ASIA
Pakistan/US-
The Pakistani army was successful in rescuing a North American couple with their three children that had been held captive by the Afghan Taliban since 2012. The soldiers said that they received a tip-off from the US during an operation near the Afghan border. The couple – Canadian Joshua Boyle and his American wife Caitlan Coleman, had been captured when they went backpacking in Afghanistan in 2012. They were with all of their children while in captivity.
Trump said that this was a “positive moment” for the American-Pakistani ties and that “The Pakistani government’s co-operation is a sign that it is honouring America’s wishes for it to do more to provide security in the region.”
The US intelligence agencies were tracking the couple’s movement in Afghanistan and on October 11th, they saw that the family had been moved across the Afghanistan-Pakistan border into the Pakistani district of Kurram. That is when the Pakistan army was contacted. The couple offers their thanks to the soldiers who risked their lives to save them and are eager for their children to meet their grandparents for the first time.
AUSTRALIA
New Zealand-
For anyone who is scared of wasps and sees them as the “bad guys”, there is now a funnier way of being petrified of them. Tom Saunders, a biologist with the University of Auckland, has found a new species of non-stinging wasps and has decided to name it after a Harry Potter villain- Lucius Malfoy. The new species- Lusius malfoyi is one of the estimated 3000 insect species existing in New Zealand.
Saunders wants to draw attention to the declining insect population and species in New Zealand with the support of the Centre for Biodiversity and Biosecurity. “I was inspired to name this species in a way that would hopefully spark a larger conversation about the relationship that humans have with the millions of species that share the planet with us.”
Lucius Malfoy, father of Draco Malfoy, is depicted by JK Rowling as an evil figure and a strict father, who is responsible for the opening of the Chamber of Secrets in the second book.
AFRICA
Ghana- A tanker blew up in Accra, Ghana on Saturday resulting in the death of 7 people. Presidential spokesperson Eugene Arhin said that the number of people who got injured due to the blast is high, but still undetermined.
The blast rocked the capital and people fled as the fire spread to a nearby gas station. Pictures from the scene show charred cars and deserted streets. The President has issued his condolences and said that the government will work towards making sure that such an incident doesn’t happen again.