Author: Staff Writers

[ad_1] For more than 10 years, Fereshta Abbasi has investigated and documented human rights violations in Afghanistan. Currently, she is a researcher in the Asia division of Human Rights Watch. Before that she was a legal advisor at the International Development Law Organization, where one of her duties involved the development of legal skills for Afghanistan’s justice personnel. She holds a master’s degree in international law and strategic studies from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland.?  Zan Times interviewed her in May 2023 to learn about her role in documenting human rights violations, especially against women and religious and sexual minorities,…

[ad_1] In the online travel booking world, it’s all about features, and holiday travel planners just got a new BFF – Google Flights. The online airfare and reservation aggregator has added a new “cheapest time to book” feature, one designed to clue consumers in on when airfares are likely to be lowest for a specific destination. Google Flights users can already see whether search prices are low, typical, or high compared to averages for the same route and set up price alerts. Using reliable trend data, users can now also see the cheapest time to book based on the selected dates…

[ad_1] Geoff Bennett: Welcome to the “NewsHour.”On this Labor Day, President Biden has touted unions and played down the threat of an autoworker. The president spoke today in Philadelphia. He emphasized the number of jobs created since he took office and noted the new energy of organized labor.Separately, the president said he does not think the United Auto Workers will walk out. But with a strike deadline just 10 days away, the union’s leader said — quote — “He must know something we don’t.”Russian President Vladimir Putin says he’s not ready to renew a deal on Ukrainian grain shipments just…

[ad_1] Shakira’s hips don’t lie, and neither do these photos when it comes to how great of a weekend she’s having with her little ones … just take a look for yourself. The Colombian singer was down in Miami Monday with her two children, Milan and Sasha, and what appear to be a few friends of theirs … who got treated to a little jet ski excursion on the water, with Mama Bear leading the way. Check it out … you see Shakira taking a couple of the boys along for a ride — with everyone wearing life vests ……

[ad_1] Responding to the inaugurationof Emmerson Mnangagwa for his second term as President amid a political climate of fear and reports of multiple human rights abuses, including arbitrary arrests, abductions and torture of opposition party activists, Khanyo Farisè, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Southern Africa, said: “President Mnangagwa’s inauguration for his second term as President has been severely blighted by reports of attacks against opposition party activists and threats against those trying to organize peaceful protests amid a growing crackdown on human rights, especially the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association. President Mnangagwa’s inauguration for his second…

[ad_1] Landmark report says invasive species are a major threat to biodiversity and require countries to work together to stop their spread.Australia has been battling for years to rid itself of the invasive cane toad, but to no avail. Native to South and Central America, the creature was first introduced into the state of Queensland in 1935 to control beetles that were destroying lucrative sugarcane crops. It soon escaped into the wild and now, despite regular and sometimes brutal extermination campaigns, has expanded its territory across the northern coast and into the west. The cane toad is one of more…

[ad_1] “Fire Island is a very special place, especially for queer people,” Jimi Urquiaga, a.k.a. Missleidy Rodriguez, told me. While that might seem like a statement of the obvious, Urquiaga has experienced the island from an atypical vantage point: for the past two summers, they’ve been packing up their life in New York City as a costume designer, producer, creative director and drag queen to come work at the Pines’ plant shop, CAMP. Urquiaga called me on their break, sitting behind a desk at the plant shop, with a view overlooking the bay. “So that’s the fantasy,” they said with…

[ad_1] Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. LONDON — Prime Minister Rishi Sunak sees himself as a problem-solver. But the task of fixing his own leadership style may prove too much, even for him. With the Tories lagging far behind in the polls and having suffered two big by-election defeats in July, the party is demanding a “reset” of both Sunak’s approach to governing and his broader vision for the country. MPs and other Conservative insiders say they would like to see the PM demonstrate with more aggression and passion that he is on the…

[ad_1] Gary Wright has died after a long battle with his health … TMZ has learned. Justin Wright, Gary’s son, tells us his father passed away Monday morning at his home in Palos Verdes Estates, CA — which is in the South Bay. We’re told he’d been diagnosed with Parkinson’s about 5 or 6 years ago, as well as Lewy body dementia shortly thereafter. Gary’s Parkinson’s progressed rapidly over the past year, and Justin says his dad eventually lost the ability to move around and speak. Over the past few days, we’re told, nurses who were working at Gary’s home…

[ad_1] Hosted by the Kenya Government and the African Union Commission, thousands of state and non-state delegates are set to participate in the inaugural Africa Climate Summit and several parallel public events this coming week. An important moment, the Summit Declaration must announce ambitious, sustainable, and long-lasting climate commitments and avoid the dangerous distraction of focusing only on carbon markets.  The Summit Declaration must announce ambitious, sustainable, and long-lasting climate commitments and avoid the dangerous distraction of focusing only on carbon markets. Irungu Houghton and David Ngira, Amnesty International Within the first year of his presidency, President William Ruto has…