The interim government’s Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved an additional Tk 25,592 crore for the Ruppur Nuclear Power Plant project, raising its total cost from Tk 113,092 crore to Tk 138,685 crore. The decision was made at ECNEC’s final meeting before the upcoming national election, chaired by Chief Adviser and ECNEC Chairperson Dr. Muhammad Yunus at the NEC Conference Room in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka. Planning Adviser Dr. Wahiduddin Mahmud said the entire cost increase will be financed through project loans.

According to the Planning Ministry, the revised Development Project Proposal (DPP) recommends a 22.63 percent cost increase and extends the project deadline from 2024 to June 2028. The government’s direct funding share has been reduced by Tk 166 crore to Tk 21,886 crore, while project loans have risen to Tk 116,799 crore. Implemented with Russian cooperation, the plant aims to generate 2,400 megawatts of electricity from two units with a 60-year lifespan, extendable by 20 years.

The ECNEC meeting also approved 25 projects worth Tk 45,191 crore, including a 1,000-bed Bangladesh-China Friendship General Hospital and several infrastructure, transport, and environmental initiatives.

The Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education (DSHE) has issued an urgent directive to ensure that the January 2026 salaries of MPO-listed teachers and employees are disbursed through the Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) system. The directive, released on Sunday, January 25, outlines the procedures for submitting salary bills online through the EMIS system’s MPO–EFT module.

According to the directive, the EFT-based payment process for MPO funds began on January 1, 2025, with direct transfers to individual bank accounts continuing through July 2025. From August 2025, institution heads have been required to submit bills online using their designated IDs and passwords. Each teacher or employee’s payable amount must be calculated separately and submitted accordingly.

The directive further states that any necessary deductions due to death, resignation, suspension, or unauthorized absence must be properly indicated during bill submission. The information submitted by institution heads will be considered final for EFT processing, and any errors leading to overpayment or complications will be the responsibility of the respective head.

Interim government’s Commerce Adviser Sheikh Bashir Uddin has assured that prices of daily essentials will not rise during the upcoming holy month of Ramadan, and that some items may even become cheaper. He made the statement on Sunday, January 25, 2026, following a taskforce meeting held to review the prices and market situation of essential food products ahead of Ramadan.

The adviser said that imports of daily essentials have increased by 40 percent compared to last year, which will help keep prices within people’s reach. He emphasized that the government expects stability in the market due to the higher import volume. Sheikh Bashir Uddin also commented on irregularities in major infrastructure projects such as the Padma Bridge, Karnaphuli Tunnel, and Payra Port during the previous government’s tenure, claiming that these projects had adverse economic effects.

When asked about any government project to build luxury flats for ministers, the adviser said he was not aware of such an initiative.

A report presented at a press conference held on Sunday at the Power Division in Dhaka revealed that Bangladesh’s power sector incurred losses of Tk 500 billion over the past 15 years. The findings were shared by National Committee chief Justice Moinul Islam Chowdhury, who stated that the previous government used the severe power crisis as a means of financial exploitation while shielding wrongdoing through an indemnity ordinance.

According to the report, the ongoing financial strain, high electricity prices, and excessive generation capacity stem from long-term institutional and contractual failures rather than short-term crises. It highlighted that power plants were built without tenders, widespread corruption and irregularities occurred, and capacity payments increased twentyfold. The report also noted misuse of emergency powers, repeated renewals of special provisions, and disregard for competition laws, which led to transaction-based electricity pricing.

The report concluded that the combination of excessive plant construction and inflated pricing has placed the power sector at significant risk, driven by irregularities in contracts and governance failures.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved 25 development projects worth Tk 45,191 crore across Bangladesh. The meeting, chaired by Chief Adviser and ECNEC Chair Dr. Muhammad Yunus, was held at the NEC conference room of the Planning Commission on Sunday. Among the approved projects, 14 are new, six are revised, and five have been granted time extensions. Of the total cost, Tk 10,881 crore will come from government funds, Tk 32,018 crore from foreign loans, and Tk 2,291 crore from the implementing agencies’ own resources.

The approved projects span communication, health, education, agriculture, water resources, power, transport, and human resource sectors. Major initiatives include widening regional highways, constructing an elevated expressway from Lalkhan Bazar to Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram, strengthening the airport runway, and expanding tourism facilities in the hill tracts. Other projects cover rural infrastructure in Cumilla, police facility construction, dual-gauge rail line expansion to Cox’s Bazar, and establishment of a 1,000-bed Bangladesh–China Friendship General Hospital.

