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FOREIGN

Girls at Malala school in Shangla still study under fear

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SHANGLA: Dozens of girls in grey-and-white uniforms trooped into a building beneath a pine-covered ridge in Pakistan’s mountainous Shangla district Friday for classes at the school built with Malala Yousafzai’s Nobel Prize money.

The Khpal Kor Model School, three storeys tall and with a computer lab, playground and library, is a symbol of the change that Malala has helped bring to a deeply conservative region where she was once one among many girls struggling to receive an education.

But with many parents afraid to speak to the media for fears the building would be targeted by militants, it is also a sign of how far Pakistan has to go in its long battle with extremism, even in a region that it regularly touts as a security success story.
“We don’t want this school to be publicised because if it happens, militants will target it,” one parent said on condition of anonymity.

Have dreamed of coming back to Pakistan for five years: Malala Yousafzai

Opened just over two weeks ago, the building hosts 183 students, most between the ages of five and 12. Thirty-eight of them are orphans.

The road leading to its solid yellow gate is paved only partially, and girls walking up it are often escorted by fathers or elder brothers.

Some, said principal Sajid Shah, are transported by the school — an initiative paid for, along with the books, uniforms, tuition for the orphans and poorer students, teachers’ salaries and the building itself, by the Malala Fund.

 

Police have promised they will soon deploy three officers to guard the campus. When AFP visited Friday, they had not yet arrived.

The school is built on the outskirts of Shahpur, a town in Malala’s home district of Shangla — part of the region known as Swat, the scenic valley once infested by the Pakistani Taliban.

In 2007, the militants took control, waging a campaign of beheadings, other violence and attacks on girls’ schools before the army deployed 30,000 troops in 2009, declaring it secure by July that year.

Since then Pakistani and at times US officials have held up Swat — recently designated a safe tourism destination once more — as a success story in the country’s fight against Taliban and al Qaeda-linked militants.

But critics have long warned that Pakistan is not doing enough to fight the root causes of extremism, and beneath the surface peace in Swat was always fragile, as the attack on Malala herself three years later demonstrated.

By then she and her family had moved to Mingora, the main town in neighbouring Swat district — also part of the Swat region — and it was there that gunmen stopped her school bus on October 9, 2012, asked for her by name, and shot her in the head.

Her near-miraculous survival and subsequent fierce education campaigns have turned her into an instantly recognisable force for human rights.

But her emotional return to Pakistan Thursday for the first time since the shooting has refocused attention on Swat.

Security there has improved “significantly”, analyst Rahimullah Yusufzai said Friday, but rare attacks — such as one that killed 11 soldiers in Swat on February 18 — show the danger is not yet over years on.

Love and hate: The many views of Malala Yousafzai

“They (the militants) still have their facilitators and sleeper cells there,” Yusufzai told AFP.

In Shangla, Afshaar Alam, a medical student who is guardian to his seven-year-old sister attending the Khpal Kor school, said it was the best school in the area.

However his family had opposed his decision to send her there, he said, “fearing it may be targeted”.

Militancy aside, residents in Shangla said life in Swat was changing for girls and women, particularly in a conservative region where their access to education had long been problematic.

Education is highly valued in Swat, which is also plagued with natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods that in the past have left children studying in the open air even through harsh winters.

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“I am grateful to Malala for her invaluable efforts to promote education, a task our leaders failed to accomplish,” Shangla shopkeeper Farmanullah said after dropping his three daughters at the school.

“We have just one Malala today but after a decade or so, we will have Malalas everywhere.”

There was still no word Friday on whether the 20-year-old herself would go to Swat during her brief, unannounced visit to Pakistan.

Her schedule is being kept tightly under wraps out of security fears, which Yusufzai said was telling.

“Not taking her to her hometown means they are not confident,” he said, referring to the government and military establishment.

“If the government can’t provide her security, then what does it mean?”
AFP

FOREIGN

World Number One Jannik Sinner Withdraws From The ATP Rolex Paris Masters 2024

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Jannik Sinner withdraws from Paris Masters 2024 | fab.ng

Tournament organizers announced on Tuesday that world number one Jannik Sinner (23) will not participate in the Paris Masters indoor event due to health issues.

The 23-year-old tennis star, who secured his position as year-end world number one in mid-October, suffers from an “intestinal virus contracted before he arrived in Paris.” French player Arthur Cazaux has moved up from qualifying to take Sinner’s place in the tournament draw.

Cazaux will compete against either fellow Frenchman Corentin Moutet or American Ben Shelton in his second-round match on Tuesday.

Sinner now focuses on the upcoming Masters in Turin, scheduled for November 10-17, which will feature the year’s top eight players. The Italian champion plans to defend his country’s title at the Davis Cup finals the following week in Malaga, Spain.

The tennis star has dominated the 2024 season, claiming his first two Grand Slam victories at the Australian Open and the US Open. His impressive performance includes seven tournament wins since the season began, with three Masters 1000 titles in Miami, Cincinnati, and Shanghai.

Recent developments have cast a shadow over Sinner’s achievements, as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has filed an appeal that could result in his suspension. The doping case emerged several weeks ago and remains unresolved.

Sinner’s relationship with the Paris indoor tournament has proven complicated. Last year, he withdrew from the competition before his second match, establishing a pattern that continues with this year’s withdrawal.

This latest setback interrupts what has otherwise been a remarkable year for the young Italian player, who has firmly established himself among tennis’s elite competitors through his consistent performances and major tournament victories.

Get more sports news here.

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FOREIGN

Award-Winning Actor James Earl Jones, Voice Of Darth Vader, Mufasa, Dies At 93

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James Earl Jones, Voice Of Mufasa, Dies At 93 | fab.ng

Legendary American actor James Earl Jones has passed away at 93. The internet buzzed with the heartbreaking news late Monday, September 9, 2024. Reports indicated that he died that morning, surrounded by family at his home in upstate New York, as confirmed by his representatives to TMZ.

Born on January 17, 1931, Jones captivated audiences for decades with his iconic deep voice and presence. His long career in film, television, and theatre made him one of the most recognizable and respected actors in Hollywood. He gained widespread fame for voicing Darth Vader in the “Star Wars” franchise, King Jaffe Joffer in “Coming to America”, and Mufasa in Disney’s “The Lion King”.

James Earl Jones dead - the iconic Darth Vader, Mufasa voice actor was 93 | fab.ng

Jones also made a name for himself on stage, earning a Tony Award for his lead performance in “The Great White Hope”. He continued to shine in theatre with significant roles in plays like “Fences” and “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”. His contributions to television included appearances in series like “Roots” and “The Big Bang Theory”.

James Earl Jones was one of the few performers to achieve the coveted EGOT status. Also, he has won two Emmys, a Grammy, an Honorary Oscar, and three Tony Awards. His theatre career flourished with standout performances in “The Great White Hope” in 1969 and “Fences” in 1987. His voice became a staple in pop culture, even being featured in “The Simpsons” and early episodes of “Sesame Street”.

Jones also took on many iconic Shakespearean roles, including Othello and King Lear. Beyond acting, he served in the United States Army’s 75th Rangers Regiment, adding to his legacy as a dedicated and multi-talented individual.

James Earl Jones leaves behind a towering legacy in both the entertainment world and beyond. May he rest in perfect peace.

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ENTERTAINMENT

John Cena Speaks On Not Wanting Children

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John Cena speaks on not wanting children | fab.ng

American actor and professional wrestler John Cena has recently addressed his decision to remain child-free. During a recent interview on the Club Shay Shay show, he shared his thoughts. These thoughts are on why he – at the age of 47 – and his wife have chosen not to have children.

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