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DOHA, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Afghan television anchor Beheshta Arghand gathered her breath and adjusted her headscarf to look more like a traditional close-fitting hijab when a Taliban official showed up, uninvited, in her studio, asking to be interviewed.

It was only two days after the Islamist group took over Kabul. She looked down at her body to be sure that no other parts were showing and started firing her questions.

Her live interview made headlines around the world as she became the first Afghan female journalist to quiz a member of the hardline group.

"(Luckily) I always wear long clothes in the studio because we have different people with different minds," the 23-year-old told Reuters in Doha, where she has lived since fleeing Afghanistan on Aug. 24 with the help of Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai.

"Women - Taliban they don't accept. When a group of people don't accept you as a human, they have some picture in their mind of you, it's very difficult," she said.

The interview, part of a broader Taliban media campaign, aimed to show a more moderate face as they promised they would respect women's rights and include other Afghan factions in a power-sharing deal.

Arghand had already been on set in the studio when the Taliban official arrived.

"I saw that they came (to the television station). I was shocked, I lost my control ... I said to myself that maybe they came to ask why did I come to the studio," she added.

It was about a week before her life turned into a nightmare, she said.

Afghan news anchor Beheshta Arghand speaks to her brother at a temporary residence compound in Doha, Qatar, September 1, 2021. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed

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She said the Taliban ordered her employer Tolo News to enforce that all women should wear a hijab - closely covering their heads but leaving the face uncovered - and subsequently suspended female anchors in other stations.

She said the Islamist group also asked local media to stop talking about their takeover and their rule.

"When you can't (even) ask easy questions, how can you be a journalist," Arghand said.

Many of her colleagues had already left the country by then despite Taliban assurances that the freedom of the media was improving every day and that women would have access to education and work.

She was soon to follow, along with her mother, sisters and brothers. They joined the tens of thousands of foreigners and Afghan nationals who took part in the chaotic U.S.-led evacuation.

"I called Malala and asked her if she can do something for me," she said. She said Yousafzai, who she had interviewed, helped to get her on Qatar's list of evacuees.

Yousafzai, who has spoken of her concern for the safety of women and girls in particular after the take-over, survived being shot by a Pakistani Taliban gunman in 2012, after she was targeted for her campaign against its efforts then to deny women education.

Looking back, Arghand said she realised how much she loved her country and a profession she chose over the objections of her family.

"When I sat in the airplane, I told myself that now you don't have anything," she said.

Writing by Aziz El Yaakoubi;Editing by Alison Williams

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Afghan news anchor made history, then had to leave it behind - Reuters

Russia's media watchdog has blocked six providers of virtual proxy networks (VPNs), which people can use to circumvent government restrictions on the Internet.

The move, announced on September 3, comes as Russian authorities tighten control of the Internet, blocking access to dozens of websites ahead of parliamentary elections this month.

The Russian watchdog, Roskomnadzor, justified the new restrictions by saying that allowing access to blocked content "created conditions for illegal activities, including those related to the distribution of drugs, child pornography, extremism, and suicidal tendencies."

The targeted VPN providers, including the widely used Nord VPN and Express VPN, are among Russia's most popular, but several other companies offer similar services.

The Russian government in recent years has ramped up control over the Internet under the guise of fighting extremism and protecting minors.

Critics have denounced official oversight of the web as censorship aimed at silencing dissent.

The authorities have also stepped up repression of opposition lawmakers and activists ahead of Russia's nationwide legislative elections, which are scheduled for September 17-19, with nearly all vocal Kremlin critics barred from running.

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Russia Blocks Access To Six VPN Providers Ahead Of Elections - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

WASHINGTON, D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Senator Tom Carper (D-DE), and Congressman Anthony Brown (D-MD) announced today that their District of Columbia National Guard Home Rule Act, which would give the D.C. mayor control over the D.C. National Guard (DCNG), has been included in the chairmans mark of the fiscal year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), released today. Currently, the President controls the DCNG, while the governors of the states and territories control their National Guards. The House Armed Services Committee will mark up the chairmans mark on Wednesday.

The District of Columbia mayor is the chief executive for our jurisdiction and has the best knowledge and most reliable expertise about when to deploy our own National Guard, Norton said. The D.C. National Guard Home Rule Act, which I had introduced for years before the January 6th insurrection, simply gives the Districts chief executive the same authority afforded to governors of states and territories over their Guards. This bill would have ended the insurrection hours earlier on January 6th and would afford D.C. a critical element of home rule as we simultaneously fight for statehood. Today's inclusion of our bill in the fiscal year 2022 NDAA is another step toward granting full equality to D.C. on our road to statehood. I thank House Committee on Armed Services Chairman Adam Smith, who is a strong supporter of D.C. statehood, for including the bill in the NDAA."