Officials expressed optimism that these projects will enhance infrastructure capacity, generate employment, and contribute positively to national economic growth.

Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Land, Saleh Ahmed, stated that the e-return or online income tax return system represents not only technological progress but also the reflection of a modern and accountable state structure. He made the remarks on Sunday during a learning session at the ministry’s conference room for officials of grade 9 and above, focusing on electronic submission of individual taxpayers’ income tax returns. The session was conducted by AKM Moniruzzaman, Assistant Commissioner of the Income Tax Intelligence and Investigation Unit.

Saleh Ahmed emphasized that transparency and accountability are essential for building an effective and citizen-friendly administration. Making e-return submission mandatory for government officials institutionalizes these principles. He noted that automated data storage and analysis make it easier to identify inconsistencies in income and expenditure, reducing opportunities for corruption and supporting revenue growth.

He added that government officials represent the state, and ensuring transparency in their financial affairs is both a legal and moral obligation. The e-return initiative sets a positive example of administrative discipline and ethics, encouraging public trust and participation in tax compliance.

National Board of Revenue (NBR) Chairman Abdur Rahman Khan stated that the recent rise in import prices is due to the increase in the dollar’s value, not tariff hikes. Speaking at a press conference at the NBR headquarters on Sunday, ahead of International Customs Day, he said that no new tariffs have been imposed on imported fruits in the past one and a half years; rather, tariffs and source taxes have been reduced. He noted that the dollar’s exchange rate rose from 80 taka two years ago to 125–126 taka, directly affecting import costs.

Khan emphasized that the government has not raised tariffs on essential goods such as rice, lentils, and edible oil, but instead reduced them in the public interest, even at the expense of revenue. He added that tariff increases are only applied to protect domestic industries and are decided through consultation with stakeholders. The chairman also said customs now focus more on trade facilitation and preventing smuggling rather than being a major revenue source.

He concluded that to increase revenue, the NBR is working to expand income tax and value-added tax collection.

A total of 125 metric tons of explosives were imported from India through the Benapole land port in Jashore on Saturday evening. The shipment, classified as highly dangerous, arrived in eight Indian trucks and was placed in the port’s 31st transshipment yard. Authorities have issued special security alerts across the port area due to the hazardous nature of the materials.

According to port sources, the explosives were imported for use in the Madhyapara Granite Mining Project in Dinajpur. The importer is Madhyapara Granite Mining Company Limited, while the exporter is India’s Super Shiv Shakti Chemical Private Limited. Local residents, workers, and traders have expressed concern about storing such a large quantity of explosives in a populated area, though port officials assured that maximum safety measures are in place.

Benapole Land Port Director Shamim Hossain said customs, port security, police, BGB, and fire service units have been placed on alert. He added that steps are being taken to transport the explosives quickly to their destination following international safety standards, with law enforcement maintaining oversight at every stage.

Venezuela has announced a plan to increase its oil production by 18 percent in 2026. The state oil company PDVSA’s Chief Executive Officer Hector Obregon said the country has launched a reform program to fully open the energy sector to private investors in order to achieve this target. He noted that the previous law was not aligned with current industry needs, and Venezuela’s current oil output stands at around one million barrels per day.

Analysts said the new legislation is part of President Delcy Rodríguez’s commitment and that pressure from the United States played a key role in its initial approval. The pressure reportedly intensified after Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro was detained during a U.S. special forces operation. U.S. President Donald Trump has also expressed interest in Venezuela’s oil sector.

If the law is finally passed, it will ease decades of state control over Venezuela’s oil industry, a system that was further tightened in the mid-2000s under the late socialist leader Hugo Chávez.

Saudi Arabia has implemented a new law from January 2026 allowing foreigners to purchase houses and other properties in designated areas. Both foreign residents living in the kingdom and those residing abroad can now buy property, though ownership remains prohibited in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. The government stated that foreigners outside Saudi Arabia will be limited to buying in Riyadh and Jeddah, with a detailed map of approved zones to be published by March.

Foreign residents can apply through an online portal using their residence permit (Iqama) number, while non-residents must first obtain a digital ID from a Saudi embassy in their home country before applying online. Property transactions will incur up to a 5% real estate tax. The law also imposes strict penalties for false information or anonymous purchases, including fines up to 10 million Saudi riyals and property confiscation.

