The United States has initiated investigations into whether Bangladesh and several other countries are engaging in industrial overproduction and failing to prevent the use of forced labor in manufacturing. The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) announced on Wednesday that sixteen countries, including Bangladesh, are being investigated for overcapacity, followed by a Thursday announcement expanding the probe to sixty countries regarding forced labor. Countries found to be involved in unfair trade practices could face import tariffs under US trade law.

The investigations will assess national laws, policies, and enforcement related to banning imports made with forced labor, as well as whether such practices burden or restrict US trade. Each government must respond in writing by March 17, with hearings scheduled for early May. The move follows the US Supreme Court’s annulment of former President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariff policy and the non-implementation of the US-Bangladesh Reciprocal Trade Agreement.

Bangladesh’s commerce secretary said the government sees no immediate risk from the investigation and will respond if formally asked. Economists noted that the US may use the probe to justify new tariffs and urged Bangladesh to prepare for negotiations to safeguard its trade interests.

Bangladesh’s Road, Bridges, Rail and Shipping Minister Sheikh Robiul Alam announced that fuel stations along highways will remain open 24 hours a day for seven days before and five days after Eid-ul-Fitr. The decision, effective from Saturday night, aims to ensure uninterrupted fuel supply for long-distance buses and other public transport during the holiday rush. The minister confirmed that the previous fuel purchase limits for public transport have been lifted to prevent any disruption in travel.

During a visit to Dhaka’s bus terminals, the minister said sufficient fuel supply has been arranged and strict instructions issued to prevent fare hikes or ticket cancellations under the pretext of fuel shortages. He noted that BRTC buses are operating on schedule and charging only approved fares.

Authorities have identified 207 potential traffic congestion points nationwide. Special coordination among highway police, BRTA, transport operators, local administration, and law enforcement has been arranged to manage traffic flow. Construction materials have been cleared from highways to keep at least two to three lanes operational, with all four lanes open where available.

Labour, Employment and Expatriates’ Welfare Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury announced that industrial workers will receive their wages and bonuses before Eid. He said several factories have already paid their workers, and the remaining payments will be completed soon. The minister expressed optimism that the government will ensure timely disbursement so that workers can celebrate Eid with joy.

Speaking after visiting the Shahi Eidgah in Sylhet on Saturday afternoon, Ariful Haque said the government is maintaining communication with factory owners to facilitate payments and will provide all necessary support. He added that the government is hopeful about a smooth process this year.

The minister also confirmed the deaths of five Bangladeshi nationals in a gas explosion in the Maldives. He said the bodies will be brought back following local legal procedures, and discussions are underway with the concerned company regarding compensation. He further noted that three ministries are closely monitoring the ongoing war situation in the Middle East to ensure the safety of Bangladeshi expatriates.

State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism M. Rashiduzzaman Millat said the current BNP-led government is prioritizing the modernization, safety, and international standards of Bangladesh’s aviation and tourism sectors. He made the remarks on Saturday at an event organized by the Aviation and Tourism Journalists Forum of Bangladesh (ATJFB) at the All Community Club auditorium in Dhaka. The minister emphasized that women’s active participation is vital for the sector’s progress and praised ATJFB’s initiative to recognize women’s contributions.

This year, ten women received the ATJFB Aviatour Women’s Icon Award for their achievements in aviation and tourism. Awardees included professionals from categories such as pilot, cabin crew, sales and marketing, customer service, aviation entrepreneurship, instruction, public relations, tour guiding, culinary tourism, and hospitality entrepreneurship. The awards were presented by the state minister himself.

The event was attended by senior officials from the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh, airlines, tourism organizations, and industry leaders. Ethiopian Airlines served as a supporting sponsor, and an iftar gathering followed the award ceremony.

Bangladesh is set to participate for the first time in the 26th China International Agrochemical and Crop Protection Exhibition (CAC), scheduled from March 17 to 19 in Shanghai. The event will take place at the National Exhibition and Convention Center, with participation from 50 countries. National Agricare Export-Import Company (NAC) will represent Bangladesh, showcasing its range of agrochemical products including pesticides, growth regulators, fertilizers, and WDG formulations.

According to the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) Vice-Chairman and CEO Mohammad Hasan Arif, Bangladesh’s participation marks a new step toward diversifying export earnings beyond the ready-made garment sector. He noted that EPB will support other companies interested in joining similar international exhibitions. NAC Managing Director KSM Mostafizur Rahman stated that with policy support, the agro industry could become export-oriented within five years, reducing import dependence.

