In accordance with their pre-announced ultimatum, the regular officials and employees of the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) have declared a full-scale work stoppage and suspension of all passenger services starting at 7:00 AM on Friday (December 12). This decision comes after the company failed to formulate and publish a self-sufficient service rules (job-by-laws) by the December 9 deadline. The employees also announced that they will hold a peaceful demonstration daily in front of the DMTCL main office. This information was conveyed via a press release on Wednesday (December 10). Despite DMTCL being established 12 years ago in 2013, a separate and final service rules document has yet to be finalized for the company’s more than 900 officials and employees. Employees who joined through open recruitment since the start of commercial operation of the Metro Rail on December 28, 2022, complain that despite working day and night, they are being deprived of various fundamental benefits, including leave, CPF (Contributory Provident Fund), gratuity, shift allowance/overtime, and group insurance. It is reported that although the Service Rules were supposed to be formulated within 60 working days as per the Advisory Committee’s instruction on September 12, 2024, this was not implemented. Read More Election Schedule to be Announced This Evening Later, when employees launched a movement on February 13, 2025, the authority assured them on February 20 that the Service Rules would be finalized by March 20.  However, as this promise was also not fulfilled, intense resentment has built up among the employees over the last nine months. In a meeting with employees on December 10, the Managing Director stated that while the Board of Directors agreed on all clauses of the Service Rules, the Chapter XI concerning 'Special Provisions' remains an obstacle. This 'Special Provision' involves the controversial issue of assimilating manpower from Metro Rail projects into DMTCL, which employees claim contradicts the prevailing laws of Bangladesh and rulings of the Supreme Court. Employees allege that although the Board of Directors is willing to exclude the disputed provision, the publication of the Service Rules is being delayed due to pressure from the DMTCL authority. Deadline Missed, Work Stoppage Announced As the Service Rules were not published by the December 9 deadline, the employees declared that if the rules were not formulated even by December 11, a full-scale work stoppage would be observed, and passenger services would be completely shut down starting 7:00 AM on Friday, December 12.

The massive fire that broke out in Dhaka's Karail slum has been brought under control after five and a half hours, following the efforts of 19 units of the Fire Service. The fire was contained at 10:35 PM on Tuesday (November 25), after it initially started at 5:22 PM that afternoon. Anwarul Islam Dolan, an official from the Fire Service Headquarters' Media Cell, confirmed the information. He stated that 19 Fire Service units worked tirelessly to bring the blaze under control by 10:35 PM. However, firefighters faced significant challenges in extinguishing the fire due to the congested nature of the slum and a severe water shortage at the scene. Fire Service officials reported that the fire was devastating, resulting in over a hundred slum dwellings being completely gutted. As of now, officials have not been able to confirm whether there were any casualties or injuries from the fire. The Fire Service has also not been able to immediately state the cause of the fire.

Seven firearms have reportedly been stolen after the vault, or strongroom, inside the burnt-out cargo complex at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport was broken into. Biman Bangladesh Airlines filed a General Diary (GD) with the Airport Police Station on October 28 regarding the incident. According to relevant sources, a total of 21 firearms were stored in the vault; 14 were recovered, but 7 remain missing. The stolen weapons include a US-made M4 Carbine assault rifle and a Brazilian-made Taurus pistol. It was not immediately clear to which security force or entity the weapons belonged. The GD was filed by Jamal Hossain, Assistant Manager (Security) of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, which is responsible for ground handling at Shahjalal Airport. In the GD, Hossain stated that on the afternoon of October 24, an inventory of the goods was taken in the presence of Customs Deputy Commissioner Neyamul, Biman GM (Cargo) Nazmul Huda, NSI Additional Director Firoz Robbani, Civil Aviation Authority Director Iftekhar, and others. The items were then placed in the vault, chained, locked, and sealed. Hossain further reported that on October 27, around 9:45 PM, the duty police and Ansar members of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) checked and confirmed that the seal and lock were secured. However, he was informed by Duty Officer Jahangir Alam Khan at 7:00 AM the following day that the vault's lock was missing. Upon inspection, no lock was found on the vault door. When asked about the incident, Airport Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Taslima Akter stated, "We are investigating the GD." Meanwhile, answering journalists' questions after a Core Committee meeting on law and order at the Secretariat on Tuesday (November 4), Home Adviser Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said, "We will only be able to confirm if weapons were actually stolen after the investigation. If a theft is established, those responsible and accountable will be brought to justice. The exact number of stolen weapons has yet to be confirmed." The incident has again raised serious questions about the security measures at the high-security airport (Key Point Installation or KPI), especially following the major fire that broke out in the import cargo complex on October 18, which took nearly 27 hours to bring under control.

Another chapter of pride has been added for expatriate Bangladeshis living in New York. The New York studio of the popular private television channel RTV was inaugurated with a spectacular event on the evening of October 20 in the Hillside area of Jamaica, New York. The inauguration ceremony was attended by expatriate Bangladeshi community leaders, media personalities, cultural activists, and artists residing in the United States. Among those who spoke at the event were Shahnewaz, proprietor of Golden Age Homecare; musician and BCB (Bangladesh Cricket Board) director Asif Akbar; Ahsan Habib of the Bangladesh Society; and many others. In his speech, RTV Chief Executive Officer Syed Ashik Rahman said, "By establishing a studio in New York, our responsibility towards expatriate Bangladeshis living in North America has increased." He commented that RTV is now more than just a channel; it has become the voice of global Bangladeshis. Various RTV programs, community coverage, and future plans were also discussed at the event. Musician Asif Akbar recalled fond memories of his long association with RTV during his speech. He stated, "RTV always broadcasts objective news." He expressed hope that RTV will serve as a window of information for expatriate Bangladeshis living in North America in the future. It is worth noting that the colorful inauguration event for the RTV New York Studio will be held in two parts. The first part took place on October 20, and the attractive second part will be held on the evening of October 27, New York time.

Prominent writer, researcher and leftist intellectual Badruddin Umar today passed away due to old-age complications at a city hospital at the age of 94. "Badruddin Umar died at Bangladesh Specialized Hospital at 10:05am after a long struggle with age-related complications," Jatiya Mukti Council Secretary Foyzul Hakim said in a statement.  Foyzul said he was admitted to the hospital on July 22 with shortness of breath and low blood pressure. After receiving treatment for 10 days, he was discharged last week, he added.  Badruddin Umar was born on December 20, 1931 in Bardhaman of India. His father Abul Hashim was a Muslim nationalist politician of the sub-continent.  His writings on the nationalist movement in Bangladesh, religion, and politics left an immense impact on the liberation of Bangladesh. Some of his famous works include Samprodayikota (1966), Sangskritir Sangkat (1967), and Sangskritik Samprodayikota (1969).  A longtime Marxist thinker, Badruddin Umar debuted his career as a part-time lecturer at Dhaka University. Then he founded the Department of Sociology at Rajshahi University.  He was the president of the Bangladesh Krishok Federation and served as central coordinator of the Gonotantrik Biplobi Jote. He was once a member of the central committee of the Purba Banglar Communist Party. In 2003, Badruddin established the Jatiya Mukti Council, where he served as president until his death.