Families demand justice as AI use in crime raises concerns

Authorities urged to review legislation to safeguard citizens’ rights

Jamaat-e-Islami MPs erupted in protest in parliament yesterday after ruling party lawmaker Fazlur Rahman said that it was a “double crime” for members of 1971 martyrs’ families or freedom fighters to engage in Jamaat politics.

The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant officially began fuel loading into one of its two units yesterday afternoon, marking a historic moment in the nation’s energy sector.

Three people were killed and several others injured after a microbus carrying Buddhist monks plunged into a roadside ditch in Lohagara upazila of Chattogram yesterday morning.

For millions of people living with diabetes in Bangladesh, insulin could soon become more affordable and easier to access, as Eskayef Pharmaceuticals Ltd has begun producing modern penfill cartridges in partnership with Danish company Novo Nordisk.

The High Court yesterday deferred until May 11 its order on bail petitions filed by journalist couple Shakil Ahmed and Farzana Rupa in seven cases, including murder cases linked to the July uprising.

Across the haor districts of northeastern Bangladesh, thousands of farmers are losing their only annual harvest to a combination of record pre-monsoon rainfall, breached embankments, and an acute shortage of harvesters and labourers.

The Bangladesh Institute of Planners (BIP) yesterday called for a clear separation between Members of Parliament and local government institutions, cautioning that overlapping roles undermine accountability and effective governance.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has proposed a 20-year development plan involving about $79 billion to build a major economic corridor from Teknaf to Tentulia with the view to decongesting Dhaka and Chattogram, in line with the BNP’s election manifesto.

A spate of shootings has turned Raozan upazila in Chattogram into what residents call a “terror zone”, with two people killed in similar attacks within 48 hours.

No militant activities exist in Bangladesh now, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said yesterday, dismissing concerns about such groups.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam yesterday told parliament that while the July uprising demonstrated the patriotism of the new generation, corruption allegations have emerged against younger members of the interim government formed after August 5, 2024.

The European Union Election Observation Mission yesterday termed Bangladesh’s 2026 parliamentary elections “credible and competently managed”, but made 19 recommendations to strengthen transparency, credibility, and integrity of future polls.

A recent study identified four areas within Dhaka city -- Uttara–Airport–Bashundhara, Farmgate, Gulistan–Shahbagh, and Shyampur -- as having the highest heat exposure, both in terms of mean and maximum temperatures.

British High Commissioner Sarah Cooke yesterday said the UK, since June 2025, has frozen over £250 million in assets linked to Bangladeshi individuals.

A prosecution witness yesterday told the International Crimes Tribunal-1 that he saw gunfire from a helicopter targeting student protesters during the July 2024 uprising.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman yesterday said his government has taken steps to ensure access to justice for all, especially the financially disadvantaged.

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed yesterday said since the government assumed office on February 17 this year, a total of 464 murder cases and 666 rape cases have been filed nationwide.

The digital laws recently passed by parliament pose risks to freedom of expression and privacy, said speakers at a conference yesterday, stressing that each law needs to be reviewed to safeguard rights.