Afghan girls struggle with poor Internet as they turn to online classes

An Afghan school girl writes on a board as girls attend their classroom on the first day of the new school year, in Kabul, Saturday, March 25, 2023. (AP)
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An Afghan school girl writes on a board as girls attend their classroom on the first day of the new school year, in Kabul, Saturday, March 25, 2023. (AP)
Afghan girls struggle with poor Internet as they turn to online classes
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Girls attend class on the first day of the new school year, in Kabul, Saturday, March 25, 2023. The new Afghan educational year started, but high school remained closed for girls for the second year after Taliban returned to power in 2021. (AP)
Afghan girls struggle with poor Internet as they turn to online classes
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Afghan school boys arrive at Esteqlal High School in Kabul on March 25, 2023, after missing the official start of the new academic year that began on March 21 as the Taliban authorities did not make a prior public announcement of the reopening of schools. (AFP)
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Updated 27 March 2023
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Afghan girls struggle with poor Internet as they turn to online classes

Afghan girls struggle with poor Internet as they turn to online classes
  • Taliban officials have closed girls’ high schools, barred their access to universities
  • But Taliban administration has allowed girls to study individually at home

KABUL: Sofia logs in to class on a laptop in Kabul for an online English course run by one of a growing number of educational institutes trying to reach Afghanistan’s girls and women digitally in their homes.
But when the teacher calls on Sofia to read a passage her computer screen freezes.
“Can you hear me?” she asks repeatedly, checking her connection.
After a while, her computer stutters back to life.
“As usual,” a fellow student equally frustrated with the poor communications sighs as the class gets going again.
Sofia, 22, is one of a growing stream of Afghan girls and women going online as a last resort to get around the Taliban administration’s restrictions on studying and working.
Taliban officials, citing what they call problems including issues related to Islamic dress, have closed girls’ highschools, barred their access to universities and stopped most women from working at non-governmental organizations.
One of the most striking changes since the Taliban were first in power from 1996 to 2001, is the explosion of the Internet.
Virtually no one had access to the Internet when the Taliban were forced from power in the weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
After nearly two decades of Western-led intervention and engagement with the world, 18 percent of the population had Internet access, according to the World Bank.
The Taliban administration has allowed girls to study individually at home and has not moved to ban the Internet, which its officials use to make announcements via social media.
But girls and women face a host of problems from power cuts, to cripplingly slow Internet speeds, let alone the cost of computers and wifi in a country where 97 percent of people live in poverty.
“For girls in Afghanistan, we have a bad, awful Internet problem,” Sofia said.
Her online school, Rumi Academy, saw its enrolment of mostly females rise from about 50 students to more than 500 after the Taliban took over in 2021.
It has had hundreds more applications but cannot enrol them for now because of a lack of funds for teachers and to pay for equipment and Internet packages, a representative of the academy said.

TOO HARD
Sakina Nazari tried a virtual language class at her home in the west of Kabul for a week after she was forced to leave her university in December. But she abandoned it in frustration after battling the problems.
“I couldn’t continue,” she said. “It’s too hard to access Internet in Afghanistan and sometimes we have half an hour of power in 24 hours.”
Seattle-based Ookla, which compiles global Internet speeds, put Afghanistan’s mobile Internet as the slowest of 137 countries and its fixed Internet as the second slowest of 180 countries.
Some Afghans have started calling on SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk to introduce its satellite Internet service Starlink to Afghanistan, as it has done in Ukraine and Iran, posting requests for help on Twitter, which he owns.
“We also call on Elon Musk to help us,” Sofia said.
“If they would be able to (introduce) that in Afghanistan, it would be very, very impactful for women.”
SpaceX spokespeople did not respond to requests for comment.
Online schools are trying their best to accommodate Afghanistan’s pupils.
Daniel Kalmanson, spokesperson for online University of the People, which has had more than 15,000 applications from Afghan girls and women since the Taliban took over, said students could attend lectures at any time that conditions allowed them to, and professors granted extensions for assignments and exams when students faced connection problems.
The non-profit group Learn Afghanistan, which runs several community-based schools in which some teachers run classes remotely, makes its curriculum available for free in Afghanistan’s main languages.
Executive director Pashtana Durrani said the group also ensured that lessons were available via radio, which is widely used in rural areas. She was working with international companies to find solutions to poor Internet access but said she could not elaborate.
“Afghanistan needs to be a country where the Internet is accessible, digital devices need to be pumped in,” Durrani said.
Sofia said Afghan women had grown used to problems over years of war and they would persevere no matter what.
“We still have dreams and we will not give up, ever.”

 


Brazil’s firefighters battle wildfires raging during rare late-winter heat wave

Brazil’s firefighters battle wildfires raging during rare late-winter heat wave
Updated 7 sec ago
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Brazil’s firefighters battle wildfires raging during rare late-winter heat wave

Brazil’s firefighters battle wildfires raging during rare late-winter heat wave

RIO DE JANEIRO: Firefighters on Thursday were battling flames in Brazil’s northeastern Bahia state, fanned by strong winds and abnormally high temperatures for the season, authorities said.

