The atrocities of China in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) were highlighted by 62 major human rights groups, stating that any audit will fail to comprehend the level of suppression that the Uyghur community faces in China, World Uyghur Congress stated in a press release. According to the press statement, “The 62 groups call on consultancies, auditors, certification bodies, and other service providers to immediately cease providing services in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. “Social audits and certification schemes are not designed to identify the egregious human rights abuses that are perpetrated as part of state-imposed forced labour programmes or in furtherance of them. They are not an appropriate preventive measure or evidence of compliance with forced labour regulations,” the press release added. WUC states, “In June 2023, Volkswagen announced an audit of SAIC-Volkswagen (Xinjiang) Automotive Co., Ltd., a plant operated by a subsidiary of the joint venture between Chinese state-owned SAIC Motor Corp. Ltd. and Volkswagen Group, in Urumchi, the capital of the Uyghur Region. On December 5, 2023, Volkswagen shared that Loning-Human Rights & Responsible Business GmbH (Loning), a German-based management consultancy, facilitated the audit of the plant. The audit was carried out by an unnamed Shenzhen-based law firm, which Loning accompanied on-site,” the press release added. The statement also stated that several Uyghur and human rights groups had previously condemned Volkwagen’s audit, claiming that the oppressive regime in XUAR and China imposed state labour laws. There is no way to verify that any workplace in the Uyghur Region is free of forced labour or to prevent the use of forced labour, or if these workplaces are in line with human rights due diligence. The statement underlines several points that validated the human rights audit that were missing. While ranking the flaws of the human rights audit. The worker interviews, which are essential to the methodology of any labour or human rights investigation, cannot generate reliable information in a circumstance where workers cannot speak candidly to factory auditors about forced labour or other human rights issues without placing themselves and their families at risk of retaliation. Further, there are widespread restrictions and repression of fundamental freedoms and of human rights defenders, and civic space has been shut down. Uyghurs live in a constant atmosphere of fear; even the slightest infraction of the Chinese government’s arbitrary rules can lead to internment, as human rights organisations and the United Nations have extensively documented. The human rights abuses occurring in the Uyghur Region are bolstered by a pervasive, technology-enabled system of surveillance, through extensive digital and personal surveillance systems. Uyghurs are monitored around the clock, even in private. Any audit occurring in the region could not be conducted without being surveilled by the Chinese government, and therefore, few workers will want to speak to auditors, or at least about the reality of their lived experiences, the press release stated. The Chinese government is systematically curtailing the independence of international audit firms. Auditors have complained of extreme surveillance, including the use of facial recognition and tracking of physical and digital movements. Multiple audit firms ceased operating in the Uyghur Region years ago due to the repressive environment and fear of reprisal for both auditors and workers.  Source: ANI

