Although we are confronted with the news of rape practically every day, it is always a shock when we hear of the actual statistics. Mahila Parishad has found that just last month on average more than seven women had been raped everyday—a record high in a

We are alarmed at the news of sand extraction that has been going on for the last eight months in four villages of Habiganj’s Bahubal upazila, jeopardising the lives and properties of local people.

As we stand at the close of 2019, the High Court order issued back in October, 2010 asking the government to establish a national building code enforcement authority within a year has not been complied with as yet.

It is alarming that the incidences of cardiac diseases in Bangladesh are increasing sharply. And patients are being wrongly diagnosed when it comes to cardiac ailments. Cardiovascular diseases have become a cause of increasing concern, topping the list of non-

It is unfortunate that capitalising on India’s export ban on onion, the traders in the country have exponentially increased the prices of this daily essential item. Now, one kilogram of locally produced onion is being sold at Tk 120 at the kitchen markets across the

According to various newspaper reports, shortage of relief materials including food and other necessities has been a big issue during and after the recent floods that have devastated many districts of the country. There have also been reports of insufficient relief materials in

Myanmar’s minister for the office of the state counsellor, Kyaw Tint Swe’s comment that Myanmar wants to repatriate the Rohingya refugees, made during the general debate at the United Nations General Assembly recently, is preposterous and misleading. Kyaw Tint

One wonders whether the government normally withholds implementation of a piece of legislation pending discussions with all the stakeholders directly or indirectly affected by the legislation.

A new report by the Human Rights Support Society said that at least 92 people had become victims of enforced disappearances last year.

We are horrified to learn from a cover story in Star Weekeend of The Daily Star on September 27 that a total of 1,086 women committed suicide in the six upazilas of Jhenaidah district between 2014 and 2018, while another 9,373 women attempted suicide during the same time, according to data from the district civil surgeon’s office.

Farmers are treating cattle diseases with a mixture of antibiotics that has reached dangerous levels.

Any social problem has to be addressed by both the government and the society at large, more so when it involves an issue as important as child labour. The redeeming feature is that there has been good progress in ending child labour in Bangladesh. Over the last ten years,

The revelations of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) regarding the state of defaulted loans in our banking sector is disturbing, if not entirely surprising. According to a report published by the international money-lender, the amount of bad loans is actually double

A research study by Transparency International Bangladesh has revealed what we had feared—that Dhaka’s two city corporations did not do their job in taking the necessary steps needed to prevent the dengue epidemic that has taken at least 146 lives.

The latest forecast by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) titled “Asian Development Outlook 2019 Update” states that Bangladesh’s economy could grow by eight percent.

The Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Sayeed Khokon has announced that the DSCC authorities will soon take necessary steps to remove illegal vehicles and rickshaws from city roads and conduct a drive to free footpaths in Motijheel,

A roundtable organised jointly by The Daily Star and North South University titled “A roadmap for sustainable solutions to the Rohingya crisis” on September 24, brought together academia, members of civil society and security analysts.

An emotional and impassioned speech by teen activist Greta Thunberg in the opening session of the United Nations Climate Action Summit on September 23 drove home the message of the need to take drastic action on climate change or risk hastening the destruction

Health is a fundamental right of every human being, yet it is not one enjoyed by everyone. Not just in Bangladesh, poor people everywhere—basically half of the world’s population—lack access to essential health services. Although the world had set itself a target

While we observed World Rivers Day on September 22 with the high hopes of saving our rivers across the country, the fact remains that those entrusted with the responsibility to save our rivers actually did very little to stop pollution, encroachment and destruction of