Connect with us

Lifestyle

Taliban investigating US ‘claim’ of killing al-Qaeda chief

Published

on

Taliban investigating US ‘claim’ of killing al-Qaeda chief

Taliban consultant to the UN says the Afghan authorities and group’s management is ‘not conscious’ of what’s being claimed.

The Taliban says it’s investigating a “declare” by the US that it killed al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri in a drone assault in Kabul, says a Taliban official, indicating the group’s management was not conscious of his presence there.

The US mentioned it killed al-Zawahiri with a missile fired from a drone whereas he stood on a balcony at his Kabul hiding place on Sunday.

US officers mentioned the killing was the largest blow to the armed group since its founder, Osama bin Laden was shot useless greater than 10 years in the past.

“The federal government and the management wasn’t conscious of what’s being claimed, nor any hint there,” Suhail Shaheen, the designated Taliban consultant to the United Nations, who relies in Doha, informed journalists in a message.

Advertisement

“Investigation is below means now to seek out out in regards to the veracity of the declare,” he mentioned, including that the outcomes of the investigation could be shared publicly.

Taliban leaders have remained largely tight-lipped in regards to the Sunday drone raid and haven’t confirmed the presence or dying of al-Zawahiri – one of many world’s most wished males – in Kabul.

Prime Taliban leaders have been holding prolonged discussions about how to reply to the US drone assault, three sources within the group informed the Reuters information company.

How the Taliban react may have important repercussions because the group seeks worldwide legitimacy and entry to billions of {dollars} in frozen funds, following their defeat of a US-backed authorities a 12 months in the past.

Al-Zawahiri, an Egyptian physician, was wished for the September 11, 2001, assaults on the US.

Advertisement

His dying in Kabul raises questions on whether or not he acquired sanctuary from the Taliban, who had assured the US as a part of a 2020 settlement on the withdrawal of US-led forces that they’d not harbour different armed teams.

Shaheen mentioned the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan – the identify the Taliban use for the nation and their authorities – was dedicated to the settlement, signed within the Qatari capital, Doha.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken mentioned the Taliban had “grossly violated” the settlement by internet hosting and sheltering al-Zawahiri.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Lifestyle

Beyoncé will perform a halftime show during one of the NFL's Christmas Day games

Published

on

Beyoncé will perform a halftime show during one of the NFL's Christmas Day games

Beyonce, left, accepts the Innovator Award during the iHeartRadio Music Awards, April 1, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP


hide caption

toggle caption

Advertisement

Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

Beyoncé will perform at a halftime show during one of the NFL’s Christmas Day matchups on Netflix.

She will take the stage during a game between her hometown team, the Houston Texans, and the Baltimore Ravens, to perform songs from her latest album, Cowboy Carter.

The project was recently nominated for 11 Grammys, breaking the record for the most nominations for an album by a female artist, and placed Beyoncé as the artist with the most nominations in history, with 99.

Advertisement

Artists featured on the album could make an appearance, some of who include Miley Cyrus, Post Malone and Shaboozey, Netflix said Sunday.

Beyoncé previously performed at two Super Bowl halftime shows — in 2013 with Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland, her former Destiny’s Child bandmates, and in 2016 with Coldplay and Bruno Mars.

The game will stream on Netflix at 4:30 p.m. ET and be shown on the participating teams’ local broadcast channels. Earlier in the day, Netflix is also streaming a game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The company says it has also secured holiday games for 2025 and 2026.

Continue Reading

Lifestyle

Francis Ngannou Shuts Down Jake Paul Fight Talk, 'Don't Be Silly'

Published

on

Francis Ngannou Shuts Down Jake Paul Fight Talk, 'Don't Be Silly'

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Continue Reading

Lifestyle

With new safety update, Roblox aims to boost protection for young gamers

Published

on

With new safety update, Roblox aims to boost protection for young gamers

Roblox is rolling out a major update to its safety features and parental controls.

Roblox


hide caption

toggle caption

Advertisement

Roblox

In an effort to address child safety concerns, digital gaming platform Roblox announced Monday that it is rolling out a major update to its safety features and parental controls.

The update includes amped-up parental controls and communication restrictions for players under 13.

“Any instance of a child being hurt or put in danger that has anything to do with Roblox is just absolutely unacceptable for us,” Roblox’s chief safety officer, Matt Kaufman, told Here & Now on Monday. “We make safety our number one priority.”

Advertisement

Roblox has been criticized for a lack of child safety protocols in the past. These updates look to change that.

“You’re seeing lawsuits filed across the country alleging child safety concerns on these big platforms that attract children,” Olivia Carville, a journalist covering child safety in the digital world, told Here & Now in October. “Congress, the courts, child safety advocates are really calling out for more protections for kids in this space.”

New parental controls

The update introduces remote-accessible parental controls – a change from existing controls only accessible through the child’s account. Now, a parent or guardian can use their own Roblox account to manage and monitor their child’s gaming experience.

In addition to the already existing spend limits, which allow parents to manage how much real money a child spends on in-game purchases, parents can now also see their child’s friends list and set a hard limit on screen time for the game.

Advertisement

The new parental controls will also allow adults to restrict what content their child can access using four new categories to filter content: minimal, mild, moderate, and restricted.

Players younger than 9 years old will be allowed to access the minimal and moderate categories by default. Parents can enable the other two categories depending on what they feel is appropriate.

Dr. Michael Rich, a pediatrician and director of the Center on Media and Child Health at Boston Children’s Hospital, told NPR that though general age-based protocols are a step in the right direction, they’re not a catch-all answer to child safety online.

“It finally comes down to the parents’ understanding and judgment of how well their child takes responsibility and respect for themselves and others in that space,” Rich said, adding that Roblox is more of a social scene rather than an average game.

Restricting DMs

Advertisement

In a further attempt to mitigate inappropriate content and communication for their young gamers, Roblox players under 13 can no longer Direct Message anyone in the game. They will still be able to communicate with other players using platform chat, the public chat room in games where everyone can see messages online.

Kaufman said that as many as 50,000 messages could be going across the Roblox systems at any moment. The company uses enhanced AI to determine whether to let certain messages through and filter out messages that do not meet its standards.

The new built-in restriction comes after years of concern over children meeting adults in private, unrestricted chat rooms.

Carville has investigated multiple criminal indictments where children were harmed or even abducted after meeting a predator anonymously on Roblox. In one instance, a game developer was arrested for kidnapping after hiring an Uber to drive a 15-year-old girl he met on Roblox across state lines. In another, a registered sex offender solicited nude photos from an 8-year-old girl in exchange for Robux, the platform’s in-game currency.

“As [Roblox grows], it gets harder and harder to moderate the platform,” Carville told Here & Now. “Looking forward, parents really need to know what the risks are and what they’re comfortable with their children doing.”

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending