It is very normal for Bangladeshi politicians to go abroad for advanced medical treatment while most Bangladeshis have to deal with poor quality treatment in public hospitals or go for expensive treatment in private hospitals. Over the years, successive governments have put in little effort to modernise the quality of our hospitals and the treatment they provide.

The trade war started by the US president have led to other industrialist countries such as China to retaliate. Such trade wars will not only fail to solve anything but could also spill over to other countries.

The Daily Star published a news report titled “Kuakata Beach: Thanks to red tape, WDB work uncertain” on June 27. Kuakata is a major tourist attraction in the country known for its panoramic sea beach.

To the rest of the world, Bangladesh is known for its political violence and natural hazards. However, as Bangladesh embraced nearly a million Rohingya refugees fleeing violence from Myanmar, their homeland, the country has garnered praise and recognition.

With the onset of the rainy season, the erosion of Jamuna river has worsened, leaving people residing nearby at risk. Last year at least 12 homesteads were destroyed in

On June 20, The Daily Star published a front-page report titled “Fertile land made barren for bricks”. This report is a wake-up call for all of us who are genuinely concerned about the destruction of our environment.

As a nation, we tend to be divided on almost every issue that concerns us, and also that doesn't. Take the FIFA World Cup for example. Our football team has never been anywhere close to participating in the tournament. It perhaps never has gone beyond the pre-qualifying stage. But that hasn't prevented us from expressing our indomitable love for the game.

Businessmen have long been pressing the regulatory authority, Bangladesh Bank, to cut down the lending and deposit rates of banks to single digits.

The United States' withdrawal from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHCR) shouldn't surprise anyone. The move came after its departure from The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) last year. Such a decision fits a familiar pattern of US President Donald Trump's continued isolation of his country from the

With the beginning of the rainy season, it is likely that the suffering of the Rohingya refugees will worsen. Most of the makeshift houses that the Rohingyas are living in are either on hilltops or on hillsides.

A few years ago, a group of top executives of private commercial banks and non-banking financial institutions received more than Tk 1 million from their employers as overseas medical expenditure for themselves and their family members.

A survey shows that 94 percent of Bangladeshi women have been sexually harassed in public transport at least once in their life. Due to social stigma, many victims don't feel comfortable to reveal or share their bitter experiences. That is why it's tough to document the actual extent of harassment of women.

Allocations for education and health in the proposed budget rose by 5.2 percent and 13.2 percent respectively from the outgoing fiscal year's. Experts say that allocations for these two sectors should increase by around 25 and 20 percent, respectively, to help achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In fact, Bangladesh should invest more in education if it wants to change its future and achieve the goals set in the National Education Policy 2010 and Vision 2021, and also invest in the universal health coverage for everyone.

Cox's Bazar is the number one tourist destination in our country. Every day hundreds of tourists travel to the town by buses from Chittagong and Dhaka. If there were a railroad between Cox's Bazar and Chittagong, travelling to the place would have been much easier. Since there is already rail communication between the port city and Dohazari, if a railroad can be built between Dohazari and Cox's Bazar, it will make travel more comfortable for the tourists.

The Daily Star on June 14 published a story titled “Rain brings miseries to Rohingyas.” Cox's Bazar is very close to the Bay of Bengal and the rainy season has already begun in that area. Landslides and heavy downpours in the area are high-risk factors and make survival difficult in this rainy season. The Rohingya refugees suffered greatly during the last rainy season, as we have seen in the media. They suffered a lot during the torrential rain, and that suffering has started again.

The government selected 285 private colleges across the country to nationalise in April, that employ nearly 18,000 teachers. The prime minister had also declared that her government planned to set up a public college in every upazilla.

Eid is the biggest festival in this country of largely Muslim population. It is also the time when the largest internal human movement takes place in the country. During Eid festivals, everyone wants to spend time with their near and dear ones and so they travel to different districts, a journey that often turns deadly because of accidents.

Congratulations to the Bangladesh women's cricket team for winning the T20 Asia Cup 2018. It is a big achievement for the team and their composure and confidence on the field was good to see.

The Daily Star reported yesterday that a number of Bangladeshi female workers returned home from Saudi Arabia after having been physically and sexually abused.

Bangladesh women's national cricket team have, for the first time, entered the final of the Asia Cup, or any international tournament for that matter.