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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LIVEBRAC Bank's Q2 profit jumps 73% on higher investment income
Gas crisis strikes paracetamol API, other industries
Rain, floods damaged crops worth Tk 478cr
Mufazzal Haider Chaudhury and the idea of Bangladesh
National & Politics
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Salinity’s silent intrusion
The alarming rate of salinity intrusion in southwestern coastal Bangladesh has emerged as a serious threat to nearly 4.4 crores people living in the coastal region. According to a report published in this newspaper, the speed and extent of salinity expansion across 18 of the country's 19 coastal districts demonstrate that the crisis demands urgent attention. The findings of the government-run Soil Resource Development Institute (SRDI) should serve as a wake-up call for policymakers to take effective measures to address this evolving crisis.
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.
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.
Who writes the history of the July Uprising?
Every mass uprising has two histories. One is written in the language of power; the other is preserved in the memories of the people who lived it. The first is established quickly, as states, governments, or newly empowered political actors construct a narrative that legitimises their authority. The second emerges more gradually—from eyewitness accounts, organisational records, news reports, and the lived experiences of those who occupied the streets. For that reason, the struggle that follows a popular uprising is never confined to control of the state. It is also a struggle over political memory. Those who seek to consolidate power often attempt to monopolise that memory, reducing a complex collective experience to a single official story.
Capital markets gain momentum following the central bank's updated monetary policy guidelines and targeted export incentives.
Business & Economy
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Rain, floods damaged crops worth Tk 478cr
1 month ago
Gas crisis strikes paracetamol API, other industries
4 weeks ago
SSC, equivalent results to be published on August 10
1 month ago
Chattogram's listed 'top criminal' David Emon arrested in Jashore
4 weeks ago
Lifestyle & Perspective
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4 weeks 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.
1 month 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.
4 weeks ago
S&P revises Bangladesh outlook to negative
S&P Global has revised its long-term outlook on Bangladesh to negative from stable amid persistent weakness in the banking sector, with additional risks stemming from volatile global energy markets and trade conditions.
Education & Career
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1 month 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.
4 weeks ago
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.
4 weeks 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.
1 month ago
Citizens have already answered the ‘amendment or reform’ question
In his column published on July 24, titled “July charter implementation: Growing distance between BNP and the opposition is worrisome,” The Daily Star’s Editor Mahfuz Anam voiced a concern every democrat shares: that the hard-won consensus of our post-uprising transition is fraying. He is right to worry. But his prescription—for the opposition to join the government’s special committee on constitutional amendment and hold its objections in reserve—rests on a premise I must respectfully contest: that the choice between “amendment” and “reform” remains open for negotiation. It does not. The people closed that question on February 12, 2026.
Tech & Innovation
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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.
Citizens have already answered the ‘amendment or reform’ question
3 held over alleged attempted rape on moving bus in Ashulia
Politics and religion has now gotten mixed with support for WC team: Kazi Sabir
Jordan Intercepts Iranian Missiles Following Joint U.S. and Saudi Strikes in Iraq
BB issues guidelines to link local banks with foreign payment providers
Culture & Entertainment
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BGMEA, BKMEA seek uninterrupted CNG supply for garment factories
Red Sea shipping slows after Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia, data shows
Bengal's forgotten slave trade: Portuguese, Arakanese and Dutch trafficking networks
Onion growers breathe easier as prices rebound
Health & Wellbeing
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The strange grief of seeing our parents age
It was an ordinary night, like countless others before it. I went to bed expecting nothing more than another routine morning. But before dawn, a knock on my bedroom door pulled me from a deep sleep. In the haze between sleep and wakefulness, I heard my mother calling my name. My first instinct was almost embarrassingly mundane.
Chattogram port’s empty-container problem needs more than quick fixes
A recent dispute over empty containers at Chattogram port has brought to renewed focus a deeper problem in Bangladesh’s trade logistics system: when legitimate interests collide, there is no neutral, technically competent authority to resolve the situation.
Will there be no end to this farce?
It is deeply concerning that illegal sand extraction continues unabated inside the Ramgarh-Sitakunda Reserve Forest despite repeated enforcement drives by the Forest Department. According to a report by this daily, authorities conducted at least 21 raids between June 2025 and May 2026, seizing excavators, dredgers, trucks, and more than 1,07,000 cubic feet of illegally extracted sand, while arresting six people. Unfortunately, these drives have failed to stop the illegal trade, as the miners return to the same areas soon after the raids. This shows that the authorities’ approach has failed to make any lasting impact.