Sisimpur started its journey in 2005 with the aim of making the learning enjoyable for children at the pre-primary and primary levels. This show has passed 19 years. Every year 15 April is celebrated as 'Sisimpur Day'. Sisimpur helps to enhance children's learning skills through its television programs, printed materials, and school-based activities and community activities. For example, identifying letters, identifying letters from words, matching words with letters, helping to create sentences with words. Finding materials from the surrounding environment helps to recognize letters and sounds through them. For example: houses, bananas, mangoes, tables, clocks, cows, trees, leaves, pens, books, etc. Through the characters of Sisimpur, different shapes, names of different shapes, colors, etc. children's are taught from different elements of the environment. Sisimpur has also been working for keeping children safe on the internet for several years. Besides, Sisimpur is working to increase the learning skills of children at the pre-primary level, provide training to teachers and create awareness among parents.  

The country is set to celebrate Pahela Baishakh, the first day of Bengali New Year 1431. The day will be celebrated through various arrangements upholding the rich cultural values. Preparations are underway at the Fine Arts of Dhaka University to welcome Baishakh. On Saturday (April 13) afternoon, it was seen that the artists are passing busy time at the last moment at the Fine Arts premises of Dhaka University (DU). On the first day of Bengali New Year , people from all walks of life usually wear traditional Bengali dresses. Men wear white pyjamas and panjabi where Women wear white sarees with red borders and adorn themselves with bangles and flowers. Through Pahela Baishakh the Bangalees bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new year.  To celebrate the day the programmes will begin in the capital with the musical soiree of Chhayanat at Ramna Batamul at dawn. The traditional Mangal Shobhajatra will be brought out from Dhaka University (DU) Fine Arts Faculty premises early in the morning. Various paintings have already been painted on the walls of the Faculty of Fine Arts of DU. The walls of the university are bing decorated with various pictures of nature. The graffiti of Flowers, fish, boats, tigers, peacocks and  have been placed by the students. Viewers turn around looking at the paintings of the artists. Apart from this, the work of masks, dolls and painting is going on inside the fine arts for the Mangal Shobhajatra.  

