News in Brief (2023-11-21)

Online abuse of politically active Afghan
women triples after Taliban takeover
ISLAMABAD, Nov 20: Online abuse and hate speech targeting politically active women in Afghanistan has significantly increased since the Taliban took over the country in Aug. 2021, according to a report released Monday by a U.K.-based rights group. Afghan Witness, an open-source project run by the non-profit Center for Information Resilience, says it found that abusive posts tripled, a 217% increase, between June-December 2021 and the same period of 2022. Building on expertise gained from similar research in Myanmar, the Afghan Witness team analyzed publicly available information from X. — AP
New tunnels planned to rescue India workers
NEWDELHI, Nov 20: Rescuers in India are looking at fresh options to save 41 workers trapped in a tunnel for the past eight days. New plans had to be conceived after work to push in metal pipes through the debris wall was halted and rescue teams were withdrawn after a cracking sound was heard from the tunnel on Friday. Officials say they plan to drill two parallel tunnels which could provide an "escape route" to the workers. — BBC
Texas governor endorses Trump
TEXAS, Nov 20: Republican Donald Trump won the endorsement of Texas Governor Greg Abbott at an event near the US-Mexico border on Sunday, a location meant to highlight the former US president's plans to crack down on immigration if he wins the 2024 election. Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic President Joe Biden next year, travelled to Edinburg, Texas, with Abbott to visit Texas National Guard soldiers, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and other service members stationed there. — Reuters