Sifat Afrin Shams

Sub-editor at The Daily Star

10 tips to fight off the winter blues

The days are short and the sun is playing hide and seek. It is a brand-new year and instead of feeling hopeful, you are feeling rather down.

1y ago

Do mosquitoes prefer one blood type over others?

Mosquitoe-bites are a menace for everybody. Especially, during this season, due to the risk of dengue, chikungunya etc.

2y ago

What does Elon Musk plan to do with Twitter?

Elon Musk has said that he wants to see Twitter fulfil its “extraordinary potential”. Is that why he has been so interested in owning the social media platform?

2y ago

Top 5 Bangla cooking channels on YouTube

We Bangladeshis love to eat and cook. However, with the increasingly busy schedule of urban life, we have started to forget our traditional recipes and heritage of delicate cooking.

2y ago

Leonard Cohen: ‘Our Shelley, our Byron’

Leonard Norman Cohen was born on this day in 1934 in Quebec, Canada. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships.

3y ago

From Madrasa to English medium, Gurukul Online Learning Network reaching 23 lakh students

Sufi Faruq Ibne Abubakar, former IT head of a multinational company, started Gurukul Online Learning Network with a dream to minimize the quality gap between education available to city and rural students.

3y ago

Dhaka enjoyed healthy air after Eid-ul-Azha

Dhaka’s air saw significant fall in pollution level during the three days following Eid-ul-Azha.

3y ago

Chickenpox overview: Myths and realities

Let us try to dig deep into the myths and realities of chickenpox, the tropical disease of the season, with the help of experts.

6y ago
December 9, 2017
December 9, 2017

Rajshahi University 10th convocation, still a dream

The history of Rajshahi University (RU) convocation has not been an easy one. The 64-year old educational institute has had only nine convocation ceremonies for its graduates so far.

July 15, 2017
July 15, 2017

Not only joints, Chikungunya messes with your mind too

During the last two months, anticipations and suspense regarding the Chikungunya viral fever caused by Aedes Aegypti mosquito have gone viral. Half of the Dhakaites still are in physical pain left by the virus, half are half-relieved that they have been spared so far, and half-anxious about being the next victim.

June 19, 2017
June 19, 2017

DIY: Surprise loved ones with self-made gifts this Eid

Eid is a very special occasion to exchange gifts. We convey our feelings to our loved ones through the object we present. Ever thought of making those gifts on your own to make them more special?

June 5, 2017
June 5, 2017

Movie review: Wonder Woman

“I am the man who can”, says Diana aka Wonder Woman. DC Comics’ new movie “Wonder Woman” makes it huge for all the right reasons in theatres since it is released.

May 30, 2017
May 30, 2017

Why the cyclone is called ‘Mora’

Born in Sri Lanka, the cyclone got its name from Thailand. “Mora” is a Thai word, which means “star of the sea” or “sea star”.

April 11, 2017
April 11, 2017

Abandoned baby Anisha sees light of humanity

Remember Anisha, the two to three days’ old baby recovered from a dustbin in Dhaka last month? What grave mistake could she have made in such short life to deserve the punishment that shatters our faith in humanity and makes us question the sanctity of the parent-child bond?

February 26, 2017
February 26, 2017

Laughing in Bangla: Best deshi memes

We Bangalis have our own unique sense of humour and are very famous for it. Making jokes about almost everything and anything in subtlest to not-so-subtle and lamest ways is part of our characteristics.

February 3, 2017
February 3, 2017

Dhaka air pollution: Facts, measures and commandments

For the last three years, the air quality in Dhaka remains consistently unhealthy during the dry season according to the Department of Environment (DoE). DoE states that 58% of the particulate pollutants responsible for the smog in the air of Dhaka city comes from the orthodox brick kilns around and inside Dhaka.

January 2, 2017
January 2, 2017

Hollywood movies to look forward to in 2017

The long and arduous year, that is 2016, is finally over and now we can look forward to all the cinematic treats 2017 has in store for us.

December 30, 2016
December 30, 2016

Scars left by 2016

Let us look back at the passing year to remind ourselves why we should be glad that it’s over.