Romance novellas by women in Nigeria challenge traditions ADVERTISING Romance novellas by women in Nigeria challenge traditions KANO, Nigeria (AP) — Nestled among vegetables, plastic kettles and hand-dyed fabric in market stalls are the signs of a feminist revolution: Piles
Romance novellas by women in Nigeria challenge traditions
KANO, Nigeria (AP) — Nestled among vegetables, plastic kettles and hand-dyed fabric in market stalls are the signs of a feminist revolution: Piles of poorly printed books by women that advocate forcefully against conservative Muslim traditions such as child marriage and quick divorce.
They are part of a flourishing literary movement centered in the ancient city of Kano, in northern Nigeria, where dozens of young women are rebelling through romance novels. Hand-written in the Hausa language, the romances now run into thousands of titles. Many rail against a strict interpretation of Islam propagated in Nigeria by the extremist group Boko Haram, which on Sunday posted video showing dozens of the 218 girls militants abducted from a remote school in April 2014.
“We write to educate people, to be popular, to touch others’ lives, to touch on things that are happening in our society,” says author Hadiza Nuhu Gudaji, whose views have gained a recognition unusual for women in her society.
Gudaji’s novellas are so popular that she is invited to give advice on radio talk shows. She describes how she was able to influence the future of a 15-year-old who called in, begging the novelist to persuade her father not to force her into marriage.
“We said: ‘The father of this girl, you are listening to us, you hear what your girl is saying,” Gudaji recounts. “‘If you force her, maybe the marriage will not end so well, maybe the girl will run away and come to a bad end.’”
More than 500 evacuated from burning ship off Puerto Rico
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — More than 500 passengers and crew were evacuated from a burning ship about a mile off Puerto Rico’s north coast on Wednesday, and many required medical care, though there were no reported fatalities or life-threatening injuries.
The fire burned as hundreds slid down emergency slides from the Caribbean Fantasy, a combination cruise and ferry ship. U.S. Coast Guard boats then carried passengers into San Juan’s harbor as helicopters whirred overheard. Other agencies and even private vessels joined in the effort as firefighters were ordered to abandon the ship for their safety.
“It was like something out of a movie,” said Maria Prensa, a 64-year-old Dominican passenger as she wiped away tears. “You panic when you see that. You’re in the middle of the ocean and there’s a fire. Imagine that.”
The mostly Dominican passengers included dozens of school-age athletes headed to competitions in Puerto Rico, including a cycling team, a girls’ volleyball team and a boys’ baseball team. The ship runs several times weekly between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
The fire erupted in the engine room and apparently had been burning for some time before the alarm was sounded.
Prosecutors: Trump Tower climber had planned it, practiced
NEW YORK (AP) — A Virginia man who scaled the all-glass face of Trump Tower last week using suction cups planned his climb, ordering equipment on Amazon, practicing ahead of time and waiting until his parents were away before traveling to New York City, according to prosecutors.
Stephen Rogata, 19, dressed in blue hospital garb, answered a judge’s questions but made no other comments during his court appearance Wednesday via video linkup from a Manhattan psychiatric hospital.
“This was a well-thought-out, planned stunt,” said Pierre Griffith, an assistant district attorney, noting Rogata waited until his parents went on vacation before driving from Great Falls, Virginia, to New York ahead of the Aug. 10 climb.
Rogata’s hourslong climb of Donald Trump’s 58-story namesake Manhattan skyscraper was streamed live by various news organizations and bystanders who watched gleefully as he slowly ascended floor after floor using a harness and climbing ropes.
At one point, a laptop he was carrying in his backpack fell out, crashing on the ground below as he plodded along from a fifth-floor atrium to the 21st floor, where he was hauled in through an open window by police detectives, Griffith said.
Fed minutes: Conditions could ‘soon warrant’ a rate hike
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve officials believed last month that near-term risks to the U.S. economy had subsided and that an interest rate increase could soon be warranted. But they did not indicate when they would likely raise rates.
The minutes of their July 26-27 meeting, released Wednesday, show that officials were encouraged by a rebound in job growth. They also took note of a stabilization of financial markets after a bout of turbulence triggered by Britain’s June 23 vote to leave the European Union.
The Fed officials believed those developments had lessened the risks for the economy in the short run. The minutes show that as a result, the officials thought a rate increase “was or would soon be warranted.”
But a key factor holding the Fed officials back was the stubbornly slow rate of inflation, which has been running below the central bank’s 2 percent target for more than four years, according to the minutes.
Some analysts said the minutes showed that it’s possible the Fed could raise rates as early as September, especially if job growth and other economic data come in on the strong side between now and the Sept. 20-21 meeting. But many think the Fed will lack enough certainty to act, especially if inflation remains far below the Fed’s target.