Multi-year supply-chain investigations have revealed extensive global ties to the forced labor of Uyghurs, in products both from the sea and from the land. Research published in 2023 shows that the global seafood industry, and the global supply of gold, are both linked to the Chinese government’s state-imposed forced labor. The reports that uncover these chains of hidden complicity are like a gift to a suffering people. The research makes it clear that a wide range of businesses must take urgent action to stop complicity. On October 9, 2023, The Outlaw Ocean Project, in collaboration with The New Yorker, released “The Uyghurs Forced to Process the World’s Fish,” an investigation that sheds light on the use of forced Uyghur labor in the seafood industry in China, with implications for the US and other countries. Two days later, on October 11, C4ADS published a report titled “Fractured Veins,” highlighting mining in East Turkistan, aka the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), and its entanglement with international finance, global supply chains, investment and commodity markets.  Together, both reports highlight a new range of products that are affected by forced labor that new regulatory bodies must act on, to eliminate in global supply chains. The mining and seafood investigations are only the latest, following more than 20 other supply-chain investigations published since 2019. A full list has been compiled by the Coalition to End Forced Labour in the Uyghur Region.  Uyghur Forced Labor in the Seafood Industry “The Uyghurs Forced to Process the World’s Fish” is the result of four years of painstaking research. Ocean Outlaw director Ian Urbina and a large team of researchers showed incredible persistence, and cross-checked information using multiple research methods, to be able to uncover the hidden story of Uyghur forced labor in seafood processing plants.  Two Uyghur researchers, Zubayra Shamseden and Yalkun Uluyol, assisted with Uyghur-language analysis and interpretation, as part of the multi-national, multi-lingual team that contributed to the results.   The paper emphasizes the importance of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), a pivotal piece of legislation passed by the US Congress in 2021. This law determines that goods sourced in the Uyghur Region are products of state-imposed forced labor and are therefore banned from entering the US market. The UFLPA also places the onus on suppliers and importers to prove they are not connected to forced Uyghur labor, shifting the burden of proof from accusers to those in the supply chain. While the law has led to the detention of over a billion dollars’ worth of goods from the Uyghur Region, the seafood industry, which is a significant contributor to US imports, has so far largely evaded sanction.  The lack of free access to East Turkistan for foreign journalists, along with extensive censorship on the Chinese internet, makes it difficult to gather information on Uyghur labor conditions. To counteract this, the Outlaw Ocean research team analyzed internal company newsletters, local news reports, trade data, satellite imagery, and videos posted on social media platforms by the workers themselves to gather information and track the experiences of Uyghur laborers. This is a noteworthy investigative approach effective in overcoming the challenges to traditional on-the-ground reporting.  The information obtained through these methods reveals that a significant number of Uyghur workers have been sent to work in seafood-processing factories in Shandong Province in eastern China, over a thousand miles from East Turkistan. Further, cases of individuals being sent to work by coercive means, including detention and family pressure, are common. Several seafood companies in China have employed more than a thousand Uyghur laborers since 2018, according to the Outlaw Ocean research. These companies have actively contributed to the shipment of over 47,000 tons of seafood to the US. It’s alarming that despite these companies’ practice of using forced Uyghur labor, many have passed audits conducted by leading global inspection firms.  Companies implicated in using forced Uyghur labor often rely on claims of compliance with labor standards and regulations. This involves creating an appearance of conformity through self-assessment questionnaires and by sometimes misleading auditors during inspections. Auditors often rely on pre-announced inspections for which employers can prepare, leading to the concealment of Uyghur workers. This approach is a severe deficiency in the current audit systems for detecting and addressing forced labor practices.  The report also raises concerns about the effectiveness of certification bodies, such as the Marine Stewardship Council, in ensuring the ethical sourcing of seafood. Even certified companies were found to be involved in forced labor practices, showing an urgent need for reform in certification procedures.  The sheer complexity of seafood supply chains is a significant factor in the concealment of labor abuses. Numerous handoffs and subcontracting make it challenging to trace the origins of seafood, thus allowing companies to exploit these complexities to their advantage.  To stop these practices, there is a need for regulatory changes, in particular, expanding and strengthening the federal Seafood Import Monitoring Program. Companies in China and their US buyers should provide detailed labor information, adding a layer of accountability to the supply chain.  The report references investigations into working conditions in various other industries, emphasizing that the problem of forced labor is not unique to seafood. This suggests that more sectors, including seafood, need to be scrutinized to ensure human rights and labor standards are upheld. The global scope of the issue underlines the need for a unified international response. The role of consumers and advocacy groups in pressuring companies to take responsibility for their supply chains cannot be understated. Public awareness and outcry can force companies to conduct more rigorous due diligence.  Uyghur Forced Labor in the Mining Industry The Center for Advanced Defense Studies’ (C4ADS) report “Fractured Veins” discusses the exposure of the global mining industry to global supply chains and investments, revealing the involvement of large state-owned corporations and their subsidiaries. The report is one in a series of C4ADS reports on global business links to the Uyghur genocide. C4ADS researchers also deserve great respect and appreciation from Uyghurs. One C4ADS analyst, Nicole Morgret, was previously a researcher and author of numerous UHRP reports. On December 26, 2023, the Chinese government placed sanctions on Ms. Morgret and two other Americans. The Foreign Ministry announced that the sanctions were a response to actions that “damaged” China’s “legitimate rights and interests of officials and businesses.”  C4ADS immediately issued a statement, standing by its reporting and re-emphasizing its commitment to “combating the illicit networks that perpetrate and facilitate human rights violations around the world, including in the Uyghur region.” UHRP also issued a press statement the same day. UHRP’s executive director, Omer Kanat, said in response to the retaliatory action by the Chinese government: “Attempts to censor and intimidate credible researchers … only demonstrates the desperation of the Chinese government to shut down critical voices.”  Using publicly available mining licenses and corporate data to create a comprehensive map of the mining industry in East Turkistan, C4ADS analysts were able to connect these mines to their ultimate owners. This mapping is a crucial starting point for understanding the complex web of corporate ownership and supply chain connections. It reveals a significant aspect of the mining industry in East Turkistan: That while mining licenses are often held by companies registered within the region, these companies are frequently subsidiaries of large state-owned corporations, some of which are headquartered outside of the Uyghur Region.  The involvement of powerful state-owned entities in the region’s mining sector is how major Chinese mining companies have obtained accreditation from respected international industry bodies. Mapping the mining industry in China by connecting mines to their beneficiaries is key to unraveling the puzzle since these accreditations mislead global buyers and investors into believing that the gold is sourced responsibly, thus further facilitating potential human rights abuses. The report also describes extensive global supply chain connections, showing that major US companies like Mattel, Macy’s, Tesla, Apple and NVIDIA are directly or indirectly linked to suppliers that source gold from East Turkistan-located mines with risk indicators of forced labor. Such connections could potentially breach international guidelines particularly for US importers, under the provision of the UFLPA, as well as OECD responsible sourcing standards.  C4ADS underscores how major asset management firms’ portfolios include companies that own mines in East Turkistan connected to forced labor and human rights violations. This not only puts these firms at risk but also their clients, including institutional investors and individuals, who might inadvertently become implicated in human rights violations.  C4ADS’ work is a comprehensive analysis of the complexities of the mining industry’s global reach and its potential ethical, legal, and financial consequences. More importantly, it recognizes that gold mines are just one facet of a broader issue, as the Uyghur Region’s mining sector produces various globally traded minerals.  The report calls for the reduction of capital flows to Chinese mining companies that are involved in human rights abuses in East Turkistan and emphasizes the pivotal role that stakeholders, including corporate buyers, sellers, investors, regulators, policymakers, and law enforcement, have in diminishing these flows. Uyghur Forced Labor on Land and Sea The Outlaw Ocean and C4ADS reports provide a comprehensive view of the complex challenges associated with the forced labor of Uyghurs within distinct sectors. They underscore the need for vigilance and international cooperation to combat forced labor and human rights violations in intricate global supply chains. Whether in seafood or mining, both reports reinforce the importance of acting swiftly to protect the rights and dignity of Uyghur workers and individuals affected by these injustices.  According to Statista, a German group specializing in data gathering and visualization, China is the largest producer of seafood in the world, accounting for around 35 percent of the global fish and seafood production volume in 2021. The consumer market for fish and seafood products in China surpassed a total retail market revenue of US $80 billion in 2022 and is estimated to reach around US $130 billion in 2028. China’s production volume of fish and seafood has increased rapidly over the past few decades, from 4.5 million metric tons in 1980 to roughly 69 million tons in 2022, profiting significantly from the use of forced Uyghur labor. China is also one of the world’s top producers and reserve holders of many important minerals and metals, including critical minerals, which makes the Chinese mining industry economically and politically significant. With more than 1,500 mining operations, of which approximately three-quarters are sub-surface, the value of China’s mineral production amounted to a 1.5 percent share of the country’s GDP in 2020. The total value of metallic minerals and coal produced in China as of 2020 was nearly US $218 billion. Furthermore, China is the lead producer of gold in the world, accounting for around 10 percent of total global production.  We should not overlook how rich East Turkistan is in energy resources and how important the region therefore is to China in terms of energy security. It has the largest reserves of oil, natural gas, and coal in the PRC, with its coal reserves accounting for 40 percent of the PRC’s total. The oil and gas reserves found in the Tarim, Junggar and Turpan‑Hami basins account for around 30 percent and 34 percent of the PRC’s total reserves. In 2020, more than 40 percent of China’s energy for more than 1.4 billion of its citizens was produced by coal. As China’s energy consumption continues to increase, the mines in East Turkistan will only become more important for its economy.  The recent investigations into mining in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) and the seafood industry are part of a truly alarming body of evidence that regulatory bodies must address, to eradicate forced labor from global supply chains. These efforts are essential in ensuring justice and human rights for the Uyghur community.   Source: UHRP

