Bangladesh's Supreme Court on Sunday reduced the civil service job quota system following weeks of student protests but stopped short of abolishing the policy entirely.

Attorney General AM Amin Uddin told AFP that the Supreme Court ruled the High Court's order to reinstate the quotas as "illegal." The new verdict allocates 93% of government jobs based on merit, reserving 7% for relatives of veterans from Bangladesh’s 1971 independence war and other designated categories.

In response to the unrest, authorities extended a nationwide curfew and authorized police to use "shoot-on-sight" orders. The violence and clashes have resulted in at least 133 deaths, including several police officers.

Here are the key developments:

• The revised system reserves 5% of civil service positions for children of war veterans and 2% for other specified categories.
• The High Court had reinstated a 30% quota last month following petitions from relatives of 1971 Liberation War veterans, sparking the latest wave of protests.
• The nationwide curfew, imposed on Friday, was extended until 3 pm on Sunday, after the Supreme Court hearing. It was briefly lifted on Saturday afternoon for essential errands.
• Obaidul Quader, general secretary of the ruling Awami League party, confirmed that police have been granted the authority to open fire on curfew violators.
• The protests, originating on university campuses, have spread nationwide, leading to significant clashes between police and protesters.
• The unrest began over a system reserving more than half of civil service jobs for specific groups, including children of independence war veterans.
• The Sheikh Hasina-led government has shut down all educational institutions indefinitely, affecting many students, including nearly 1,000 Indian students who have returned home.
• West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stated that her state would offer shelter to those fleeing the unrest in Bangladesh.
• The US State Department has advised Americans against traveling to Bangladesh and is evacuating some diplomats and their families.
• Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inflamed tensions by comparing the protesters to those who collaborated with Pakistan during the 1971 war. The government has also imposed a communications blackout since Thursday night.

The protests have shifted from a specific grievance about job quotas to a broader movement against Hasina’s government, in power since 2009, marking some of the worst violence in over a decade.