The Taliban keep secondary schools closed off to girls

The decision comes despite repeated calls by rights groups for women’s access to education. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- What The World is following The Taliban keep secondary schools closed off to girls [Afghan students leave school classes from a primary school in Kabul, Afghanistan, March 27, 2021.] Credit: Rahmat Gul/AP/File photo Afghanistan The Taliban in Afghanistan have announced that they will not be reopening schools for girls above the sixth grade. The move comes despite promises to the international community to do so, in an attempt to [appease their hardline base](, and it comes at the start of the school year in the country. The decision will likely disrupt efforts for the Taliban to access aid from donor nations — who have pushed for women’s rights — amid a growing humanitarian crisis. The Taliban had [banned all education for girls]( and barred women from nearly all professions during their first time in power in the 1990s. United Kingdom Authorities in London say that ambulance workers are [treating a number of people]( — many of them with breathing difficulties — after a chlorine gas leak at the swimming pool of the sports complex that hosted the 2012 Summer Olympics. Chlorine that is added to swimming pools to kill bacteria is highly toxic in gas form. The London Fire Brigade said it [evacuated around 200 people]( from the Aquatics Center at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park over the “chemical reaction.” COVID-19 Medical professionals are [warning of another wave]( in the United States of the COVID-19 sub-variant known as BA.2. It would follow rising coronavirus cases in parts of Europe and Asia, especially after ​​pandemic restrictions were recently lifted across the US, and people have been removing their masks and resuming indoor gatherings. US government data shows that one-in-three cases in the United States are now caused by BA.2. And in the country’s northeast, it accounts for [more than half]( of all cases. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [This Haitian schoolteacher helps new arrivals from Haiti resettle in Arizona]( [Rodney Montreuil grew up in Cap-Haitien, Haiti, and has lived in Phoenix for the last two decades.]( Credit: Alisa Reznick/The World Thousands of Haitians have been removed from the US since President Joe Biden took office, largely under Title 42, the pandemic-era protocol enacted by the Trump administration two years ago. In his off hours, [Rodney Montreuil]( is devoted to helping those who get to stay. [Apps help cut food waste and costs in Canada as prices rise]( [Grocery store owner Gilles Robin works on his fruits vegetable display in Levis Que, Canada, Nov. 28, 2006.]( Credit: Jacques Boissinot/File/AP Food nearing their expiration dates can sell at stores for around a third of the price, something that's helped Canadians make the most of their money as they see the [prices for essentials go up](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Bright spot A historic bell 🔔 has been returned to its home location. The bronze bell cast in 1834 in Paul Revere's Massachusetts foundry had made its way across the US by oxcart and ended up in a garage in California. The Paul Revere Heritage Site said the 1,000-pound bell was made by the Revolutionary War patriot's son, Joseph Warren Revere. [Screenshot of WCYY tweet]( Credit: Twitter --------------------------------------------------------------- [In case you missed it from The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. [The World]( is produced by [PRX]( and [GBH](.