shocked by a report in this daily that has found that out of the USD 3 billion line of credit from India, only half a billion has been utilised in the last seven years!

It is interesting how Zipjet, a UK-based firm, measured a city's collective stressfulness. From known indicators like density and traffic congestion to unlikely factors such as sunshine hours and light pollution, Zipjet researchers took all these into consideration.

The positions of the two countries which are very good friends of Bangladesh is troubling. Is it geopolitical interests dictating whether the UN will act to stop the decimation of an entire ethnic group?

A picture published by The Daily Star on Thursday tells the all-too-familiar tale of jaywalking as reckless pedestrians cross the streets near a city intersection, apparently oblivious to the presence of a footbridge just a few steps away.

We are heartened by the UN Secretary General's categorical condemnation of what he has termed a "humanitarian nightmare" referring to the unbelievable trauma experienced by Rohingyas who have fled to Bangladesh to escape indescribable violence.

According to the World Economic Forum's Competitiveness Report 2017-18, the country has made significant gains in the areas of macroeconomic environment as well as health and primary education that allowed for this impressive growth. We have done well in improving institutions but still trail behind other South Asian nations except Pakistan.

The lack of coordination and any attempt to find a possible solution when it comes to public repair and construction jobs in our cities is baffling to say the least.

A report in this newspaper yesterday has revealed that in the last 13 years, 1900 people have been victims of extrajudicial killings, of whom 800 died in police custody.

In April this year the High Court had upheld a verdict of death sentence for four perpetrators involved in the brutal torture and killing of 13-year old Samiul Islam Rajon in 2015.

As feared, the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) has asked for a massive hike in bulk rate of power by 14.78 percent to Tk 5.59 per kilowatt-hour unit from the present rate of Tk 4.87 which, in effect, will trickle down to retail consumers ultimately. Understandably, it has drawn the ire of consumer groups and businesses alike.

We congratulate our soil scientists at the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) who have developed a bio-organic fertiliser mostly by using decomposable household vegetable waste.

The police yesterday filed cases against 57 drivers and fined them for using the wrong side of a road in the capital.

It is shocking that the Myanmarese government and its de facto leader Aung Saan Suu Kyi, refuse to acknowledge these horrific crimes despite the eye witness accounts and the findings of medical professionals at the camps.

Seven countries including the US, UK and France have called on the UN Security Council to meet next week to discuss the ongoing violence in Myanmar.

A photo of a group of children working at a quarry in Bholanath, Sylhet published in this newspaper yesterday paints a sordid picture of child labour in our country. More than 500 children—some as young as 10—are engaged in hazardous tasks in dangerous conditions.

According to a new report by the Health Economic Unit of the health ministry, citizens are bearing 67 percent of healthcare expenditure, the government contributing 23 percent and other actors like NGOs shouldering 10 percent.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's five-point recommendations to protect all civilians in the Rakhine State should resonate well with all peace-loving people of the world.

We have lost count of the number of times we have pointed out how cases of custodial deaths under mysterious circumstances, of people picked up by law enforcement agencies, is sapping the trust of citizens on the agencies.

Bangladesh is the second largest player in the global apparels industry after China targeting USD 50 billion in exports by 2021.

Myanmar's Vice-President Henry Van Thio's statement on the ongoing Rohingya crisis at the UNGA can only be described as scandalous.