We congratulate Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as she begins her fourth term as the premier of the country, with three consecutive terms running to her credit.

The prime minister has taken a bold step in infusing the cabinet, more than 60 percent, with new faces, a good number of them young and first-time MPs. This is perhaps the first cabinet of Sheikh Hasina where so many old stalwarts of the party, and of her allies, have made way for so many untried ones.

A recent study by a coalition of NGOs from around the world, the Zero Mercury Working Group, has found that levels of mercury in skin-whitening products being sold in the country are dangerously high—ranging from 90 to 16,000 times higher than the 1ppm (parts per million) limit set by 2013 Minamata Convention on Mercury. Given the deadly nature of mercury, which has the potential to cause permanent skin damage, kidney failure, skin cancer and other fatal diseases, this signifies a gross failure of the Bangladesh Standard Testing Institute (BSTI).

First a woman was raped in Noakhali for voting for BNP and now an entire village has been put under siege for the very same reason.

The decision by the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) authorities to set up all medical test equipment under one roof is an excellent idea and will hopefully make life much easier for patients. For far too long have patients had to run around from one corner to another to get the necessary tests done in nearly all the hospitals of our country.

A picture published in this daily yesterday depicts how a vast area of land in the Bichhanakandi village of Sylhet's Gowainghat upazila has been destroyed because of indiscriminate stone extraction. The village and its surrounding areas are now under threat of land subsidence.

It is interesting to note that the government, which had reduced tax-at-source for exporters to 0.60 percent (for all goods except jute) back in September, has now reduced it further to 0.25 percent as the new government is about to be sworn in.

It is disturbing to learn that despite our repeated calls to the authorities to ensure safety of our workers at workplaces, no substantial steps have been taken so far to stop or even reduce the number of deaths in workplaces. Instead, the number has actually increased.

The PM's cautionary advice to the newly elected lawmakers not to misuse their position is certainly a sobering directive for her future cabinet and gives hope for the ordinary people.

Remittance inflow has recorded a sharp rise in the last fiscal which rose to a record USD 15.53 billion (and increase of USD 2 billion from 2017) could not have come at a better time, especially since the country has been facing a decline in its foreign exchange (Forex) reserves.

A journalist was arrested and another one sued under the much-criticised law, Digital Security Act, in Khulna for their reports based on information collected from official source. This stands in stark contrast to the repeated promise by the government that journalists wouldn't be targeted by the law.

There can be no better way for schoolchildren to start a year than getting their textbooks delivered to them as soon as the year starts. It's a moment of joy and celebration for them, and of relief for their parents.

The incident of a Gazipur-bound bus hitting two teenage girls near the Abul Hotel in Malibagh Rail crossing area on January 1 turned the entire area into a warzone for four hours.

The country saw a general election on the penultimate day of 2018 that resulted in a landslide result for the AL-led alliance. People left the capital city in droves to cast their votes since the chance to exercise their franchise had arrived after a decade. The capital wore a deserted and somewhat eerie look.

We are horrified at the incident of a gang-rape in Noakhali's Subarnachar last Monday. A 35-year-old woman was victimised for voting for the BNP. Going by the report of this daily, during Sunday's voting, Ruhul...

The verdict of the 11th parliamentary polls is clear: Awami League has secured a decisive victory with two-thirds majority. Sheikh Hasina, who is set to become prime minister for a third consecutive term, made history on Sunday as this is a wholly unprecedented feat.

Our oft-repeated insistence in this column, and related reports, on ensuring a level playing field and the consequences of not having one, has come to be fully reflected yesterday in the polling centres all around the country. What we witnessed yesterday was entirely the result of the absence of a level playing field. Our comments today are pegged mainly on the atmospherics of the Election Day and of the preceding period leading up to December 30, while those on the results would follow later.

This election is unique. Because the last election was largely uncontested, and it being the first participatory election in a decade,

When it comes to combating the scourge of child marriage, we do not usually envision the fight being fought by school children themselves, and that too happening at a remote char land like the Char Sinduma on the banks of the Teesta River in Hatibandha upazila.

This paper recently carried out an opinion poll to get a sense of what went right and what didn't in 2018. Respondents included some 37 prominent businessmen, the presidents of four leading trade bodies, CEOs of banks, non-financial banking institutions, insurance companies; economists and researchers.