The intelligence unit of the provincial police department said they are still investigating the matter, according to Rahmani, who said he spoke to police directly. So far officials are unclear on the culprit, the motive, and the potential type of poison possibly used against the school children, he added.

The investigation was prompted by accounts of 17 female students in one school on Saturday, and a day later, 60 others, mostly girls, at another school in a nearby village, Rahmani said.

“After reaching school in the morning, the students suddenly started feeling dizzy, headache, and nausea,” Rahmani said. The students were admitted to a local hospital, but 14 whose situation was more critical were transported to a hospital in the provincial capital, according to Rahmani.

The doctor spoke on the condition of anonymity, citing safety concerns.

The education of girls has become a divisive issue in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover of the country in 2021, where the group proceeded to strip away hard won freedoms for women and exclude them from public life.

Some of its most striking restrictions have been around education, with girls barred from returning to secondary schools and universities, depriving an entire generation of academic opportunities.

Following international pressure, the Taliban kept primary schools open for girls until around the age of 12, Reuters reported.

Several poisoning attacks against schoolgirls took place during Afghanistan’s previous foreign-backed government. In 2012, more than 170 women and girls were hospitalized after drinking apparently poisoned well water at a school. Local health officials blamed the acts on extremists opposed to women’s education.

Gunmen in Nigeria have killed dozens of people and kidnapped a number of children in separate attacks in two northern states, police and residents said on Sunday, the latest incidents in a region dogged by armed violence.

Armed gangs on motorbikes frequently take advantage of thinly stretched security forces in the region to kidnap villagers, motorists and students for ransom.

Residents said armed men had attacked Janbako and Sakkida villages in northwestern Zamfara state on Saturday, killing 24 people.

The gunmen also abducted several children who were collecting firewood in a forest in neighboring Gora village.

Hussaini Ahmadu and Abubakar Maradun, local residents in Janbako and Sakkida, told Reuters by phone that the gangs had earlier in the week demanded villagers pay a fee to enable them to farm their fields, but villagers did not do so.

Zamfara police spokesman Yazid Abubakar confirmed the attacks but said only 13 people had been reported killed and nine young boys and girls kidnapped.

In north central Benue state, gunmen killed 25 people and set their houses on fire during an attack on Saturday on the Imande Mbakange community, two residents said. The motive of the attack was not known.

Police did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In the world of sport, there are many reasons for games to be suspended or postponed.

Fans are used to seeing games stopped for downfalls of rain, heavy snow, injuries or even, as seen in recent days, smoke from wildfires.

But have you ever heard of bees stopping play?

#ICYMI

When bees trumped crickets…or cricketers!

Or alternately:

20,000 descend on Cork for cricket match.

Buzz us with your preferred headline. @rariohq #IP2023 #IrishCricket pic.twitter.com/RsWOOMz20X

— Cricket Ireland (@cricketireland) June 8, 2023

At a cricket festival in Ireland, a game had to be suspended as a swarm of bees descended onto the pitch forcing everyone in the vicinity to hide from the buzzy mob.

Players and umpires were pictured lying on the ground at the Mardyke in Cork, trying to avoid the 20,000 bees making themselves familiar with their new surroundings.

The bees felt so at home that they even started to make a hive near the pavilion, where lots of the spectators were sat watching.

The live stream showing the event declared “bees stop play” as the presence of the bees near the clubhouse meant the game had to be suspended for 112 minutes before it could be restarted.

Mauro Dias, who works for local bee rescue service Buzz of Nature, was then called into action to save the day.

The local beekeeper arrived at the cricket ground and found the queen bee – rescuing the cricket fans, players, and umpires from the swarm.

As a result of the delay, the length of the game between the Northern Knights and the Munster Reds had to be reduced.

The Knights ended up winning the game by seven wickets, overcoming their opponents and the 20,000-strong swarm along the way.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has threatened a Women’s World Cup broadcast blackout in five major European countries over unacceptable offers of media rights for the tournament.