The exhibition provides a platform for entrepreneurs to explore new agricultural products, technologies, and sustainable solutions, potentially opening new export opportunities for Bangladesh’s agro sector.

The Bangladesh Passenger Welfare Association has urged the government to take immediate action to stop excessive fare collection and passenger harassment in public transport during the Eid travel period. In a statement issued on Saturday, the association’s secretary general Mozammel Haque Chowdhury criticized the new road minister for conducting what he described as superficial inspections at bus terminals alongside media and transport owners.

The statement alleged that the long-standing system of fare irregularities remains unchanged and that the government has failed to introduce structural reforms or ensure accountability under existing laws. It called on the new minister to personally observe the situation by visiting major terminals such as Sayedabad, Gulistan, Gabtoli, Mohakhali, and Sadarghat in disguise to witness the real conditions faced by passengers.

The association further claimed that despite official announcements not to raise fares for Eid, transport operators are charging double or triple the regular rates on various routes, including Dhaka–Gazipur and Dhaka–Mawa. It urged the minister to take effective measures reflecting the prime minister’s intent to protect passengers from exploitation.

Iran is reportedly considering a new condition for oil tankers passing through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz. According to a CNN report citing a senior Iranian official, Tehran may allow a limited number of tankers to transit the waterway only if the oil cargo or transactions are conducted in Chinese yuan. The move is part of a broader plan Iran is developing to manage tanker traffic in the strait.

The official indicated that while the global oil market remains dominated by the US dollar, Iran is signaling its intent to challenge that dominance. This approach aligns with recent trends where Russia, under Western sanctions, has increasingly sold oil in rubles or yuan. By following a similar path, Iran aims to support Beijing’s efforts to expand the international role of the Chinese currency in global energy trade.

If implemented, the policy could further shift parts of the global oil trade away from dollar dependence, reinforcing China’s influence in energy markets.

State Minister for Textiles and Jute Shariful Alam announced that the government will reopen closed jute mills in a short time to create employment and diversify the sector. He made the statement on Saturday after inspecting the activities of the Textile Vocational Institute project in Bhandaria upazila of Pirojpur. The minister emphasized that jute is an integral part of Bangladesh’s heritage and culture, once known worldwide as the golden fiber.

He said that under the leadership of the Prime Minister, the government has taken initiatives to revive the jute industry in line with electoral commitments. The minister recalled that in 2001, a move was made to ban plastic and polythene, and the government now aims to rebuild public opinion against plastic use and encourage jute-based products. Various government offices have already begun increasing the use of jute goods, and plans are underway to ensure jute and sack use in daily necessities.

He added that despite the government’s short tenure, several plans have been adopted to achieve visible progress soon, including increasing jute and seed production, reopening mills, and generating new employment opportunities.

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Sheikh Robiul Alam announced that the fuel rationing system for public transport in Bangladesh will be lifted starting Saturday night, March 14, 2026. The decision means buses and other public transport vehicles will have access to sufficient fuel supplies. The announcement was made in Gulistan, Dhaka, as part of the government’s effort to ease transportation disruptions caused by recent fuel shortages.

The rationing policy had been introduced on March 6 by the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) to conserve fuel amid supply complications linked to the conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States in the Middle East. Under that system, motorcycles were allowed two liters of petrol per day, private cars ten liters, SUVs and microbuses up to twenty-five liters, and long-distance buses and trucks up to 220 liters daily. While the restriction has now been lifted for public transport, no new directive has been issued for private vehicles.

The government also indicated that monitoring will continue to prevent overcharging and ticket black marketing during the transition period.

Sixteen ships carrying refined fuel have arrived at Chattogram Port between March 3 and March 14, 2026, supporting stable energy supply for Bangladesh’s power generation and industrial sectors. Eleven of the ships have already completed unloading, while the remaining five are in the process. Port authorities confirmed that three additional vessels are expected to reach the port in the coming days.

According to port data, three LNG carriers from Qatar—‘Al Zubarah’, ‘Al Jasasiya’, and ‘Lusail’—each unloaded about 62,000 tons of LNG during the first ten days of March. Another vessel, ‘Al Galayel’, arrived on March 12 with 26,165 tons of LNG being transferred to a floating storage and regasification unit. LPG shipments were the most frequent, with tankers from Malaysia and Oman unloading a total of 19,316 tons so far, and more unloading operations continuing through mid-March.

