The government has sent police’s Special Branch (SB) chief Md Shah Alam into retirement on Thursday. A gazette notification, signed by Abu Sayeed, deputy secretary of the Public Security Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs, was issued on Thursday in this regard. According to Section 43(1) of the Public Service Act-2018, Additional Inspector General Shah Alam has been sent into retirement upon completion of his 59-year of service career, it reads. Read: 7 police officials sent on forced retirement Earlier on August 13 this year, he was appointed as the head of the SB. He served the Bangladesh Railway as deputy inspector general. He joined Bangladesh police as assistant police super on January 20, 1991. Read more: Three army officers sent into forced retirement, one dismissed

Attorney General AM Amin Uddin on Thursday said the Chief Justice has nothing to do with the situation created over the  Supreme Court Bar Association(SCBA) election.  “Chief Justice said it is not our matter. It is a bar’s (Lawyers’ Association) matter. Senior lawyers of the bar association should sit for discussion to resolve the problem,” he told reporters after a meeting with Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique. Responding a question whether the election environment is good, the attorney general said that to keep the environment peaceful, both of the sides have the responsibilities equally. “If one side snatches the ballot papers and another side obstructs, then how will environment be fine?” “BNP supporters raise demand for re-election. But election is going smoothly and hundreds of lawyers are casting votes standing in queues,” he added. Earlier, a section of Pro-BNP lawyers presented yesterday's incident of police action on them on the premises of Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) before a full bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique. Meanwhile, pro-BNP lawyers are still chanting slogans against the election which is underway today while pro-Awami League lawyers are also chanting slogan supporting the election. At least 10 journalists and lawyers were injured as police charged batons on them at the Supreme Court premises amid scuffle between pro-Awami League and pro BNP lawyers over the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) election on Wednesday. The two-day voting in SCBA election started around 10 am but it was suspended immediately when some pro-BNP lawyers staged demonstrations demanding formation of election conducting committee led by a neutral person.

The United Nations chief warned Tuesday that global sea levels have risen faster since 1900 and their relentless increase puts countries like Bangladesh, China, India and the Netherlands at risk and acutely endangers nearly 900 million people living in low-lying coastal areas. In a grim speech to the Security Council’s first-ever meeting on the threat to international peace and security from rising sea levels, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres declared that sea levels will rise significantly even if global warming is “miraculously” limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit), the elusive international goal. He warned the Earth is more likely on a path to warming that amounts to “a death sentence” for countries vulnerable to that rise, including many small island nations. In addition to threatened countries, Guterres said, “mega-cities on every continent will face serious effects, including Cairo, Lagos, Maputo, Bangkok, Dhaka, Jakarta, Mumbai, Shanghai, Copenhagen, London, Los Angeles, New York, Buenos Aires and Santiago.” The U.N. chief stressed that every fraction of a degree in global warming counts, since sea level rise could double if temperatures rise by 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit), and could increase exponentially with further temperature increases. The World Meteorological Organization released data Tuesday spelling out the grave danger of rising seas, Guterres said. “Global average sea levels have risen faster since 1900 than over any preceding century in the last 3,000 years,” he said. “The global ocean has warmed faster over the past century than at any time in the past 11,000 years.” According to the data cited by Guterres, the global mean sea level will rise by about 2 to 3 meters (about 6.5 to 9.8 feet) over the next 2,000 years if warming is limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius. With a 2-degree Celsius increase, seas could rise up to 6 meters (19.7 feet), and with a 5-degree Celsius increase, seas could rise up to 22 meters (72 feet), according to the WMO. “Our world is hurtling past the 1.5-degree warming limit that a livable future requires, and with present policies, is careening towards 2.8 degrees — a death sentence for vulnerable countries,” Guterres said. Read more: Rising sea levels put one-third Bangladeshis at risk of displacement: IMF The consequences are unthinkable, Guterres said. Low-lying communities and entire countries could disappear, the world would witness a mass exodus of entire populations on a biblical scale, and competition would become ever fiercer for fresh water, land and other resources. Guterres has been trying to call the world’s attention to the dangers posed by climate change, to spur action. In October, he warned that the world is in “a life-or-death struggle” for survival as “climate chaos gallops ahead” and accused the world’s 20 wealthiest countries of failing to do enough to stop the planet from overheating. In November, he said the planet is heading toward irreversible “climate chaos” and urged global leaders to put the world back on track to cut emissions, keep promises on climate financing and help developing countries speed their transition to renewable energy. The landmark Paris agreement adopted in 2015 to address climate change called for global temperatures to rise a maximum of 2 degrees Celsius by the end of the century compared to pre-industrial times, and as close as possible to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Guterres said the world must address the climate crisis as the root cause of rising seas, and the Security Council has a critical role to play in building the political will required. The Security Council meeting, organized by Malta, which holds the council presidency this month, heard speakers from some 75 countries, large and small, endangered and landlocked, all voicing concern about the impact of the contining rising seas on the future of the world — and for some, the survival of their own countries. Samoa’s U.N. ambassador, Fatumanava-o-Upolu III Pa’olelei Luteru, speaking on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States which he chairs, told the council: “There is a litany of new examples of the sudden and slow onset impact of climate change on small islands, from king tides, to super hurricanes to the unstoppable and unprecedented rise in sea levels.” The impact on people and the economies of the islands “will continue to be extraordinary,” he said, raising issues of their survival and continuation as states. Alliance members “are among the lowest emitters of greenhouse gases that drive climate change and sea level rise. Yet, we face some of the most severe consequences of rising sea levels,” Lutero said. “To expect small island state to shoulder the burden of sea level rise, without assistance from the international community will be the pinnacle of inequities.” He said that cooperation to address rising seas is “a legal obligation” for every country, and that there is an urgent need for nations to fulfill their international commitments on climate change and finance. Ambassador Amatlain Kabua of the Marshall Islands said many of the tools to address climate change and rising seas are already in from of the Security Council, and “more focused action from the international system can be invited.” But she said, “What is needed most in the political will to start the job, supported by a U.N. special representative” to spur global action. U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that “the threat of sea level rise is real, it is a direct result of our climate crisis, and it is a matter of international peace and security.” “The council must take action,” she said, pointing to the threat of hundreds of millions in low-lying coastal areas losing their homes, livelihoods and communities. “Fortunately, the worst impacts can be avoided, but we have to act now, and we have to act together," Thomas-Greenfield said. General Assembly President Csaba Kőrösi said, “At the current rate, sea levels will be 1 to 1.6 meters higher by 2100, according to the World Climate Research Program.” “In the Nile and Mekong Deltas — some of the richest agricultural regions in the world — ten to twenty percent of arable land will sink beneath the waves,” he said. “Climate induced sea-level rise is also provoking new legal questions that are at the very core of national and state identity. What happens to a nation’s sovereignty — including U.N. membership — if it sinks beneath the sea?” he asked. “Science tells us that whether cities or countries disappear depends on whether we as humans counteract the threat,” Kőrösi said.

