The Taliban in Afghanistan has declined to attend a global summit on Muslim girls’ education hosted by Pakistan. Afghanistan is the only country in the world with bans on female secondary and higher education and women from many jobs and most public spaces. The regime has also mandated that women wear full-body coverings, including face veils, when in public. They are also prohibited from praying aloud in the presence of each other. “We had extended an invitation to Afghanistan but no-one from the Afghan government was at the conference,” education minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui told news agency AFP. “Nevertheless, representatives...
“He Didn’t Let US Government Clucking and Handwringing Stop Him, Carter Had Guts” — Robert Carlin.When Carter Met Kim – And Stopped A Nuclear War.
Three decades ago, the world was on the brink of a nuclear showdown – until Jimmy Carter showed up in North Korea.In June 1994, the former US president arrived for talks in Pyongyang with then leader Kim Il-sung. It was unprecedented, marking the first time a former or sitting US president had visited.But it was also an extraordinary act of personal intervention, one which many believe narrowly averted a war between the US and North Korea that could have cost millions of lives. And it led to a period of greater engagement between Pyongyang and the West.All this may not...
United State Outgoing President to Give Farewell Speech Next Wednesday
The White House announced on Friday that the outgoing president, Joe Biden will deliver a farewell speech coming Wednesday from the Oval Office.Biden’s speech will come less than a week before his political rival, President-elect Donald Trump, is inaugurated.According to familiar sources, his farewell speech is expected to reflect on his time in various political offices and will include a message to Americans about the country’s future.Past presidents during these addresses traditionally run through their proudest achievements, wished the incoming administration luck and reflected on the state of the country.Former President Barack Obama during his 2017 speech discussed the state of democracy, noting...
“My father should die in prison, I know that he drugged me, probably for sexual abuse. But I don’t have any evidence.” Daughter of Dominique Pelicot
It was 20:25 on a Monday evening in November 2020 when Caroline Darian got the call that changed everything.On the other end of the phone was her mother, Gisèle Pelicot.“She announced to me that she discovered that morning that [my father] Dominique had been drugging her for about 10 years so that different men could rape her,” Darian recalls in an exclusive interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today programme’s Emma Barnett.“At that moment, I lost what was a normal life,” says Darian, now 46.“I remember I shouted, I cried, I even insulted him,” she says. “It was like an earthquake....
Maduro Sworn In As Venezuelan President for a Third Six-Term Despite Massive Protest
Against the massive protest and credible evidence that he won the July 28th election, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was sworn in Friday to serve a third six-year term, extending his tenure to 2031.Venezuela’s legislative palace, where he was sworn in and delivered a fiery speech, was heavily guarded by police, military and intelligence officers.Maduro accused the opposition of trying to turn his inauguration into a “world war,” and said the faction’s failure to stop the inauguration was “a great Venezuelan victory.” He accused external powers of “attacking” Venezuela, specifically the U.S. government, and promised to guarantee “peace and national sovereignty.”“Today...
Kenya Plane Crash Kills Three, Three Others Injure
A light aircraft crash-landed Friday in Kenya ‘s coastal Malindi County, killing three people on the ground, a local police official said.The three fatalities included a motorcycle taxi driver who was killed when the plane burst into flames on impact in the town of Kwachocha along the Malindi-Mombasa highway, Sub-County Police Commander LuckyJoski Mudavadi said.Two other victims, a motorcycle rider and a female passenger, died when parts from the separated wings and tail of the plane hit them as the aircraft crashed into a building.A pilot and two students who were on board were being treated for injuries sustained after they jumped...
Los Angeles Fire Outbreak: 10 People Dead, More Than 10,000 Structures Razed Down, New Fire Ignited, Containment out of Reach
The two biggest wildfires ravaging the Los Angeles area have killed at least 10 people and burned more than 10,000 homes and other structures, officials said as they urged more people to heed evacuation orders after a new blaze ignited and quickly grew.The Kenneth Fire started in the late Thursday afternoon in the San Fernando Valley just 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from a school serving as a shelter for evacuees from another fire. It moved into neighboring Ventura County but a large and aggressive response by firefighters stopped the flames from spreading.About 400 firefighters remained on scene overnight to guard...
United State Supreme Court Consider Banning Tiktok
United State Supreme court justices on Friday consider whether to ban social media platform TiktokThe nine justices on the conservative-majority court will hear oral arguments from lawyers for TikTok, some of its users and the Biden administration, with at least a preliminary decision likely in days, if not hours.The law in question, enacted with broad bipartisan support, requires China-based TikTok owner ByteDance to divest itself of the company by Jan. 19, the day before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. If no sale takes place, the platform used by millions of Americans would be banned.TikTok and some of its users sued...
Wolves Bolster Defence with Emmanuel Agbadou Signing
Wolverhampton Wanderers have completed the signing of Ivorian international Emmanuel Agbadou from Reims. The Premier League side paid £16.6 million to acquire the 27-year-old. The deal progressed swiftly as Agbadou was eager to join the Premier League outfit. He signed a four-and-a-half-year contract, with an option for an additional 12 months. Wolves’ sporting director, Matt Hobbs, described Agbadou as an exceptional player, saying: “After the journey he’s had, he’s still unbelievably hungry. He’s the type of player the Wolves fans should love because you’re going to get absolutely everything he’s got.” – BBC Wolves are currently struggling in the Premier...