Given the unprecedented attack against our hallowed halls of Congress on January 6, we must ensure that the Mayor of the District of Columbia is granted the appropriate authorities to mobilize and deploy the National Guard, said Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney. It is past time that D.C.s local elected officials have the same tools that every other state executive official has to protect public safety during emergencies, and I applaud the House Armed Services Committee for including this important amendment.

On January 6th, our nation witnessed an unprecedented assault by a violent mob at the U.S. Capitol in the District of Columbia. While death and destruction unfolded as the insurrectionists made their way through the city, the Mayor of D.C. was unable to deploy the D.C. National Guard herself. All fifty states and four U.S. territories can operate their National Guard units under the command of local leaders yet the District of Columbia cannot, Carper said. As a former Governor, I recall numerous instances in which I called on the Delaware National Guard to respond to emergency situations, such as floods, blizzards, ice storms, drought, and more. I know the importance of being a Commander-in-Chief of my states National Guard, and the valiant work that our civilian soldiers have done for decades to protect our citizens and property. That is one of the reasons why I have worked for years with Congresswoman Holmes Norton to admit Washington, D.C., as our 51st state and provide equal rights to the Americans who call the District home. Im glad to see that the House Armed Services Committee will include this important and long overdue measure.

On January 6th, as a violent mob of insurrectionists attacked the Capitol, District of Columbia officials were left hamstrung, as the Department of Defense took hours to approve the deployment of the National Guard a delay it has never adequately explained. Its clear that the District must have complete authority over its National Guard to protect its own safety and security and that of our nations capital. Im glad to see the House Armed Services Committee include this vital measure in their proposed National Defense Authorization Act, and Ill continue pressing my colleagues in the Senate to follow suit, said Senator Van Hollen.

Last year, we witnessed the Trump Administrations unacceptable order for the D.C. Guard to use force against peaceful protestors and delay preparation and response to the January 6th insurrection at the Capitol. In doing so, the previous administration put the lives of D.C. residents in jeopardy and undermined our national security, said Congressman Anthony Brown. I commend Congresswoman Nortons tireless advocacy for the rights of her city, our neighbors, and all those who live in Washington, D.C. By giving the D.C. mayor the same authority as state and territorial governors over its Guard, well take another important step toward full statehood and ensure both safety and emergency responsiveness in our nations capital.

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Norton, Van Hollen, Maloney, Carper, and Brown Announce Their Bill to Give D.C. Mayor Control Over D.C. National Guard Included in National Defense...

Harrisburg, PA - With a focus on protecting students and keeping them in classrooms, Governor Tom Wolf joined the departments of Health, Human Services and Education today to discuss the current stateof COVID-19 and a newSecretary ofHealthorderrequiring masks to be worn inside K-12 school buildings, early learning programs and child care providers. Theordertakes effect12:01 a.m. Tuesday, Sept.7, 2021.

My office has received an outpouring ofmessages from parentsasking the administration to protect all children by requiring masks in schools, said Gov. Wolf.The science is clear.The Delta variant is highly transmissible and dangerous to the unvaccinated, many of whom are children too young to receive the vaccine. Requiringmasksin schools will keep our students saferand in the classroom,where we all want them to be.

I preferred for local school boards to make this decision. Unfortunately,an aggressive nationwidecampaignisspreading misinformationabout mask-wearing andpressuring and intimidatingschool districtsto reject mask policies that will keep kids safe and in school.As we see cases among children increase in Pennsylvania and throughout the country, this is especially dangerous and challenging as we seek to keep kids in school and maintain a safe and healthy learning environment.

ActingHealth Secretary Alison Beam was joined at a press conference today byGovernor Tom Wolf, Education SecretaryNoe Ortega,Human Services Acting Secretary Meg SneadandPresident of thePennsylvania Chapter of the American Academy of PediatricsDr.TrudeHaecker.

The reality we are living in now is much different than it was just a month ago, said Acting Health Secretary Alison Beam.With case countsincreasing,the situation has reached the point that we need to takethisaction to protect our children,teachers and staff. The science is clear. If we want to keep our schools open, maintain classroom learning and allow sports and other activities to continue, masking significantly increases our chances of doing so.

Universal masking in schools, which theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) and theAmerican Academy of Pediatrics recommend, reduces therisk that entire classrooms will need to quarantine due to a positive COVID-19 case. This orderensures Pennsylvanias children are participating in classroom learning without the constant disruptions.

