The current government has initiated a fresh move to bring a number of civic services, including birth registration and national identity registration services, under a single entity named the Civil Registration Commission, causing frustrations among the Election Commission officials.
A meeting of the inter-ministerial committee was held in the Cabinet Division on Monday (March 3) to review the draft of the Civil Registration (Commission) Ordinance, 2025.
A representative from the EC Secretariat was also present at the additional secretary-level meeting.
About the move, Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin on Tuesday said the Election Commission will place its written opinion to the government about the issue.
“We will tell them in writing what we say. We will tell them in writing what problems there will be…they (govt) will not do anything without consultation with us,” he said while talking to reporters at his office in the capital.
A Zika virus cluster has been identified in Bangladesh for the first time, with the International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) reporting the virus in five individuals.
The icddr,b, released the report on its website today, said the findings were based on samples collected in 2023.
The study revealed five cases of infection, and through whole genome sequencing and comparative analysis, scientists confirmed that the Bangladeshi strain is part of the Asian lineage.
Zika infection can lead to severe conditions, including microcephaly and other neurological disorders.
The icddr,b stated that Bangladesh tropical climate, warm temperatures, and extended rainy season create ideal breeding conditions for Aedes mosquitoes. As a result, several mosquito-borne diseases occur, including dengue and chikungunya, and this time, the Zika virus has also been detected.
Like dengue and chikungunya, Zika virus is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. While its symptoms are similar to those of dengue, it goes undetected in 80 percent of cases.
Workers of Keya Group factory in Gazipur staged a protest on Monday demanding payment of dues and the cancellation of recent layoffs.
The workers started demonstration after they found a notice on the factory gates informing workers of their immediate termination, two months ahead of the previously announced date.
According to the notice, on December 31, the company had issued a 120-day advance announcement regarding the permanent closure of the factory, set for May 1. But due to unresolved banking complications, the factory management moved up the layoffs to March 1.
The European Union (EU) will provide 68 million Euros this year for the Rohingyas and the host community in Coxs Bazar.
European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib met with Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday and declared this with further assurance of imposing political and economic pressure on Myanmar.
She appreciated the Bangladesh initiative in organizing the high-level conference on Rohingyas, to be held in New York in October 2025.
The Commissioner expressed strong support of the EU to the interim government of Bangladesh and its reform initiatives, saying that it is a pivotal moment in the history of Bangladesh that needs new partnership, new cooperation.