Editor's Pick | The Daily Star

  • 2.45 crore new poor created by pandemic

    We are deeply concerned by the findings of a survey conducted by the Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC) and the Brac Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD),

  • Commentary by Mahfuz Anam: A wake-up call for AL, for us all

    The ostensible reason for the recent protests was Indian PM Narendra Modi’s latest visit. The real reason was to signal that Hefajat-e-Islam (HI) under its new leadership was not the same party as it was under its former chief Shah Ahmad Shafi and his immediate followers and to announce that HI was ready to emerge as a new political force under the guise of protecting the majority faith.

  • Column by Mahfuz Anam: What got us here will not take us there

    My generation and others close to it formed the bulk of the Mukti Bahini in 1971. The majority of Dhaka University students of the time were an integral part of it, as it was my distinct privilege.

  • Column by Mahfuz Anam: A self-defeating obsession with ‘image’

    At 50, it’s time we acted in a manner that reflects a confident country, not one that is nervous and insecure fearing that the slightest criticism will cause us harm.

  • Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain

    Commentary by Mahfuz Anam: An appeal to the chief justice

    In Bangladesh, when we think, talk and seek justice, we think of the courts. And that is how it should be. Among the courts, the higher we go -- meaning the High Court, the Appellate Division -- the more important they become as symbols of justice.

  • Commentary by Mahfuz Anam: DSA - the law that jails now kills

    Mushtaq Ahmed, the writer, the commentator, the socially conscious citizen, the articulate but moderate voice of dissent and a critical observer of current events is dead.

  • Column by Mahfuz Anam: Snapshots from the past, thoughts for the future

    Thirty years ago, the coming together of a regionally famous editor and a near-novice at journalism along with some visionary investors—Azimur Rahman, AS Mahmud, Latifur Rahman, A. Rouf Chowdhury, Shamsur Rahman—gave birth to what we called in our first editorial the “Independent Voice”.

  • Column by Mahfuz Anam: Al Jazeera story, government’s response and the state of our journalism

    The Al Jazeera report on Bangladesh titled “All the Prime Minister’s Men”, aired early Tuesday morning, revealed some vulnerabilities of our power structure that pivots around connections, cronyism and corruption. It has also, inadvertently, exposed the weaknesses of our media and the state of its freedom.

  • Tribute by Mahfuz Anam: Mizanur Rahman, a life of excellence achieved through sheer willpower

    He wanted to be an excep-tional journalist, and he was. It was as if he willed himself to be what he wanted to be.

  • election commission logo

    Column by Mahfuz Anam: Ignoring allegations is not the answer, investigating them is

    The Election Commission (EC) must be above question. But to be so, it must answer all questions. To ignore, evade, downplay or malign citizens who ask the questions is the surest way to sow doubt in the public mind that an attempt is being made to hide, something that is neither good for the EC and definitely not for the future of democracy.

  • Column by Mahfuz Anam: With gratitude to Trump - he woke us up to the vulnerabilities of democracy

    The United States has always grabbed global attention for just being what is it—the United States.

  • In remembrance of Sir Fazle Hasan Abed

    December is the month of victory. We fought for our flag, our land, and our independence. We celebrate it every year.

  • Column by Mahfuz Anam: ‘Democracy Day’ came and went, nobody noticed

    What was once a startling thunderclap passed off as a whimper, what was welcomed by millions and celebrated as the rebirth of our democracy, went hardly noticed, what was termed as the victory of the people over the military did not receive any public attention.

  • US Elections: Understanding its hidden message

    By the time this article goes to print, Joe Biden, the Democratic Party candidate, may have scraped through the race for the White House.

  • PM’s Commitment to Free Press: The real test is in practice

    Nothing could please us more than to hear Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reiterate her commitment to the freedom of the press and democracy. But does it match with how the Digital Security Act operates, especially against journalists?