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s office said Tuesday that he and Treasury Chief Rishi Sunak will be fined by police for breaching COVID-19 regulations following allegations of lockdown parties at government offices. The news came after London's Metropolitan Police force said earlier Tuesday that they were issuing 30 more fixed penalty notices in relation to the “partygate” scandal, which has angered many in Britain and seen dozens of politicians and officials investigated over allegations that the government flouted its own pandemic restrictions. “The Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer have today received notification that the Metropolitan police intend to issue them with fixed penalty notices,” a spokesperson for Johnson's office said. “We have no further details.” It was not clear how much Johnson and Sunak were fined. Johnson's wife, Carrie Johnson, also said she was notified that she will receive a fine, though she has not yet received any details about it. READ: Nuke plant attack: Johnson to seek UN Security Council meeting Johnson has denied any wrongdoing, but he is alleged to have been at half of the dozen events in his 10 Downing St. office and other government buildings that are being investigated by the police. Johnson’s government has been shaken by public anger over revelations that his staff held “bring your own booze” office parties, birthday celebrations and “wine time Fridays” in 2020 and 2021 while millions in Britain were barred from meeting with friends and family because of his government’s COVID-19 restrictions. Thousands of people were fined between 60 pounds ($79) and 10,000 pounds ($13,200) by police for rule-breaking social gatherings. Opponents, and some members of the governing Conservative Party, have said for months that Johnson should resign if he is issued a fine for breaking rules he imposed on the rest of the country during the pandemic. “Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak have broken the law and repeatedly lied to the British public," said Keir Starmer, leader of the opposition Labour Party. “The Conservatives are totally unfit to govern. Britain deserves better.” Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, called for Parliament to be recalled for a vote of no confidence in Johnson. The COVID-19 Bereaved Families for Justice group said “there is simply no way” that Johnson or Sunak can remain in their jobs. “Their dishonesty has caused untold hurt to the bereaved," said the group's spokesman Lobby Akinnola. “Not only that, but they have lost all credibility with the wider public." In total, police say they were issuing at least 50 fines for the breaches, but did not identify who the recipients are. Police say they have sent questionnaires to more than 100 people, including the prime minister, and interviewed witnesses as part of the investigation. In January, civil servant Sue Gray published a report into some of the gatherings, the ones not under criminal investigation. She said “failures of leadership and judgment” in Johnson’s government allowed events to occur that should not have happened.

