Bangladesh’s gold paradox: From a shadow market to an export industry

Bangladesh must formalise its gold economy and overhaul restrictive import policies to drive lucrative jewellery manufacturing exports.
59 MIN(s)

Why Bangladesh’s energy crisis keeps coming back

Economist and energy activist Anu Muhammad speaks to The Daily Star about the policy choices behind the crisis
19 September 2026

The $5 billion opportunity Bangladesh is failing to see

Formalising Bangladesh's lucrative circular textile economy actively threatens the fragile livelihoods of its invisible informal waste workers.
18 September 2026

How Bangladesh is failing its Qawmi graduates

Despite formal degree recognition, Bangladesh fails its Qawmi madrasa graduates by excluding them from the mainstream labour market.
17 September 2026

Why is water-rich Bangladesh running short of water?

Despite abundant rainfall, Bangladesh faces a severe drinking water crisis due to systemic mismanagement and groundwater depletion.
16 September 2026

Bangladesh's education crisis: The future has already begun

Bangladesh's ongoing education crisis represents a systemic failure to build human capital, directly threatening future economic stability.
14 September 2026

The global injustice behind Bangladesh’s shipbreaking industry

The global shipbreaking industry demands a civil liability framework holding shipowners accountable for worker deaths and injuries.
13 September 2026

How to make essential medicines affordable and accessible in Bangladesh

Bangladesh’s reversion to an outdated medicine policy risks jeopardising patient affordability and the sustainable supply of drugs.
12 September 2026

Can Bangladesh make its plastic waste policy work?

Bangladesh's new plastic waste policy must integrate economic incentives and informal recyclers to achieve a circular economy.
10 September 2026

Dhaka accidentally built the city planners now want. Can we make it liveable?

Dhaka's accidental compact city model requires urgent infrastructure investment to prevent sprawl and ensure sustainable urban liveability.
9 September 2026

Can Bangladesh produce its own knowledge?

True emancipation for the Global South lies not in opposing the North, but in building a rigorous research culture.
8 September 2026

How we are killing Dhaka

Dhaka's unlivable state stems from centuries of failed urban planning, elite land grabbing, and systemic political corruption.
7 September 2026

Can Bangladesh afford not to invest in Bhola’s gas?

Bangladesh must urgently prioritise domestic gas exploration over costly, volatile LNG imports to ensure long-term energy security.
5 September 2026

Bangladesh’s renewable policy: Still too little but not too late

Agrivoltaics offers Bangladesh a sustainable method to expand solar energy whilst protecting vital agricultural land and food security.
4 September 2026

Why the Global South must rethink export-led growth

For Bangladesh and the Global South, lasting development requires economic sovereignty, stronger domestic markets, food security and greater self-reliance.
3 September 2026

Bhotekoshi flood: Another warning from the Himalayas. Are we listening?

The catastrophic Bhotekoshi flood highlights how delayed climate finance leaves Nepal's vulnerable Himalayan cryosphere facing unprecedented disaster.
2 September 2026

Renewing the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty: What should Bangladesh do?

To secure a fair Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, Bangladesh must prioritise ecological preservation over commercial water exploitation.
29 August 2026

What it really costs to live in Dhaka

Living in Dhaka demands heavy sacrifices, as residents constantly trade money, time, and well-being for basic survival.
29 August 2026

Why Nepal’s devastating floods should no longer surprise us

Nepal’s infrastructure fails because planners ignore extreme weather variance, highlighting the urgent need for climate-resilient planning.
27 August 2026

What kind of doctors does Bangladesh need?

Bangladesh needs medical education that produces doctors equipped not only with knowledge, but also judgement, ethics, communication and lifelong learning.
25 August 2026