Prime Minister Tarique Rahman formally launched his flagship "Family Card" programme. Speaking at the event, the prime minister said the initiative was designed to economically empower women. "We want to economically empower women. Today, 15,000 women from Bhasantek, Sat Tola slum and Korail slum areas have been brought under the card scheme. Within the next five years, we hope to deliver the Family Card to everyone," he said.

Under the initiative, the government will provide a monthly allowance of Tk 2,500 to beneficiary families. The allowance will be transferred according to the beneficiary's preference, either through a mobile wallet or a bank account, allowing them to receive the support from home. In the first phase, 37,567 women received family cards. Under the pilot programme, beneficiaries from a number of slums in the capital in addition to 14 other districts were inducted in the programme.

Joint forces launched a large-scale operation in the Jungle Salimpur area of Sitakunda upazila in Chattogram, deploying around 3,200 personnel from the army, police and Rapid Action Battalion (Rab). In an operation that began at the crack of dawn on Monday (Mar. 9), members of the joint forces cordoned off the entire area before conducting raids. By afternoon, Ahsan Habib Palash, deputy inspector general (DIG) of the Chattogram Range, disclosed that they had established full control over the sprawling criminals' den. Several weapons were recovered during the drive and around 15 people were detained.

However, they could not nab Md Yasin, leader of the 'Yasin Bahini,' considered the most wanted figure in the Jungle Salimpur-Ali Nagar area, as he fled during the drive, the DIG said. The remote hilly area came under renewed scrutiny after a Rab officer was beaten to death by a group of criminals during an operation in January.

Bangladesh has sought the United States' assent to import fuel oil from Russia, citing global energy market uncertainties, Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury revealed on Wednesday (Mar. 11). Speaking to reporters after a meeting with US Ambassador Brent Christensen at the Planning Ministry, Khosru said Bangladesh has requested a similar arrangement to the temporary waiver the United States has granted India for purchasing Russian oil.

Discussions during the meeting focused largely on the uncertainties surrounding the global energy market, particularly the supply of oil and gas. The finance minister said the two sides discussed ways to enhance investment, trade and economic cooperation. Issues related to strengthening the capacity of various government institutions also came up during the discussion. He also said no specific decision was taken regarding any trade agreement with the United States. "A trade agreement is a matter between two countries. It is not possible for us to say anything specific right now," he said.

A prosecutor at Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) asked the family of a detained former Awami League politician for Tk 10 million (approximately USD 82,000) in exchange for securing his release on bail, according to multiple audio recordings of WhatsApp conversations obtained by Prothom Alo and Netra News. The recordings capture conversations between members of the family of ABM Fazle Karim Chowdhury, former Awami League MP for Chattogram-6, and Saimum Reza Talukder, one of the prosecutors assigned to the politician's case. Talukder resigned this week as the recordings came to light.

Fazle Karim Chowdhury is accused of crimes against humanity in relation to killings during student protests in Chittagong city in July 2024. After the ICT's then chief prosecutor, Tajul Islam, was made aware of the allegation, he reassigned Talukder from the case but kept him employed at the tribunal. Chowdhury's family claims Talukder first made contact with them in April 2025, about two months after the former MP's detention.