International

British Authorities Name Suspect In Stabbing Spree, Calling it An Act Of Terror

Published

3 years ago

June 21, 2020

Staff Writer

London stabbings: What we know so far (via Sky News Video)

A stabbing spree in Reading West of London that killed three people in a park is being investigated as an act of terror, British authorities said Sunday. The investigation is being conducted in cooperation with the counterterrorism police, reports stipulated.

The British Thames Valley Police, who is leading the investigation, said three people were fatally stabbed and other people needed to be hospitalized. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called mass stabbing incident “appalling” as authorities scramble to investigate the scope of the terror incident.

According to authorities said the attacker was Khairi Saadallah, a 25-year-old man from Libya. He was arrested soon after the attack on suspicion of murder, according to authorities.

Saadallah was detained by police in Forbury Gardens on Saturday evening, according to the Telegraph. Moreover, witnesses claimed he approached a group of middle-aged men who had been sat drinking in the park and suddenly began stabbing at them.

The attacks took place at around 7 p.m. in the Forbury Gardens in the center of Reading, a city 40 miles west of London.

For more on this story go to the Telegraph.

Related Topics:london terror attack Terrorist

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International

Mental health crisis spikes among Afghan women after Taliban regained control two years ago

Published

2 days ago

September 21, 2023

Sara Carter Staff

The women of Afghanistan are suffering a mental health crisis since the Taliban regained power two years ago. According to a joint report from three U.N. agencies released Tuesday, approximately 70% of women experience feelings of anxiety, isolation and depression.

The numbers continue to rise, as there has already been a significant jump between April and June of this year alone, with an increase from 57% the preceding quarter.

The report, conducted by U.N. Women, the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, interviewed women online, in-person and in group consultations as well as individual telesurveys.

592 Afghan women in 22 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces took part in the study. The Associated Press reports:

They have barred women from most areas of public life and work and banned girls from going to school beyond the sixth grade. They have prohibited Afghan women from working at local and non-governmental organizations. The ban was extended to employees of the United Nations in April.

Opportunities to study continued to shrink as community-based education by international organizations was banned and home-based schooling initiatives were regularly shut down by the de facto authorities — a term use by the U.N. for the Taliban government.

Afghanistan is the only country in the world with restrictions on female education and the rights of Afghan women and children are on the agenda of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

The report also served as a vessel for Afghan women to send a message to the rest of the world: do not validate the Taliban government. Forty-six percent of women said international recognition of the Taliban government should not happen under any circumstances, while 50% warned that recognition should only occur under specific conditions contingent on improving women’s rights.

The report notes that the women expressed concern that recognition would only encourage the Taliban government to continue becoming stricter in their policies and practices against women and girls.

Afghan women had specific ideas and suggestions: they “urged the international community to continue political and economic sanctions against the Taliban, including by not granting exemptions to a travel ban. They urged an increase in engagement with the Taliban on gender equality and women’s rights, including by engaging community and religious leaders in awareness and advocacy efforts” writes the Associated Press.