Author: Bobby Bob Obrien

After Tajiks were charged with a deadly attack in Moscow, the country has cracked down on signs of Islam. But experts say it’s not addressing the causes of terrorism. People in Tajikistan were expecting a government crackdown after Tajik men were arrested and charged with a terrorist attack on a Moscow concert hall in March. But it still seemed excessive to Nilufar, a 27-year-old education professional, when she saw local authorities with scissors outside a K.F.C. in Dushanbe, Tajikistan’s capital, trimming beards that were deemed too long. Excessive, but not so surprising. In the span of a month, Nilufar herself…

It’s wonderful to be here in Cabo Verde and the port of Praia. We start this trip to Africa here in Cabo Verde because it is quite literally a gateway to Africa for countries around the world, including for the United States. And a big part of that gateway is this port. One of the things I’m very proud of is the fact that, thanks to the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the United States was able to invest significantly in modernizing and upgrading this port so that its capacity was dramatically expanded in terms of the number of ships that it…

The United States, United Kingdom, and Canada have imposed coordinated sanctions against 14 individuals and entities for their involvement in Southeast Asia’s monstrous online scamming industry. According to a statement from the U.K. government on Friday, the sanctions target nine individuals and five entities for their involvement in human trafficking connected to online “scam farms” in Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar. All of these have been responsible for supporting or benefitting from the trafficking of individuals who were forced to work as scammers and “were subject to torture, physical abuse and further cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment.” The 14 individuals and entities included…

The spectre of former President Donald Trump loomed large over the US Capitol on Tuesday as House Republicans met to choose a new Speaker candidate. While Mr Trump has not publicly endorsed a candidate, he has had a contentious relationship with the frontrunner, Minnesota’s Tom Emmer. It has now been 21 days since the House of Representatives has had a Speaker, leaving it unable to function. Mr Trump’s preferred candidate, Jim Jordan, dropped out last week. ADVERTISEMENT On Tuesday morning, Republican House representatives gathered in an office building near the Capitol to begin a series of secret-ballot votes, which will…

Police have launched a manhunt for a suspect accused of shooting five people at a university in Maryland on Tuesday, officials have said. Students at Morgan State University in Baltimore were gathered for homecoming festivities when gunfire erupted and scattered the crowd. Four men and one woman, aged 18 to 22, were injured. Police said the number of shooters remained unknown. There have been 531 mass shootings this year, Gun Violence Archive data shows. The shooting on Tuesday night at the historically black university disrupted the school’s homecoming events, an important tradition at historically black colleges and typically one of…

An elite law firm has rescinded job offers for three Ivy League students associated with letters that expressed support for Palestinians and blamed Israel for the Hamas attacks. Davis Polk & Wardwell said the views “are in direct contravention of our firm’s value system”. It added that student leaders who signed onto the statements are “no longer welcome in our firm”. The students, who have not been named, attend Harvard and Columbia. However, an email sent by the managing partner, Neil Barr and seen by the BBC, indicates that a door has potentially been left open for a reversal of…

NFL superstar and rumoured Taylor-Swift-sweetheart Travis Kelce is beginning to grow weary of the league’s coverage of her presence at games. “I think they’re overdoing it a little bit for sure,” Kelce, 33, said in his New Heights podcast on Wednesday. But the NFL has defended its coverage of the popstar, saying it’s a “pop culture moment”. TV cameras were glued to Swift during her attendance at Kelce’s last game on Sunday. The Swift-Kelce media coverage exploded when the Anti-Hero singer first attended a Kansas City Chiefs game on 24 September and was seen leaving Arrowhead Stadium in a convertible…

Frankfurt, Brussels (6/10 – 27) While Tajik authorities have not been able to lay their hands on their activist opponents living in Europe, they are able to turn the screws on their families and relatives, back in the old country. The recent case of arrest of family members took place shortly after President Emomali Rahmon’s visit to Germany, to attend a summit of Central Asian leaders, at the end of last month. Throughout Rahmon’s visit, he was trailed by demonstrators holding up placards bearing pictures of political prisoners and calling him a dictator. When Rahmon headed to the Bundestag on…

As the death toll from the deadliest US wildfire in more than a century ticks towards 100 on the Hawaiian island of Maui, anger is growing among residents who say government inaction contributed to the heavy loss of life. Officials have confirmed 96 deaths and warned that the figure was likely to rise as recovery crews with cadaver dogs worked their way through hundreds of homes and burned-out vehicles in Lahaina. The historic coastal town was almost completely destroyed by the fast-moving inferno on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week, and survivors say there had been no warnings. When asked on…

A federal judge in the United States has sided with youth activists who accuse Montana state agencies of violating their constitutional rights to a clean and healthy environment. In a ruling on Monday, District Court Judge Kathy Seeley found that the policy the US state uses to evaluate requests for fossil fuel permits is unconstitutional. She pointed to the fact that the policy — part of the Montana Environmental Policy Act — prevents the state government from weighing the harmful effects of greenhouse gas emissions. “Montana’s emissions and climate change have been proven to be a substantial factor in causing climate impacts…