MPO-listed teachers are all smiles at Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka on Tuesday as the government accepted their demand for raising house rent. — bdnews24.comA prolonged teachers' strike ended Tuesday on a 15-percent house-rent allowance raise finally approved by the head of interim government. The Chief Adviser made it clear that the interim government considers the demands of the MPO-listed teachers and employees justified. Among those present were Education Adviser Professor Dr C. R. Abrar, Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed, and Planning Adviser Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud. We had three major demands such as a 20-percent house-rent increase, Tk 1,500 medical allowance, and 75-percent festival allowance for employees.

Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus says the interim government considers the demands of teachers and employees at MPO-listed private educational institutions to be justified. The statement said the government decided to raise the housing allowance for the MPO-listed teachers and employees to 7.5 percent of basic salary from Nov 1, and by another 7.5 percent from Jul 1, 2026. The chief advisor held a series of meetings with various advisors over the past few days regarding the demands of the MPO-listed teachers and employees of private educational institutions. They included Education Advisor CR Abrar, Finance Advisor Salehuddin Ahmed and Planning Advisor Wahiduddin Mahmud, according to the CAO. Yunus extended special thanks to Abrar and other officials for their "tireless work" in this regard.

Foreign Advisor Touhid Hossain has said the report of 10 India-Bangladesh projects being cancelled, as given by Local Government Advisor Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain, is not “entirely correct”. Touhid said, “The list that has been circulating was shared by an individual and apparently retweeted by an advisor along with comments. Some have alternative descriptions.”Asif had posted the list of ten supposedly cancelled India-Bangladesh projects on his Facebook page on Sunday night. Regarding the Adani Power electricity import deal, which Advisor Asif claimed was cancelled, Touhid confirmed that the information is "mostly correct”. Asked if the sharing of “inaccurate” information by an advisor reflects government coordination issues, Touhid declined to comment.

Prominent writers, journalists and academics have issued a joint statement demanding a fair investigation into the death of Dhaka Stream employee Swarnamoyee Biswas. The statement from 243 citizens called for immediate legal action against those responsible following a proper investigation, as well as an inquiry into the role and alleged negligence of online portal Dhaka Stream’s management. It also urged strict enforcement of workplace sexual harassment prevention policies to ensure the safety, dignity and justice of women employees across all institutions. However, many have pointed fingers at Dhaka Stream’s senior official Altaf Shahnewaz, who had previously faced allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct brought by Swarnamoyee and 25 other employees. They also questioned why Dhaka Stream’s Chief Editor Golam Iftekhar Mahmud failed to take disciplinary action against Altaf despite receiving written and “evidence-based” complaints from 26 staff members.

The West Indies have edged past Bangladesh in a thrilling Super Over contest to draw the ODI series 1-1 in the second ODI in Mirpur. The West Indies posted 10 for 1 in their Super Over. Bangladesh then fell short by a run despite their first four runs coming from a wide and a double from a no-ball. Earlier, Bangladesh scraped together 213 for 7, rescued late by Rishad Hossain’s blistering cameo after enduring 50 consecutive overs of West Indies spin -- the first such occurrence in ODI cricket. Their combined effort broke a two-decade record for most spin overs bowled in an ODI, surpassing Sri Lanka’s 44 against Australia in 2004.

Initially, the amount will be raised to 7.5 percent of basic salary, or a minimum of Tk 2,000 this November. The Finance Division of the ministry issued an order approving the allowance increase on the 10th day of protests on Tuesday. He also urged the education advisor to increase the festival allowance of MPO employees to 75 percent of the basic salary and to initiate transfers of MPO teachers. However, the teachers and employees have refused to budge from their demand of a 20 percent housing allowance. Earlier, MPO-listed teachers received two annual festival allowances each at 25 percent of basic salary.

MPO-enlisted teachers and employees continue their demonstrations at the Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka for 9th day on Monday to press home their 3-point demands. -AgencyTeachers and employees under the government's monthly pay order (MPO) scheme who are protesting for increased allowances including house rent, will stage a protest march in Dhaka's Shahbagh on Tuesday "with black cloth tied over their faces". Four protesters on the hunger strike at Shaheed Minar had fallen ill and received treatment from Dhaka Medical College Hospital by the afternoon, reports bdnews24.com. The government had increased the house rent allowance by Tk 500 on Sept 30, but the announcement on Oct 5 was rejected by teachers. Subsequent proposals sent to the finance ministry on Oct 6 suggested raising the house rent allowance to Tk 2,000-3,000.

