Jordan Intercepts Iranian Missiles Following Joint U.S. and Saudi Strikes in Iraq
Jordanian air defenses shot down five Iranian ballistic missiles following joint U.S. and Saudi air operations against militia positions in Iraq. The renewed clashes disrupt a short-lived pause in hostilities, putting global energy transit through the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea at further risk.
Trending Analysis
LIVESC stays HC orders barring shown arrests without specific allegations
We need stronger digital systems to seize the China-plus-one opportunity
Salinity creeps deeper into southwest
Reading Dhaka's waterlogging through the life of commodities
National & Politics
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Chattogram's listed 'top criminal' David Emon arrested in Jashore
Law enforcers have arrested Mobarak Hossain alias David Emon, a listed "top criminal" in Chattogram.
The narcotics trail: Traffickers tap 105 border points across 18 districts
Bangladesh faces a growing drug crisis, with an estimated 8.2 million users. As the country does not produce narcotics, most are smuggled in from abroad. In a four-part series, The Daily Star explores the trafficking routes, the threats and the impacts of drug abuse. The first instalment looks at the key entry points.
A trillion-dollar ambition needs a stronger investment climate
The other day, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman reaffirmed his government’s commitment to transforming Bangladesh into a $1 trillion economy by 2034. While the ambition is welcome, there is a policy puzzle that needs to be encountered: how will the economy double in size when domestic private investment has weakened, foreign direct investment remains modest, and many existing businesses are reluctant to expand? Private investment fell to 22.03 percent of GDP in FY2024-25, its lowest level in 11 years. Net FDI recovered to $1.77 billion in 2025, but this was less than 0.4 percent of an economy estimated at around $510 billion. Even the recovery deserves to be viewed with caution, since it was driven mainly by reinvested earnings and intra-company loans, while new equity investment increased only marginally.
Politics and religion has now gotten mixed with support for WC team: Kazi Sabir
"We are ruining our relationships because of Ronaldo and Messi."
Capital markets gain momentum following the central bank's updated monetary policy guidelines and targeted export incentives.
Business & Economy
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Our forestry policy must be rooted in local evidence
3 months ago
Gazi Nazrul’s case raises bigger questions for parliament
3 months ago
Gas crisis strikes paracetamol API, other industries
3 months ago
Chattogram's listed 'top criminal' David Emon arrested in Jashore
3 months ago
Lifestyle & Perspective
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3 months ago
How violence against women is normalised in Bangladesh's chars
On the shifting sandbanks of Bangladesh’s Jamuna River, life is lived on the edge—geographically, economically, and socially. These river islands, known as chars, appear and disappear with the rhythm of the monsoon. Entire communities are built, eroded, and rebuilt again, often many times within a single lifetime. For those who live here, instability is not an exception but a condition of existence. Yet beneath the visible cycles of flood and displacement lies another, less visible crisis—one that is deeply embedded in everyday life and rarely addressed: violence against women.
3 months ago
High risk little readiness
Dhaka has long expanded faster than it has planned. Wetlands have been filled, low-lying areas built over, and high-rises have been raised that may not withstand a major earthquake. In the final instalment of a six-part series, Star examines whether Bangladesh is ready to face a major quake despite years of studies, investments, and preparedness efforts.
3 months ago
Red Sea shipping slows after Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia, data shows
Ship traffic through Bab el-Mandeb fell on Sunday after Yemeni Houthis attacked Saudi oil installations along the Red Sea coast, while transit through the Strait of Hormuz stayed low over the weekend, shipping data from Kpler showed on Monday.
Education & Career
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3 months ago
Why are we still struggling to make health insurance work?
Bangladesh has committed itself to achieving universal health coverage (UHC), ensuring that everyone can access necessary health services without suffering financial hardship. Yet, out-of-pocket payments continue to finance most healthcare, forcing families to borrow money, sell assets, or forego treatment altogether. Recognising this challenge, the government’s Health Care Financing Strategy identified health insurance as a key instrument to reduce out-of-pocket spending and accelerate progress towards UHC. More than a decade later, however, the country remains at the pilot stage.