On Friday, Christian women worldwide will celebrate Women's World Prayer Day. This year, the ecumenical liturgy comes from the occupied Palestinian Territories. It's Sunday mass at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem's Old City. Pastor Sally Azar, a Palestinian Christian, leads the prayers for a small congregation seated around the altar of the Protestant church. On Friday, Azar will be one of the local pastors holding services for the Women's World Day of Prayer. "I grew up in the church here, and I've always been part of the World Day of Prayer services. And it was quite ecumenical, and it grew on me: It's like, 'Oh, what an amazing day for women,' so it's an honor to keep the tradition," Azar told DW after the service. The 27-year-old from East Jerusalem is the first female pastor to be ordained in the Lutheran community in the Holy Land. This year, the Palestinian National Committee has prepared the Women's World Day of Prayer, a global Christian grassroots movement. First celebrated worldwide in 1927, an ecumenical service is held annually in 150 countries around the world on the first Friday in March. On this day, the same liturgy and prayers, written by a different country each year, are celebrated in each participating country. It's a day that focuses on women's concerns, hopes and prayers, and it's the largest ecumenical event of Christian laywomen. Portraying the Christian presence "For a lot of the [Palestinian] women, it's been quite important that the World Day of Prayer portrays the Christian presence in the Holy Land, and it portrays the suffering that the women have been facing as well here because of the [Israeli] occupation that we've been living for the past years," said Azar. "It is also portrayed in the liturgy, where they all crave peace, and they all bear a lot of the responsibilities in this society." Azar is often described as a "trailblazer" for women in the region. "I've only been ordained for almost a year now, and it's been quite new for people. Not everyone quite knows how to deal with being a woman pastor in this land or this society. At least in the Lutheran congregation, they are more prepared. They learn about equality," she said.  One of the smaller challenges, she says, is how to address her properly as a female pastor in Arabic. But there is more at stake: While the Lutheran church is open to women's roles in the church, most communities, such as the Greek Orthodox or Catholic churches, are not as supportive. "The religious leaders, they have been quite openly talking about it, yet they don't support it, of course," said Azar. "But at least they are dealing with it with respect." Israel-Gaza war adds urgency This year's theme resonated with many. The theme is chosen years in advance — just like the national committee preparing the service. The current conflict, however, adds urgency to its message. Azar says that the bible verse resonated with the women preparing the liturgy and led to many discussions. "They were asking, is it now our Christian brothers and sisters here in this land? Is it our literal neighbor? Is it the Israelis? Is it the Jews? Is it the Muslims? So all these questions arose when talking about bearing one another in love," said Azer. But there was also a deeper meaning for some, as "bearing" in Arabic relates to the term of being pregnant. "They all associated it with that they carry not only the whole generation," said Azar. "And it's their responsibility to protect their children, although they don't feel like they can do that." The Palestinian communities have been working on the liturgy and prayers for the past two years and submitted their contributions last year. Then came the October 7 Hamas attacks in southern Israel, where militants killed 1,200 people and took more than 240 hostages.  Israel launched a retaliatory military campaign, vowing to defeat Hamas, which is listed as a terrorist organization by the US, EU and others. Almost five months later, about 130 Israeli hostages are still being held in Gaza. And more than 29,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, and much of Gaza has been rendered uninhabitable. In the aftermath of October 7, criticism and accusations of antisemitism surfaced in Germany in relation to the Palestinian liturgy and prayer. "It was quite hurtful to see that only Germany from all around the world were the ones who changed the liturgy. They said, okay, they want to contextualize and change things. Yet we thought, okay, we get that they have problems there," said Azar. Adding context is one thing, but for many, it went too far, she said. "It felt like someone is telling us how to pray, someone is telling us what words to use in order to describe our situation and how we feel." Support from Germany Despite the controversy, her counterparts in Germany stress their solidarity with women in the Palestinian territories. "Of course, we support the World Day of Prayer and are part of the worldwide prayer chain in about 150 countries," Ulrike Göken-Huismann, chairwoman of the German committee of the Women's World Day of Prayer, told DW. In light of the October 7 attacks, the planned texts have been "very carefully and cautiously" contextualized and adapted, said Göken-Huisman. The changes have been well received by women in German congregations, she said, citing feedback by email or in telephone conversations. "And we stand in solidarity with Christian women in Palestine," she said, adding that although the relationship has not been easy in recent months, the dialogue has continued. Göken-Huisman thinks that it is important for services to be held in as many parishes in Germany as possible on March 1 and for "these voices from Palestine to be made heard," she said, adding that especially now, with the war in Gaza, the situation needs more attention than ever. Prayers for those suffering In East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank, several prayer services will be held on Friday. But here, not everyone will be able to attend. Accessing holy sites and meeting each other has become more difficult since October 7 for Palestinians. In general, Palestinians from the occupied West Bank have always had to apply to the Israeli authorities for permission to come to Jerusalem. In recent years, Christians from Gaza have only received a limited number of permits to visit relatives in Jerusalem and the West Bank, and then only during Christmas and Easter. "It has been quite difficult. As for our congregations, we have six congregations in the Lutheran Church, one in Jordan and one in Jerusalem and four in the West Bank. And for all these four churches, we can't get permission for them all to meet together," Azar said, adding that since October 7, more checkpoints in the occupied West Bank have been closed or had their opening hours limited. There is concern that access to holy sites will be even more complicated during the upcoming Easter week. Given the situation, the celebration of Women's World Day of Prayer is particularly important this year, said Azar, who said they were "thinking of all the civilians who are suffering from the war. We added prayers for the situation."

