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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LIVEBengal's forgotten slave trade: Portuguese, Arakanese and Dutch trafficking networks
Gazi Nazrul’s case raises bigger questions for parliament
Mufazzal Haider Chaudhury and the idea of Bangladesh
We need stronger digital systems to seize the China-plus-one opportunity
National & Politics
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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.
Presidential election: EC to meet acting Speaker tomorrow
The full Election Commission, led by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin, will meet acting Speaker Kayser Kamal tomorrow to discuss the upcoming presidential election.
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.
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.
Capital markets gain momentum following the central bank's updated monetary policy guidelines and targeted export incentives.
Business & Economy
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Onion growers breathe easier as prices rebound
1 month ago
3 held over alleged attempted rape on moving bus in Ashulia
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Unlocking the full potential of Bangladesh's national laboratory institute
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Foodpanda Bangladesh incurs €111m losses since 2016
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Lifestyle & Perspective
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1 month ago
Reading Dhaka's waterlogging through the life of commodities
Every year, monsoon showers invariably turn stretches of Dhaka into shallow, stubborn lakes. You see rickshaw-pullers wading knee-deep through Green Road, office-goers abandoning footpaths for the middle of the street and, by evening, social media filling up with photographs of a submerged Bijoy Sarani, a stalled bus in Mirpur, or a child paddling a plastic tub past a tea stall. We call it a drainage problem, an engineering failure, a monsoon inevitability. It is all of these. But if we look a little closer—with the eyes of an anthropologist rather than an engineer—Dhaka’s waterlogging tells a different story about the strange, unfinished lives of the things we buy, use, and throw away.
1 month ago
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.
1 month 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.
Education & Career
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1 month ago
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.
1 month ago
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.
1 month 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.
1 month ago
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.
Tech & Innovation
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1 month ago
Presidential election: EC to meet acting Speaker tomorrow
The full Election Commission, led by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin, will meet acting Speaker Kayser Kamal tomorrow to discuss the upcoming presidential election.
Salinity creeps deeper into southwest
BGMEA, BKMEA seek uninterrupted CNG supply for garment factories
Why are we still struggling to make health insurance work?
How violence against women is normalised in Bangladesh's chars
Jordan Intercepts Iranian Missiles Following Joint U.S. and Saudi Strikes in Iraq
Culture & Entertainment
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High risk little readiness
BMD forecasts five days of rain, heavy downpours
Citizens have already answered the ‘amendment or reform’ question
We need stronger digital systems to seize the China-plus-one opportunity
Health & Wellbeing
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Our digital evidence framework must evolve with AI
In Bangladesh, a person may be criminally liable based on digital evidence in the form of CCTV footage, WhatsApp conversations, Facebook posts, and so on. These are all admissible in legal proceedings. The recent investigation into the death of HSC candidate Nuzshat Jahan in Rangpur illustrates this clearly, wherein police relied on call records, CCTV footage, and witness statements to identify and arrest the accused in an abetment to suicide case.
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.
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.