“The offers from broadcasters, mainly in the ‘Big 5’ European countries, are still very disappointing and simply not acceptable based on four criteria,” Infantino said at a panel discussion at the World Trade Organization headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

The UK, Spain, Italy, Germany and France are the five European countries Infantino was referring to in his remarks.

“To be very clear, it is our moral and legal obligation not to undersell the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Therefore, should the offers continue not to be fair (towards women and women’s football), we will be forced not to broadcast the FIFA Women’s World Cup into the ‘Big 5’ European countries,” Infantino added.

Australia and New Zealand will co-host the 2023 Women’s World Cup from July 20 until August 20.

Infantino urged broadcasters to pay a “fair” price for the media rights for the tournament, FIFA – the world football governing body – announced in a statement on Monday.

Infantino noted “broadcasters pay $100 to 200 million for the men’s FIFA World Cup, but they offer only $1 to 10 million for the FIFA Women’s World Cup.”

He called the current offers a “slap in the face of all the great FIFA Women’s World Cup players and indeed of all women worldwide.

“Firstly, 100% of any rights fees paid would go straight into women’s football, in our move to promote actions towards equal conditions and pay. Secondly, public broadcasters in particular have a duty to promote and invest in women’s sport,” Infantino continued.

“Thirdly, the viewing figures of the FIFA Women’s World Cup are 50-60% of the men’s FIFA World Cup (which in turn are the highest of any event), yet the broadcasters’ offers in the ‘Big 5’ European countries for the FIFA Women’s World Cup are 20 to 100 times lower than for the men’s FIFA World Cup.”

So far, FIFA has agreed to media rights deals with 156 territories for the 2023 Womens’ World Cup. Negotiations between FIFA and the “Big 5” European countries are ongoing over media rights for the tournament.

In March, Infantino announced prize money for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup will increase by 300% to $150 million with “plans to dedicate a specific portion of this payment, to go to football development with another portion to go to players.”

While the Women’s World Cup prize money is now three times the 2019 figure and 10 times more that in 2015, prior to Infantino taking over, it is still considerably lower than the $440 million total prize money awarded at the men’s World Cup in Qatar last year.

A string of sports games and practices have been postponed as smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to choke the Midwest, Northeast and Southeast parts of the United States.

Around 75 million people are under air quality alerts as wildfire smoke shrouds major US cities, with Major League Baseball (MLB), the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) forced to postpone games due to concerns over dangerous air quality.

The MLB postponed two games – one between the Detroit Tigers and the host Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park and the other between the Chicago White Sox and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium – on Wednesday due to medical and weather expert warnings about “clearing hazardous air quality conditions in both cities,” the league said in a statement.

Thursday’s game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Washington Nationals at the Nationals Park has also been rescheduled until June 22, the league confirmed Thursday. The news came after the highest level of poor air quality – level 6 of 6 – became widespread over Washington, DC, and Baltimore, according to readings from the airnow.gov website.

Meanwhile, the WNBA was forced to postpone Wednesday’s game between the New York Liberty and the Minnesota Lynx due to smoke impacting the Liberty’s home arena, with the league noting that information regarding the rescheduling of the game would be provided at a later date.

The New York Racing Association (NYRA) canceled Thursday’s training at Belmont Park due to “poor air quality conditions” affecting New York state, while in New Jersey, the NWSL postponed Wednesday night’s Challenge Cup game in Harrison and rescheduled it for August 9.

“The safety of our players, officials and fans is our top priority. Following consultation with the NWSL Medical and Operations staff, it was determined that the match could not be safely conducted based on the projected air quality index,” the NWSL said in a statement.

Smoke from Canada’s fires has periodically affected the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic for more than a week, raising concerns over the harms of persistent poor air quality.

More than nine million acres have been charred by wildfires in Canada so far this year – about 15 times the normal burned area for this point in the year – and more than 10,500 people have been evacuated from communities across Alberta.

