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Thank you all
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Winston Churchill said, that “Democracy is the worst form of government – except for all the others that have been tried.” We also hold fast the truth that a free and independent media serves democracy best and countries without a free media can never achieve the full potential of their people.
But for the free media to serve democracy, it must maintain the highest ethical standards and never compromise on the norms of professional journalism. That is where the unique strength of The Daily Star lies.
In this journey of more than three decades, our readers, advertisers and patrons have unfalteringly stood by us. They have been our greatest source of courage and moral strength. They stood by us as we stood by them, with our people-oriented news coverage and editorial positions. We really could not have traversed this distance without their love and support. We stand forever indebted to them.
We owe a huge debt of gratitude to our advertisers and to the advertising agencies who manage the business. Without their unstinting support no newspaper can survive with independence. We sincerely thank them for their support.
I also thank my Board of Directors for their commitment to a free and independent media.
From today, our five-part, 216-pages, 32nd anniversary supplement series starts. Over the next week, up until the 19th February, we will serve our readers with specially selected topics and creatively designed segments of our special anniversary supplement series which will give our readers both a clear understanding of the present, and a vision of our way forward.
“Towards a Smart Bangladesh” is our first segment. Inspired by the vision of our Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, we bring out all the challenges that Bangladesh faces and the impediments that it must overcome to build a “smart” country.
Segment 2 is titled “The changing middle-class story”. This segment addresses both the constraints faced and the innovations that this class has brought about as it struggled through the pandemic and the economic downturns.
Segment 3 and 4 deals with Showbiz and Lifestyle, two areas where we have had tremendous creativity and success. The two segments will bring out the heroes and heroines of these worlds and stun you with accounts of what has happened and how extremely innovative our artists have been.
Segment 5 is dedicated to our “inspirers”. This special issue celebrates all those who have been the architects of Bangladesh’s success in the past decades. We highlight our heroes especially in the business sector and when it comes to achieving women’s empowerment. We retell the stories of those who have brought us recognition in the global marketplace and universal respect among those who are involved in development work, transforming our underdeveloped status with special emphasis on women’s empowerment.
We thank all the writers who have helped to make our supplements extremely rich in content.
Through our special supplements we celebrate Bangladesh and express our sincerest gratitude in helping us to win your hearts and minds over the last 32 years.
We urge you all to set aside some time to read all the segments.
Thank you.
Mahfuz Anam
Editor & Publisher

Bangladeshi team
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medical professionals, and 12 personnel from the fire service reached Turkey.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh also sent humanitarian aid and medicines to Syria for the earthquake victims.
A cargo plane of Bangladesh Air Force, loaded with tents, blankets, sweaters, dry foods and medicines, left for Syria last night around 10:30pm, said Selim Hossain, deputy chief information officer of disaster management and relief ministry.
Group captain Jamil Uddin Ahmed of Bangladesh Air Force is leading the team, according to an Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) press release.