Pressing the mute button

One of the most vulnerabl institutions in the world today is the free press and one of the most expendable people are the journalists.
10 February 2016

The mother of Rajshahi's shoemakers

Now in her eighties, Rokeya Begum of Kaluhati village in Rajshahi's Charghat upazila is well within her rights to reflect upon life.
9 February 2016

'We too can'

Physically challenged Sujon, 13, cannot move without support from others. He cannot speak either. His father Sayedur remarried and got settled in Tangail.
8 February 2016

A runaway bureaucracy

In 1972, shortly after liberation, I used to work in the Prime Minister's secretariat in a small cubbyhole of a room that was hardly big enough for one desk and two chairs.
7 February 2016

“Newspapers reflect the very conscience of a people”

ASSALAMU Alaikum. Rokia Afzal Rahman, respected chairperson of the celebration of 25th anniversary of The Daily Star, Mahfuz Anam, Editor of The Daily Star, invited distinguished guests from home and abroad, honoured representatives of the media and ladies and gentlemen.
6 February 2016

THE TRUTH WE TELL

After months of planning, weeks of dummy runs, the paper was finally rolling out of the press on the night of 13th January, 1991.
4 February 2016

Germany's Cologne Test

German Chancellor Angela Merkel seemed all set to regain control of Germany's polarising debate over refugees. In her New Year's Eve address...
3 February 2016

Smart agriculture with smart technology

The effect of urbanisation is two-fold. On one hand, it boosts development indicators such as economic growth, productivity and
2 February 2016

Development and Democracy: Time to look to the East

It was December 6, 1971 in the White House situation room when the joint forces of Bangladesh and India were quickly marching towards Dhaka.
1 February 2016

CORRUPTION HURTS

After experiencing many ups and downs over the last four plus decades, the economy of Bangladesh has transformed into a promising one on many accounts.
31 January 2016

Understanding earthquakes in Bangladesh

REMEMBER the early morning of January 4 this year, when we were jolted by an earthquake that scored a 6.7 on the Ritcher scale?
30 January 2016

Taming rogue policemen

Excessive use of force is decidedly more complex and multidimensional than the few bad apples' theory would imply.
29 January 2016

Can Ershad's brother be his brother's keeper?

Hussain Muhammad Ershad never retired from politics because he never got tired of it.
28 January 2016

Whose city is it, anyway?

The impassioned descriptions all collide against, but dissolve into each other – the past, present and future, stories of pain, aspiration, fear and anger compete against each other to be heard.
27 January 2016

How fair were the Paura Elections?

Recently, elections were held in 235 Paurashavas around the country. In this first time ever party-based elections, Awami League won 182 mayoral seats..
26 January 2016

Investment plans on paper

First the good news: two of the largest Indian conglomerates have pledged to invest US$11.2 billion in Bangladesh in power, energy and infrastructure sectors.
25 January 2016

Sherlock Holmes of the internet

On average, a Bangladeshi digital consumer spends about 5.6 hours every day on social media and browsing the internet, while they spend 1.6 and 2 hours reading newspapers and watching television respectively.
24 January 2016

2016: A new beginning for the world and Bangladesh

The year 2015 that has just ended has been a landmark year for both the development as well as climate change discourse at the global
23 January 2016

Public order and its discontents

A concerned commentator feels uneasy at the modus operandi of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police in laying down conditions for holding...
22 January 2016

Ershad, still an unspent political force

Whatever may be his infamy, flippancy and punching above his weight in the eye of his critics, H. M. Ershad hardly seems ready for his swan song.
21 January 2016