangladesh, while the pandemic has impacted businesses of all sizes, plus life and livelihood, evidence is mounting that the enterprises that employ between 1 and 249 workers—officially the micro, small and medium enterprises—are bearing the brunt of the economic slowdown.
Street violence and gang culture 2.0
A female student of mine walked out of her dentist’s chamber at Bailey Road at around 8pm on June 7, 2021.
Have we done enough to address the problem of drug abuse?
On May 27, The Daily Star reported that detectives had claimed to have seized LSD, an extremely potent hallucinogenic drug, for the first time in the country during a raid in Dhaka.
Fighting the Delta variant: Do we have a plan?
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.
Handling of the Second Wave: Can someone in the administration please explain their decisions?
It is not easy to rationalise some of the recent actions of the government related to the realm of governance, in other words, related to us the people. For now, let us address the second wave of the pandemic and the government’s actions or reactions to deal with it.
How the world is failing Palestine
May 21, 2021, Friday, 2 AM Israeli local time: an Egypt-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into effect, ending the recent 11-day Israeli bombardment of Gaza. All told, the attack on the besieged Palestinian strip claimed the lives of 248 Palestinians, including 66 children.
Tackling three global emergencies at once
The world is having to tackle three major emergencies at the same time. The first is obviously the Covid-19 pandemic that is still raging around the world, the second is climate change, which is also getting much worse every year, and finally, there is biodiversity loss, which will mean the loss of up to a million species if we cannot stem the tide.
Bangladesh needs a more comprehensive trade strategy
In my last article in The Daily Star, I wrote that Bangladesh needs to urgently act to retain the GSP+ facility post-LDC status.
Social safety net budget deserves higher share
The need for higher allocation for the social safety net programmes (SSNPs) has never been felt so badly than during the ongoing pandemic.
How do I hate myself? Let me count the ways
The holiday lethargy has caused me self-loathing. Let me count some of the factors as to why I am beginning to hate myself.
Why does the story always begin with Palestinians throwing stones?
You have perhaps been witness to a cycle of violence that begins with one-sided bullying and coercion (action) and continues until the victim is forced to respond (reaction). And then the “fighting” begins. But then the victim is blamed for countering the continuing onslaught.
What we need to know about artificial intelligence and privacy rights
Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro’s latest novel Klara and the Sun, his first since receiving the award in literature in 2017, has some relevance for policymakers and ordinary citizens across the globe.
Je suis Palestinian
Governments in the Western world were galvanised by the “Je suis Charlie” (“I am Charlie”) slogan after the shooting at the office of the ill-famous sleazy French magazine in Paris in 2015 by Muslim extremists, which ended in twelve of its staff members being killed.
Our health sector is ‘sick’ because of government apathy
In a report published on May 1, this newspaper revealed that according to a recent study, the Covid-19 treatment cost is abnormally higher in private hospitals compared to public hospitals.
