MINGORA, Pakistan: Malala Yousafzai visited the Swat valley Saturday for her first trip back to the once militant-infested Pakistani region where she was shot in the head by the Taliban more than five years ago.
“I left Swat with my eyes closed and now I am back with my eyes open,” she told AFP, referring to how she was airlifted out in a coma after the attack in 2012.
“I am extremely delighted. My dream has come true. Peace has returned to Swat because of the invaluable sacrifices rendered by my brothers and sisters,” she said at a school outside Mingora, the district’s main town, where she was escorted by the Pakistani military.
The brief trip by the 20-year-old Nobel laureate is a highly symbolic moment for Pakistan, which regularly touts Swat as a success story in its long battle with extremism as it defends itself against accusations by the US and others that its northwest remains a safe haven for militancy.
The visit — on which she was accompanied by her father, mother, and two brothers — was kept tightly under wraps.
After flying by army helicopter from Islamabad, she met with friends and family before visiting the all-boys Swat Cadet College Guli Bagh, a military-run school some 15 kilometers (nine miles) outside Mingora.
There she lingered some 45 minutes, taking photographs, before traveling back to Islamabad. The entire visit is believed to have lasted just over two hours.
Mingora is where Malala’s family was living and where she was attending school on October 9, 2012, when a gunman boarded her school bus, asked “Who is Malala?,” and shot her.
She was treated first at an army hospital then airlifted to the British city of Birmingham.
Her near-miraculous recovery, and tireless career as an education advocate, have since turned her into a global symbol for human rights, and in 2014 she became the youngest person ever to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize when she was just 17.
Her family also told AFP of their joy in coming home.
“I am unable to believe I am back in Swat and meeting my own people,” her father Ziauddin Yousafzai said, in comments echoed by her mother Toor Pekai.
The trip comes two days after Malala, currently a student at Oxford University in Britain, made her emotional return to Pakistan, where her surprise visit has been met with widespread joy and pride.
She broke down in tears as she made a televised speech on Thursday, saying it was her “dream” to be back, and has vowed to Pakistani media that she will return permanently after she has completed her education.
However, she has also been met with pockets of intense criticism. Malala is widely respected internationally, but opinion is divided in Pakistan, where some conservatives view her as a Western agent on a mission to shame her country.
There had been much speculation within the country over whether Malala would go to Swat during her visit.
The mountainous region, once a prized tourist destination famed for its pristine scenery, was overrun by the Pakistani Taliban in 2007.
The militants imposed a brutal, bloody rule, but the army drove them out in 2009. Recently restrictions on tourists visiting the area were lifted.
However, security has remained fragile, as the assault on Malala three years after the military operation demonstrated. In February this year 11 military personnel were killed in an attack, and analysts have warned the militants still have a presence there.
Residents of the area have praised Malala to AFP in recent days, crediting her with helping to generate improvements in education — especially for girls — in the deeply conservative region, part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Earlier this month an all-girls school built with money from the Malala Fund opened in Shangla district northeast of Mingora, where her family lived before moving to the city.
Malala told AFP in Swat that she could see vast changes in the area since 2012 — but added she has read reports which claim up to 50 percent of children are still out of school.
“We will have to work very hard to bring them all to school,” she vowed.
'Back with eyes open': Malala visits Pakistan district where she was shot
'Back with eyes open': Malala visits Pakistan district where she was shot
ICE arrests Palestinian activist who helped lead Columbia University protests, his lawyer says
- One of the agents told Greer by phone that they were executing a State Department order to revoke Khalil’s student visa
- Informed by the attorney that Khalil was in the US as a permanent resident with a green card, the agent said they were revoking that too, according to the lawyer
NEW YORK: A prominent Palestinian activist who helped lead Columbia University’s student encampment movement was arrested Saturday night by federal immigration authorities who claimed they were acting on a State Department order to revoke his green card, according to his attorney.
Mahmoud Khalil was at his university-owned apartment blocks from Columbia’s Manhattan campus when several Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents entered the building and took him into custody, his attorney, Amy Greer, told The Associated Press.
