The Fire Service says nine people have died after a fire broke out at a garment factory and a chemical warehouse in the Rupnagar area of Dhaka’s Mirpur. The fire broke out at a chemical warehouse named Cosmic Pharma and a neighbouring garment factory in the Rupnagar area around 11:45am on Tuesday. We will be able to provide details after the operation is complete.”The bodies were found on the second and third floors of the garment factory, he said. The fire at the garment factory has been put out, but the smoke is lingering. “A fire is still burning on the inside of the chemical warehouse next door.

According to the protesting teachers, the march was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon but has been put on hold for now. “If the government does not accept the demands, the ‘March to Secretariat’ programme will be held in the afternoon,” said Principal Delwar Hossain Azizi, member secretary of the MPO-affiliated Education Nationalisation Alliance. “We are not withdrawing the ‘March to Secretariat’ programme, but it is not happening now,” Azizi said. Meanwhile, like-minded teachers and employees across the country have gone on strike in their respective institutions in solidarity with the protest. On Sept 30, the government increased the house rent allowance for MPO-registered teachers and employees by Tk 500.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has expressed his interest in visiting Bangladesh in the coming months, hoping the trip would strengthen ties between the two countries. During the meeting, Yunus formally invited Lula to visit Bangladesh at a mutually convenient time. The Brazilian president accepted the invitation, expressing his intention to make the trip by February next year. “That would be fantastic,” the chief advisor responded. The chief advisor also underscored the need for deeper collaboration and increased trade between Bangladesh and Brazil.

A trader walks out of the trading floor at the Philippine Stock Exchange in Manila's Makati's financial district Jan 22, 2008. REUTERSA trader walks out of the trading floor at the Philippine Stock Exchange in Manila's Makati's financial district Jan 22, 2008. Early gains for MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan and the S&P 500 futures petered out to trade flat. Citi analysts wrote in a research report that they do not expect an escalation of trade tensions between Beijing and Washington. Japan's Nikkei stock index fell 1.2% as the country's markets reopened after a holiday.

Six people have died in Chuadanga Sadar Upazila and three others have been hospitalised after drinking "alcohol", authorities say. Five of the victims died on Saturday night and one on Sunday night, according to Chuadanga Sadar Police Station chief Khaledur Rahman, reports bdnews24.com. The deceased have been identified as Kheder Ali, 40, a van driver from Nafarkandi village; Mohammad Selim, 40, a fish trader from Khejura village; Mohammad Laltu alias Ripu, 30, a van driver from Pirojkhali village; Mohammad Shahid, 45, a worker from Shankarchandra village; Mohammad Samir, 55, a mill worker from Dingedah village; and Sardar Mohammad Laltu, 52, a worker from Asia Biscuit Factory area. AKM Nasim Uz Zaman, a doctor on duty at the emergency department of Chuadanga Sadar Hospital, said that Laltu died while receiving treatment for "alcohol poisoning". Jamal Al Naser, an additional superintendent of police in Chuadanga, said investigators had confirmed six deaths so far.

A man in Lakshmipur’s Raipur Upazila has reclaimed possession of nearly 1.4 hectares of land after a legal battle that lasted more than four decades. “The handover was carried out with drums as per court orders,” said Humayun Kabir, an officer of the District and Sessions Judges’ Court. In 1983, Abid and Hanif filed a civil case with the Lakshmipur Assistant Judges’ Court over the ownership. After a lengthy legal process, the court in 2004 declared Abid and Hanif as the lawful owners. Bahar, son of plaintiff Hanif, said: “After 43 years, we have finally regained our land with the court’s help.

Dhaka University has announced the schedule for admission application and exams for the 2025-2026 Academic Session, setting Nov 28 for the start of the tests.According to a notice on Monday, applications for admission will begin on Oct 29 and continue until 11:59 pm on Nov 16.The notice, citing the admission committee meeting that finalised the dates, says the first admission test will be held for the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) unit. On Nov 29, the Faculty of Fine Arts unit's exam will be held.The admission tests will conclude on Dec 20, with exams for the Science and Arts unit and the Law and Social Sciences unit scheduled on that day.�"bdnews24.com

The results for the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations will be released on Thursday, with all 10 education boards scheduled to release the results at 10am.Prof SM Kamal Uddin Haider, exam controller for the Dhaka Secondary and Higher Education Board and convenor for the Inter-Education Board Exam Controller Committee said on Monday afternoon: "We have received final approval from the Ministry of Education to release the results on Thursday. ""Like the release of the results for the SSC (Secondary School Certificate) and equivalent examinations, the results for the HSC and equivalent examinations will be released without many formalities. The education boards will release the results. "A press release issued by the Dhaka board on Monday said the results will be published on the websites of the country's education boards, at all the concerned examination centres and educational institutions, and via SMS. �"bdnews24.comThe board said that educational institutions can download the results by using their Educational Institute Identification Number (EIIN) of the board and institution by clicking on the results tab of the website www.educationboardresults.gov.bd.The education boards and the respective institutions can make their own result sheets from the site.Candidates can collect their exams results from their respective educational institutions and through the integrated website address of the education boards www.educationboardresults.gov.bd and the websites of the concerned boards.The board also says that the results can be obtained by sending an SMS to the designated short code 16222.The results will not be available from the education board building, the Ministry of Education, or the newspaper office.�"bdnews24.com