  • One by one, the doors are being shut

    Last Tuesday, the home ministry issued a statement warning social media users from home and abroad against spreading “false, fabricated, confusing and inciting statements about the government, military, police and other law enforcement agencies.

  • A Tale of Newspaper Reading

    After waking up in the morning, we all used to gather, one by one, at my mother’s bedroom. With a cup of tea in everyone’s hand and newspapers scattered on the bed… everyone would read a news item one after another, while others would listen to it and give their opinion.

  • PM’s ‘martial law’ comment reflects people’s deeply held belief

    The blunt statement on September 7 of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a virtual meeting with the Armed Forces Selection Board—that “we should exclude Martial Law from military lexicon”—was both surprising and refreshing.

  • Can more laws save us from becoming a corrupt state?

    By using shell companies and moving money from one account to another, Prashanta Kumar Halder laundered at least Tk 3,500 crore out of the country and is now enjoying his life in Canada.

  • How do we solve the image crisis for police?

    Reports in the print and electronic media indicate that the image of police in public eyes has been worryingly tainted following the death of Major Sinha under circumstances pointing to the criminal collusive actions of some errant policemen, in addition to other serious infractions of policemen elsewhere in the country.

  • The man, the murder and his destiny

    It is quite astounding that he lived for only 55 years (1920-1975) and achieved so much. He may not have written treaties in philosophy, literature and science but he brought to life a social and political epic that transformed the life of millions of his people and channelled history in a direction that Bangalees only dreamt of but hardly believed that it would happen.

  • Murder on Marine Drive

    There have been some important developments following the murder of Major Sinha on July 31 in Teknaf. The family was able to file a case without much of a hindrance.

  • Did Hiroshima teach us any lesson?

    When the battlefield of Verdun was getting drenched in combatants’ blood from all contending sides, the political leadership, unable to define the stalemate, was trying to sell the war as the war “to end all wars”.

  • The ministry of utmost disappointment

    The call for defunding police in the US, after the death of George Floyd in police brutality, is one of the most striking messages coming out of what is perhaps the largest civil movement in US history.

  • My father was an undocumented migrant worker. People like him don’t deserve your scorn

    Not long ago, I was watching a webinar on the plight of returning migrant workers streamed live on Facebook by The Daily Star.

  • The “Living Eagle” who beat the heavy odds!

    He departed rather unsung, his glorious past recalled in this country by only a few of his friends and admirers, limited to Facebook posts mainly.

  • Why Kerala has succeeded in controlling coronavirus

    A recent headline in Prothom Alo (June 26, 2020) stated, “Amartya Sen and Noam Chomsky showered Kerala with praise for their successful containment of the coronavirus”.

  • Tribute to Latifur Rahman: Two independent newspapers were his gifts to Bangladesh

    He was an editor’s dream of an investor. But he turned out to be so much more. Yes, Matiur Rahman and I run the two papers -- Prothom Alo and The Daily Star respectively -- but it was he who made them happen, with his principles, integrity, courage, steadfastness, strength of character, and unswerving faith in independent media without which, he intuitively knew, that democracy could not flourish.

  • Is foul play the new normal?

    You may have already seen the social media campaign ‘#payup’, asking Kardashian sisters Kendall and Kylie Jenner to pay up their suppliers in Bangladesh. You may have also read about British brand, Debenhams, which is asking for a whopping 90 percent discount on products from 40 suppliers in the country. What you may not know is that these are only two of at least 1,931 brands which have either delayed, put on hold, or straight-up cancelled their orders since the onset of Covid-19, as per data received from the BGMEA.

  • Combating coronavirus: Bagerhat volunteers restoring faith in humanity

    While some refuse to help their own family members out of fear of the coronavirus, others step up to take care of complete strangers. United under the banner of ‘Health Service Volunteers’, around 100 people took an oath recently to aid people infected with Covid-19, in Bagerhat Sadar and Kachua upazilas.

Top