Analysts cited in the report believe the reform could boost foreign investment in Saudi Arabia’s real estate sector and accelerate development in selected areas of Riyadh and Jeddah.

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) of Bangladesh has intensified efforts to expand and update its network of Double Taxation Avoidance (DTA) agreements. The agency has initiated new negotiations with Austria, Hungary, and Azerbaijan, completing two rounds of talks with the first two countries and one with Azerbaijan. Discussions with Uzbekistan and Nigeria are under consideration. Meanwhile, a DTA agreement with Kenya is at the final stage but its signing has been delayed due to scheduling issues before the national election.

In parallel, the NBR has begun reviewing older agreements signed decades ago to align them with modern business practices such as digitalization and e-commerce. The first rounds of review meetings with Singapore and Pakistan were held in December, and talks with Sri Lanka are expected around June. Bangladesh currently has DTA agreements with 43 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, China, and India.

NBR officials stated that such agreements help prevent investors from being taxed twice on the same income, thereby encouraging cross-border investment and trade between partner countries.

Bangladesh’s gold market remains volatile as prices surged again within just 12 hours of a previous reduction. The Bangladesh Jewellers Association (BAJUS) announced a new record high, setting the price of 22-carat gold at Tk 255,617 per bhori, effective nationwide from Saturday. The decision reversed Thursday night’s brief price cut, which had lowered the rate to Tk 249,318 per bhori before being superseded by Friday noon’s increase.

BAJUS said the adjustment was made due to a rise in the local price of acid gold and changing global conditions. The association noted that international prices had unexpectedly climbed after a previous downward trend, prompting an emergency meeting to revise domestic rates. Traders attributed the global volatility to heightened geopolitical tensions between the United States and Iran, which have boosted demand for gold as a safe investment.

Market analysts reported that gold prices in Bangladesh have been adjusted 12 times so far this year, with nine increases and three reductions. They warned that without stability in global conditions, sustained relief in domestic gold prices remains unlikely.

U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that all goods entering the United States from Canada will face a 100% tariff if Canada completes a trade agreement with China. In a post on his social media platform Truth Social on Saturday, Trump said Canada must not act as a “drop-off port” for Chinese products entering the U.S., warning of severe consequences if it does.

Relations between Washington and Ottawa have become increasingly strained since Trump’s return to the White House in 2024, with disputes emerging over trade and other issues. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney recently described a “fracture” in the U.S.-led global system. During a visit to Beijing last week, Carney announced a “new strategic partnership” with China and an initial trade understanding aimed at reducing tariffs. Trump responded by calling the move dangerous and labeling Carney “governor,” echoing earlier remarks about Canada as a potential U.S. state.

Canadian Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc countered that the China deal only addresses tariff issues and is not a free trade pact. Analysts cited in the report warned that continued tensions could create major uncertainty for both economies.

The government pay commission of Bangladesh has proposed a new pay scale that would more than double the salaries of primary school teachers. According to the recommendation, teachers in the 13th grade would see their basic pay rise from 11,000 taka to 24,000 taka. The proposed scale sets the minimum salary for government employees at 20,000 taka and the maximum at 160,000 taka, with higher increases suggested for employees in grades 11 to 20. The commission also advised raising allowances, including tiffin benefits.

Commission chief Zakir Ahmed Khan told the media that implementing the proposal would require 1.06 trillion taka. The 23-member commission, formed on July 27 of the previous year, completed its work ahead of schedule, spending only 18 percent of its allocated budget. The report is due on February 14, and a special committee will be formed to oversee implementation.

Economic adviser Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed said the next step is to execute the recommendations, with an implementation committee to be established to manage the process.

Nine Indian officials working at the Rampal Thermal Power Plant in Bagerhat, operated by Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company Limited (BIFPCL), left Bangladesh without official permission. The incident occurred on Saturday, January 24, 2026, when the officials were found missing during breakfast. Later, it was confirmed that they had crossed into India through the Bhomra land port. The plant authorities immediately informed the Power Development Board and relevant ministries, expressing deep concern over the unauthorized departure.

According to plant sources, the officials left citing security concerns, though the area is under four layers of security involving the army, police, and Ansar. The project director, Ramanath Pujari, confirmed their departure and the stated reason. However, officials noted that none of the individuals had previously reported any security issues or complaints. The sudden and unexplained exit has been described as mysterious by plant authorities.

The plant’s Deputy General Manager (Public Relations), Anwarul Azim, said the matter is being investigated seriously to determine the reasons behind their departure.