The government's explanation that the newly formed Oikyafront was denied permission to hold its first-ever rally in Sylhet due to security concerns, without letting the public know what exactly the concerns are, doesn't hold water. How come it is always the opposition that isn't allowed to exercise its political rights on some flimsy grounds? And whatever concerns the police might have, it is the duty of the agencies to ensure and provide security on such occasions.

Atwo-day conference is scheduled to be held next January on the government-proposed Delta Plan 2100 by two leading green NGOs with the purpose of getting diverse views of various stakeholders on the pros and cons of this mega plan. The government approved the plan last September through the Ecnec. The Delta plan stipulates that 2.5 percent of the GDP will be spent every year on projects. We are looking at an expenditure of up to USD 30 billion by 2030.

The picture of Lamia, an 11-year-old domestic worker, with a bruised face and injury marks all over her body, published in this daily yesterday, is a sad example of how little we have done to ensure that our children have a harassment and torture-free childhood.

According to the count of a leading Bangla daily, so far 5,354 lives have been lost to road crashes this year which comes to about 601 people dying every day. And this is excluding the number of people killed yesterday or today.

In a report published in this newspaper on Wednesday, we reported how toxic gas emitted from a brick kiln in Faridpur Sadar upazila is damaging ripe paddy on nearly 10 acres of land. The emissions from the kiln, which started operation in 2017, have burned paddy fields and reduced the yield of paddy according to locals. Yet, despite complaints from farmers to the DC and the environment department, little has been done, and the owner of the kiln has been able to continue with its operation.

In the latest edition of Geneva-based World Economic Forum's (WEF) Global Competitive Index (GCI), Bangladesh has slipped a notch and has been ranked 103rd out of 140 economies covered. This year the GCI was prepared using a new methodology and applied globally. Last year, the country ranked 99 out of 137 countries (using the old method). This year three new countries have been added to the Index. We have scored badly in nine out of the 12 indicators and the two poorest scores were in business dynamism and product market development.

Abdul Gani road is a very important road in Dhaka. It leads to the Secretariat, the seat of the bureaucracy (along with a number of other important government buildings) and also heads to a very busy junction of the city.

The prevalence of the dowry system continues to baffle rights activists and policymakers.

As per a report published in a leading Bangla daily, we find that the financial burden of education and healthcare is increasingly becoming unsustainable.

We are dismayed that one of the election commissioners was forced to walk out of an election preparatory meeting because he was not allowed to voice his proposals regarding how to hold a free,

The news of question paper leak of Dhaka University's “Gha” unit admission exam is very disappointing. According to newspaper reports, some admission seekers got the question paper of the said unit via WhatsApp and other instant messaging apps prior to the exam, which was held on October 12, 2018.

The lack of recognition of women's unpaid work in Bangladesh is something that has fortunately begun to be discussed. This was highlighted yet again at a press conference on Sunday marking the International Day of Rural Women.

That most chiefs of utility service-providing organisations choose not to attend coordination meetings called by the Mayor of South City Corporation is just shameful. Not only have they defied a direct order from the Prime Minister's Office, but their repeated refusals to attend the meetings are an insult to the mayor and the public.

There is a general perception among our people, especially our young generation, that higher education is the only way to become a member of the skilled work force.

The World Bank unveiled a report titled “Promising Progress: A Diagnostic of Water Supply, Sanitation, Hygiene, and Poverty in

The fire department's recent report paints a grim picture of fire safety in the capital's public and private establishments. A year-long

We are happy to learn that Bangladesh has outperformed its largest South Asian neighbours, India and Pakistan, in the World Bank's Human Capital Index.

In a report published recently, a UN special rapporteur—who has been barred from entering Myanmar since last December—said that the Myanmar government is “unable and unwilling” to investigate its abuses against Rohingyas.

This sort of highly irresponsible behaviour can be expected only from callous and careless government functionaries. Without any prior notice, ferry services on the Paturia-Daulatdia route were inexplicably suspended for a period of 12 hours on October 10 at midnight.

The verdict on the August 21 grenade attack case reveals some very dark features of politics in Bangladesh. It is indeed frightening to think that politics would degenerate to such a level where the psyche of the ruling party would be pervaded by such pathological animosity towards the opposition, so as to instigate it to eliminate the entire leadership of the...