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28 August 2026

Inside Afghanistan’s Secret Schools for Girls

Downunder Voices Newsroom

Source reporting: New York Times World

Inside Afghanistan’s Secret Schools for Girls

The Taliban have banned education for millions of Afghan girls. Times journalists examined classrooms where students, teachers and parents continue to resist by defying the rules.

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Downunder Voices provides an independently written summary and community perspective based on information published by the original source. The original publisher remains responsible for its reporting.

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28 August 2026

When health bosses lied on their CVs: ICAC’s corruption finding should alarm NSW patients

The Independent Commission Against Corruption has found a former senior NSW Health employee engaged in “serious corruption”, including falsifying CVs and nepotism, and will refer the case to the Director of Public Prosecutions. That alone demands more than routine outrage: it raises hard questions about recruitment checks, oversight inside health agencies and how public appointments are vetted. Ordinary people trust public-health institutions to appoint competent, honest managers; when those standards fail, patient safety, value for taxpayer money and confidence in the health system are all at risk. The public and parliament must press for transparent reform of hiring, stronger verification of credentials and firmer consequences so one bad appointment cannot erode care for many.

Community angle

This matters to ordinary people because ICAC found a senior NSW Health employee faked CVs and engaged in nepotism, and the case is being sent to the DPP — a direct challenge to trust in public‑health appointments.

Source: https://www.abc.net.au/news/feed/45910/rss.xmlOriginal source

28 August 2026

Inside a Secret School for Afghan Girls

Under Taliban rule, Afghan girls are officially barred from receiving an education beyond the sixth grade. Across the country, however, clandestine classrooms have emerged to defy the ban. Our Afghanistan and Pakistan bureau chief, Elian Peltier, visited one of these covert schools to meet the young women determined to learn.

Source: New York Times WorldOriginal source

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28 August 2026

Most in logistics still can’t make AI pay – the few that can think smaller

Key takeaway: BCG says just 13% of logistics firms see real returns from AI. But this week’s crop of deployments suggests the winners aren’t chasing grand visions, they’re automating the boring stuff. The gap between what logistics executives say about artificial intelligence and what they can actually show for it has become difficult to ignore. A Boston Consulting Group (BCG) report published earlier this month found that while 97% of logistics ... The post Most in logistics still can’t make AI pay – the few that can think smaller appeared first on The Loadstar .

Source: The LoadstarOriginal source

28 August 2026

‘We praise God’: Australian woman feared missing in Nepal flooding makes contact with family

Cara Severino has spoken with her parents – but still faces a trek of more than 110km to reach Kathmandu on foot ‘So desperately loved’: ADF member among dozens of Australians missing in Nepal floods as families pray for safe return How Nepali diaspora is responding to flood disaster and how Australians can help in relief effort At least 469 people have been killed and more than 1,500 are missing after a catastrophic flash flood hit the China-Nepal border on Wednesday. Cara Severino, 25, is the first of 39 Australians reported missing in the tragedy to have been confirmed safe.

Source: The Guardian WorldOriginal source

28 August 2026

Weather tracker: More extreme rain in Japan and a tornado in France

Flash flooding and mudslides in Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures, while convective storms hit western Europe After an “unprecedented” deluge in Chiba in mid-August, Japan has experienced further extreme rainfall in recent days. Moisture from the Sea of Japan brought relentless heavy rain to the prefectures of Ishikawa and Toyama on Thursday. In Himi, Toyama, 361. 5mm of rain fell in 24 hours, equivalent to half the average annual rainfall in London and Paris. Several rivers burst their banks, triggering flash floods and mudslides, felling and damaging buildings.

Source: The Guardian WorldOriginal source