NCP weighing its paths to JS
Nearly half of the NCP’s central leaders favour forging an alliance with the BNP ahead of the 13th national election in February.
11 October 2025, 18:00 PM
Govt plans to form paramilitary force for airports
Named Aviation Guard Bangladesh (AGB), the force would comprise 7,650 personnel
29 September 2025, 18:02 PM
Govt plans sweeping overhaul of NHRC
The government has drafted an ordinance to unshackle the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) from a 15-year bar on probing members of the security forces.
20 September 2025, 18:21 PM
AL govt’s secret surveillance state
From snooping devices carried in backpacks to locate people through their phones to a massive infrastructure that can intercept even end-to-end encryption from a central command centre, the Awami League government had been on an increasingly aggressive trajectory towards building a powerful surveillance state.
10 August 2025, 18:00 PM
Bangladesh Police: Equipped to inflict heavy casualties
Police arms records show the brutal truth behind the July killings; the force bought 7 times more lethal weapons than non-lethal ones in 2021-23
9 August 2025, 18:00 PM
Hasina’s final days before the fall
A desire for power, intolerance for dissent, and failure to see the writing on the wall undid Hasina's iron-fisted rule
4 August 2025, 18:11 PM
Experts question training flights above mega city
Aviation experts and pilots, both military and civilian, yesterday questioned the rationale behind allowing military aircraft to conduct training exercises over a densely populated area like Dhaka.
21 July 2025, 18:24 PM
2 years lost, life shattered
He was around 15 when he was picked up, a ninth grader.
15 June 2025, 19:20 PM
A nightmare that won’t stop at rape
A victim of an alleged rape by a police officer has taken shelter in a government safehouse after the suspect, now on bail, allegedly threatened her with consequences for filing the case.
29 May 2022, 02:30 AM
Illegal health facilities: One of them even served embassies
Located in the capital’s upscale neighbourhood of Baridhara, Wahab Medical Practice has been making medical assessments of people travelling to western countries, says its website.
29 May 2022, 02:00 AM
a2i set to enter digital innovations sector as agency, tech companies worry
The government’s a2i programme is set to become a full-fledged agency, entering the software and digital innovations industry as a government-subsidised player, but creating uncertainty for local tech companies.
16 May 2022, 03:00 AM
Three more Bangladeshis in Pandora Papers
Three more names were disclosed in the final batch of Pandora Papers data, taking the tally of Bangladeshi nationals to have been found to hold shell companies in tax havens in the leaked documents by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists to nine.
5 May 2022, 18:00 PM
4 to die for killing Humayun Azad
Four members of banned militant outfit Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) were sentenced to death yesterday for killing Prof Humayun Azad 18 years ago.
13 April 2022, 18:00 PM
I forgive my students, will return to classroom: Hriday Mondal
“I will go back to the classroom and continue teaching my students. Forgiving them for their mistakes and helping them differentiate between right and wrong is my job.”
11 April 2022, 18:00 PM
The ‘harasser’ doubles down on his act
A woman who had sued a man for sexually harassing her on a moving bus is now facing a case filed by him under the Digital Security Act.
9 April 2022, 18:00 PM
Breaches in Wasa supply lines causing Cholera outbreak in Dhaka?
A cholera outbreak seems to have returned to the city and is being transmitted by the Wasa water supply system.
28 March 2022, 18:00 PM
New draft social media, OTT regulation: Why we should be worried
The Digital Security Act (DSA) has been proven repeatedly to criminalise the online activity of citizens, using flimsy criteria.
25 March 2022, 18:00 PM
Personal data protection bill draft: Law enforcers won’t have to comply
The Information and Communication Technology Division has finalised the draft of the Personal Data Protection Bill and is preparing to place it before the cabinet for approval.
24 March 2022, 18:00 PM
Ecommerce scam victims: Majority would never get their money back
In the history of Ponzi schemes, there is no example of equitable justice. There is only one outcome: the house of cards comes crashing down, the mastermind is hauled off to jail, and the victims are the ones hung out to dry.
14 March 2022, 18:00 PM
Not much done since Accord left
When Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh closed its operations in the country in May 2020, more than 1,000 RMG units were “running behind schedule” in becoming “fully safe”.
12 March 2022, 18:00 PM
What does it mean to 'hurt' a religious sentiment?
There’s a fine line between combating hate speech and being intolerant of differences in opinions and viewpoints.
25 February 2022, 18:00 PM
3 years of Churihatta blaze: Back in trade stained with blood
On this day three years ago, 71 people lost their lives in a devastating explosion originating from chemicals illegally stored in Wahed Mansion in Old Dhaka.
19 February 2022, 18:00 PM
Another gag on media, free speech?
Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission has drafted a regulation to clamp down on what it deems the ugly side of social media and streaming services.
7 February 2022, 18:00 PM
Under OC Pradeep: Teknaf shook with ‘crossfire’ horror
Several victims of the suspended officer-in-charge of Teknaf police station Pradeep Kumar Das gave testimonies against him during the murder trial of Major (retd.) Sinha Rashed Mohammad Khan.
5 February 2022, 18:00 PM
‘Shootout’ justice: The first, at long last
This is the first time in the country any law enforcer, let alone five, has been brought to book by a court for staging a “shootout”.
31 January 2022, 18:00 PM
Proposed EC bill doesn’t ensure one’s impartiality
Dr Badiul Alam Majumder, secretary of Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (SHUJAN), discusses how the new Election Commission bill undercuts the ultimate exercise of democracy, in a conversation with Zyma Islam of The Daily Star.
26 January 2022, 18:00 PM
Leahy law poses new challenge to Dhaka
For a second time in a month, Dhaka has sought more time to notify the US whether it would consent to the Leahy law, which was invoked at the beginning of the new year.
15 January 2022, 18:00 PM
Forced disappearance: Coerced by cops
With the heat turned up on human rights violations in the country, police have re-established contact with families of enforced-disappearance victims.
13 January 2022, 18:00 PM