A recent study by Manusher Jonno Foundation gave this perception a statistical foundation as it tracked incidents of violence and harassment in 2016 and came to the conclusion that around 60 percent members of the surveyed communities had experienced different forms of violence twice last year.

It has been reported that within the first seven months of this year, around 300 cases were filed under the controversial Section 57 of the ICT Act. And yet, now when the government has decided to scrap the provision from the law, it does not bring any relief.

We have both reported and editorialised how the Farmers' Bank went down under and now we are seeing a similar situation emerging with the non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs).

We would like to extend a warm welcome to Pope Francis who is in Bangladesh on a three-day visit. This is a historic moment for us and for the Christian community in Bangladesh in particular.

Asaduzzaman, who lost his legs to polio as a child, always dreamed of going to school. His enthusiasm was not shared by his family, who, like most families in Bangladesh, view the disabled as a burden.

Despite the agreement signed between Bangladesh and Myanmar on repatriating stranded Rohingyas, we are still witnessing Rohingyas crossing the border into Bangladesh. According to a report by AFP, more than 3,000 refugees have come into Bangladesh since the two sides inked an agreement on repatriation less than week ago.

Bangladesh Mahila Parishad has revealed that at least 50 women and children were raped in Thakurgaon district alone in the last ten months. They prepared the report based on the data from local hospitals where the victims were admitted or took treatment.

A report in this paper has found that spaces under most of the flyers in the city are being illegally occupied by parked cars as well as makeshift shops choking the roads and adding to Dhaka's insufferable traffic congestion.

There is much to be improved in the quality of healthcare service in the country. A report published in The Daily Star on November 27, 2017 cited a case that serves as an example of how crucial it is that maternal and neonatal healthcare be prioritised.

Bangladesh has always preferred problem-resolution with its neighbours through dialogue and negotiations. Thus the Arrangement signed between Bangladesh and Myanmar, we feel, is a positive development of sorts.

A parliamentary body recently recommended the passing of the Banking Companies (Amendment) Act-2017, which would allow for the number of directors in a bank's board from a single family to double and extend the tenure of directors.

We note with concern that the number of reported incidents of violence against women has risen in the country. Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), a human rights organisation, reported that as many as 1,378 women in the country have become victims of different kinds of abuses this year so far—nearly 15 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

The energy advisor informed us that the latest hike in power prices is “negligible” and it won't hurt much.

According to a report published in this newspaper on Thursday, there are currently about 23,000 autorickshaws plying the streets of Dhaka. Surprisingly, almost half of them, that is about 10,000, are doing so without permission from the authorities concerned.

The foreign minister will hold a press briefing today on the MoU on Rohingya repatriation. This is our preliminary reaction to what is known so far.

The conviction of Ratko Mladic, the notorious Serb military commander known as 'Butcher of Bosnia', of genocide and crimes against humanity for orchestrating Europe's worst atrocity since World War II is a triumph of justice.

We are surprised to learn that Bangladesh Chhatra League is planning to form committees at the secondary school level. BCL leaders, after a meeting on Tuesday, said the objective behind the move is to spread the ideology of the party among the schoolchildren.

A look at the English-version primary terminal question papers for fifth graders for Bangladesh and Global Studies subject—which a news report published in this daily yesterday has revealed—confirms our worst fears about the state of education in the country.

The banking sector's non-performing loan (NPL) ratio was 9.23 percent at the end of last year. This ratio currently stands at 10.67 percent as of September 2017.

The High Court on Sunday ordered hospitals and clinics not to hold any deceased's body to realise treatment costs. It also directed the health secretary and the director general of the Directorate General of Health Services to issue a