According to the MLB, the Phillies-Tigers game will take place at 6:05 p.m. (ET) on Thursday, while the Yankees and the White Sox will now play a doubleheader beginning at 4:05 p.m. (ET) on Thursday.

The Belmont Stakes is scheduled for Saturday at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York, and the NYRA said a decision on Thursday’s live racing program will be made in the morning following a “review of the air quality conditions and forecast.”

The wildfire smoke that originated from Canada shrouded some major US cities on the Eastern Seaboard, leaving millions at risk of breathing unhealthy air and prompting the cancellation of outdoor activities ranging from school recess to Major League Baseball games.

Beyond being a health threat, the smoky skies altered the view of some iconic landmarks, particularly in hard-hit New York City.

Here’s a sampling of those views:

Around 75 million people in the United States are experiencing dangerous air conditions because of smoke from wildfires raging across Canada, with officials urging them to limit time outdoors and mask up for safety.

Forecasts show the dangerous air conditions could linger for days but are expected to slowly improve across the East heading into the weekend.

LIVE UPDATES: Millions in US under air quality alerts

It took several days for the dense smoke from the Quebec fires to reach US cities including New York, Philadelphia and Washington. In Quebec, smoke from wildfires across the region is now considerably reduced.

Without substantial new smoke entering the US, the dangerous air conditions are expected to improve. But current weather patterns suggest the smoke will be trapped in impacted areas until it can dissipate, meaning improvements will come slowly.

Here’s the latest:

New York earned the distinction of having the most polluted air quality of any city in the world Wednesday. Conditions are improving, but air quality remains at unhealthy levels.

“As of right now, the smoke models are not indicating another large plume over the city, so there’s a chance for significant improvement by tomorrow morning and throughout the day tomorrow,” Adams said Thursday. He urged residents to continue masking outdoors, preferably with an N95 mask, which city officials were providing on Wednesday.

Some schools are closing or taking precautions to limit exposure to poor air quality conditions.

Children in New York City have a planned day off Thursday. On Friday, some students that had been scheduled for in-school instruction in the city will go remote. Two school districts in New Jersey have closed due to poor air quality. Other districts are canceling after-school programs or outdoor activities and field trips. The School District of Philadelphia is encouraging students to wear masks on their way to school Thursday morning.

Check out this almost unbelievable time-lapse of wildfire smoke consuming the World Trade Center and the New York City skyline.

Those vulnerable to poor air quality, including seniors and young children, should limit time outdoors if possible.

More: https://t.co/ChRuWv7X6E pic.twitter.com/mtKtLun8lN

— NWS New York NY (@NWSNewYorkNY) June 7, 2023

Smoke from the wildfires has delivered some of the poorest air quality measures in decades, said Mark Zondlo, an atmospheric chemist specializing in air quality monitoring and professor of civil and environmental engineering at Princeton University.

“The weather pattern is such that it’s funneling that smoke plume, keeping it tight close to the ground, and it’s coming for a bullseye right for us.”

Air quality in Canada has been on the decline as the ferocious blazes triggered evacuation orders, including for about 7,000 people in the Quebecois town of Chibougamau.

US President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau discussed the wildfires’ impacts on air quality Wednesday, according to a statement from Trudeau’s office.

“Both leaders acknowledged the need to work together to address the devastating impacts of climate change,” the statement read.

Biden has directed federal firefighting resources to aid in stopping the fires, the White House said, adding that more than 600 firefighters and support personnel have already been deployed.

Biden on Thursday said it’s “very important” that communities impacted by the air pollution heed local guidance and check on their neighbors.

Meanwhile, New York state is sending forest rangers to Canada to help fight the wildfires in Quebec, Hochul announced Thursday. The first responders will depart from the Saratoga fire department on Friday.

Wildfires that lead to such poor air quality have become more common and severe as the planet warms from the impacts of human-induced climate change, experts have said.

