A roadmap to amending the National Human Rights Commission Act 2009

16 May 2026, 00:00 AM Law & Our Rights
The National Human Rights Commission Act 2009 was enacted to establish an independent National Human Rights Commission for the protection, promotion, and effective enforcement of human rights in Bangladesh in accordance with its constitutional and international obligations.
Youth network launched to combat human trafficking and migrant smuggling
4 May 2026, 21:52 PM Law & Our Rights
A university-level youth network comprising approximately 150 students from both public and private universities has been launched on 2 May 2026 to strengthen awareness and collective action against Trafficking in Persons (TIP) and Smuggling of Migrants (SOM) in Bangladesh.
Law Review / Reimagining legal aid in Bangladesh
22 April 2026, 00:00 AM Law & Our Rights
Legal access to justice continues to be a problem for many, especially for the marginalised, underprivileged, and those who suffer social exclusion.

In defence of a criminal defence lawyer

In recent times, we have seen an alarming phenomenon in our country: criminal defence lawyers in sensational cases are often painted as villains by many.
4 March 2026, 00:00 AM

The ‘Asian tiger’ dream is stalling. It is time Bangladeshi founders look to the Gulf

There is a familiar refrain doing the rounds in Dhaka’s startup circles. “The ecosystem is dead.” “The ship is sinking.” The mood is understandable, but it misdiagnoses the problem. Bangladesh’s startup ecosystem is not dying. It is just working from the wrong map.
24 February 2026, 13:01 PM

Why entrepreneurship must be Bangladesh’s next national mission

Traditional employment is under pressure everywhere, squeezed by automation, artificial intelligence, slower growth and the aftershocks of the pandemic. Young people are hit first and hardest, pushed into unemployment, underemployment, or insecure work.
17 February 2026, 09:35 AM

How the Dutch East India Company invented the MNC

On a March day in 1602, the Dutch Republic tried to solve a problem of commerce with a piece of statecraft. Rival merchant groups were bidding up the cost of spices in Asia, squeezing profits at home, while the war for independence from Spain made overseas trade inseparable from national security.
6 January 2026, 08:03 AM

Our inherently anti-poor vagrancy laws

During the colonial times, vagrancy laws were widely enacted in many European colonies, including the British Raj. In the erstwhile Bengal, the Raj enacted the Vagrancy Act, 1943 (Bengal Act), which specifically dealt with the issue of begging as an issue of vagrancy. I
16 December 2025, 18:00 PM

73 years on, New Market still a shoppers’ haven. Here’s why

Affordability, trust, and tradition bind generations of customers to New Market
3 October 2025, 18:00 PM

Parking wealth under the Dubai sun

The city’s booming real estate has also been used by Bangladeshis as an offshore haven to park wealth for a big reason
6 January 2025, 18:51 PM

From the archives: Aug 21 Attack on Hasina — a Hawa Bhaban plot

It was a long, dark plot. A chilling conspiracy was getting final touches in an eerie August of 2004, a month that brings to mind the memories of a past bloodbath. The plot for a high-profile assassination was awaiting approval, again.
16 August 2022, 14:51 PM

It was Hawa Bhaban plot

The Daily Star investigation reveals some characters behind the chilling conspiracy to kill Hasina; Babar 'supplied' grenades; Huji used as mercenary group
26 October 2009, 17:00 PM