In the developed countries, significant resources are used to monitor terror suspects, and surely we can spend more resources than we do now on surveillance which will prove worthwhile in the long run.

In a disastrous move, the Water Development Board (WDB) gave directions to repair breeches on the embankment of Shib river in Ghasigram area under Mohonpur upazila of Rajshahi.

Two of the countries of the subcontinent—Pakistan and India—celebrated their Independence Day on the 14th and 15th August respectively. Seventy years ago in August the region saw the end of the colonial rule and division of the land creating two countries

Time is running out for some 15,000 hajj pilgrims who are yet to receive their visas. Although the religious ministry has given a 48-hour ultimatum (that runs out today) to 16 agencies to complete the visa related procedures to send 3,000 pilgrims by August 26, we need to ask some hard questions regarding bungling of this year's hajj.

We would like to congratulate our law enforcement agencies on a job well done. Yesterday's raid on a militant hideout in Panthapath is yet another reminder of the lurking threat of militancy in the country as well as the critical role of good intelligence in tackling it.

The first signs of the devastation of floods in the north have started to emerge. At least 17 people died in three days, while large parts of at least 14 districts were submerged by floodwater.

Today is a day that would be written in infamy in the annals of our history. We are happy that the killers of Bangabandhu have been tried but many are still evading punishment.

In spite of Tk 25 lakh being stolen using around 40 cloned cards in February last year, identity theft by miscreants, exploiting weaknesses in credit and debit card security systems, ATMs, point-of-sales (POS) and banks, is continuing alarmingly in the country.

It has been seven years since the High Court in a landmark judgement banned corporal punishment in education institutions in Bangladesh.

In yet another blow to the Sundarbans, the government has decided to approve all industrial structures currently operating in the Ecologically Critical Area (ECA) of the mangrove forest, essentially legalising more than 150 illegal structures.

Accidents can and do happen without warning even in airports. But the backdrop in which the most important airport of the country suffered an outbreak of fire that gutted a number of rooms and took 90 minutes to bring under control raises some questions.

A report published by this paper on Thursday about a government project to make the country's waterways navigable within 10 years is a perfect example of how inefficiency and mismanagement can turn important projects stagnant.

Some of the alleged culprits have been arrested and we hope that they would be subject to the legal process unaffected by any political influence. They should be tried in the special tribunals speedily so that not only do the victims get due justice, but also that the punishments work as deterrence.

We are heartened by the law minister's reaction to the verdict on the 16th Amendment to the Constitution. In well-measured words chosen to stake out his government's position, he said he respects the verdict although he disagrees with it.

The flash floods in March wiped out 90 percent of the Boro crop resulting in 1 million tonnes of crops. Then we had the fungal outbreak in some 19 districts which did further damage.

Threats do not work with Pyongyang and Washington knows it. It is time to step back from this continuous brinkmanship that could easily be misinterpreted by either of the two sides and begin a conflict that will end in horrendous loss of life.

Amidst the chaos surrounding hajj this year, the government has decided to spend a whopping Tk 10.15 crore, not to ease the plight of pilgrims who are in limbo due to visa complications, but to send 318 “pious Muslims” that include government officials and lawmakers who are financially solvent!

Today, as we celebrate International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples (Adivasi Dibosh), the indigenous communities of Bangladesh living in Chittagong Hill Tracts and plain lands are still being deprived of basic necessities.

We hope that the HC directive and DMP probe findings would serve as a wakeup call for the police administration to put its house in order that would put a stop to this sort of unprofessional and immoral behaviour that not only maligns the name of the force but, more dangerously, does great harm to the cause of justice.

Absolving the security forces of the alleged crimes is not surprising since the government of Aung San Suu Kyi has all along been denying the allegations. Her government has not allowed a UN fact-finding team to conduct its own probe into the charges.