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has sought a special fund for creating more women entrepreneurs for their socioeconomic progress and more loan at concessional rates to implement climate-related projects. Addressing the World Bank, she said, "You (WB) can give a special fund for the socio-economic development of women in Bangladesh." The special fund will accelerate the government's efforts to create women entrepreneurs. ’ The Prime Minister said this when World Bank Managing Director (Operations) Anna Bojerde paid a courtesy call on her at Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban here this afternoon. Prime Minister's Speechwriter M Nazrul Islam briefed the reporters after the meeting.

The World Uyghur Congress has raised the issue of human rights violations by China in Xinjiang at the recently concluded Munich Security Conference (MSC). Dolkon Isa, the President of the World Uyghur Congress participated in the event where several other diplomats, journalists, representatives of major NGOs and dignitaries from around the world took part in the three-day long event. After the end of MSC, Isa in a social media post on 'X' said that "The @MunSecConf has ended. I had the opportunity to attend different discussions attended by world diplomats, NGOs, politicians, and others. Important discussions around security, and global order took place. We also hosted our own Meshrep on the Margins". Similarly, the MSC also acted as the forum to discuss diverse cultures and the World Uyghur Congress took the matter to social media platform 'X' stating, "Yesterday, on the margins of the @MunSecConf, the WUC together with @NEDemocracy Co-hosted a Meshrep event, highlighting the need for preservation of our culture, and the importance of cross-movement solidarity. Thank you to the NGOs, journalists, politicians, and other allies who came and participated. A special thanks to the musicians, artists and the dance group."Dolkon Isa asked a crucial question to a Qatari diplomat on China's double standards, position on global conflicts around the world. "On one side, China is locking up millions of Uyghurs, and on the other, it's appearing to support Palestinians and other Muslims. How honest is their attitude?" he asked. Later, in a statement given to ANI Isa stated, ''Important discussions took place at the Munich Security Conference this year, especially authoritarian trends that are undermining our global security, in light of Navalny's death (Russian Opposition leader).""China was also on the agenda. However, the MSC failed to meaningfully address gross human rights violations, such as the Uyghur genocide that is the direct result of authoritarian trends. Instead, Wang Yi was denying the Uyghur genocide, and the entire room was applauding him over China's economic development over the last decades. China's threat to the international order was not addressed. This is a failed opportunity'," he added. Moreover, Dolkun Isa also met with Lithuanian foreign minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, former Croatian president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic and Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski. They discussed the human rights situation in Xinjiang. He thanked the leaders for their support of democracy, human rights and security.  Source: ANI  

World marathon record holder Kelvin Kiptum and his coach Gervais Hakizimana were killed in a car crash in western Kenya. A third passenger was injured in the accident. World marathon record holder Kelvin Kiptum and his coach Gervais Hakizimana died in a road accident in western Kenya on Sunday, former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga said on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. According to police, the car was on its way to Eldoret, a city in western Kenya, when the accident occurred. "The accident happened at around 11 p.m. (2000 GMT). The car had three occupants, two died on the spot while one was taken to the hospital. The two are Kiptum and his coach," said Peter Mulinge, police commander for Elgeyo Marakwet County in western Kenya. 'Kenya has lost a special gem' The sports world was saddened by Kiptum's death, with the Boston and London marathons posting condolences on social media. Kenya's Sports Minister Ababu Namwamba said on X, "Devastatingly sickening!! Kenya has lost a special gem. Lost for words."  "Kelvin Kiptum was a star. Arguably one of the world's finest sportsmen who broke barriers to secure a marathon record," Kenya's President William Ruto said. "An extraordinary sportsman has left an extraordinary mark in the globe. Our thoughts are with the family and the sporting fraternity. Rest In Peace," he added. 'Incredible athlete leaving incredible legacy' World Athletics President Sebastian Coe called Kiptum "an incredible athlete leaving an incredible legacy." "We are shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the devastating loss of Kelvin Kiptum and his coach, Gervais Hakizimana," Coe said in a statement. "On behalf of all World Athletics, we send our deepest condolences to their families, friends, team mates and the Kenyan nation," he added. The 24-year-old Kiptum set the world record at the Chicago Marathon in October with a time of 2:00:35, beating the record of 2:01:09 set by compatriot Eliud Kipchoge in Berlin in 2022. At this year's Summer Olympics in Paris, Kiptum was set to meet Kipchoge. Kiptum was considered a promising candidate to become the first person to break the magic two-hour mark in the marathon under normal conditions.