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Faruque Hassan on Monday said lack of enhanced productivity is one of the major impediments for the sustenance of the industry. “Every year our cost of production is increasing, minimum wage has also been revised several times but we have somehow not been able to enhance our productivity which is one of the major impediments for the sustenance of the industry," he said. Against this backdrop, the BGMEA chief said BGMEA initiated a centre on efficiency innovation and occupational health and safety. A network to integrate productivity and occupational safety and health, called NIPOSH has been initiated by the centre. "The NIPOSH initiative is the first stepping stone toward our centre of innovation and efficiency,” he said while addressing meeting of the network at a city hotel. The project intends to develop a network of professionals in the RMG industry and create a culture of collective consciousness alongside building a strong connectivity amongst the factories. The project is funded by the Embassy of Denmark, Bangladesh in collaboration with University of Southern Denmark (SDU) and Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA). It is being jointly implemented By Centre of Efficiency, innovation and OSH (BGMEA) and Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology (AUST). READ: BGMEA gets global recognition for green factories A total of 25 factories were on boarded in this project and first phase factory visit has been done. At the first factory visit, NIPOSH team has collected some basic data from the factories. Prof. Dr. Muhammad Fazli Ilahi, Vice-chancellor of Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology (AUST) said network meetings are an integral part of this noble initiative to have enhanced productivity with improved occupational health and safety in the garments industries of Bangladesh.  "We hope together we will be able to reap the benefit outlined in the project objective. I appreciate this industry and academia collaboration, which will help the curriculum revision and development.” Søren Albertsen, Sector Counsellor, Danish Embassy in Bangladesh, said there are so many obvious wins in this project and the key to real on the ground success is ownership by the top management in each factory.  Abdulla Hil Rakib, Director, BGMEA said the organisation is making continuous stride to enhance the capacity of the mid-level management of its member factories.  Dr. Mohammad Sarwar Morshed, Project Leader, NIPOSH, and a professor at AUST said, “Sustainable improvement for OHS and productivity in RMG sectors of Bangladesh is precondition to cope with current and upcoming challenges. Dr. Abu Hamja, Project Coordinator and Research Fellow, NIPOSH, and Engineer Azim Mohammad, Phd Fellow, NIPOSH, spoke at the event.  READ: BGMEA donates Tk5 crore to PM's fund for Covid-hit poor families A total of 39 representatives from 13 woven garment factories took part in the daylong session.

The head of Myanmar’s junta on Saturday used the occasion of the country’s Armed Forces Day to try to justify the overthrow of the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, as protesters marked the holiday by calling for even bigger demonstrations. Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing did not directly refer to the nationwide protests that show no signs of stopping. In a nationally televised speech before thousands of soldiers at a massive parade ground at the capital Naypyitaw, he referred only to “terrorism which can be harmful to state tranquility and social security,” and called it unacceptable. People in cities and towns around Myanmar marked the public holiday by again demonstrating against the Feb. 1 coup. In several locations, security forces sought to disperse them forcefully, as has become standard practice, Reports on social media, not immediately verified, said several demonstrators were shot dead Saturday morning. The toll of protesters confirmed killed in Myanmar since last month’s takeover has reached 328, said the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a group that documents deaths and arrests. Also read: Myanmar: UN expert urges emergency summit to head off deepening crisis It has cautioned that its tally includes only verified cases, with the actual number of casualties “likely much higher.” It said eight people were killed Friday. The protesters refer to the holiday by its original name, Resistance Day, which marks the beginning of a revolt against Japanese occupation in World War 2. This year’s event was seen as a flashpoint, with protesters threatening to double down on their public opposition to the coup with more and bigger demonstrations. State television MRTV on Friday night showed an announcement urging young people — who have been at the forefront of the protests and prominent among the casualties — to learn a lesson from those killed already about the danger of being shot in the head or back. The warning was taken as an explicit threat because a great number of the fatalities among the protesters have come from being shot in the head, suggesting they have been targeted for death. The announcement suggested that some young people were taking part in protesting as if it was a game, and urged their parents and friends to talk them out of participating. In recent days the junta has portrayed the demonstrators as the ones perpetrating violence for their sporadic use of petrol bombs. In contrast, security forces have used live ammunition daily for weeks against overwhelmingly unarmed and peaceful crowds. In his lengthy speech, Min Aung Hlaing accused Suu Kyi's elected government of failing to investigate irregularities in the last polls, and repeated that his government would hold “a free and fair election" and hand over power afterward. He gave no details. Also read: Myanmar junta frees hundreds held for anti-coup protests The military has claimed there were irregularities in the voting rolls for last November’s election, which Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party won in a landslide. The junta detained Suu Kyi on the day it took power, and continues to hold her on minor criminal charges while investigating allegations of corruption against her that her supporters dismiss as politically motivated.

Dhaka, Sept 16 (UNB) – Immediate past president of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) Rezwanul Haque Chowdhury Shovon has resigned from his post as a Senate member of Dhaka University (DU) amid various controversies.

Dhaka, Sept 15 (UNB) – New Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Mohammad Shafiqul Islam on Sunday said if people do not get desired services from any police station, he is ready to work there as its officer-in-charge (OC).