Pope Francis has voiced concern over the persecution of Rohingyas in Myanmar.He had, on several occasions, slammed the violence inflicted on this minority community. We appreciate the Pope's unequivocal remarks on the matter which is in contrast with the somewhat muted response of the international community, by and large, so far.

As we observe the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances today, we restate our abhorrence of the phenomenon. Regrettably, people continue to be victims of enforced disappearances and we have no idea regarding the whereabouts of many of them.

When it comes to dealing with violence against vulnerable groups in society, such as children, legislation is but one tool of deterrence but it's an important one, whether or not a certain piece of legislation is properly enacted.

Since due to flashflood in haor areas and fungal attacks, 20 lakh tonnes of Boro rice was lost this year, Aman cultivation in the current season is crucial for the farmers to regain their losses and also to ensure the country's food security.

As we have repeatedly warned in this column, irregularities, mismanagement and corruption have left the banking sector in an awful mess. Despite the government injecting Tk 9,639 crore into state-owned banks over the last four years, it has again set aside Tk 2,000 crore this fiscal year to “recapitalise” ailing banks.

A thirteen year old school girl was raped in Faridpur and the alleged rapists were asked to “compensate” the victim with Tk 3.5 lakh. Under section 376 of the Penal Code, the maximum punishment for committing the offense of rape is life imprisonment.

The governments must address the push and pull factors behind this phenomenon by intensifying cooperation with each-other while seeking to put an end to this problem.

We have covered this issue extensively over the years and although some hope has been pinned on the proposed "City and Area Planning Act 2017", it remains in draft form—yet to be passed into legislation through passage in parliament

It's important to note that countless people, especially the less fortunate ones, are dependent on public hospitals. We call on the government to formulate and enact a new recruitment policy immediately to fulfil the vacancies in public hospitals so that they can function efficiently.

The Myanmar government should implement the four major recommendations of the Commission immediately and create the enabling conditions as suggested in the report for an equitable and permanent resolution of the matter. Excessive force is counterproductive. And letting the problem simmer would have very serious consequences for both the countries.

The question here is that when it is possible to keep a Tk7,677 crore project on track through proper monitoring, why cannot we replicate the experience across the board for all major infrastructure projects?

The TIB based their study on interviews of around 600 people, including project directors, WDB staff, locals and contractors, conducted over a period of two years. Therefore, these are not allegations to be dismissed offhandedly.

With Eid-ul-Azha barely ten days away, we are once again confronted with raw data of people dying on our roads. According to figures published in a leading Bangla daily, 1,810 people have died due to road accidents over the last 189 days.

We are worried about the continuing attack of the executive on the judiciary. This we consider an unhealthy development for the country.

This is a dreadful and cautionary tale: a 30-year-old woman gets duped into bonded labour after she went abroad to work as a domestic help. She suffers both physical and mental abuse in the households where she is employed.

Arecent survey conducted by Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) found that three out of four new passport seekers had to pay speed money to get clearances. These include police verification and attestation of documents.

This daily in its report has pointed out the normal choke points on our major highways, which are the main reasons for traffic snarl-ups. Now, floods and rains have aggravated the situation of the roads pushing up the average travel hours.

While we commiserate with the kins of the killed and the wounded, there are two aspects that we would like to flag here. First, the attempt on the life of Sheikh Hasina and the AL leadership, and secondly, the attempt to kill the case by a deliberately flawed investigation to hide the facts.

As for the government, it should set up a building regulatory body immediately with the power to enforce the Code as well as the authority to punish errant builders/contractors. There is also need to reform the labour law where the status of the construction workers should be specified.

What we would like to know then is, what action did the hospital authorities take in this regard? And if the answer is none, then, why not? And what about the government authorities, those responsible for maintaining the city and the safety of its inhabitants?