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
LIVEFoodpanda Bangladesh incurs €111m losses since 2016
Onion growers breathe easier as prices rebound
High risk little readiness
Why are we still struggling to make health insurance work?
National & Politics
View All →
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.
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.
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.
Unlocking the full potential of Bangladesh's national laboratory institute
When a physician prescribes treatment, almost every clinical decision depends on one fundamental assumption—that the laboratory report is accurate. An incorrect laboratory result can lead to misdiagnosis, inappropriate treatment, delayed intervention, unnecessary healthcare costs, and even preventable deaths. Modern healthcare, therefore, relies on laboratory medicine not merely as a support service but as the foundation of safe and effective clinical decision-making.
Capital markets gain momentum following the central bank's updated monetary policy guidelines and targeted export incentives.
Business & Economy
View All →
THE UNPUBLISHED INQUIRY
3 months ago
Chattogram's listed 'top criminal' David Emon arrested in Jashore
3 months ago
Reports of Tk 120cr VAT evasion by Transcom unsubstantiated
3 months ago
A trillion-dollar ambition needs a stronger investment climate
3 months ago
Lifestyle & Perspective
View All →
3 months ago
Salinity creeps deeper into southwest
Saltwater is rapidly intruding into Bangladesh's southwestern region, with nearly 68 percent of cultivable land affected in 18 of 19 coastal districts, according to a new government study.
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.
3 months ago
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.
Education & Career
View All →
3 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.
3 months ago
Unlocking the full potential of Bangladesh's national laboratory institute
When a physician prescribes treatment, almost every clinical decision depends on one fundamental assumption—that the laboratory report is accurate. An incorrect laboratory result can lead to misdiagnosis, inappropriate treatment, delayed intervention, unnecessary healthcare costs, and even preventable deaths. Modern healthcare, therefore, relies on laboratory medicine not merely as a support service but as the foundation of safe and effective clinical decision-making.
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
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.
Tech & Innovation
View All →
3 months ago
Foodpanda Bangladesh incurs €111m losses since 2016
Foodpanda Bangladesh’s losses rose 40 percent to €11.76 million last year, extending a losing streak that now stretches back a full decade, according to parent company Delivery Hero’s annual financial statements.
THE UNPUBLISHED INQUIRY
When the river takes everything, even a girl's childhood
BB issues guidelines to link local banks with foreign payment providers
Red Sea shipping slows after Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia, data shows
Salinity’s silent intrusion
Culture & Entertainment
View All →
Bengal's forgotten slave trade: Portuguese, Arakanese and Dutch trafficking networks
Why are we still struggling to make health insurance work?
SSC, equivalent results to be published on August 10
Chattogram's listed 'top criminal' David Emon arrested in Jashore
Health & Wellbeing
View All →
BMD forecasts five days of rain, heavy downpours
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) has forecast widespread rainfall across the country over the next five days, with moderate to very heavy downpours expected in places due to an active monsoon and a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal.
We need stronger digital systems to seize the China-plus-one opportunity
Between April and June last year alone, Bangladesh received more than $53 million in fresh Chinese investment, nearly $30 million of it flowing straight into textiles. More than twenty apparel factories here now carry Chinese capital, some brand new, others leased from local owners squeezed for capacity. This is not an act of charity, but a calculation. Faced with tariff pressures in their largest markets, Chinese manufacturers are doing what manufacturers have historically done when the math no longer adds up: relocating their production bases. The question is whether Bangladesh is actually built to catch the shift.
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.