Despite geopolitical tensions in the Strait of Hormuz affecting shipping and insurance costs, port officials stated that operations remain normal this month, ensuring uninterrupted energy supply for power, industry, and households.

Gas extraction has officially started from well number 5 of the Shrikail gas field in Muradnagar, Cumilla. The inauguration took place on Saturday, led by State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Anindya Islam Amit. According to Bapex officials, the well will add 8 million cubic feet of gas per day to the national grid, with an estimated reserve worth about Tk 3,000 crore. Energy and Mineral Resources Division Secretary Md. Saiful Islam attended as a special guest.

During the ceremony, the state minister emphasized that domestic gas production will help reduce import dependency and achieve self-sufficiency. He also stressed transparency and accountability in all operations. Bapex Managing Director Engineer Md. Fazlul Haque stated that gas has been discovered in eight out of 23 exploratory wells drilled so far.

Officials highlighted that the government is prioritizing gas extraction to save foreign currency and strengthen Bapex’s capacity, as imported gas costs several times more than domestic production.

Labour and Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury has directed that all industrial factories in Bangladesh must pay workers’ pending wages and bonuses before the upcoming Eid holidays. He issued the instruction during a high-level meeting at his official residence on Bailey Road, Dhaka, aimed at resolving labour unrest in both RMG and non-RMG sectors. The ministry later confirmed the directive in a press release on Saturday.

The minister also announced that lists of vulnerable factories would be prepared and shared with respective Members of Parliament, who will coordinate with factory authorities to ensure timely payments. He instructed officials to engage with banks delaying loan disbursements, including UCBL, Trust, and Premier Bank, to expedite financial support. Chowdhury further urged vigilance against labour leaders inciting unrest and ordered the preparation of a list of absconding owners to prevent disturbances.

BGMEA and BKMEA leaders reported that most factories have already paid February wages and Eid bonuses, expressing optimism that no major labour unrest will occur. The ministry’s secretary suggested creating an emergency fund to permanently address wage and bonus issues.

One of the two units at the Ashuganj Power Plant in Brahmanbaria resumed electricity generation after being shut down due to a fault in the national grid line. The plant authorities confirmed that production restarted around 8:15 p.m. on Friday, March 13, 2026. The outage had occurred earlier in the afternoon when a technical fault disrupted the Ashuganj–Bhulta 400 kV grid line, causing both the 450-megawatt North unit and the 400-megawatt East unit to trip offline.

According to the plant’s executive director for operations and maintenance, the technical team repaired the fault and brought the 450-megawatt North unit back online after nearly six hours of downtime. However, the 400-megawatt East unit will require at least three more days before it can resume operation. In the meantime, gas allocated for the East unit is being used to generate 50 megawatts of power from another unit, which is now supplying electricity to the national grid.

The restoration of one major unit is expected to partially stabilize power supply in the region while full capacity recovery awaits further repairs.

Bangladesh’s Minister of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud, is participating in the two-day Indo-Pacific Energy Security Ministerial and Business Forum that began on Saturday in Tokyo, Japan. The conference, jointly organized by the US National Energy Dominance Council and Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, will conclude on Sunday with the adoption of energy-related recommendations.

The event brings together energy ministers from Bangladesh, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, and several Southeast Asian nations including Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam. Discussions are focused on strategies to build a strong and stable energy system in the Indo-Pacific region, emphasizing reliable, affordable, secure, and dispatchable energy supply.

On the sidelines, Minister Mahmud is expected to hold bilateral meetings with delegations from the United States, Japan, and Brunei, as well as representatives of international private organizations, to attract foreign investment and explore new areas of cooperation in Bangladesh’s energy sector.

More than 300,000 fishermen in Bhola’s Meghna and Tetulia river areas have not received government assistance two weeks after the fishing ban began. The government had pledged to provide 80 kilograms of rice per registered fisherman over two months to support them during the ban, but the aid distribution remains stalled. As a result, many fishermen are struggling to manage household expenses during Ramadan while facing loan pressures from NGOs and local lenders.

The two-month ban, aimed at protecting hilsa breeding, covers about 190 kilometers of river area from Ilisha to Char Piyal in the Meghna and from Char Veduria to Char Rustam in the Tetulia. Around 90,200 fishermen are listed to receive rice under the jatka conservation program, while 16,600 others are eligible for additional food support including lentils and oil. However, none of the promised supplies have reached them even after ten days of the ban.

Bhola’s district fisheries officer, Iqbal Hossain, said the allocated VGF rice for registered fishermen will be distributed soon and that the administration is working to resolve the delay quickly.