The Cox’s Bazar Airport has officially been granted the status of Bangladesh’s fourth international airport. On Sunday, a government gazette notification declared the airport in the tourism hub of Cox’s Bazar as an international facility. The other facilities with international status are Dhaka’s Shahjalal, Sylhet’s Osmani, and Chattogram’s Shah Amanat airports. Since then, officials from the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism and the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh have repeatedly reviewed progress. Biman, however, plans to launch flights from Cox’s Bazar to Kolkata via Dhaka starting this month, even as private carriers remain reluctant.

Madagascar's President Andry Rajoelina will address the nation on Monday, his office said, after he lost the support of a key army unit that joined thousands of youths protesting against corruption and poverty and demanding his resignation. CAPSAT said over the weekend it was taking charge of the military and appointed a new army chief. In the absence of a president, the leader of the Senate takes the post until elections are held. GEN Z PROTESTS MIRROR THOSE IN NEPAL AND KENYAOn Monday, thousands of people gathered in a square in the capital, shouting "the president must quit now". "In 16 years the president and his government have done nothing except enrich themselves while the people stay poor.

Security tightened at US Embassy in Dhaka overnightPolice say security has been stepped up at the US Embassy in Dhaka on Monday night following intelligence about a specific threat. Several senior officials of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) confirmed that members of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit had been deployed to the embassy premises. The deployment includes personnel from the CTTC’s bomb disposal unit as well as the specialised SWAT team, one officer said. The SWAT members, trained for high-risk operations, are equipped with heavy weapons and specialised gear. Masud Alam, assistant commissioner at the DMP’s Gulshan Division, said security in and around the US Embassy area had been reinforced due to concerns over a potential security risk.

India's southern state of Tamil Nadu has cancelled the licences of a cough syrup-maker linked to the deaths of several children over the past month, it said on Monday, as authorities search some of the firm's sites on suspicion of money-laundering. "The manufacturing licenses of Sresan Pharmaceuticals have been completely cancelled, and the company has been shut down," the state government said in a statement. Financial crime-fighting agency the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is searching seven premises linked to the company in Chennai, the state capital, on accusations of money laundering, a source said. Telephone calls to seek comment from G Ranganathan, owner of the Tamil Nadu-based firm, Sresan Pharmaceutical Manufacturer, who was arrested last week, went unanswered. Last week the World Health Organisation flagged India's "regulatory gap" in screening domestically-sold medicinal syrups.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that he would meet US President Donald Trump in Washington on Friday, where the two would discuss Ukraine's air defence and long-range strike capabilities. Zelensky said he had given Trump, who has increasingly signalled frustration with Russia in recent weeks, an idea of how many of the coveted Tomahawks Ukraine needs. Trump has said he is considering sending the missiles to Ukraine, though he has also said he might talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin about it. Diplomatic efforts to end the war, now in its fourth year, have stalled as Russia steps up strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities and presses forward with grinding gains on the battlefield. Zelensky said he will also meet with representatives of US energy companies to discuss Ukraine's current needs amid what he described as shifting Russian tactics in strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has said the interim government’s commitment to justice and people’s power will be institutionalised through the parliamentary polls, slated for February. Yunus called for a complete overhaul of the global food and economic systems and put forward a six-point proposal to build a hunger-free world. Yunus said, “Hunger is not caused by scarcity; it is a failure of the economic structure we have created. For the fifth, he called for the withdrawal of export bans, saying trade rules must support food security, not undermine it. It is a necessity, the only way to save the world.”Noting that social business is the way forward, Yunus said: “We’ve seen its power in Bangladesh.

India, US to hold trade talks as New Delhi seeks higher energy importsIndia and the United States are set to hold trade talks this week, with New Delhi pledging to import US energy and gas as it aims to address Washington's concerns over its Russian oil purchases, an official said. "During my visit to India, I met with Commerce Secretary Agrawal and discussed US-India economic ties, including increased investment in the United States," Gor said on 'X' on Sunday. India's exports to the United States fell to $6.86 billion in August from $8.01 billion in July, trade ministry data showed, with exporters reporting further declines in September. The two sides have held five rounds of trade talks, with the sixth - postponed in August - now expected to lead to the first phase of the deal next month, as agreed by Trump and Modi. India is seeking greater participation from private players, including US firms, in its renewable and nuclear energy sectors.