Syed Ashfaqul Haque

You're getting ready for the office, not knowing how you look. A woman dresses herself up for a party, blindly. A girl is having her hairdo or makeup done before going out to meet friends, with no clue about her looks. A dentist tries to do a root canal job on a tooth deep inside a patient's mouth, basing on what he can see and what he can't. The outcome is obvious -- a laughter or disaster.

A bus full of sleeping people was petrol-bombed in the wee hours yesterday on the highway in Comilla, about 100km from Dhaka. Seven, including children and woman, were burned alive. The attackers vanished swiftly, punishing ordinary folks for defying the ongoing hartal. 

This is how the protagonist in Louis Armstrong’s iconic song sees the world around. With references to green trees, red roses, blue skies, white clouds, friends shaking hands and babies growing up, the lyrics inspire us to notice the colours of life despite all the pains and sufferings. 

Of late, the all-powerful government of Sheikh Hasina appears most vulnerable to lies and instigations. It develops a quick seizure syndrome at any hint of criticism or dissenting voice. And any Tom, Dick and Harry can now exploit the state machinery to get any individual or institution in trouble.

Too near, yet too far. Lionel Messi came so close to what was required to surpass Diego Maradona, the football god of his country. But the World Cup, tragically for the Albiceleste, remains elusive for a player considered one of the greatest of all time.

The moment has come.  The moment is to decide who will take the World Cup home—Argentina or Germany? Who will have the final smile— team with a superstar or an all star team?

The Orange humiliation could have been harsher even. Thanks to the pulled-hamstring of Sneijder, Brazilians could get some sort of respite. The margin of defeat could have been more humiliating if not the No. 10 Dutch had to sit out the match.

Here comes a game that no one wants to be involved in. What glory two losers can achieve from a third-place deciding game? For teams, nothing but the Cup matters. It's just cruel to ask one of the losing semifinalists to lose again.

Here comes a game that no one wants to be involved in. What glory two losers can achieve from a third-placing deciding game? For teams, nothing but the Cup matters. It’s just cruel to ask one of the losing semifinalists to lose again.

A tragedy, bigger than Maracanazo, has consumed Brazil Wednesday. Brazil were thrown out of the World Cup; a heart-break that the hosts could get over with. But a 7-1 thrashing by the Germans? No way! Brazil would never be able to swallow the insult.  

From 32 countries, the World Cup comes down to eight. It's a D-Day for four teams-- Brazil, Colombia, Germany and France. And two of the four will head home when the daylight breaks in Bangladesh Saturday.

It’s incredibly unbelievable the way fortune fluctuated in the last eight minutes of the match between the Netherlands and Mexico. Sure winners turned losers. Happy faces suddenly became horrified with heart-breaks. What a turn of events! The World Cup certainly unfolded one of its best dramas in Brazil.

Lionel Messi is now relaxed. He is scoring and smiling, just the way he does those for his club Barcelona. This time at the World Cup, Argentina's jersey of white and light blue in vertical stripes agrees well with him. His nightmare with the national team seems to be over.

Luis Suarez does not bark; he bites. The Uruguay striker seems to have a clear hunger for goals and opponents. Banned or fined, Suarez keeps biting.

Luiz Suarez does not bark; he bites. The Uruguay striker seems to have a clear hunger for goals and opponents. Banned or fined, Suarez keeps biting.

Lots of inquests will follow, for sure, the defeat of the four-time winners. But seeing the match Tuesday, one can come only to one conclusion: Italy lost as they did not try to win.

It’s incredibly unbelievable the way fortune fluctuated in the last eight minutes of the match between the Netherlands and Mexico. Sure winners turned losers. Happy faces suddenly became horrified with heart-breaks. What a turn of events! The World Cup certainly unfolded one of its best dramas in Brazil.

Lionel Messi is now relaxed. He is scoring and smiling, just the way he does those for his club Barcelona. This time at the World Cup, Argentina's jersey of white and light blue in vertical stripes agrees well with him. His nightmare with the national team seems to be over.

Salute to minnows. Rank outsiders Iran and Ghana played like champions to offer football buffs a night to remember. Two nail-biting, grinding matches in which biggies nearly bit the dust! They gave their much vaunted opponents Argentina and Germany a good run for their money.  

England tumbled out of the World Cup as Costa Rica turned the Group D upside down, beating four-time world champion Italy 1-0. The result causes double heartbreaks for two football giants.