After a series of attacks on Tuesday, the militant group captured Farah city in the southwest – capital of the province of the same name – as well as the capital of Baghlan province, Pul-e-Khumri, located just 125 miles (200km) from the national capital of Kabul. Local officials confirmed that …
Read More »US sends B-52 bombers to Afghanistan in bid to stop Taliban offensive, as strategic city of Kunduz sees militants entering
Taliban positions around Sheberghan, which became the second provincial capital to fall into the hands of the group over the past two days, were targeted by the B-52 Stratofortress aircraft on Saturday evening, according to Afghan military spokesperson Fawad Aman. The strikes inflicted heavy losses on the militants, the official …
Read More »Mimicking an accent can be unfunny, even offensive, but it doesn’t have the cultural baggage of blackface
Recently, while in a barbershop in Ladbroke Grove, West London I picked up on some ‘bants’ between a customer and a member of staff concerning an unpaid debt. The customer, a young, agitated fellow, claimed he was unable to pay up as he’d been stiffed over his wages that week …
Read More »Taliban continues crushing offensive with assault on northwestern provincial capital as US nears full withdrawal from Afghanistan
The capital of Afghanistan’s Badghis became the site of fierce fighting on Wednesday as Taliban fighters reportedly captured the city’s police headquarters and the regional offices of Afghanistan’s spy agency, the National Directorate of Security. “The enemy has entered the city, all the districts have fallen. The fighting has started …
Read More »Exposing public figures’ offensive social media posts from the past isn’t about justice. It’s about envy.
It’s 2018. The annual Major League Baseball All-Star Game brings together the top 21st century stars of The Great American Pastime. Among the National League’s pitching staff is Josh Hader, relief hurler for the Milwaukee Brewers. It’s his first appearance in the mid-season celebration of the game, a landmark in …
Read More »Twitter to warn if you’re about to tweet something ‘potentially harmful or offensive’ – says 34% of users WON’T POST after warning
Twitter said in a Wednesday blog post announcement that they have been testing the feature since last year and have now made “improvements” based on “feedback.” These “improvements” include “consideration of the nature of the relationship between the author and the replier,” meaning a tweet that could typically be deemed …
Read More »The list of ‘offensive’ opinions, words & actions keeps growing… because offense is the new global currency
Humanity tracks its progress in ages. Over the centuries, the species progressed from the Stone Age, through the Bronze Age, to the Iron Age. Later thinkers mapped out the Age of Reason and the Industrial Age. In the 20th century, society evolved through the Information Age as computers gave birth …
Read More »UK police apologize for campaign warning Brits that ‘being offensive’ is a crime
Superintendent Martin Earl apologised in a statement on Monday for “any confusion” the campaign caused, declaring: “We would like to clarify that ‘being offensive’ is not in itself an offense.” Earl explained that the campaign was organized by local police in the Wirral area of Merseyside “to encourage people to …
Read More »Disney labels ‘The Muppet Show’ as ‘offensive content’ in baffling disclaimer
According to a warning from Disney, the show features “stereotypes” and “mistreatment of people or cultures.” “This program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures. These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now,” the roughly 300 billion-dollar corporate giant declared. “Rather than remove this content, we want …
Read More »Biden ending US ‘support for offensive operations’ in Yemen doesn’t mean actual end to war, skeptics caution as activists rejoice
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan previewed the Yemen announcement ahead of President Joe Biden’s major foreign policy speech on Thursday, telling reporters the decision “extends to the types of offensive operations that have perpetuated a civil war in Yemen that has led to a humanitarian crisis,” and that it does …
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