Afghanistan's government backtracked on an attempt to ban schoolgirls over the age of 12 from reciting poems or singing at public events after a public outcry and criticism from cultural figures and human rights campaigners.
Days after critics said a directive sent to schools in Kabul, the capital, marked a backwards step on girls' rights, the Ministry of Education said it was committed to allowing all pupils – boys and girls - to take part in cultural and sporting activities.
It said the memo had been issued by the head of Kabul's education directorate and "does not reflect the policy of the Ministry of Education".
"The Ministry of Education is addressing the issue and afterwards the evaluation of the findings will be shared with citizens," the ministry said in a statement on March 13.
Last week's memo came as the government negotiates a power-sharing deal with the Taliban and critics said it recalled rules imposed by the extremist group that banned girls from school.
The ministry originally defended the measure on the grounds that parents had asked for their daughters to be excluded from public performances and said some pupils had complained that such commitments hindered their studies.
The memo said girl pupils aged 12 and over would be permitted to read poetry or sing only at all-female gatherings.
Under the Taliban, singing was banned in public, but since the end of the group's rule in 2001, groups of girls and boys revived the tradition of reciting well-known poems and singing anthems at school events or on national days.
The country's independent human rights commission, which was among the organisations that spoke out against the ministry's directive, said public pressure had prompted the about-face.
"The protests from various quarters forced the Ministry of Education to reconsider its decision, but questions and concerns remain in regard to human rights, particularly women and children's rights," said spokesman Zabihullah Farhang.
"We are especially concerned about human rights in regard to the ongoing peace process [with the Taliban]," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Among the well-known cultural figures who criticised the ban was Ahmad Sarmast, founding director of the country's national music institute, who launched the #IAmMySong social media protest campaign.
He urged the campaign's supporters to stay alert until the ministry issued a new decree officially reversing the ban.
"We should not rest until [the] needed decree is issued. Back to action in full force," Mr Sarmast, who also established a national women's orchestra, tweeted on Monday.
The effort to restrict schoolgirls' cultural activities comes amid increasing violence in Afghanistan, mainly assassinations of rights defenders, journalists and civilian government employees – many of them women.
Foreign donors poured billions of dollars into Afghanistan in the past two decades to help create a more open and equal society, and the ministry's move sparked international concern.
A spokesman for Britain's Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office said last week it was "seeking clarification from the Afghan Ministry of Education on these reports and any potential implications for UK-funded education work".
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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Key facilities
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
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9.30pm: Forever Young
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
SQUADS
South Africa:
JP Duminy (capt), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wkt), AB de Villiers, Robbie Frylinck, Beuran Hendricks, David Miller, Mangaliso Mosehle (wkt), Dane Paterson, Aaron Phangiso, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Tabraiz Shamsi
Bangladesh
Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Imrul Kayes, Liton Das (wkt), Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim (wkt), Nasir Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Shafiul Islam, Soumya Sarkar, Taskin Ahmed
Fixtures
Oct 26: Bloemfontein
Oct 29: Potchefstroom
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Wednesday and the pair embraced but he failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
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4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
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Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
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Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
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THE SPECS
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