Jobs provide livelihood, and thus, are a source of income that is crucial for economic growth. By providing access to broadband and a digital device, technology has shifted traditional work patterns. It has created new ways in which work is carried out and enabled more people to join the labour for
On March 2, 2022 in Nairobi, representatives of 175 countries pledged to create a legally binding agreement to end plastic pollution. The agreement urged addressing the full lifecycle of plastic and proposed alternatives including reusability. An Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) that c
Immediately after gaining independence, Bangladesh's foreign currency reserves were nearly depleted. Most factories had either been destroyed or shut down due to the war in 1971. Despite these challenges, the economy, heavily dependent on foreign loans, aid, and agriculture, showed remarkable resil
In 1992, the world gathered in Rio de Janeiro for the Earth Summit and took a historic step by recognizing a group of nations as uniquely vulnerable to environmental and economic shocks: the Small Island Developing States, or SIDS. Comprising 39 UN-recognised members and 18 associate members, SIDS
This is where economic diplomacy comes knocking on the door of the strongman; the recent initiative by the United States (US) to lower tariffs on key Bangladeshi exports is a ringing endorsement of the magic that is possible with good leadership and true negotiating. No usual policy shift by any me
Upending text book theories on tariff, President Donald Trump is using tariff as a weapon of choice for multiple objectives. This has made the existing rule-based global trading system go haywire, making the predictable and transparent multilateral trading system put in place by Uruguay Round of tr
Bangladesh's economic progress is at risk due to a weak banking sector and the absence of a functioning capital market. The banking sector is the weakest link in Bangladesh's economy. Despite the strength and competitiveness of the overall economy, banks have long posed serious risks. A review of
The two neighbouring countries of Bangladesh and India share a land border of approximately 4,096 kilometres (2,545 miles), making it the fifth-longest international land border in the world. Under ideal circumstances, such geographic proximity should facilitate trade between the two countries by l
Recently, my friends and I walked into the movie theatre to watch Superman with no expectations whatsoever. As this movie was directed by James Gunn, the filmmaker who made lighthearted superhero films like Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, Super and others in the past, I thought this would be a re
Bangladesh is a breeding ground for a wide array of natural disasters, owing to its geographical location, subtropical climate, and flat topography. The territory is known for the deadliest tropical cyclone ever recorded, the 1970 Bhola Cyclone, which killed at least 0.3 million people. A di
Tajuddin Ahmad would be a centenarian on 23 July. He was a mere fifty years old when he was assassinated in November 1975. Yet in those brief five decades of his life, he achieved a feat rare in the history of political men. He rose to the peaks of leadership in the brilliance emitted by Bangabandh
As Bangladesh grapples with rising unemployment, persistent poverty, and escalating climate risks, Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus's 3ZERO vision-Zero Poverty, Zero Unemployment, and Zero Net Carbon Emissions-shines as a beacon of hope, offering a bold and transformative roadmap for the nat
Since Trump was inaugurated as president of the United States on January 20, 2025 he has implemented a series of actions which amount to a trade war against the rest of the world. On April 2, 2025 he announced so-called reciprocal tariffs with different levels for different countries. Right from th