Pop superstar Taylor Swift is now the first performer to win Grammy award for fourth time by taking home the honor for 'Midnights' in Los Angeles. The history was made when the 2024 Grammy Awards have awarded the biggest prize of the night. The 34 year old pop superstar won album of the year for "Midnights," and set another record on Sunday (Feb 4) by winning the Grammy award making a women dominated pop music industry. The pop superstar said that she was thrilled by receiving the honor. "It makes me so happy," she said while receiving the award. "All I want to do is keep doing this." she added. After winning the award Swift says, " I want to tell you a secret which I have been keeping away from you for the last two years. My new album comes out on 19th April and It’s named ‘The Tortured Poets Department.’

A New Year For Us a satirical  verse form,  which  expresses One's sole understanding about our pretentious social culture and this also focuses on the society’s pride or social face and not the real soul. And the rush that our generation feels to cope with time. It is  tried to find the solution for this situation, which we feel inside.   A New Year for Us                   -Afia Fahmida It’s probably the new year, not for a soul trapped in an old shell. It’s a new year, but not for the child trapped in the box. It’s probably a new year, not for the tired soul. The soul, which has to endure many adventures, And everyone of them changes it. It's probably a new year for the rest of the world, but not the best time for the trapped soul; he'll needs some time to get through the storm. It will be a new year’s dawn for all, like this one. May be the year will start for him in the autumn in the city of Sakura. Maybe it will start with the first snow. Maybe on a summer morning with Skylark’s song. Or maybe, with the Lost of some major part in it, waking up from the tired nap, which is not longer than seventeen minutes.   In the new year, the lost, trapped soul will start its new dawn. And that is perfectly okay. It will be perfectly okay, even if it’s not okay with others. We will start like Murakami’s Kafka, with new features gifted by the storms.

