It takes a special kind of self-centred mindset to be the player, the referee, and the rule-maker all at once. In March 2025, a video conference was convened by the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh to vet an applicant for a new aviation licence.

A tribunal in Dhaka yesterday sentenced six people, including a former lawmaker, to death for the killing of seven people during the July 2024 uprising in Ashulia on the outskirts of the capital, where the victims were loaded into a vehicle and set on fire, with at least one still alive.

Operational activities at Chattogram port finally resumed yesterday afternoon after a six-day impasse, as protesting employees postponed their ongoing work abstention until Saturday following assurances from Shipping Adviser M Sakhawat Hussain that steps would be taken to meet their demands.

The interim government has struggled to maintain law and order and deliver promised human rights reforms, with thousands of people arbitrarily detained and routinely denied bail, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in its 2026 annual report released yesterday.

Authority cites ‘anti-state activities’ during recent protests

Over 37,000 BGB personnel deployed nationwide, he says

The government yesterday approved revised office hours for the upcoming month of Ramadan, setting the workday from 9:00am to 3:30pm for all public institutions.

The month-long Amar Ekushey Boi Mela, organised by Bangla Academy, will start on February 20 this year.

Continued election-related violence, attacks on cultural institutions, shrinking civic space, and administrative inaction are raising fears ahead of the national election, prompting doubts about whether a peaceful and credible democratic transition is possible, speakers said at a dialogue yesterday.

Ahead of the upcoming election, Disability Rights Watch and TIB have urged political parties to ensure the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities by reserving a 2 percent quota in government jobs, allocating ministry-wise budgets, and fully implementing existing disability laws.

Under the afternoon sun on a rural earthen road, two jeeps slowed near a small gathering. A woman stepped out, greeted villagers warmly, shook hands and embraced several women before handing out leaflets bearing the plough symbol. It was Nurun Nahar Begum, the Jatiya Party nominated candidate for Thakurgaon-2, on a door-to-door campaign ahead of the 13th national parliamentary election scheduled for February 12.

Although Lalbagh and Chawkbazar areas of Old Dhaka are economically vital wholesale hubs, residents of this region continue to grapple with deep-rooted civic problems.

The Dhaka-5 constituency, spanning the eastern edge of the capital and covering Jatrabari and Demra police stations, is currently alive with election campaigning.

Bangladesh Air Force personnel deployed for the February 12 election must remain neutral in uniform, stay visibly present around polling centres, and follow the chain of command at all times, said Air Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan yesterday.

Police recovered the body of a man from a cornfield at Tangrakhali village in Harinakundu upazila of Jhenaidah on Wednesday night.

Law enforcement agencies detained 348 Rohingya individuals from the Dohazari area of Chandanaish upazila in Chattogram early yesterday.

Two people were detained early yesterday in a joint operation by the Bangladesh Army and the Rab in Lakshmipur, with a large cache of illegal weapons and explosives seized.

Health experts and campaigners yesterday said poor governance and inadequate funding continue to challenge the health sector, and overcoming them to achieve Universal Health Coverage by 2030 will require strong political will from the next government.

The trade and defence deals being signed at the far end of the interim government tenure are meant to make things easier for the next government, not to leave behind any burden, said Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain yesterday.

The term is ‘not congenial’ for Bangladesh’s politics, he says