Free Republic

A bullet failed to silence her, now Malala Yousafzai is lending her voice to the women of Afghanistan. In just a few years since the Taliban retook control of the country, women's rights have been eroded to the point where even singing is banned. ... The speed of change in Afghanistan, if not the brutality, has surprised Malala, who since that near-fatal shooting in 2012 has campaigned for equality. "I never imagined that the rights of women would be compromised so easily," .. "A lot of girls are finding themselves in a very hopeless, depressing situation where they do not...

Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, 25, had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. The jury instead found the Syria-born man, guilty in Boulder District Court on 10 counts of first-degree murder. In Colorado, a first-degree murder conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Had Alissa been found not guilty by reason of insanity, he would have been sent to the state psychiatric hospital, with any release from that facility requiring a judge's approval. It was never in dispute that Alissa carried out the rampage .... Authorities said Alissa was armed with a legally...