The most populous nation in the world, China, is losing people. For the second year in a row, China's population has declined. Birthrates reached a new low, and death rates were the highest they'd been in 50 years. According to the country's National Bureau of Statistics, the total number of people in China dropped by over 2 million. And for some context, that is nearly the population of Houston, Texas. This shift has some people worried about the long-term health of the country and its economy. And to help us better understand these numbers, we are joined by Wang Feng, a professor of sociology at the University of California, Irvine. Thanks for joining the show. WANG FENG: You're welcome, Scott. DETROW: So I know that you take a more optimistic view on this than many other observers. But before we get into that specifically, let's just explain what's going on here. What are some of the causes of China's population decline? FENG: Well, the accelerating decline is driven by three forces. The first is actually what we call a demographic echoing effect. That is, the smaller births we've been seeing in the last few years, a decade or so, is a reflection of the smaller birth cohorts of the parents' generation. DETROW: Yeah, there were fewer children being born due, in part, to the one-child policy and other factors. Now there are fewer adults having fewer children. It seems like it's kind of the next step. FENG: Exactly. So we have fewer adults reaching the childbearing age. But that's not the - I think the most interesting part. The most interesting parts are the next two. One is that in the last three decades, young people - men and women, especially women - are postponing and leaving marriage. And then third factor in terms of low birth rate is even for those married women and men, they are choosing either not having children or staying with only one child. So combined you have this declining birth number year after year. DETROW: Many major countries are looking at a similar dip in population over the coming decades. Is this trickier to figure out in China, though, a country of so many people and a country that has seen such explosive growth in so many different ways over the previous decades? FENG: Well, it is different for China, I do think so, for a number of reasons. No. 1, it's the economic growth model, how China has been able to achieve this spectacular economic growth in the last 40 years or so. And that, as noted by many, is driven largely by a young, productive and exploited labor force, mostly migrants from rural areas, and that source is depleting. So in terms of the economic growth model, where the growth comes from, this important source is weakening and - if not ending. And No. 2 is the way that the Chinese political legitimacy is based (ph). And that is, the government has made the promise to support the large number of elderly and to be the new paternalistic redistributor. So people are expecting that, especially the large number of elderly or soon to be elderly, who are parents of the only children generation, and they are expecting that government to play important role in supporting the old age. And with economic slowing down, with the decline in government revenues - and this could pose a political challenge to the power holders in China if they could not deliver the promise that they once made. DETROW: We mentioned there's been a lot of concern about the negatives of a decline in population and that you have written that there's a more optimistic way to look at it. Can you walk us through some of your reasons for optimism, what you think are some of the positives of this possible trend? FENG: We are looking at the healthiest and the most educated generation in China, especially, I think, in this case, in China, things have happened so fast - the rapid expansion in higher education and the continued improvement in population health. So we are really not looking at the same population in China today as the population 40 years ago, let alone 80 years ago. So we have a different population to begin with. And also, we're already seeing this with the new technologies and most recently with the hype around AI. A lot of the repetitive, unpleasant work in the past that have to be done by real human beings, and now can actually be done quite efficiently and inexpensively by the means of technology. And also, very importantly, we have to remember, we as a humanity - the whole world and in China certainly included - have produced so much. There's so much wealth in the society, and we can do a lot with redistribution both across different income groups but also across generations. So we don't need to continue to produce the - pursue GDP growth. We have produced so much, there's enough to go around. DETROW: That is Wang Feng, a professor of sociology at the University of California, Irvine. Thanks so much.

Bangladesh spinner Nahida Akhtar was named in the ICC team of the year 2023 for her exceptional performance throughout the year. The team was dominated by Australian cricketers as five players were included in the lists, with Sri Lanka's Chamari Athapaththu named as the captain. The left-arm spinner, Nahida, took 20 wickets in the year in ODIs, being the second-highest wicket-taker in women’s ODIs in 2023. She shone with seven wickets in Bangladesh’s series victory over Pakistan at home. Notably, in the second ODI of the series, the game ended in a tie and Nahida was charged with the responsibility of bowling in the Super Over. She took two wickets in five balls to end Pakistan’s Super Over, conceding only seven runs, which Bangladesh surpassed to come back into the series after a loss in the first game. In the third ODI in Mirpur, Nahida starred again with a three-wicket haul to help Bangladesh seal a series win. She also had a good home series against India, taking six wickets at an average of 15.

