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.
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LIVEPresidential election: EC to meet acting Speaker tomorrow
Our digital evidence framework must evolve with AI
The strange grief of seeing our parents age
Chattogram port’s empty-container problem needs more than quick fixes
National & Politics
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Bengal's forgotten slave trade: Portuguese, Arakanese and Dutch trafficking networks
We tend to equate economic growth with social and political vitality in conventional history-writing, but this was not the case in southeast Bengal. Environmental pressures led to a social crisis in the seventeenth century, manifested through slave raids by a Portuguese-Arakanese combine (Magh). Subsequent slave trading by Arakan and Portugal, and later by the Dutch East India Company (VOC), unveiled the paradox of social breakdown during a period of economic growth, as the active delta generated new rice-producing lands.
Gas crisis strikes paracetamol API, other industries
A worsening gas crisis has significantly slashed domestic production of paracetamol API (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient) while also severely disrupting production at factories across Bangladesh’s manufacturing sector.
Mufazzal Haider Chaudhury and the idea of Bangladesh
This 22nd of July marked the birth centenary of my father, Mufazzal Haider Chaudhury. I harbour no illusions that he would have lived this long in the normal course of events, however. The men on my father’s side of the family tend to be notoriously short-lived; his father died when he was nine, both his brothers passed away in their fifties, and even my only brother, his older son, left us when he was 47. But my father did not die a natural death. He was abducted on 14 December 1971, just two days before his country’s victory in one of the bloodiest liberation wars of the twentieth century, and tortured, bayoneted and shot to death in the early hours of 15 December, along with many other pre-eminent intellectuals of the land.
I spent two years learning AI, then another year unlearning it
I spent two years learning about artificial intelligence-based tools. I read the papers, tested out the models, attended the workshops, built prompts, compared outputs, and watched each new release with the excitement of someone witnessing the future unfold in real time. Like many people working close to technology, I believed AI would become the defining aspect for our generation.
Capital markets gain momentum following the central bank's updated monetary policy guidelines and targeted export incentives.
Business & Economy
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Gas crisis strikes paracetamol API, other industries
2 months ago
Kafrul Swechchhasebak Dal leader hired hitmen to kill Jubo Dal rival: DB
2 months ago
Bengal's forgotten slave trade: Portuguese, Arakanese and Dutch trafficking networks
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The narcotics trail: Traffickers tap 105 border points across 18 districts
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Lifestyle & Perspective
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2 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.
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Tigers and the empire: A history of hunting, power and resistance
“When a man wants to murder a tiger, he calls it sport; when a tiger wants to murder him, he calls it ferocity.”
2 months ago
BGMEA, BKMEA seek uninterrupted CNG supply for garment factories
Garment exporters have demanded an uninterrupted supply of gas from CNG (compressed natural gas) filling stations to help address the energy crisis.
Education & Career
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2 months ago
3 held over alleged attempted rape on moving bus in Ashulia
Police have arrested three people, including a bus driver and his helper, in connection with the attempted rape of a woman on a moving bus in Ashulia.
2 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.
2 months ago
BB issues guidelines to link local banks with foreign payment providers
Bangladesh Bank has introduced a bank-intermediated framework to link local banks with foreign payment providers, modernising the payment ecosystem, boosting digital financial inclusion, and supporting the growing trade in services.
2 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.
Tech & Innovation
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2 months ago
25th The Daily Star Prime Bank O&A Level Awards 2026
A total of 2,545 students were recognised at the 25th The Daily Star-Prime Bank O and A Level Awards, themed “Saluting the Nation Builders of Tomorrow” on July 25, 2026 at at Bangladesh-China Friendship Exhibition Center, Purbachal.
BGMEA, BKMEA seek uninterrupted CNG supply for garment factories
BRAC Bank's Q2 profit jumps 73% on higher investment income
Why are we still struggling to make health insurance work?
Tigers and the empire: A history of hunting, power and resistance
Salinity creeps deeper into southwest
Culture & Entertainment
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Women built the RMG might. Now they are losing ground
BB issues guidelines to link local banks with foreign payment providers
Defeating digital violence against women requires a unified front
We need stronger digital systems to seize the China-plus-one opportunity
Health & Wellbeing
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Kafrul Swechchhasebak Dal leader hired hitmen to kill Jubo Dal rival: DB
A Kafrul Thana Swechchhasebak Dal leader allegedly hired a group of contract killers from Magura to assassinate a local Jubo Dal leader over a long-running turf war, the Detective Branch (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police claimed today.
Study finds microplastics in 3 out of 4 toothpaste samples
Microplastics were detected in 26 of 34 toothpaste samples tested in Bangladesh according to a new study, raising serious concerns about potential risks to human health and the environment.
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.