Police dispersed garment workers from the Azampur road in the capital's Uttara area shortly before 11:45 am on Thursday, ending a blockade that had lasted nearly four hours. The workers had occupied the road from 8:00 am, demanding payment of arrears, wage increases and other benefits, bringing traffic to a standstill on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway and causing severe congestion. Uttara West Police Station officer-in-charge Khalid Mansur confirmed the incident. He said traffic had come to a halt because the garment workers had occupied the road for an extended period.

According to police and garment workers, employees from several factories began demonstrating on both sides of the highway near Azampur at around 8:30 am on Thursday, demanding payment of outstanding wages, higher pay and other benefits. The workers had also staged protests on Tuesday and Wednesday over the same demands. Their demonstrations over three consecutive days severely disrupted traffic at key points along the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway.

The Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad reported 34 incidents of idol vandalism, attacks on temples and related violence ahead of Durga Puja, saying arrests have been made in 11 of the cases. "Security cannot be a concern for only the five days of Puja. We must ensure security for all 365 days of the year," said Santosh Sharma, general secretary of the Parishad, at a press conference at Dhakeshwari National Temple in Dhaka on Thursday (Oct. 15). The incidents were reported in several districts, including Sylhet, Rajbari, Panchagarh, Netrokona and Tangail. The Parishad also reported attacks and looting targeting Hindu homes, shops and temples in Sunamganj.

A total of 33,851 pujas will be held across Bangladesh this year, including 258 in Dhaka city, down from 261 last year, the Parishad said. The Parishad said it had issued 22 security guidelines to its district- and upazila-level units, including round-the-clock volunteer deployment, CCTV installation where possible, adequate lighting and firefighting equipment, and immediate reporting of incidents to authorities.

The government has introduced an automated system to ensure transparency in the transfer and posting of doctors in the health sector, said Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Husain. "We are preparing to transfer doctors at the upazila level through automation, without bias, political considerations or personal preferences as the government plans to gradually bring transfers and postings across all positions under the Health Services Division within this system," he said while inaugurating the system at a ceremony at the Secretariat.

The health minister described the initiative as a historic step towards ensuring merit-based and impartial transfers and postings in the health sector. He said the initial list of 95 doctors had been prepared independently by the health secretary based on applications and merit.

The minister said the government would also consider doctors' preferences for postings in their respective upazilas, in line with government directives. If a doctor's own upazila does not have a suitable position, the government would consider a neighbouring upazila, he added.

The government borrowed Tk 24,245 crore from the banking sector in the first three months of FY27, highlighting its growing dependence on bank financing amid weak revenue collection. The borrowing in July-September marked a sharp reversal from the net repayment of Tk 6,926 crore in the same period of FY26, according to Bangladesh Bank data. The government borrowed Tk 1,017 crore from the central bank and Tk 23,227 crore from commercial banks during the period.

The government borrowed Tk 1.31 lakh crore from the banking system in FY26, exceeding its annual target of Tk 1.04 lakh crore and sharply surpassing the Tk 72,372 crore borrowed in FY25. For FY27, the government has set a bank borrowing target of Tk 1.12 lakh crore. Its outstanding borrowing from the banking system has already crossed Tk 7 lakh crore by September 30. The rising borrowing reflects a persistent gap between government revenue and expenditure.