Of late, an influen-tial ruling party MP has registered his contempt for the latest rounds of extra-judicial killings by the RAB in Bangladesh.

Now the question is, can we say whatever we want on Facebook, Twitter or blogs? Some argue that comments made on social media should be ignored as they are people's very personal expressions. However, social media embody two spheres—a private sphere and a public sphere— simultaneously.

Unlike the people of Lebanon who are taking to their rubbish strewn streets to demand the removal of mountains of garbage, we in Bangladesh have resigned ourselves to the fate of living indefinitely in revoltingly filthy conditions.

It is now generally agreed by all major stakeholders that gas reserves in the country are finite and depleting.

Bangladeshi patients travel now more than ever before. And this is not a trend only among the affluent section, but also across middle and even lower middle class patients.

It was indeed refreshing and encouraging to find lawmaker Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh speaking out on extrajudicial killings.

Under this law, if anyone complains that his or her image is tarnished by someone's speech or writings, the police will take actions against the latter and it will be a non-bailable offence.

We challenged this legislation as being unconstitutional back in 2010. There was a petition that was filed by three of my colleagues who challenged the blocking of Facebook in 2010.

There is some confusion over the precise meaning of “talks” in the context of India and Pakistan. Both sides are committed to what is known as a “composite” dialogue, and this indeed covers all issues, including Kashmir.

Post World War II power balance between Zionist Israel and Arab-Persian Muslim countries, who considered Israel as a “pushed in state” in Middle East, is now being replaced in the post-Iran treaty era by an emerging strategic balance between Iran on one side, and Israel plus Gulf Arab countries on the other side.

I wish that the Commonwealth War Graves Commission would bring out these Indian sacrifices and not project the two world wars as fought only or largely by white troops. The deaths of Indians are as shocking as the demise of any white soldier. They too have mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers.

The sooner we realize that Dhaka's traffic congestion is not a problem of transportation engineering alone the better. This is also a problem of culture. It is much more than a result of broken bureaucracy, inadequate infrastructure, and ad-hoc planning.

Sometimes, a most obvious question of history remains unasked and unanswered through a lack of pursuit of or targeted research into an overwhelming event.

In Bangladesh, we need to seriously acknowledge the significance of authoritative approval or condoning of violence because such action is construed as social approval.

Eleven years ago on August 21, 2004 the nation was rattled, shocked and surprised by an unprecedented grenade attack on a peace rally organised by Bangladesh Awami League in front of their party office at Bangabandhu Avenue.

Pakistan had to pay the price for its misdemeanour and misadventure in Bangladesh. It learnt the hard way that guns cannot always solve all problems in this world.

The killers are pathetically mixed up in their minds. They're alarmingly oblivious that destroying human life is criminal offense, not God's work. They deserve utmost condemnation and the highest possible punishment.

David Kaye, the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, shares his observation on Bangladeshi blogger killings and state responsibility, the distinction between hate speech and offensive speech, and surveillance in the name of national security, in an exclusive interview with Sushmita S Preetha of The Daily Star.

His ability to get away with aggressiveness, insults, lies, and threats are exactly the attributes that attract his audience to him.

The reaction of the AL was predictable and one can safely assert that had it been the BNP in place of AL, the reaction would not have been any different. After all, who would want to have his or her 'powers' clipped?