3,000 leprosy cases detected annually

Although Bangladesh achieved the elimination of leprosy as a public health concern around three decades ago, more than 3,000 new cases are still detected annually, highlighting the challenges in achieving zero prevalence of the disease.
26 January 2026, 05:16 AM

Manifesto expectations: End partisan influence in bureaucracy

In their election manifestos, political parties should clearly commit to reforming public administration, leaving no scope for partisan loyalty in the bureaucracy, say former and serving government officials.
26 January 2026, 05:10 AM

A truth teller of 1971

Veteran British journalist Sir Mark Tully, widely recognised in Bangladesh for his truthful depiction of atrocities during the Liberation War of 1971, passed away at a hospital in India yesterday. He was 90.
26 January 2026, 05:06 AM

Noab did not provide journos with protective gear: Shafiqul

The Newspaper Owners’ Association of Bangladesh (Noab) did not provide protective gear to journalists during the July uprising, claimed Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam yesterday.
26 January 2026, 05:02 AM

EC ready to deliver free, fair polls

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin yesterday assured Dhaka-based foreign diplomats that transparency would be ensured at all stages of the February 12 general election and referendum.
26 January 2026, 04:59 AM

Three candidates omit UK assets, citizenship in affidavits

Several candidates in the upcoming parliamentary election have withheld information about significant overseas assets and, in some cases, foreign citizenship from their mandatory affidavits, official filings and UK corporate records show.
26 January 2026, 04:57 AM

Bagerhat BCL leader’s wife, child laid to rest

The wife of Bangladesh Chhatra League leader and their nine-month-old child were laid to rest in Bagerhat early yesterday.
26 January 2026, 04:51 AM

40 hurt in pre-polls violence

At least 40 people were injured yesterday in clashes involving activists of BNP, its rebel candidates, and Jamaat-e-Islami over election campaigning in Mymensingh, Lalmonirhat, and Chuadanga.
26 January 2026, 04:48 AM

Capacity charge: AL-era power deals costing $1.5b a year

Inflated capacity charges in power sector deals have been costing Bangladesh up to $1.5 billion a year, according to the national committee formed to review unsolicited power contracts signed during the Awami League regime.
26 January 2026, 04:45 AM

ICT verdict in Chankharpul killings today

The International Crimes Tribunal-1 is scheduled to deliver its verdict today in a case over the killing of six people in the capital’s Chankharpul area during the 2024 mass uprising.
26 January 2026, 04:43 AM

‘Fearing defeat, some may take crooked paths’

Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman yesterday said some quarters, fearing defeat, might resort to unfair practices in the February 12 polls, and vowed to resist any such attempts.
26 January 2026, 04:39 AM

‘We left as they strayed from Islamist principles’

Charmonai Pir and Islami Andolan Bangladesh (IAB) Ameer Syed Muhammad Rezaul Karim yesterday said they had sought to build unity in favour of Islamist values with great hope,
26 January 2026, 04:35 AM

‘Won’t allow graft to ruin BNP’s plan’

BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman yesterday pledged a zero-tolerance policy on corruption and strict enforcement of law and order if his party returns to power, saying public safety must be ensured so people can live without fear.
26 January 2026, 04:32 AM

Ecnec clears Tk 45,191cr spending just before polls

Just 17 days before the national election, the interim administration yesterday cleared a massive wave of infrastructure and social spending, authorising 25 new and revised projects with a combined price tag of Tk 45,191 crore.
26 January 2026, 04:26 AM

‘Torture and screams marked life at Aynaghar’

Life inside a secret detention facility was filled with screams from adjoining rooms and constant threats of “crossfire”, former Lt Col Hasinur Rahman, a survivor of enforced disappearance, told the International Crimes Tribunal-1 yesterday.
26 January 2026, 04:24 AM

Dhaka slams Delhi for allowing Hasina to deliver speech

Dhaka has expressed surprise and shock that deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been convicted by the International Crimes Tribunal in a case related to the July uprising, was allowed to make a statement at a public event in New Delhi on Friday.
26 January 2026, 04:23 AM

PDB paying Adani 50% more than it should

Bangladesh has been paying around $400–500 million a year to India’s Adani Power, roughly 50 percent more than it should for electricity purchase
26 January 2026, 04:21 AM

All parties seeking AL vote, only JP is taking blame

Jatiya Party is branded as criminals and collaborators if the party seeks the barred Awami League’s votes but not the BNP, Jamaat or the National Citizen Party, said its Chairman GM Quader.
26 January 2026, 04:14 AM

Police probing mechanic’s death in garage fire

Police have opened an investigation after recovering the charred body of a young mechanic from an automobile workshop in Narsingdi.
26 January 2026, 04:11 AM

Missing CIMMYT researcher found dead

The body of a research and development coordinator at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) was found three days after he went missing.
26 January 2026, 04:05 AM