Society

No one stands in line to embrace the widow and share memories of her husband of 50 years. No rows of family and friends file toward the flag-draped coffin to pay their last respects. No symphony of sniffles is heard across the room as the minister gives a final prayer. Read More »

China has mourned the victims of the coronavirus outbreak by observing a three-minute silence, bringing the nation to a halt. A day of remembrance was declared in China on Saturday to honour the more than 3,300 people who died of Covid-19. Read More »

By Samira Sadeque UNITED NATIONS, Apr 3 2020 (IPS) – As the number of coronavirus cases continues to grow, concerns are simultaneously growing about the current and long-term effects this will have on certain demographics — specifically, women, the youth, migrant workers, and many employees around the world. Read More »

By Saima W. Hossain DHAKA, Bangladesh, Mar 30 2020 (IPS) – A few days ago, a friend said to me that my focus on autism, although rather successful, had “sucked out all energy from other critical areas of social need in Bangladesh.” My friend wanted to know if I would be interested in expanding my visibility and successful approach to ... Read More »

News Desk The Independence and National Day will be observed on Thursday. Read More »

Sudhirendar Sharma During these corona time when all of us are forced into locked seclusion I wonder how would anyone respond to Imam Saab’s innocent query itna sannata kyon hai bhai? Come on, don’t ask me what sense does it make to respond to an innocent query raised decades ago on screen, in blockbuster Sholay. The unprecedented sannata leaves the ... Read More »

The coronavirus pandemic has taken over daily lives around the globe, overwhelming hospitals, shuttering schools and offices, halting U.S. presidential campaign rallies and world sports while increasing fears about the financial toll. Read More »

By John Scales Avery Loving care for our children We give our children loving care, but it makes no sense to do so unless we do everything in our power to give them a future world in which they can survive. We also have a duty to our grandchildren, and to all future generations. Today we are faced with the ... Read More »

Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Friday said the freedom of media is needed to build an equity-based society in the country. Read More »

The government has a plan to bring the country’s all senior citizens under old-age allowance in phases by 2025, Social Welfare Minister Nuruzzaman Ahmed told Parliament on Tuesday. Read More »

By Dr Jaspal Kaur Sadhu Singh Malcolm Gladwell in his book, Talking to Strangers, wrote of the difficulty faced by a judge whether to allow bail to an accused. Gladwell, in essence, highlights that being human, there is a propensity for judges to make a wrong judgment of the accused’s character when faced with strangers in a courtroom. Gladwell then ... Read More »

Dhaka, 6th February 2020 – The 9th BCS Forum got its new Executive body with Md. Tofazzel Hossain Miah, Secretary, Prime Minister’s Office as President and Shoaeb Ahmed, Commissioner of Taxes as Secretary-General for the year 2020-2021. Read More »

by John Weeks on 4th February 2020 @johnweeks41 John Weeks argues in our ‘just transition’ series that its success is linked to a political message of hope. In December Social Europe launched its just-transition series, which has transformed the discussion and debate over achieving a sustainable, social and economic European Union. The initial article and those that followed clarify the ... Read More »

DAVOS, SWITZERLAND — Today, the executive directors of 11 international NGOs released an open letter calling on the leaders of Internet Society (ISOC) and Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to stop the sale of the .ORG top-level domain to private equity firm Ethos Capital. Read More »

A couple who had been together for nearly 65 years have died on the same day at a St. Louis-area nursing home. Read More »

Washington, AP/UNB, Jan 19 – Thousands gathered in cities across the US Saturday as part of the nationwide Women’s March rallies focused on issues such as climate change, pay equity, reproductive rights and immigration. Read More »

Selibabi, Mauritania, Jan 2 2020 (IPS) – “I refused to marry off my daughter for a simple, good reason: I want my daughter to be empowered,” said Lemeima mint El Hadrami, 49. “I don’t want her to go through the same difficulties I did when I was young.” El Hadrami was married when she was only 13. Read More »

By Asit K. Biswas and Cecilia Tortajada Glasgow/Singapore – Over the last decade, Chinese businesses have made significant strides in incorporating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues into their decision-making. But they still have a long way to go, and they will not get there on their own. Read More »

by Liina Carr on 16th December 2019 @liina_carr The principle of ‘sustainability first’ should become the golden thread unifying all EU actions. While recent Fridays for Future and Extinction Rebellion actions have heightened the focus on climate change, sustainability is not just about the environment. In calling for climate justice, trade unions demand a far-reaching transformation of the economy, a ... Read More »

by Ivan Privalko, Bertrand Mâitre, Dorothy Watson and Raffaele Grotti on 21st November 2019 How well children, dependent adults and the elderly are cared for isn’t about national stereotypes—but it does reflect welfare regimes. Read More »

by Susanne Wixforth and Lukas Hochscheidt on 4th November 2019 The privileging of economic freedoms over social rights by the European Court of Justice could be reversed by a thorough harmonisation of European social law. Read More »

Dhaka, Nov 06 – If a universal pension scheme is launched once, it is very difficult to reform or to revise it. So, the government should be very careful about its contents before introducing the scheme, Dr Zahid Hussain, lead economist of World Bank, Bangladesh said. Read More »

Highlighting the government’s efforts for supporting senior citizens, Planning Minister MA Mannan on Wednesday said the government is keen to bring everyone under the pension coverage. Read More »

Dhaka, Nov 04 – Eti Akter from Kaliganj, Gazipur, won the contest of ‘SAPNA Ma Sera Dosh’. The first runner up is Fatema Akter from Lakshmipur Sadar and the second runner up is Razia Begum from Ramgoti. Special recognition for SAPNA Ma went to Nandita Mondol. Read More »

Feni, Oct 30 – After the speedy trial of Madrasah student Nusrat Jahan Rafi’s murder case, the fate of the newborn daughter of one of the 16 individuals convicted of the crime fell into uncertainty as her mother, Kamrun Nahar Moni, was also sentenced to death. Read More »

Doha, Sep 30 (AP/UNB) — Only moments after Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce zoomed past the finish line Sunday night, she scooped up something more precious than gold. Read More »

When I think back to some of the earliest days of my childhood, I remember moments like this—my brother Craig and I, smiling outside on the South Side of Chicago. It was there, in a diverse and changing neighborhood, that I began a journey that took me to settings I never could have imagined at that age. It’s the place ... Read More »

Dhaka, Sept 2 (UNB) – Representatives from the government, development partners, academia, think tanks and UN agencies came together here on Monday to discuss the role social safety nets play in addressing climate change, building community resilience and helping Bangladesh achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. “This is an important shift in our thought process on disaster management. ... Read More »

Dhaka, Aug 31 (UNB) – Holy Ashura, commemorating the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA), will be observed in the country on September 10 as the Muharram moon was sighted in Bangladesh sky on Saturday. The decision was taken at a meeting of the National Moon Sighting Committee held at the conference room of Islamic Foundation’s Baitul Mukarram office with ... Read More »

Sherpur, Aug 24 (UNB) – Bangladesh ODI captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza along with his wife Sumona Haque Sumi and two children paid a visit to their domestic help’s house at Jugania village in Nalitabari upazila of Sherpur. They together with Tuni arrived at the house around 2pm on Friday and spent two and half an hours with her family. Locals ... Read More »