Afghanistan: UN condemns Taliban ban on women attending medical classes
OHCHR Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani described the new directive, which reportedly took effect on Tuesday, as “yet another direct blow” by the de facto authorities against Afghan women and girls. “It is profoundly discriminatory, short-sighted and puts the lives of women…
Children of Sudan show ‘a strength that deserves recognition’
Despite the staggering challenges, he found hope and resilience in their stories. The nearly 19 months of relentless conflict in Sudan has devastated millions, with children bearing the brunt of the crisis. Over five million children have been forcibly displaced,…
Analysts troubled by trend of internet, social media shutdowns in Africa
WASHINGTON — Amid widespread protests in Kenya this summer over a controversial finance bill, the country’s Communications Authority announced it did not intend to shut down internet access. The next day, however, Kenya experienced a countrywide loss in internet connectivity….
US senators vow action after briefing on Chinese Salt Typhoon telecom hacking
WASHINGTON — U.S. government agencies held a classified briefing for all senators on Wednesday on China’s alleged efforts known as Salt Typhoon to burrow deep into American telecommunications companies and steal data about U.S. calls. The FBI, Director of National…
From VOA Mandarin: Biden hits hard at China’s AI; Trump may pound harder
The Biden administration issued what is likely its final set of export control rules against Beijing earlier this week. The rules forbid companies from exporting an important chip component crucial for training artificial intelligence to China. Experts say it will…
Ukraine demands Russia return ‘kidnapped’ children
UNITED NATIONS — Ukraine demanded Wednesday that Russia end what Kyiv called “the largest kidnapping campaign in modern history” and return Ukrainian children forcibly transferred from its territory during the ongoing war. “Ukraine is searching for nearly 20,000 children who…
Blinken: Ukraine must make hard, but necessary, decisions
In his final appearance at NATO headquarters as U.S. secretary of state, Antony Blinken spoke about Ukraine and what he said are the hard, but necessary, decisions it must make about mobilizing its forces on the front lines to “deal…
Transgender rights case lands at US Supreme Court
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is hearing arguments Wednesday in just its second major transgender rights case, which is a challenge to a Tennessee law that bans gender-affirming health care for minors. The justices’ decision, not expected for several months,…
Many former X users migrate to Bluesky social media platform
Bluesky, a decentralized social media platform, recently experienced significant growth, surpassing 22 million users. The surge is attributed to users migrating from X due to their dissatisfaction with changes under Elon Musk’s ownership. Andrei Dziarkach has the story, narrated by…
Middle East crisis: Live updates for 4 December
The Middle East crisis continues to deepen, with families in Gaza struggling to secure basic food amid constant displacement, plummeting temperatures, and relentless conflict. Meanwhile, the full-blown war in Syria has reignited, where the status quo has been “radically altered”…