They’re alive, please bring them home
For nearly 11 months, every unanswered question weighed on Md Syed Ali and his wife, Rekha Begum. Their son, Rimel Mia, 27, had travelled to Russia for work but later found himself caught up in the Russia-Ukraine war.
1 August 2026
Three Bangladeshis held as POWs in Ukraine recount journey into Russian military
In exclusive interviews to The Daily Star, the men describe how debt and failed migrant jobs took them to the frontline while their families remained unaware they were alive
31 July 2026
Cyber-scam trafficking the new menace
Online advertisements are luring Bangladeshi jobseekers into cyber-scam compounds in Southeast Asia, in what can be viewed as the newest face of a wider trafficking crisis.
30 July 2026
The narco trail of Bangladesh
A wide range of narcotics, from yaba to heroin, are being smuggled into Bangladesh through at least 105 border points across 18 districts
27 July 2026
17 senior cops may be sent into forced retirement
Seventeen senior police officials are likely to be sent into forced retirement over alleged allegiance to the Awami League, family ties to the party, roles in manipulating the 2014 and 2018 elections, repression of the opposition, and corruption.
22 July 2026
‘We have become living corpses’
Almost every afternoon, Reshma Karim keeps a plateful of food on the table for her 14-year-old son, as she waits for him to return from school.
21 July 2026
Milestone tragedy: Probe blames human error, unsafe building
Human error arising from inadequate training and supervision was the principal cause of the Milestone school plane crash, while an unsafe school building and failures in planning and emergency response worsened the consequences.
21 July 2026
Narcotics dept can work at borders, carry arms
The Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) can now conduct its own raids, searches, seizures, arrests and investigations along the country’s borders and at land ports, airports and seaports under the Narcotics Control (Amendment) Act, 2026.
19 July 2026
Cyber slavery: Bangladeshis forced into online scams in Cambodia
Trafficking victim Tofail Ahmed said he was sold to a heavily guarded cyber scam facility in Cambodia.
17 July 2026
How Bangladeshi jobseekers are trafficked into Cambodia's scam compounds
Hundreds of Bangladeshis have been rescued from Cambodia's infamous scam centres in recent weeks.
16 July 2026
In search of work, caught in war
30 Bangladeshis went to Russia on work visas; 4 dead, 2 missing after alleged war deployment
12 July 2026
‘If I’m alive, I’ll come back’
In the remote Laur village, under Brahmanbaria’s Nabinagar upazila, Nazmin Akter has been waiting many months for a call from her husband, Kamrul Hasan, who left home for Russia in July last year in search of work but ended up in the Ukraine war.
10 July 2026
‘If I’m alive, I’ll return’: Wife waits for Bangladeshi held in Ukraine
Kamrul Hasan’s family says he went to Russia for work, was drawn into the war, and has not been heard from for months
9 July 2026
Two Bangladeshis in Ukraine jail say broker tricked them into war
They allege they paid for jobs in Italy but were taken to a Russian military camp after signing documents they could not read
9 July 2026
‘Yaba being used as narco-currency’
Seizures of yaba and other amphetamine-type stimulant tablets rose by 90.58 percent in 2025 compared with the previous year.
28 June 2026
She left Bangladesh with hope; returned pregnant and broken
A woman's journey to Saudi Arabia, arranged through a broker, spiralled into alleged trafficking, forced labour, sexual exploitation and imprisonment
4 June 2026
Human trafficking: When cases end in compromise, not conviction
After filing a case in 2020 accusing 14 people of trafficking his son to Libya and extorting money through torture, Mannan Munshi saw it move to trial and pass through years of hearings -- only to collapse before charges were framed.
25 April 2026
Chasing European dream, fraught with danger
For more than a year, Shakil Ahmed from Sunamganj Sadar survived in Libya on a single meal a day -- a piece of hard, stale bread; some vegetables; and half a litre of water.
20 April 2026
Fuelling the fire: How greedy hoarders deepen panic for a windfall
Illegal stockpiling, smuggling and rumours of shortage expose deeper market manipulation
11 April 2026
Labour market: Govt looks to Malaysia amid Gulf slowdown
The ongoing war involving the US, Israel, and Iran has slowed Bangladesh’s labour market in the Middle East, particularly in Saudi Arabia, prompting the government to prioritise reopening Malaysia and explore alternative destinations to sustain overseas employment and remittance flows.
5 April 2026