3 months ago
A trillion-dollar ambition needs a stronger investment climate
The other day, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman reaffirmed his government’s commitment to transforming Bangladesh into a $1 trillion economy by 2034. While the ambition is welcome, there is a policy puzzle that needs to be encountered: how will the economy double in size when domestic private investment has weakened, foreign direct investment remains modest, and many existing businesses are reluctant to expand? Private investment fell to 22.03 percent of GDP in FY2024-25, its lowest level in 11 years. Net FDI recovered to $1.77 billion in 2025, but this was less than 0.4 percent of an economy estimated at around $510 billion. Even the recovery deserves to be viewed with caution, since it was driven mainly by reinvested earnings and intra-company loans, while new equity investment increased only marginally.
3 months ago
Who writes the history of the July Uprising?
Every mass uprising has two histories. One is written in the language of power; the other is preserved in the memories of the people who lived it. The first is established quickly, as states, governments, or newly empowered political actors construct a narrative that legitimises their authority. The second emerges more gradually—from eyewitness accounts, organisational records, news reports, and the lived experiences of those who occupied the streets. For that reason, the struggle that follows a popular uprising is never confined to control of the state. It is also a struggle over political memory. Those who seek to consolidate power often attempt to monopolise that memory, reducing a complex collective experience to a single official story.
3 months ago
Will there be no end to this farce?
It is deeply concerning that illegal sand extraction continues unabated inside the Ramgarh-Sitakunda Reserve Forest despite repeated enforcement drives by the Forest Department. According to a report by this daily, authorities conducted at least 21 raids between June 2025 and May 2026, seizing excavators, dredgers, trucks, and more than 1,07,000 cubic feet of illegally extracted sand, while arresting six people. Unfortunately, these drives have failed to stop the illegal trade, as the miners return to the same areas soon after the raids. This shows that the authorities’ approach has failed to make any lasting impact.
Tech & Innovation
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3 months ago
SC stays HC orders barring shown arrests without specific allegations
The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court today stayed the High Court orders that directed the authorities not to show detained persons arrested or harass them without any specific allegations.
Our digital evidence framework must evolve with AI
BB issues guidelines to link local banks with foreign payment providers
High risk little readiness
Tigers and the empire: A history of hunting, power and resistance
Gazipur Agricultural University wins patent for jackfruit seed nutrition technology
Culture & Entertainment
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Tottenham vs Sydney FC: How to Watch, Kick-off Time, and Streaming Details
SSC, equivalent results to be published on August 10
Our digital evidence framework must evolve with AI
BGMEA, BKMEA seek uninterrupted CNG supply for garment factories
Health & Wellbeing
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Citizens have already answered the ‘amendment or reform’ question
In his column published on July 24, titled “July charter implementation: Growing distance between BNP and the opposition is worrisome,” The Daily Star’s Editor Mahfuz Anam voiced a concern every democrat shares: that the hard-won consensus of our post-uprising transition is fraying. He is right to worry. But his prescription—for the opposition to join the government’s special committee on constitutional amendment and hold its objections in reserve—rests on a premise I must respectfully contest: that the choice between “amendment” and “reform” remains open for negotiation. It does not. The people closed that question on February 12, 2026.
Reports of Tk 120cr VAT evasion by Transcom unsubstantiated
Reports claiming Transcom Group evaded Tk 120 crore in VAT remain unverified as NBR continues its regulatory review without issuing any official demand notice.
How violence against women is normalised in Bangladesh's chars
On the shifting sandbanks of Bangladesh’s Jamuna River, life is lived on the edge—geographically, economically, and socially. These river islands, known as chars, appear and disappear with the rhythm of the monsoon. Entire communities are built, eroded, and rebuilt again, often many times within a single lifetime. For those who live here, instability is not an exception but a condition of existence. Yet beneath the visible cycles of flood and displacement lies another, less visible crisis—one that is deeply embedded in everyday life and rarely addressed: violence against women.