KABUL: Every morning, after breakfast, Afghan teenager Prina Muradi, 16, turns on the television not for entertainment but to study maths, science, and literature. Since the Taliban’s takeover in 2021, which led to a ban on secondary education for girls, Muradi has been unable to attend school. Now, thanks to Begum TV, a satellite channel broadcasting Afghanistan’s entire curriculum from France, Muradi and other girls excluded from formal education are getting a chance to continue learning. The channel is the initiative of Swiss-Afghan media entrepreneur Hamida Aman, founder of the Begum Organization for Women (BOW). The Begum Academy, launched by…
Author: Hasnain Abid Khanzada
WASHINGTON: The Biden administration has decided to waive human rights conditions on military aid to Egypt, granting the US ally its full $1.3 billion aid allocation for this year. This decision marks the first time under this administration that Egypt will receive its full military aid without reductions, despite ongoing human rights concerns in the country. The move comes as Washington relies heavily on Cairo to mediate the challenging ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas, aimed at ending the ongoing war in Gaza. Egypt has also been crucial in facilitating humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza. Historically, $320 million of…
On Wednesday, Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump alleged without evidence that his recent debate with rival Kamala Harris was “rigged.” Speaking to Fox News, Trump criticized the debate process, claiming, “It was a rigged deal, as I assumed it would be, because when you looked at the fact that they were correcting everything and not correcting with her.” Trump also took aim at pop star Taylor Swift for endorsing Harris shortly after the debate. He remarked, “I was not a Taylor Swift fan… she’s a very liberal person. She seems to always endorse a Democrat, and she’ll probably pay…
YouTuber Arun Maini, known as Mrwhosetheboss, has achieved a remarkable feat by building the largest smartphone replica: a towering iPhone over two meters tall. This oversized iPhone 15 Pro Max was created with the help of Matthew Perks, also known as DIYPerks. Mrwhosetheboss, who began posting tech reviews on YouTube in 2011, expressed his amazement at the accomplishment, saying, “Growing up, I would disappear into the library for hours to read the latest Guinness World Records books, so to achieve an award myself feels absolutely surreal.” He added, “It’s a full circle moment for us. I’m incredibly proud of our…
Two teenagers in Russia, aged 13 and 14, were arrested after they set fire to a civilian Mi-8 helicopter at an airport in Noyabrsk, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District, following instructions received via Telegram. The teens were promised 5 million rubles ($55,000) for the act. The fire, which occurred in the early hours of September 11, resulted in severe facial burns for the arsonists. After the incident, they fled but were apprehended an hour later and are now hospitalized under guard. The helicopter was nearly destroyed, with only the tail section remaining intact. Previously, the teens had set fire to a cellphone…
MOSCOW: Russia declared on Wednesday that its partnership with China is not intended to target other nations, but acknowledged that the two countries could combine their resources if faced with a threat from the United States. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that Moscow and Beijing would employ a “double counteraction” in response to any US efforts at “double containment,” particularly in light of potential US missile deployments in Japan. A report by The Japan Times on September 7 highlighted US interest in stationing a Typhon mid-range missile system in Japan for joint military exercises. Zakharova emphasized that Russia and…
Israeli forces detained a United Nations convoy in Gaza for over seven hours on Monday, according to a UN spokesperson. The convoy, which was transporting personnel for a polio vaccination campaign, was stopped at the Wadi Gaza checkpoint. Israeli soldiers demanded to question two Palestinian staff members, and the situation escalated when they aimed weapons at the UN personnel and rammed the vehicles with tanks and bulldozers. Shots were reportedly fired, and debris was dropped on one of the vehicles. The convoy was eventually released, and the staff returned safely to a UN base. Despite the disruption, the vaccination campaign…
On Wednesday, President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and former President Donald Trump made a rare joint appearance at the New York City memorial site for the September 11, 2001 attacks, which claimed nearly 3,000 lives. Despite recent contentious debates, Harris and Trump exchanged brief pleasantries before participating in the solemn ceremony. At Ground Zero, where the World Trade Center towers were destroyed by hijacked planes, family members of the victims recited names in honor of their lost loved ones. The ceremony included a procession with bagpipes and drums, and moments of silence observed at the times of the…
Israel’s military launched an airstrike on the UN-operated al-Jaouni school in central Gaza on Wednesday, resulting in the deaths of at least 18 people, including women and children. Among the casualties were six staff members of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), marking the highest death toll of UNRWA staff in a single attack during the ongoing 11-month conflict. In response to ongoing violence, Hamas has expressed willingness to adhere to a US-proposed, UN-backed truce agreement without additional conditions. Meanwhile, Israeli forces continued operations in the West Bank, killing at least six Palestinians in a series of raids. Five…
British-Pakistani DJ and producer Ahadadream, whose real name is Ahad Elley, had his track ‘TAKA’ featured in the launch ad for the new iPhone 16 series. The song also became the backdrop to a flashy event held in San Francisco on September 9, where Apple unveiled its latest iPhone series to the world. Taking to social media to celebrate the news, Ahad wrote, “@apple just launched the new iPhone with ‘TAKA’,” tagging collaborators Skrillex and Priya Ragu. “Was watching the keynote event online and got so gassed when it came on (especially where they show a cheeky Shazam at 1m23s),” he…
