Thousands of teachers protest in Nepal against education bill, shutting schools across the country | AP News

Thousands of teachers protest in Nepal against education bill, shutting schools across the country | AP News

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Schools for millions of students in Nepal were closed Friday as tens of thousands of teachers protested in the capital against an education reform bill in parliament.Teachers have been demonstrating in Kathmandu since Wednesday against the School Education Bill while teachers’ groups negotiate with government leaders over changes to the legislation.

Continue reading

A tale of two teams: Taliban send all-male team to Asian Games but Afghan women come from outside | AP News

A tale of two teams: Taliban send all-male team to Asian Games but Afghan women come from outside | AP News

HANGZHOU, China (AP) — In the first Asian Games since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, two teams of athletes are arriving in the Chinese city of Hangzhou, looking very different.One, sent from Afghanistan where women are now banned by the Taliban from participating in sports, consists of about 130 all-male athletes, who will participate

Continue reading

Cyprus calls on the EU to rethink Syrian safe zones for eventually repatriating Syrian migrants | AP News

Cyprus calls on the EU to rethink Syrian safe zones for eventually repatriating Syrian migrants | AP News

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cyprus has formally called on the European Union to re-evaluate which areas of Syria can be declared safe and free from armed conflict so that Syrian migrants can eventually be repatriated there, the Cypriot Interior Ministry said Friday.Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou was the sole official to raise the issue during July’s

Continue reading

Authorities in Indian-controlled Kashmir free a key Muslim cleric after years of house arrest | AP News

Authorities in Indian-controlled Kashmir free a key Muslim cleric after years of house arrest | AP News

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Indian authorities released a key Muslim cleric after four years of house arrest and allowed him to lead Friday prayers in Srinagar, the main city of Indian-controlled Kashmir, according to mosque authorities. Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has been spearheading protests against Indian rule in the disputed region. He was detained ahead of

Continue reading

Microsoft’s revamped $69 billion deal for Activision gets closer to UK approval | AP News

Microsoft’s revamped $69 billion deal for Activision gets closer to UK approval | AP News

LONDON (AP) — British competition regulators signaled Friday that Microsoft’s restructured $69 billion deal to buy video game maker Activision Blizzard is likely to receive antitrust approval. The Competition and Markets Authority said the revamped proposal “substantially addresses previous concerns” about stifling competition in the fast-growing cloud gaming market, which frees players from buying expensive

Continue reading

A peace forum in Ethiopia is postponed as deadly clashes continue in the country’s Amhara region | AP News

A peace forum in Ethiopia is postponed as deadly clashes continue in the country’s Amhara region | AP News

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A prominent peace forum in Ethiopia has been postponed as clashes between the federal government and fighters from a major ethnic group continue to destabilize the region.The Tana High-Level Forum on Security in Africa said in a statement Thursday that the annual gathering of African leaders, set for October, has been

Continue reading

China, at UN, presents itself as a member of the Global South as alternative to a Western model | AP News

China, at UN, presents itself as a member of the Global South as alternative to a Western model | AP News

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — China told assembled world leaders Thursday that it considers itself part of the Global South, saying it identifies with the goals and challenges of less-developed nations and offering them an alternative to what it has long called “Western hegemony.” The message came from a second-tier official after the country’s powerful president

Continue reading