Coal power loses steam

In the last six years, the Awami League government has made significant progress in the power sector virtually eliminating the phenomenon of load shedding. But this success may grind to a halt in the near future as the government's new plans to build two dozen large coal power plants are going nowhere fast.
2 January 2016

Development up, democracy down

It is nothing but an air of optimism for the present and the future if the major development activities --both at planning stage and under implementation by the Awami League-led government are considered. But the state of democracy in the country tells of another tale, not so happy or bright.
1 January 2016

No Surprise; It Keeps Growing

It is often said that numbers do not lie, but when it comes to the Bangladesh economy, the saying appears to be on shaky grounds.
30 December 2015

'No' is tradition

There is no doubt that holding a fair and free election in a democratic manner brightens a ruling party's image. Why, then, do the parties in power seldom follow the path to take its image to new heights?
29 December 2015

Terror suspects off the hook

Two alleged Hizb-ut Tahrir operatives, Syed Imdadul Haque Shaikat and Shahidul Islam Hasan, were arrested in the capital's Motijheel area on July 29, 2011, while distributing leaflets of the outlawed militant outfit. Seventeen days into filing a case under the Anti-Terrorism Act 2009, police pressed charges against them for working for a banned organisation, distributing its leaflet and inciting anti-government activities.
28 December 2015

Crossing divide

A man and a woman from two different countries can make a happy family if they respect each other's culture and values.
27 December 2015

“I am where I thought I would be”

Syed Shamsul Haque is a literary star, the versatile writer of Bangla literature. Haque has distinguished himself as a writer with a unique
26 December 2015

Happy endings to a troubled year?

The year 2015 began with firebombs thrown at people, but if everything goes well it may end with people throwing firecrackers into the
23 December 2015

Land gone, so is his kingdom

Once their forefathers had ruled a fairly large territory; once they had a royal throne. But all those glories have faded into a distant past.
22 December 2015

Is EC helpless to stop violations?

The Election Commissioner has sought Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's intervention to stop the electoral code of conduct violation by ruling Awami League MPs and leaders and thus Election Commissioner Shah Nawaz has made it apparent that the EC is helpless and unable to control the situation.
21 December 2015

Stop the senseless cruelty against children

It pains the hearts of many, no doubt, to read an editorial headlined “Another Minor Tortured”, as was published in The Daily Star on November 13 this year.
20 December 2015

Waste, but not useless

Many raised their eyebrows, some thought he was out of his mind when they came across Mohammad Elias' new business idea some 20
19 December 2015

16,000 tea workers face uncertainty

Hunger brought them here. They slashed and cleared the jungle, braving snakes, tigers, and malaria and set up the tea estates.
19 December 2015

Biman is also an airlines

Things appeared relatively calm one Wednesday morning. Officials were screening passengers and baggage. Children were running
18 December 2015

Sun rose from ruins

It was a treacherous journey. On bull-carts and on foot. But it was the journey that finally led to the fall of Dhaka in 1971 and the victory for Bangladesh and its 75 million Bangalis.
15 December 2015

195 Pak soldiers can still be tried

Pakistan army's 195 officers are morally and legally culpable for the genocide of 1971 and Bangladesh has the moral and legal rights to try them. Pakistan's excuse of the 1974 agreement does not give it reprieve.
13 December 2015

Shame they hid for 28 years

Pakistan's own Hamoodur Rahman Commission found “sufficient evidence” to try the top army generals, including Yahya Khan, for committing atrocities in Bangladesh but Bhutto kept the report under wraps to save the face of the powerful army and satisfy his own hunger for power.
12 December 2015

Bangladesh’s Liberation War: The night of horror

A heavy rain on the night of March 29, 1971 uncovered parts of two mass graves on the Dhaka University campus, according to a US diplomatic cable sent from the erstwhile East Pakistan.
11 December 2015

Pakistan used Nazi killer Eichmann's argument

Pakistan went to the International Court of Justice and presented notorious Nazi murderer Eichmann's defense
10 December 2015

They did everything to block trial by Bangladesh

The villainy of ZA Bhutto and his rogue country put Bangladesh at a serious disadvantage when it started preparing for the trial of the 195 War Criminals. As a new country without much international diplomatic clout and its attempts for UN membership vetoed by Pakistan's ally China, Bangladesh had to consider the fate of the Bangladeshis held hostage by Pakistan.
9 December 2015