“We typically see these impacts with wildfires in the Western US and in the Mountain West,” said Dr. Peter DeCarlo, an associate professor in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

“The East Coast is generally a little bit more insulated from this type of thing. Our forests tend to be wetter and don’t burn as much, but looking forward with climate change, while this is kind of a unique experience that we’re seeing right now, it may become a lot less unique and a little bit more common in the future.”

 Since being launched in 2007, Paris’ public Vélib’ rental bikes have proven a hit with tourists and locals as a trouble-free way to get around the French capital, especially in summer when Metro trains are hot and crowded.

This year, however, the popular bikes have unwittingly become embroiled in a controversy with its roots in a fierce debate raging at the heart of French, and European, society.

In recent weeks, activists have turned some Vélib’ cycles into billboards featuring unexpected messages from a guerrilla advertising campaign opposing abortion rights.

The campaign has sparked outrage, with politicians and women’s rights groups condemning the move.

Stickers first began appearing in May, when Parisians and tourists woke up to find neighborhood public bikes covered in decals showing a fetus growing into a happy-looking boy riding a bike with this slogan: “And if you had let him live?”

The decals prompted backlash from government officials with Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo calling them “unacceptable and illegal.” France’s minister for gender equality, Isabelle Rome, vowed the country wouldn’t let anyone undermine abortion rights.

The guerrilla campaign is the work of a group called Les Survivants, according to a statement posted on its website after the stickers began appearing. The group says its name refers to people born post-1975 who “survived” the threat of abortion, which was legalized in France that year.

It was, the group said in a statement issued May 24, a response to efforts to make abortion a constitutional right in France.

“At a time when a proposed law aims to enshrine abortion in the constitution, The Survivors have decided to act on behalf of all those we miss,” the statement said. “We will not tolerate a dichotomous supreme standard in which abortion becomes a fundamental right, like the right to life.”

Suzy Rojtman, a spokesperson for the French National Collective for Women’s Rights said the campaign demonstrated an urgent need for France to secure abortion laws.

“We are worried, we are wary because we know this right could always be challenged and the United States has proven this,” Rojtman said.

The US Supreme Court’s 2022 overturn of Roe v. Wade, a ruling that made abortion a federal constitutional right, sent shockwaves across French society. In response, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his solidarity with “the women whose liberties are being undermined by the Supreme Court of the United States.”

In the following months, the French government moved to introduce a bill that would inscribe abortion rights into the constitution. The proposal  has stalled after lawmakers in the lower house and upper house disagreed on wording.

Representatives in the National Assembly, where Macron’s party is the biggest force, voted for a bill that would  list abortion as a “right” in the constitution while the conservative-dominated French Senate only agreed to listing abortion as a “freedom.” In French legal context, a “right” is protected by the government in a more active manner than a “freedom.”

The assembly standoff comes amid prominent opposition to abortion in some of France’s neighbors – most notably Italy, a country with strong Roman Catholic traditions.

Calls for justice

Italy’s Minister of Family, Eugenia Roccella, voiced her opposition to extending the use of Mifepristone, a common abortion pill, in an interview in 2022 with Italian newspaper Quotidiano Nazionale, calling it home abortion “abolishing conscientious objection and the legal obligation.”

In Spain, the center-right People’s party and far-right Vox party have been challenging the country’s abortion law, in effect  since 2010. There have been similar moves elsewhere in Europe, with Poland and Hungary curtailing abortion access.

Meanwhile, Vélib’, the company which runs the public bike system in Paris, says it is unhappy to see its two-wheeled charges being drafted into the debate.

It called the sticker campaign uncivilized and said it “may have confused the general public.” It said it has begun legal action against the anti-abortion group.

“It’s shocking that some people ignore all advertising regulations,” Vélib’ President Sylvain Raifaud said in a statement, adding that perpetrators must be brought to justice.