The Delta variant has been a driving force of the pandemic since the end of the previous school year. The variant is more contagious than the original strain of the virus, accounting for more than 92 percent of current COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania. Since July when schools first began discussing health and safety plans, Pennsylvanias COVID-19 caseload has increased from less than 300 a day to more than 3,000 a day with casesamongschool aged childrenincreasingby more than 11,000 in the last month, and by more than 79,000 from January 2021 to August 2021.

Additionally, new cases of COVID-19 among children enrolled in licensed child carefacilitieshave increased significantly in recent months, according to data reported to DHS by child care providers. For example, on June 4, child care providers reported eight cases of COVID-19 among children in the previous week. On August 27, the number of new COVID-19 cases among children in child care the previous week was 162.

The Wolf Administration continues to urge eligible Pennsylvanians to get vaccinated, asitisthebest defense at stopping the spread of the virus. However, there is currently no vaccine approved for children under 12 years old. For eligible adolescents in Pennsylvania, 18.2 percent of children ages 12-14 are fully vaccinated and 38.3 percent of children ages 15-19 are fully vaccinated.

After months apart, students and educators are eagerly returning to classrooms across Pennsylvania for the new school year, said Secretary of Education Noe Ortega. Unfortunately, weve already seen schools across the nation close because of COVID-19. Wearing masks is a proven strategy that will help Pennsylvanias schools reduce the spread of COVID-19, protect their communities, and keep our students and educators where we know its vital for them to be teaching, learning and growing together safely in their classrooms.

An early childhood education experience can shape a childs educational, social and emotional development throughout their lives. Science has shown us that the first five years of life are critical to brain development, influencing the trajectory of an individuals life for many years after, DHS Acting Secretary Meg Snead said. A thriving child care industry is also foundational to the rest of our economy, and this industry and the dedicated educators who show up every day to help our children grow will be essential for our recovery from this pandemic. Simply put, without access to safe child care and early learning programs, many parents cannot work.

Acting Secretary Beam signed the order under her authority provided by the Disease Prevention and Control Law.

The Order applies to everyone indoors at K-12 public schools including brick and mortar and cyber charter schools, private and parochial schools, career and technical centers (CTCs), and intermediate units (IUs). The order also applies to early learning programs and child careprovidersfor children ages 2 and older, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The order outlines the situations when a mask must be worn and includes limited exceptions to the face-covering requirement. The order does not apply to school sports or outdoor activities.

Failureto implement or follow theOrder maysubjecta persontopenaltiesunder theDisease Prevention and Control Law of 1955andexposuretopersonal liability.

Last week, the governor sent a letteraskingRepublican legislative leaders to immediately collaborate with him to pass legislation requiring mask wearing in schools andatchild carefacilities. Because the Republican leaders declined to act, theacting secretaryis taking action tohelp keep studentsin classrooms, which is the best place for them to learn.

The departments also provided an initial series ofanswers tofrequently asked questions about the Secretary of Healths masking order.

To view photos and video from today's event, please visitPACast.

MEDIA CONTACT: Lyndsay Kensinger, Governors Office, ra-gvgovpress@pa.gov

Mark ONeill, Health, ra-dhpressoffice@pa.gov

Kendall Alexander, Education, kenalexand@pa.gov

Erin James, Human Services, ra-pwdhspressoffice@pa.gov

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Wolf Administration Requires Masking in Schools, Early Learning and Child Care Settings to Keep Students Safely in Classrooms and Delta Variant Out -...

An 86-year-old man has died while attempting to rescue his disabled daughter from a canal.

Lawrence Casey went into Bude canal in north Cornwall to rescue his daughter Jessica after she suddenly lost control of her mobility scooter and plunged into the water.

The young woman, thought to be in her 20s, was pulled out of the water by members of the public, but Casey was confirmed to have died at the scene.

His family praised members of the public who went to help during the incident on Wednesday afternoon.

We are deeply shocked of course but I am so incredibly heartened by those who helped, they said. [We] would like to express our deep gratitude for all those involved.

They told the BBC that Casey had dedicated his life to Jessica. He was devoted to the care of his disabled daughter and his final act of love as a father was to sacrifice his life to save hers.

A Devon and Cornwall police spokeswoman said the emergency services were called at 5.20pm to Bude canal after public concern over the welfare of two people in the water.

A woman in her 20s was pulled from the water by members of the public and was taken to hospital by land ambulance. A man in his 80s was confirmed deceased at the scene. His next of kin have been informed.

Police said the death was not being treated as suspicious and a file would be prepared for a coroner.

PA Media contributed to this report

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Father, 86, dies trying to rescue disabled daughter from canal - The Guardian