Plunging birth rates and COVID-related deaths have led to a population decline of over 2 million. However, Beijing says it has hit economic growth targets. Official data released on Wednesday showed that China's population was on the decline for a second consecutive year. China's economy rose slightly in the fourth quarter of 2023, allowing the government to hit its growth target after it missed the mark last year. However, China's growth was one of its slowest in over 30 years.   China's population figures Falling birth rates and a wave of deaths due to the coronavirus pandemic has quickened a downtourn in population that is projected to have long-term effects on the economy's growth potential. "By the end of 2023, the national population was 1,409.67 million... a decrease of 2.08 million over that at the end of 2022," Beijing's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Wednesday. "In 2023, the number of births was 9.02 million with a birth rate of 6.39 per thousand," it said.   China's economic performance Gross domestic product (GDP) rose 5.2% in the period October to December compared to the previous year. The growth for 2023 is a small improvement as against 2022's GDP of just 3% when business activity was hamstrung by the strict health curbs and nationwide lockdowns designed to contain COVID-19.  However, the figures represent the weakest growth since 1990, excluding the pandemic years. Once the COVID measures were lifted, Beijing set itself a growth target of "around 5%" for 2023. But indicators show a patchy recovery for China. The trade figures for December, posted earlier this month, showed a slight growth in exports for a second straight month, along with a slight increase in imports.      However, consumer prices declined for a third consecutive month as deflationary pressures persisted. Chinese premier Li Qiang said at the World Economic Forum on Tuesday that the Asian nation had achieved its economic target without resorting to "massive stimulus." He said that the country had "good and solid fundamentals in its long-term development" and despite some hiccups, the positive trend for the economy will not change. Meanwhile, officials are slated to release their target for this year in March. But 2024 appears to remain rocky for China in the face of a stretched out property slump and weak consumer confidence.  

Tens of thousands of people in New York's Times Square cheered as they were showered with confetti marking the arrival of New Year's Day at midnight. As the colorful, lighted ball dropped heralding the coming of 2024, people in the New York City square and up and down the US East Coast hugged and kissed, exchanging hope and optimism for the year ahead. Revelers counted the hours and then the minutes until midnight at Times Square witnessing performances by musicians including Megan Thee Stallion and LL Cool J before the ceremonial ball drop. "It's beautiful," Corin Christian of North Carolina, said a little after midnight as Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" played from speakers in the square. "It's definitely a must-see," said Sarah Crayton from New Orleans surrounded by hordes of people in tall hats and blowing noisemakers. "At least go once, you know, just to experience the magic."

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has urged citizens not to hold any programs in open spaces during the 31st night to celebrate the English New Year. The DMP also asked Dhaka metro residents not to explode firecrackers or fireworks in open spaces and not to fly sky lanterns in the capital to celebrate the English New Year.    A restriction has been given on all kinds of gatherings and festivals on roads, intersections, flyovers, and public places in the capital to celebrate the New Year, considering the possible hazards associated with this celebration and the overall security and law and order situation.  Moreover, the buying and selling of fireworks, crackers, and sky lanterns are strictly prohibited throughout the city, according to DMP.    DMP said that on the occasion of the New Year celebrations, any type of event, gathering, dance, song, or cultural program will be restricted in open spaces. To maintain security, a press release signed by DMP Commissioner Habibur Rahman has requested all concerned to cooperate in maintaining law and order by following the instructions.   According to the DMP's instructions, no outside person or vehicle will be allowed to enter the Dhaka University area after the evening of December 31.Only vehicles with stickers of Dhaka University will be allowed to enter subject to identification.  On this day, the teachers, students, officials and employees living in the Dhaka University area will return to their respective areas by 8pm and in case of entry after 8pm they will have to show the identity cards of the policemen on duty, said the release.    Outsiders are restricted from entering Gulshan, Banani, and Baridhara areas after 8pm. However, citizens residing in these areas can enter through designated routes, subject to identification, after the specified time. Non-residents are discouraged from visiting Gulshan, Banani, Baridhara, and Dhaka University residential areas during the designated period, contributing to the overall security of these zones. No gathering or function will be permitted in the Hatirjheel area after 6pm, and strict regulations against stopping or parking vehicles are in place to maintain order. All bars in Dhaka city are mandated to close by 6pm on December 31, aligning with the DMP's commitment to a controlled and safe celebration environment. However, residential hotels can hold events under their own management on a limited basis. To maintain a safe environment in various public spaces, licensed firearms are prohibited in residential hotels, restaurants, public gatherings, and festivals from 6pm on December 31 to 5am on January 1.