Beijing is set to host the upcoming 2029 World Aquatics Championships, an announcement from World Aquatics organisers said. This announcement comes while the present world Aquatics championships is ongoing in Doha where China dominated the event by taking 16 gold medal out of 29 events to secure the top position on the medal table. China's first Olympic diving champion, Zhou Jihong who is also the President of China Swimming Association said the awarding of the hosting rights fitted in with the Chinese love of aquatic sports.  In Doha, the 21st edition of the championships are ongoing, until February 18. The next event of the championships will take place in Singapore in 2025. 

Bangladesh U-19 team started the World Cup tournament by losing against India. The Junior Tigers secured the Super Six by winning the next two matches of the group stage. However, Bangladesh has lost its way on the verge of the semi-finals.  Despite coming close to winning against Pakistan, the Junior Tigers lost by 5 runs. Bangladesh invited Pakistan to bat after winning the toss on Saturday (February 3).  Facing a target of 156 runs, The Tigers needed to chase it down within 38.1 overs in order to maintain a superior net run rate over Pakistan.Unfortunately Bangladesh lost their wickets for 150 runs in 35.5 overs.  Thus, the dream of the World Cup was broken for 5 runs of the representatives of red and green. On the other hand, five-time champions India, three-time champions Australia and South Africa have already confirmed their places in the last four recently.  

Among the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality, Dhaka ranked third on Friday morning (Feb 2). According to the air quality index, The air quality of Dhaka continued to be in the 'unhealthy' zone with an air quality index (AQI) score of 187 at 8:30 am. Vietnam’s Hanoi ranked 1st and Sarajevo of Bosnia Herzegovina ranked 2nd on the list, with AQI scores of 257 and 208. However, an AQI between 101 and 200 is considered 'unhealthy', while an AQI between 201 and 300 is called to be 'poor', on the other hand,  a reading of  AQI 301 to 400 is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents.

Dhaka’s air quality was ranked fifth worst in the world on Friday morning.   According to the air quality index, an AQI score of 185 at 9:50am, Dhaka's air was classified as “unhealthy”. Kolkata, Karachi, and Wuhan occupied the first three spots with AQI scores of 291, 214, and 191, respectively. An AQI between 101 and 200 is considered “unhealthy”, particularly for sensitive groups while an AQI between 201 and 300 is said to be “very unhealthy”. While a reading of 301+ is considered “hazardous”, posing serious health risks to residents. Dhaka has long grappled with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in the winter and improves during the monsoon. As per the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, mainly due to increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute respiratory infections.

Sri Lanka's white ball series against Zimbabwe starting at the weekend is a chance for the team to show improvement after last year's dismal World Cup campaign, skipper Kusal Mendis said Friday (Jan 5). Mendis led the team to a second-from-bottom placing at the World Cup, after captain Dasun Shanaka withdrew injured, finishing ahead only of the Netherlands.  Appointed one-day captain this week, Mendis said the team had trained intensely to bolster their fielding, after 16 catches were dropped in India.    "Fielding is one area that we have worked really hard during the last two weeks. It was a big letdown for us during the World Cup," he said. "It was bitterly disappointing. We could have fared better in the World Cup had we been more disciplined on the field," he added.  "I can promise you that there's been a lot of hard work and you can see the results in this upcoming series." Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe will play three ODIs starting Saturday followed by three T20 fixtures, all in Colombo.    The one-day matches form part of the Super League that will determine qualification for the next ODI World Cup, in southern Africa in 2027. The past two World Cups were restricted to 10 teams, meaning two-time champions West Indies missed out on the Id=ndia showpiece.  Eleventh-ranked Zimbabwe also missed the last two tournaments, after attending every World Cup from 1983 to 2015, and captain Craig Ervine welcomed plans to accommodate more teams in the next edition.   "It is hugely important that more teams compete in global events such as World Cups. It's better for cricket," he said. "Teams like us don't get to play top teams like India, Australia and England often and events like the World Cup are the only occasion we get to compete against the best."