📌 Afghan Girls’ Education Ban, Monkeypox, More

At least 1.4 million girls in Afghanistan have been denied access to secondary education since the Taliban returned to power in 2021.

United Nations' cultural agency UNESCO said today on the third anniversary of Taliban rule that access to primary education had fallen, with 1.1 million fewer girls and boys attending school.

UNESCO said, ”In just three years, the de facto authorities have almost wiped out two decades of steady progress for education in Afghanistan.

There are now nearly 2.5 million girls deprived of their right to education—80% of Afghan school-age girls, the UN agency said. Afghanistan is the only country to stop girls and women from attending secondary schools and universities.

The Taliban administration, which is not recognized by any other country, has imposed restrictions on women that the UN has described as “gender apartheid.”

Primary pupil enrolment has also fallen. Afghanistan had only 5.7 million girls and boys in primary school in 2022, compared with 6.8 million in 2019, UNESCO said.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared Wednesday that the monkeypox outbreak in Africa is a global health emergency.

WHO convened its emergency committee amid concerns that a deadlier strain of the virus, clade Ib, had reached four unaffected African countries. This strain had been contained to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Since January, over 17,000 monkeypox cases and 500 deaths have been reported in 13 countries in Africa, said the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most cases—over 14,000—are in the DRC, which reported 96% of confirmed cases this month.

Monkeypox spreads from people and infected animals through close contact and contaminated materials like sheets and clothing. Symptoms include a fever, painful rash, headache, muscle and back pain, low energy and enlarged lymph nodes.

WHO previously declared the spread of monkeypox a global health emergency in July 2022 and ended that declaration in May 2023.

Sensitive personal data stolen from National Public Data has been released on a hacker forum, triggering major security concerns.

The breach, which includes social security numbers and other sensitive data, could power a raft of identity theft, fraud and other crimes, said the US Public Information Research Group.

The hacking group USDoD claimed in April to have stolen 2.9 billion personal information records employers, private investigators, and others use for background checks.

Last week, a purported member of USDoD told the hacking forum that they were offering “the full NPD database,” which includes a person’s full name, address, date of birth, social security number and phone number.

National Public Data has not formally notified affected individuals but claims to have purged the database and is investigating.

Experts advise freezing credit files at the three major credit bureaus, Experian, Equifax and TransUnion, to prevent unauthorized financial activity using stolen information.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said bargaining with the US and Israel to normalize Saudi-Israeli ties is putting his life at risk.

The crown prince, often referred to as MBS, compares his plight to Egyptian leader Anwar Sadat’s assassination post-peace deal. He emphasizes the need for a secure and stable resolution.

MBS insists any agreement must include credible steps toward a Palestinian state to ensure regional stability and justice. The recent Gaza conflict has heightened Arab fury.

But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed never to allow for the creation of a Palestinian state, as have far-right members of his governing coalition.

MBS said talks must also include US security guarantees, nuclear aid, and economic investments, while Saudi Arabia limits China relations and normalizes ties with Israel.

MBS’s framing is seen as a strategic push for US pressure on Israel, highlighting his high-stakes gamble for Saudi Arabia’s future. His position as the custodian of Islamic holy sites adds to the complexity.

A high school in London is replacing teachers with AI tools such as ChatGPT to help some students prepare for exams.

At David Game College in September, 20 15-year-old students will use AI tools in English, mathematics, biology, chemistry, and computer science for a year before taking their GCSE exams.

John Dalton, co-principal of the fee-paying school, said: “Students can learn at their own pace rather than having to keep pace with a class.” Three full-time learning coaches will support the students and receive personalized learning paths.

Dalton said students might also find it helpful to ask the AI-powered learning assistant questions they might feel uncomfortable asking a teacher during class.

Dalton wants the time AI saves to enable students to focus on self-awareness, critical thinking, active citizenship, digital literacy, artistic expression, public speaking, and entrepreneurship.

JK Rowling and Elon Musk have been named in a cyberbullying lawsuit filed in France by Olympic champion boxer Imane Khelif.

Khelif, the subject of a global gender eligibility row during her Olympic run, became Algeria’s first gold medallist in women’s boxing and its first boxer since 1996 to win gold.

Khelif’s lawyer filed a criminal complaint over alleged “acts of cyber-harassment” to the Paris public prosecutor’s office. The lawsuit claims Khelif faced “misogynistic, racist, and sexist” abuse online after her gender eligibility was questioned.

Khelif faced accusations over her gender after it was revealed that she was banned from competing in the 2023 Boxing World Championships because she failed a gender eligibility test.

The test was administered by the International Boxing Association (IBA), discredited over corruption and financial transparency, and was disputed by the International Olympic Committee.

High-profile figures, including Rowling and Musk, posted controversial comments about Khelif on social media. Khelif’s coach, Pedro Diaz, said the boxer's bullying during the Olympics “incredibly affected her” and “everyone around her.”

A wedding ring lost on a Kentucky couple's property was found over 60 years later.

Barbara Gregory said her husband, Glenn, lost his wedding ring just two months after their wedding in 1963. The ring was lost near the tree they planted after returning from their honeymoon.

Despite a long search, it never turned up. Glenn Gregory died in December and was buried on the Henry County farm. Barbara Gregory hired a firm to place Glenn's grave marker, and while digging near the tree, a worker spotted something glistening in the sun.

Barbara said the ring was the first of two that her husband managed to lose over the years. She said she kept his third wedding ring instead of having it buried with him.

“I didn't send it with him. I thought maybe he might lose it on his way to heaven,” she said.