One of the agents told Greer by phone that they were executing a State Department order to revoke Khalil’s student visa. Informed by the attorney that Khalil, who graduated in December, was in the United States as a permanent resident with a green card, the agent said they were revoking that too, according to the lawyer.
The arrest comes as President Donald Trump vows to deport foreign students and imprison “agitators” involved in protests against Israel’s war in Gaza. The administration has placed particular scrutiny on Columbia, announcing Friday that it would be cutting $400 million in grants and contracts because of what the government describes as the Ivy League school’s failure to squelch antisemitism on campus.
The authorities declined to tell Khalil’s wife, who is eight months pregnant, why he was being detained, Greer said. Khalil has since been transferred to an immigration detention facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
“We have not been able to get any more details about why he is being detained,” Greer told The AP. “This is a clear escalation. The administration is following through on its threats.”
A spokesperson for Columbia said law enforcement agents must produce a warrant before entering university property. The spokesperson declined to say if the school had received a warrant for Khalil’s arrest.
Messages seeking comment were left with the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security and ICE.
Khalil had become one of the most visible faces of the pro-Palestinian movement at Columbia. As Columbia students erected tents on campus last spring, Khalil was picked to serve as a negotiator on behalf of students and met frequently with university administrators.
When classes resumed in September, he told The Associated Press that the protests would continue: “As long as Columbia continues to invest and to benefit from Israeli apartheid, the students will continue to resist.”
Saudi Ambassador to Japan highlights the country’s attractions ahead of Osaka Expo
- The tour — held in various parts of Japan — aims to show how Saudi Arabia is not just a distant place, but a relevant and engaging destination for all
TOKYO: Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Japan Dr. Ghazi Faisal Binzagr attended the Tokyo stop of the “Meet Saudi Arabia Tour” to promote the Kingdom’s pavilion at the Osaka Kansai Expo, which opens on April 13.
The tour — held in various parts of Japan — aims to show how Saudi Arabia is not just a distant place, but a relevant and engaging destination for all.
Ambassador Binzagr, emphasizing the unique aspects of Saudi Arabia’s “rich culture and a fascinating history,” believes these elements have a special appeal to the people of Japan.
“We have beautiful, exciting things to showcase, but this is just a small glimpse of what we have to show about the past, the present and the future of Saudi Arabia,” Ambassador Binzagr told Arab News Japan.
“There are lots of things that you can touch and feel about our culture, from our heritage, from the emotion of our cities today and our life in the midst of a very exciting transformation that we are undergoing in Saudi Arabia.”
The Tour offers visitors a chance to experience various aspects of Saudi culture, including Saudi Arabian coffee and date pairing, a cooking demonstration of traditional sweets, and traditional Saudi music and costumes.
“We’re counting down to the last days before our opening in Osaka,” Ambassador Binzagr said about the Expo. “We’re almost completed and ready. I had the privilege of touring the site two days ago, and the final touches are being made now. With glimpses of the future we’re heading towards, I am very excited to welcome everyone to Osaka.”
One of the main themes of the Saudi Arabian pavilion is the building itself. The pavilion has been described as a “masterpiece” and is said to embody the flow of Saudi Vision 2030 and the transformation from past to future, sensitivity to the environment, and design elements that blend heritage with technology and vision.
“Looking at it, I see the transformation of Saudi Arabia and what’s happening in our vibrant country,” Dr. Binzagr said. “But our focus is not just on the present, but also on the promising future of Saudi Arabia. We want to inspire people with the potential and relevance of our future. We want people to see a sample of it so that they think not just about joining us in Osaka, but beyond that to visiting our country.”
Thematically, it projects an invitation to the world to step inside Saudi Arabia and to experience it. The building itself aims to reflect harmony – melding the desert environment with architectural aspects that both shield people from nature’s elements and celebrates those elements at the same time.
US Secret Service shoots armed man near White House: spokesman
- Man had been hospitalized and his condition was “unknown”
- Statement did not specify whether the White House or Trump may have been his intended target
WASHINGTON: US Secret Service agents shot an armed man near the White House during the night, an agency spokesman said early Sunday, while President Donald Trump was spending the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.