While it is still technically winter in Brazil, with spring due to start in a couple days, a heat wave prompting record temperatures has swept across much of the country since the beginning of the week.

Faced with a growing number of hot spots caused by high temperatures, Bahia’s association of forestry-based companies this week launched a campaign to prevent — and combat — wildfires.

State authorities said they have mobilized over 150 military firefighters to put out fires in different areas across the state, as well as in Chapada Diamantina, a national park known for its panoramic views.

The Instagram account of Bahia’s secretary for public security showed images of firefighters making their way through parched forests, equipped in high-visibility orange gear and helmets, attempting to bring the licking flames under control.

The fires broke out Monday, according to local media reports. There are no details regarding the size of the affected area, but Brazil’s National Institute of Meteorology has categorized the heat wave as a “great danger.”


First US Abrams tanks to reach Ukraine ‘next week:’ Biden

First US Abrams tanks to reach Ukraine ‘next week:’ Biden
Updated 35 min 35 sec ago
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First US Abrams tanks to reach Ukraine ‘next week:’ Biden

First US Abrams tanks to reach Ukraine ‘next week:’ Biden
  • Biden also said he had “approved the next tranche of security assistance for Ukraine,” which the Pentagon later valued at $325 million

WASHINGTON: The first US M1 Abrams tanks will arrive in Ukraine “next week,” US President Joe Biden said Thursday, boosting Kyiv’s forces as they battle Russian troops in a slow-moving counteroffensive.

“Next week, the first US Abrams tanks will be delivered in Ukraine,” Biden said at the White House, alongside his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, who is on his second visit to the United States since Russia invaded his country in February 2022.

Biden also said he had “approved the next tranche of security assistance for Ukraine,” which the Pentagon later valued at $325 million.

It includes air defense missiles, ammunition for HIMARS precision rocket launchers, anti-tank weapons, and artillery rounds.

But the package does not feature the long-range ATACMS missiles that Kyiv has repeatedly requested.

It does include 155mm rounds that contain cluster munitions, which Washington first agreed to provide to Ukraine in July despite concerns over the long-term risk posed to civilians by bomblets that fail to explode.

The United States said it has received assurances from Kyiv that it would minimize the risk the weapons pose to civilians, including by not using the munitions in populated areas.

Washington had promised the 31 Abrams tanks to Kyiv at the start of the year, part of more than $43 billion in security assistance pledged by the United States over the past 18 months.

The tanks will be paired with 120mm armor-piercing depleted uranium rounds.

Such munitions are controversial due to their association with health problems, such as cancer and birth defects, in areas where they were used in past conflicts, although they have not been definitively proven to have caused them.

The decision to provide Abrams tanks to Ukraine represented a U-turn as American defense officials had repeatedly said they were ill-suited for Kyiv’s forces due to their complexity.


‘Sclerotic’ UN needs reform, Security Council system flawed, European Commission chief tells UNGA

‘Sclerotic’ UN needs reform, Security Council system flawed, European Commission chief tells UNGA
Updated 28 min 3 sec ago
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‘Sclerotic’ UN needs reform, Security Council system flawed, European Commission chief tells UNGA

‘Sclerotic’ UN needs reform, Security Council system flawed, European Commission chief tells UNGA
  • Charles Michel said lack of global representation on the council reflects outdated power structures that ‘hobbled’ its ability to act in best interests of the world
  • During the General Debate at the UN General Assembly, he also reiterated his previous call for a global treaty on pandemic prevention and preparedness

LONDON: The UN system has become “sclerotic” and is in need of reform, the president of the European Commission said on Thursday.

During a speech on Thursday during the General Debate at the 78th UN General Assembly in New York, Charles Michel also backed growing calls for the veto powers granted to the five permanent members of the UN Security Council — the US, Russia, France, the UK and China — to be limited under emergency conditions, and to broaden the body’s global representation.

“We must assume our responsibility and that means being engaged in order to put multilateralism back on solid ground,” he said. “To that end, we need to restore trust, solve the most urgent problems and repair the United Nations system.

“For the last 19 months, a permanent member of the Security Council, Russia, without any shame, has been undertaking a war to conquer its neighboring country.

“It can even abuse its veto rights to prevent sanctions against itself, and even use the Security Council to disseminate propaganda, disinformation and lies — let’s be honest.”

Michel reaffirmed the “unwavering” support of the EU for Ukraine in the war with Russia and the country’s “right to legitimate defense.”

He criticized the lack of proper global representation within the Security Council, which he said continues to reflect outdated power structures and this “hobbled” its ability to act in the best interests of the world as a whole, especially given some countries were “still colonial powers.”

He added: “The planet is falling. The world is being torn asunder by poverty and injustice, entire swaths of the world — Africa, South America, the Caribbean, Asia — are under- or non-represented (on the council). We support the comprehensive, massive reform of the Security Council to amplify the voice of these regions.”

Michel also reiterated his previous call for a global treaty on pandemic prevention and preparedness. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, he and the head of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, have led the push for negotiations on a treaty of this kind within the UN framework, urging the international community to reach a consensus on the topic by May next year.


Beijing committed to territorial reunification: VP

Beijing committed to territorial reunification: VP
Updated 22 September 2023
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Beijing committed to territorial reunification: VP

Beijing committed to territorial reunification: VP
  • ‘Taiwan has been China since ancient times,’ Han Zheng tells UN General Assembly
  • Vice president expresses support for ‘lawful national rights’ of the Palestinian people

NEW YORK: Beijing aims to reunify all Chinese territory, including Taiwan, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng told the UN General Assembly in New York on Thursday.

“China stays committed to safeguarding sovereignty. There’s only one China, and the government is the sole legal government representing China,” he said.

“Taiwan has been China since ancient times, and no force should ever underestimate the strong will of the Chinese people to safeguard their sovereignty.”

Han said the international community must uphold equity and justice, safeguard peace and security, strive for mutual benefits and development for all, and pursue multilateralism in a balanced manner. “Major countries should lead by example and deliver on their commitment to multilateralism,” he added.

Han stressed the need for nonproliferation of all types of arms, saying China is the only permanent member of the UN Security Council that has pledged no first use of nuclear weapons, and it will soon ratify the UN Firearms Protocol.

He added that global development is a priority for China, which will host the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation next month.         

China is also committed to prioritizing ecology, which includes ceasing the construction of coal-fired power projects abroad, and supporting developing countries in order to produce green and low-carbon energy, Han said.

He called for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the “restoration of lawful national rights” of Palestinians.


Turkiye says it played no direct role in Karabakh operation

Turkiye says it played no direct role in Karabakh operation
Updated 21 September 2023
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Turkiye says it played no direct role in Karabakh operation

Turkiye says it played no direct role in Karabakh operation
  • Azerbaijan launched a lightning offensive to take back control of its breakaway Karabakh region on Tuesday

ANKARA: Turkiye is using “all means,” including military training and modernization, to support its close ally Azerbaijan but it did not play a direct role in Baku’s military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh, a Turkish Defense Ministry official said on Thursday.

Azerbaijan launched a lightning offensive to take back control of its breakaway Karabakh region on Tuesday. It later announced a ceasefire that would disarm the ethnic Armenian separatists who had held much of the region — regarded internationally as part of Azerbaijan — since the 1990s.

NATO ally Turkiye publicly threw its support behind Azerbaijan’s “steps to preserve its territorial integrity” but it had been unclear whether Ankara played any active role in the 24-hour military operation.

“It was Azerbaijan army’s own operation, there was no direct involvement of Turkiye,” a Turkish Defense Ministry official said on Thursday.

“Turkiye’s cooperation with Azerbaijan in military training and army modernization has been underway for a long time. The Azerbaijani army’s success in the latest operation clearly shows the level they achieved,” the official said.

He also said a joint Turkish-Russian monitoring center was still operating and was reporting on any ceasefire violations.

Turkiye, which has close linguistic, cultural and economic ties with Azerbaijan, supports efforts by Baku and Yerevan to build peaceful relations, the official added.

In a phone call late on Wednesday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan reaffirmed Ankara’s support to his Azeri counterpart Ilham Aliyev.

“President Erdogan reiterated Turkiye’s heartfelt support for Azerbaijan,” the presidency said in a statement.

President Aliyev trumpeted victory in a televised address to the nation, saying his country’s military had restored its sovereignty in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Representatives from Nagorno-Karabakh and the Azerbaijan government met for talks on Thursday to discuss the future of the breakaway region that Azerbaijan claims to fully control following this week’s military offensive. Azerbaijan’s state news agency said the talks had ended but provided no details on whether an agreement was reached. 

Nagorno-Karabakh authorities and the news agency earlier said the talks between regional leaders and Azerbaijan’s government would focus on Nagorno-Karabakh’s “reintegration” into Azerbaijan.

Nagorno-Karabakh human rights ombudsman Gegham Stepanyan said at least 200 people, including 10 civilians, were killed and more than 400 others were wounded in the fighting. 

French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with Aliyev and “condemned Azerbaijan’s decision to use force ... at the risk of worsening the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh and compromising ongoing efforts to achieve a fair and lasting peace,” the French presidential office said.

Macron “stressed the need to respect” the ceasefire and “to provide guarantees on the rights and security of the people of Karabakh, in line with international law.”

Azerbaijan presidential aide Hikmet Hajjiyev said the government was “ready to listen to the Armenian population of Karabakh regarding their humanitarian needs.”