The Bangshi River was once an indispensable part of everyday life for the people of Nolam village in Savar on the outskirts of Dhaka.

Politicians made promises, the courts gave directives, National River Conservation Commission urged actions and finally, last year a master plan was formulated to save the Karnaphuli river from pollution and encroachment.

In November 2016, nine-year-old Asif was admitted to the only hospital which treats child cancer patients in the country. He was prematurely released from the hospital, with a few months of treatment still left to receive.

Anu Saha, 32, has been travelling to the capital’s Bangbandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) from Sirajganj twice a month during the last two years to collect oral morphine for pain management for his dying mother Sebi Saha, 50, a patient of terminal cancer.

Cancer control in the country requires an integrated approach with emphasis on prevention that can help improve quality of life, reduce the possibility of cancer and thus cut health expenditures, experts have said.

The main worry and concern now was the fate of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. There was anxiety about him despite the surrender in Dacca and the unilateral ceasefire coming into force in the western theatre of war.

One of the most memorable events that took place in the history of Bangladesh was on the day when Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman landed as a free man in the free land of the United Kingdom after having spent nine agonising months in Pakistani gaol. The date was January 8, 1972.

On January 10, 1972, the man whom his people lovingly called Bangabandhu, friend of Bengal, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, returned to Dhaka on a chilly and windy late afternoon from London, via New Delhi, to be welcomed by hundreds and thousands of people.

Bangabandhu’s speech at Delhi Airport

“I have given much thought since we met in Bermuda to our policies in the Indian sub-continent in the new situation which has been created there. In this connection it was of particular interest to me to have an hour’s talk with Sheikh Mujibur Rahman when he came through London.

January 1, 1972. An emergency meeting of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, chaired by the Foreign Minister, was held that evening at my Dhanmondi residence.

On 28 December he [jail superintendent] came to me and said that I should pack up as he had received an order that I was to ‘shift to new location’. My immediate reaction was one of joy, at the prospect of leaving the jail after nearly nine months of solitary confinement.

At first, I remember the students, the labourers, the peasants, the intellectuals, the soldiers, the police, the people, the Hindus and the Muslims of my Bangladesh who were killed. I, wishing for their souls and paying tribute to them, would like to say a few words to you.

Gone are the days when cooking meals twice a day used to take a toll on Nasrin Akter.

RFL Pipe & Fittings (a brand of RFL Group) in association with The Daily Star organised a roundtable titled “Construction Hazard: Creating awareness and the role of stakeholders” on December 12, 2019. Here we publish a summary of the discussion.

The market of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is facing a bizarre dilemma.

While the use of LPG is growing exponentially in Bangladesh, it is now more important than ever to handle this flammable product safely. Portable and refillable cylinders of different sizes are designed for household, commercial or industrial settings. Flawed use and lack of maintenance of these cylinders often cause explosion taking severe toll on life and property.

LPG in Bangladesh is a booming sector. The demand is increasing in industrial, commercial and household sectors. Autogas sector will come soon, in both rural and urban areas.

Due to our growth in GDP, consumption has increased, which has led to energy requirements going up. There is also a diminishing trend of natural gas, which is used in households. These two factors have contributed to the rising demand for LPG. Importing LNG is an expensive process, so LPG will be used as cooking fuel, and once the infrastructure is built, also as an automotive fuel.

The LPG industry had tremendous growth in the last four to five years. In 2013, the industry produced 80,000 tonnes of LPG. This year, the industry reached one million tonnes.