The man had been hospitalized and his condition was “unknown,” the spokesman said in a statement that did not specify whether the White House or Trump may have been the intended target.
No injuries to Secret Service agents were reported, according to the statement posted by spokesman Anthony Guglielmi on social media platform X.
The agents had been warned by local police of a “suicidal” man traveling to Washington from Indiana and around midnight found his parked vehicle near 17th and F Streets, the statement said — very near the White House.
They then spotted an individual nearby who matched the description they had been given, the statement said.
“As officers approached, the individual brandished a firearm and an armed confrontation ensued, during which shots were fired by our personnel,” the statement said.
“The suspect was transported to an area hospital and his condition is unknown,” it said, adding that Washington police were investigating.
Bangladeshi businesses seek closer ties with UAE on skills development, trade
- Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry recently signed MoUs with Dubai, Sharjah chambers
- Bangladeshi private sectors see UAE as ‘major gateway’ to Middle East, North Africa
Dhaka: Bangladeshi businesses are seeking closer ties with the UAE on skills development, trade and investments, the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry said on Sunday after it signed agreements with its Emirati counterparts to strengthen economic cooperation.
The UAE is Bangladesh’s largest trading partner in the Middle East, with their bilateral trade volume valued at around $2 billion in 2024.
The Gulf state — home to about 1.2 million Bangladeshi expats — is also Bangladesh’s fifth-largest foreign investor.
DCCI President Taskeen Ahmed led a 29-member business delegation to the UAE last month, where he signed preliminary agreements with the Dubai Chambers and the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry to boost trade and investments between their two countries.
Bangladeshi businesses are eyeing cooperation in a number of key areas, including trade and market access, energy and financial sectors, tourism and hospitality, infrastructure and logistics, Ahmed said.
“Closer trade relations between Bangladesh and the UAE present a significant opportunity to strengthen our economic landscape across multiple sectors. I firmly believe that enhanced trade ties with the UAE can be a game-changer for Bangladesh,” he told Arab News.
“The UAE serves as a major gateway to the Middle East, North Africa, and beyond. Expanding our trade partnership will create greater market access for Bangladeshi products.”
The Dhaka Chamber is also seeking stronger collaboration in technology and skills development.
“The UAE is highly advanced in digital infrastructure, logistics, and financial services. Stronger collaboration can facilitate knowledge transfer and capacity-building, helping Bangladeshi industries adopt global best practices, enhance productivity, and become more competitive,” Ahmed added.
Under the newly signed memoranda of understanding, DCCI is set to collaborate with its Emirati counterparts “to promote bilateral trade, investment matchmaking and joint economic discussions,” with activities focused on exchanging trade delegations and strengthening business networking platforms.
“To further boost collaboration, Bangladesh aims to activate the Bangladesh-UAE Business Council, focusing on trade finance, private equity, and expanding Islamic finance,” Ahmed said.
Business leaders from the two countries are also involved in discussions to set up training centers “to improve the skill set of Bangladeshi workers” who are seeking employment in the UAE, while a direct shipping route between Chattogram and Dubai is being discussed to enhance trade efficiency.
“I believe that this mutual cooperation will enhance the value of our national bilateral relations … These initiatives will further deepen the economic and trade relationship between Bangladesh and the UAE following the MoU signing.”
Russia says captures another east Ukraine village
MOSCOW: Russia announced Sunday the capture of another eastern Ukrainian village, in the Donetsk region, as its forces advanced toward the central Dnipropetrovsk region.
The defence ministry said in a briefing that its troops had captured the village of Kostyantynopil, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of the Russia-controlled city of Donetsk.
Russian troops have been advancing steadily in the Donetsk region and are now close to Dnipropetrovsk, which so far has been free of fighting. Kostyantynopil is around 13 kilometres (eight miles) from the regional border line.
The village was founded in the 18th century by Greek settlers from Crimea, who named it after the ancient city of Constantinople.
