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 … [Read more...] about ‘Back with eyes open’: Malala visits Pakistan district where she was shot
Malala yousafzai nobel peace prize 2014
Ten jailed in Pakistan for involvement in attack on Malala
A Pakistani court jailed 10 men for 25 years each on Thursday for involvement in the 2012 shooting of teenage activist Malala Yousafzai, targeted for her campaign against Taliban efforts to deny girls education. Pakistani Taliban militants claimed responsibility for attacking Malala as she traveled home from school in her home in Swat, northwest of the capital, Islamabad. "Judge Mohammad Amin Kundi in his verdict gave 25 years jail to all of these people," said a court official in Swat, where the 10 were convicted in an anti-terrorism court. They were the first convictions for the attack. Malala was seriously wounded and airlifted to Britain for treatment, where she now lives. Two other schoolgirls were wounded. Since then, Malala has become a symbol of defiance in the fight against militants operating in ethnic Pashtun areas in northwest Pakistan. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014. A security official said none of the four or five men who carried out the attack on Malala was among … [Read more...] about Ten jailed in Pakistan for involvement in attack on Malala
Pakistan court frees eight men charged with attack on schoolgirl Malala
A Pakistani court has freed eight out of 10 men charged with organizing the shooting of schoolgirl activist Malala Yousafzai, police said on Friday, a move that will raise further questions about the nation's heavily criticized justice system. Pakistani Taliban militants claimed responsibility for attacking Malala in 2012 as she traveled home from school in Swat, northwest of the capital Islamabad. She was shot in the head and airlifted to Britain for treatment, where she now lives. Two other schoolgirls were also wounded. Malala became a global symbol of defiance after she campaigned for girls' education despite Taliban repression and she won the 2014 Nobel Peace prize. Senior police official Salim Khan said the eight men were freed because there was not enough evidence to connect them to the 2012 attack. Police had said in April that all 10 had been convicted and jailed for 25 years each in a trial held behind closed doors. It was not clear why officials had given incorrect … [Read more...] about Pakistan court frees eight men charged with attack on schoolgirl Malala
Nobel award ceremony held in Norway and Sweden
(VOVworld) – On Wednesday award ceremonies for most of the Nobel prizes were held in Stockholm, Sweden, while the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony was held in Oslo, Norway. Two French nationals won Nobel prizes this year: The literature prize went to Patrick Modiano, and Jean Tirole won the Nobel economics prize for his analysis of market power and regulation. Two US scientists, Eric Betzig and William Moerner, and German scientist Stefan Hell were awarded Chemistry Nobels for opening a window into the nano-world with their development of “super-resolved fluorescence microscopy.” The physics award went to Japanese scientists Isamu Akasaki and Hiroshi Amano and American scientist Shuji Nakamura for “the invention of efficient blue light-emitting diodes, which has enabled bright and energy-saving white light sources.” British-American scientist John O’Keefe and Norwegian couple May-Britt and Edvard Moser won the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physiology and … [Read more...] about Nobel award ceremony held in Norway and Sweden
Malala seeks to raise $1.4 bln to educate Syrian refugees
Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai will seek to inspire world leaders at a conference in London on Thursday to commit $1.4 billion this year to give Syrian refugee children access to education, she told Reuters on Sunday. Heads of state and government and ministers from countries around the world will converge on London for the "Supporting Syria and the region" conference, which aims to raise funds for humanitarian crises caused by the Syrian war. Some 700,000 Syrian children living in refugee camps in Jordan and Lebanon and in other Middle Eastern countries are out of school, according to a report issued by the Malala Fund, which campaigns and fundraises for educational causes. "I have met so many Syrian refugee children, they are still in my mind. I can't forget them. The thought that they won't be able to go to school in their whole life is completely shocking and I cannot accept it," Malala said in a telephone interview. "We can still help them, we can still protect them. They are not … [Read more...] about Malala seeks to raise $1.4 bln to educate Syrian refugees