"Apa, please pray for us so that we can be successful."

The Supreme Court yesterday issued a contempt rule on two ministers for their bitter criticisms of Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha in relation to the hearing of an appeal of war crimes convict Mir Quasem Ali.

He was “an indispensable cog in the murdering machinery” installed at Mahamaya Dalim Hotel in Chittagong during the 1971 Liberation War. His militiamen picked up freedom fighters and pro-liberation people from different parts of Chittagong and held them captive at the hotel, which he had transformed into an Al-Badr camp.

Though his crimes have finally caught up with him, war criminal Mir Quasem Ali in the last four decades was able to establish himself

Confidence and self esteem are vital for women to have equal respect, leading women professionals said yesterday during a roundtable discussion on the eve of International Women's Day.

Bangladesh returned to democracy in 1991 and since then the country has been ruled by two female leaders. In between, there had been around three years of interim periods, basically to hold elections. Bangladesh is also a rare country in the world where the two largest political parties are being led by two women for over the last three decades.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said her government was “embarrassed” by the comments of two ministers about Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha.

The Supreme Court is set to deliver today the verdict on the appeal of war criminal Mir Quasem Ali challenging his conviction amid some “unexpected comments” by two ministers on the chief justice.

It would be a lie if one were to say that defeat to India in the final of the Asia Cup did not hurt the Tigers at all. However, that they reached the final will be a confidence boost ahead of the ICC World Twenty20 in India, where they reached yesterday to take part in the qualifying round.

Bangladesh Bank has identified the people involved in the hacking of around $100 million (Tk 780 crore) from its foreign currency account with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, claim BB officials. Almost the entire amount was transferred online to the Philippines banking system and a small portion of it to Sri Lanka by suspected Chinese hackers on February 5, they said.

With 90 percent of her body burnt, Sumaiya Khanam had been fighting a grim battle for life for 10 days.

A very brief fireworks display took place after the final without any big cheers as by that time the stadium was nearly empty, following the

“The way women are progressing now, in near future they would not need any quotas. On the contrary, quotas for men might be needed to be introduced."

For a second day in a row, Food Minister Qamrul Islam and Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque blasted Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha yesterday.

The authorities may award an unsolicited contract to an Indian company to build a medium-sized power plant in Bhola island that would run on gas from Shahbazpur gas field or on imported petroleum, according to a competent source in Power Development Board (PDB).

A Jessore court yesterday granted bail to The Daily Star Editor and Publisher Mahfuz Anam in a Tk 10-crore defamation case.

Today is historic March 7.

The appeal in Mir Quasem Ali's case should be reheard by a reconstituted Appellate Division bench of the Supreme Court, keeping the

Bangladesh cricket fans can hardly wait for today's auspicious occasion when the Tigers start their Asia Cup T20 final against India at their beloved cricket ground in Mirpur. As usual there is a wide range of issues, from daily sufferings to major political topics, to discuss but apparently all those have taken a back seat as the country's sports-loving people have been gripped by cricket fever.

It was of course a celebration of success and brilliance. But what came up prominently throughout the programme, organised to honour the O- and A-level achievers of the country, was love and respect for the motherland and those who laid down their lives for its birth.