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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LIVEMadhupur pineapple prices crash as rain, flood dampen demand
Onion growers breathe easier as prices rebound
Salinity creeps deeper into southwest
THE UNPUBLISHED INQUIRY
National & Politics
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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.
Rain, floods damaged crops worth Tk 478cr
Hanif Chowkidar, a farmer in Patuakhali’s Galachipa upazila, had planned to cultivate Aman paddy on 5.26 hectares this season. He spent around Tk 22,000 on four maunds (1 maund = 37.32kg) of seed and prepared a seedbed.
When the river takes everything, even a girl's childhood
I remember the first time I truly understood what displacement meant in the chars of northern Bangladesh. It was 2010, and I was travelling through the river islands of Gaibandha and Kurigram for a National Geographic assignment on migration. I had come with notebooks and questions, assumptions about poverty, and early marriage. The chars dismantled all of them.
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.
Capital markets gain momentum following the central bank's updated monetary policy guidelines and targeted export incentives.
Business & Economy
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Salinity creeps deeper into southwest
3 months ago
Unlocking the full potential of Bangladesh's national laboratory institute
3 months ago
Our digital evidence framework must evolve with AI
3 months ago
Kafrul Swechchhasebak Dal leader hired hitmen to kill Jubo Dal rival: DB
3 months ago
Lifestyle & Perspective
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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
Defeating digital violence against women requires a unified front
A report published in The Daily Star in March describes a case from Bagerhat where a woman was blackmailed using a video recorded without her knowledge. When she refused to comply, the man sent doctored clips to her husband, who beat her and later filed for divorce. Her tormentor was never brought to justice. Hers is just one of thousands of cases of technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) surfacing across digital Bangladesh.
3 months ago
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.
Education & Career
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3 months ago
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.
3 months ago
Technology cannot compensate for the missing trust in land offices
Ask anyone in Dhaka who has tried to transfer a plot of inherited land what the hardest part was, and the answer will be: the paperwork. A family sells a parcel, signs the deed, pays the registration fee, and then discovers the real ordeal is still ahead: getting the khatian (record of rights) updated to reflect the new owner. This second step, called mutation, is where months disappear, where “processing fees” gradually turn into bribes, and where a legitimate transaction can stall for reasons no one will put in writing.
3 months ago
Onion growers breathe easier as prices rebound
Onion farmers in several major producing districts have been grappling with low prices and mounting losses for months. But wholesale prices have risen by as much as twofold in some areas over the past two weeks, bringing much-needed relief to growers.
3 months ago
Defeating digital violence against women requires a unified front
A report published in The Daily Star in March describes a case from Bagerhat where a woman was blackmailed using a video recorded without her knowledge. When she refused to comply, the man sent doctored clips to her husband, who beat her and later filed for divorce. Her tormentor was never brought to justice. Hers is just one of thousands of cases of technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) surfacing across digital Bangladesh.
Tech & Innovation
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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.
BRAC Bank's Q2 profit jumps 73% on higher investment income
3 held over alleged attempted rape on moving bus in Ashulia
Bengal's forgotten slave trade: Portuguese, Arakanese and Dutch trafficking networks
A trillion-dollar ambition needs a stronger investment climate
Reports of Tk 120cr VAT evasion by Transcom unsubstantiated
Culture & Entertainment
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Chattogram's listed 'top criminal' David Emon arrested in Jashore
Gazi Nazrul’s case raises bigger questions for parliament
Why are we still struggling to make health insurance work?
Red Sea shipping slows after Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia, data shows
Health & Wellbeing
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Madhupur pineapple prices crash as rain, flood dampen demand
Pineapple farmers in Tangail’s Madhupur upazila are selling this season’s harvest at a loss, as prices for the GI-certified fruit have collapsed at the peak of the season.
Gazi Nazrul’s case raises bigger questions for parliament
The controversy surrounding Satkhira-4 MP Gazi Nazrul Islam poses two questions that must not be confused. Can Jamaat-e-Islami, by expelling him, make his parliamentary seat vacant? And can parliament ignore any serious misconduct merely because no express ground for disqualification has yet arisen? Under the law, the first answer is no. In a credible democracy, the second must also be no.
Rain, floods damaged crops worth Tk 478cr
Hanif Chowkidar, a farmer in Patuakhali’s Galachipa upazila, had planned to cultivate Aman paddy on 5.26 hectares this season. He spent around Tk 22,000 on four maunds (1 maund = 37.32kg) of seed and prepared a seedbed.