Such initiatives give us hope at a time when there are fears the students are losing interest in mathematics and standard sciences. The fact that private actors are stepping in to change the scenario is encouraging, but we also need the government to play an active role in this regard.

We did not arrive at this situation in a day. The problems of lack of infrastructure have been accruing over the years. The number of jetties has remained the same since 2007, while import volume has risen from 1 million to 2.4 million containers as of the last fiscal year.

A few days ago, in the 17th meeting of the high-powered Hill Management Committee (HMC), local officials found some time for introspection, and vowed to take action against individuals who had so irresponsibly settled people on risky hill slopes in Jungle Salimpur and Sitakunda, where the latest tragedy took place. Despite such promises no concrete action has so far been taken to address the problem.

Yesterday was perhaps the umpteenth time that the state of the four rivers of Dhaka was the lead in this newspaper...

It's no secret that the path to Bangladesh's success in labour migration is covered in prickles.

Reports have emerged after RAB seized 155 tons of food smuggled out of government depots in Chittagong in rice sacks stamped with Directorate General of Food.

Our people are known for innovations but some novelties can gravely threaten public life and safety.

In the recent years, we have witnessed too many reports about domestic workers subjected to indescribable cruelty by their employers. Of late, the news about a minor house help, Sabina, allegedly assaulted by her employer has sparked widespread public outrage.

Dhaka is a city of more than 16 million residents, and growing, and the need for a structured city governance has not been felt more acutely than now. We can draw lessons from other cities in the region to see which model fits our needs best but it is clear that there is dire need to reduce the number of agencies and put them under one overarching authority that will cut down on both red tape and provide better coordination.

Last week when we learnt about the death of nine children in a remote area of Sitakunda in just four days, we were alarmed.

The Khowai River at Rampur in Habiganj Sadar has been under serious threat from the dual attack of encroachment and pollution.

A recent research by ActionAid Bangladesh has confirmed what we already surmised – that most public places are not safe for women.

We are pleasantly surprised to know that the condition of the local water bodies of Hazaribagh have started improving following the relocation of the tanneries from the area.

A survey by the leading Bangla daily newspaper revealed some very interesting insights on how the youth are presently thinking and what contemporary issues concern them.

Who is to blame when a bridge, supposedly built to ease the suffering of locals, starts sagging and developing cracks mere days before it is to be formally inaugurated?

We are confronted once again with an oil spill of at least 50,000 litres of diesel and petrol in the Kirtankhola River in Barisal on July 14.

We are extremely disturbed by the police interference at an informal political meeting on July 13, called by Jatya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD)

In the wake of the reports that there has been year on year increase in the amount of deposits of Bangladeshi account holders in Swiss banks,

A photo published in The Daily Star on July 13 shows pitch-black sewage substances spread over the road near the Mayor Hanif Flyover in the capital's Donia area.

The flood situation has affected a large portion of the country.