Indigenous leaders, rights activists and policymakers yesterday demanded constitutional recognition of indigenous peoples, a separate land commission for plainland communities, and urgent reforms to protect their land, natural resources and cultural rights.

As the national election approaches, social media platforms have been flooded with misleading content, including fake photocards and old videos circulated with false claims.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The wife of Bangladesh Chhatra League leader and their nine-month-old child were laid to rest in Bagerhat early yesterday.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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,

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.

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.

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.

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.

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, found the national committee to review power sector deals.

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.