With the general election approaching, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party has called for the interim government to be structured along the lines of a caretaker administration. After a nearly one-hour meeting with Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus at the state residence Jamuna on Tuesday, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir outlined the party’s demand. “We came today to discuss several political concerns with the chief advisor. Fakhrul added, “By caretaker government, we mean the role of a neutral, oversight administration. “While this falls under the judiciary, we informed the chief advisor of our concerns as he oversees all matters.

Dhaka, Oct. 20 -- Information and Broadcasting Adviser Mahfuj Alam said on Monday that the government does not exert any pressure on the media. "The Information and Broadcasting Ministry does not call any media outlet to interfere in their work. The media is freely criticising the government at present," he said. He made the remarks during a meeting with German Ambassador to Bangladesh Rudiger Lotz at the Secretariat, according to a press release issued by the ministry. During the meeting, Ambassador Rudiger Lotz expressed his i...To read the full article or to get the complete feed from this publication, please Contact Us

Dhaka, Oct. 21 -- A Dhaka court has ordered the filing of a murder case in connection with the death of popular film actor Salman Shah, nearly three decades after his death rocked Bangladesh's entertainment industry. The order was issued on Monday by Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md Jannatul Ferdous Ibn Haque, according to Abid Hasan, the lawyer representing the plaintiff, reports bdnews24.com.The court also granted a revision petition filed by Salman's mother regarding the case over her son's death. According to the actor's father Kamaruddin Ahmed Chowdhury, the court has ordered that the confessional statement of Rizvi Ahmed alias Farhad, one of the people allegedly involved in the incident, be included in the case and that a...To read the full article or to get the complete feed from this publication, please Contact Us

Dhaka, Oct. 21 -- The government has approved a Tk 13.65 billion project to transform Pabna Mental Hospital into an international-standard mental health institute and hospital. The approval came at an Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) meeting held on Tuesday, led by Chief Advisor and ECNEC Chairperson Muhammad Yunus, reports bdnews24.com. According to a media statement, the project started in January and will run until December 2027, with an estimated cost of Tk 13.56 billion, fully funded by the government. Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from The Financial Express....To read the full article or to get the complete feed from this publication, please Contact Us

Claiming to have “unravelled the mystery” behind the killing of Jagannath University Chhatra Dal leader Md Jobayed Hossain, police said the incident stemmed not from politics, but due to a “love triangle”. At one point, police said, Borsha and Mahir conspired to “remove” Jobayed from their lives. He said the killing was “roughly similar” to the 2019 murder of Rifat Sharif in Barguna. Police in Dhaka said they have arrested three people in connection with Jobayed’s killing -- his student Borsha, her boyfriend Mahir, and Mahir’s friend, Fardin Ahmed Aylan, 20. Jobayed, a student in the Department of Statistics at Jagannath University, had been tutoring Borsha for about a year when the two also became romantically involved.

MPO teachers’ housing allowance hiked to 7.5% of salary from Nov, set to double in JulyThe government has once again hiked the house rent allowance for teachers and employees at educational institutions under the monthly pay order (MPO) scheme in the face of protests. However, the teachers and employees have refused to budge from their demand of a 20 percent housing allowance. MPO-listed teachers and staff receive salaries under the national pay scale. Earlier, MPO-listed teachers received two annual festival allowances each at 25 percent of basic salary. On Monday, the 10th day of the protests, the government has decided to increase the housing allowance once again.

6 rights groups call on interim govt to end 'broad ban' on Awami League activitiesA group of six human rights organisations has called on Bangladesh’s interim government to end its ban on the Awami League's political activities under the Anti-Terrorism Act. In a joint letter to Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus on Sunday, the groups claimed the ban “excessively restricts freedom of association, assembly, and expression and has been used to arrest Awami League members and perceived supporters engaged in peaceful activities”. The six organisations that signed the joint statement are CIVICUS, Committee to Protect Journalists, Fortify Rights, Human Rights Watch, Robert F Kennedy Human Rights, and Tech Global Institute. Reform the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in line with the Paris Principles. End the broad ban on Awami League activities under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

The interim government has sent nine secretaries, who were previously made officers on special duty (OSD) at various times following the power shift, into retirement. The list includes senior secretaries Monjur Hossain and Mashiur Rahman, and secretaries Md Shamsul Arefin, Md Mizanur Rahman, Md Azizur Rahman, Md Nurul Alam, Farid Uddin Ahmad, AKA Matiur Rahman, and Shafiul Azim. Senior Secretary Monjur last served as the secretary of the Bridges Division and also as the executive director of the Bangladesh Bridge Authority. Mashiur had been made OSD after serving as secretary of the Security Service Division under the home ministry. Meanwhile, Shamsul last held the position of secretary at the Information and Communication Technology Division before being made OSD.