Raifaud also vowed to return the bikes to their original status as quickly as possible. Vélib’ has yet to confirm how many bikes are impacted and when they will be restored.

Former New Zealand leader Jacinda Ardern, who stepped down from her post earlier this year, has been made a dame in one of the country’s highest honors.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced the appointment on Monday to mark the King’s Birthday public holiday, with Ardern among 182 recipients receiving various honors for their contributions to the country.

“Having served as Prime Minister from 2017 to 2023, Dame Jacinda Ardern is recognized for her service to New Zealand during some of the greatest challenges our country has faced in modern times,” Hipkins said in a statement.

“Leading New Zealand’s response to the 2019 terrorist attacks and to the Covid-19 pandemic represented periods of intense challenge for our 40th Prime Minister, during which time I saw first hand that her commitment to New Zealand remained absolute.”

Hipkins hails from the same party as Ardern, the Labour Party, and succeeded her as leader.

The move grants Ardern the title of Dame Grand Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. The Order of Merit, established in 1996, is awarded to those in any field who have performed “meritorious service to the Crown and the nation” or who are known for their “eminence, talents, contributions, or other merits,” according to the government site.

“I was in two minds about accepting this acknowledgment,” she said. “So many of the things we went through as a nation over the last five years were about all of us rather than one individual.”

“But I have heard that said by so many Kiwis who I have encouraged to accept an honour over the years. And so for me this a way to say thank you – to my family, to my colleagues, and to the people who supported me to take on the most challenging and rewarding role of my life.”

When Ardern became the country’s prime minister in 2017 at the age of 37, she was New Zealand’s third female leader and one of the youngest leaders in the world. Within a year, she had become only the second world leader to give birth in office.

Her time in power was defined by multiple crises, including the Christchurch terrorist attack, a deadly volcanic explosion, and the pandemic.

She quickly became a progressive global icon, remembered for her empathy while steering New Zealand through these crises and for taking her baby daughter to the United Nations General Assembly.

However, at home her popularity ebbed amid the rising cost of living, housing shortages and economic anxiety. And she faced violent anti-lockdown protests in the capital Wellington, with threats made against her.

Ardern announced her shock resignation in January, saying she no longer had enough fuel in the tank to contest an election – prompting a wave of praise and warm farewells from other world leaders and her many international admirers.

In April, she revealed she will head to Harvard University this fall to complete two fellowships at the Harvard Kennedy School, the university’s school of public policy and government. She will be gone for a semester, missing out on the New Zealand general election, but will return at the end of the fellowships, she said.

Two more suspects have been named in the alleged murders of British journalist Dom Phillips and indigenous expert Bruno Pereira, including the alleged mastermind of the crime, Brazilian police say.

Phillips and Pereira were shot dead a year ago while they were returning from a reporting trip in the Amazon.

Ruben Villar, also known as “Colombia,” has been named as a suspect and the “mastermind” of the crime, according to the statement by Brazil’s Federal Police. He is suspected of being the leader of an illegal fishing criminal organization in the region.

Fisherman Janio Freitas de Souza has also been named as a suspect and has links to the illegal fishing criminal organization, the statement added.

Phillips and Pereira disappeared on June 5, 2022, while conducting research for a book project on conservation efforts in the region, which authorities have described as “complicated” and “dangerous.”

The pair had been traveling in the Javari Valley, in the far western side of the Brazilian Amazon, before they were killed and had received death threats just days prior to their disappearance, according to the Coordination of the Indigenous Organization, known as UNIVAJA.

Brazilian authorities said that although there are several people arrested and the investigation is well advanced, their police work is still not finished.

The deaths of Phillips and Pereira has drawn global attention to the perils often faced by journalists and environmental activists in Brazil.

Between 2009 and 2019, more than 300 people were killed in Brazil amid land and resource conflicts in the Amazon, according to Human Rights Watch, citing figures from the Pastoral Land Commission, a non-profit affiliated with the Catholic Church.