President Barack Obama has made his first public comment on the tape recording of Donald Trump making sexual and aggressive comments towards women.
At a North Carolina campaign event, President Obama told the crowd Trump’s comments were “not right”. “You don’t have to be a husband or a father to hear what we heard and say, ‘that’s not right’. And if it makes you mad… you can do something about it,” Obama told the crowd.
Since the tapes’ release last week, several prominent Republicans have revoked their support for Trump and urged him to withdraw from the presidential race. House Speaker Paul Ryan condemned Trump and announced he would no longer endorse him for President.
President Obama reiterated in his speech that the election was not simply between Trump and Clinton, but about “justice and respect for women.”
“If you want to send a message in this election, make it a resounding message. Turn back the forces of racism and misogyny and send a message for progress. Send a message by voting for Hilary Clinton,” the President said.
Gender equality bill denounced by Nigerian Muslim cleric
Nigerian Islamic lawmakers will be reproached as “unbelievers” if they support law reform promoting gender equality. The proposed legislation, which gives women the right to an equal share of an inheritance, has been denounced as anti-Islamic by prominent Muslim cleric, Sheikh Isyaka Rabiu.
Current laws based upon traditional Nigerian culture and religious beliefs stipulate that men should inherit a greater share because they are responsible for taking care of women. The legislation, attenuated from the rejected Gender and Equal Opportunity Bill, is supported by Christian groups, who make up roughly half of Nigeria’s religious population.
United States to work with private companies to send humans to Mars
President Barack Obama says the US “will work with private companies to send people to Mars by 2030″. Obama announced the “mission to the red planet” in 2010 when he promised to fund NASA with six billion dollars to send people to Mars. NASA’s progress to reach this goal has been criticised by Congress members. In an opinion piece for CNN, the President addressed the deal made with NASA and private companies.
“I’m excited to announce that we are working with our commercial partners to build new habitats that can sustain and transport astronauts on long-duration missions in deep space,” Obama said.
Man opened fire at a shrine in Kabul
A gunman killed 14 people in a Shiite shrine in Kabul, Afghanistan on Tuesday morning. The attack also left 36 people wounded, including 19 women, a child and a police officer. A spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Interior Affairs confirmed the man was killed after a two-hour battle with police officers.
The shooting follows an attack in August where 13 people were murdered at Kabul University. No one has yet claimed responsibility for Tuesdays’ shooting.
Total smoking ban in the Philippines
An executive order implementing a nationwide smoking ban is set to be signed by President Duterte this month. The order says that all public places will be completely smoke-free.
Health secretary Pauline Jean Ubial said “there will be nobody smoking in public places anymore, whether indoor or outdoor, parks, bus stations, and even in vehicles.” The rules replicate the current smoking ban in Davao City, where President Duterte formerly served as mayor. – Compiled from various sources by Sinéad Fogarty, Samantha Besgrove, Alicia Camilleri and Nicolina Matijevic
Screengrab from CNN’s YouTube video.
About the author
Sinéad Fogarty is a Sydney-based writer, who in a former life represented Australia three times in ice speed skating.
