2.4 Million Afghan Girls Miss School

That is a very big number. Is it going up too?

Yes. UNESCO says the number is 200,000 higher than last year.

The agency also says it could reach four million by 2030.

So this is not a small problem. It is getting worse.

That is right. The Taliban government has kept the rules in place.

Girls were shut out of secondary school in March 2022.

And women were also blocked from universities, right?

Yes. That happened later in 2022.

The story says Afghanistan is the only country.

It has this kind of ban.

What does this do to schools themselves?

UNESCO says it also hurts the whole school system.

The report says boys can have teachers who are not trained.

It says the ban removed many women who could teach boys.

So one rule changes a lot of daily school life.

It does. The report also says many schools are crowded.

Some schools have no water, toilets, or heat.

That sounds very hard already. What else?

Yes, and there is more.

The report says some schools close after natural disasters.

It says about a thousand schools have closed in five years.

What about younger children?

More than two million children are out of class.

At primary level, this is the problem.

The report also says many 10-year-olds cannot read a simple text.

That is a very clear sign of the damage.

UNESCO is again asking the Taliban to lift the restrictions.

But the Taliban government says this is an internal matter.

So the pressure is still there.

But the ban stays.

France stops unwanted sales calls

Now we go to Ella, our LinguaWire correspondent for justice.

France has banned unsolicited telemarketing phone calls.

So people should get fewer surprise sales calls.

Yes, that is the idea.

From Tuesday, businesses cannot make these calls.

There are only a few exceptions.

What counts as an exception?

A company can call if there is already a contract.

It can also call if the person gave prior consent.

That is much stricter than before. Why this change?

Consumer groups are happy.

One group called it a small revolution.

Another group said peace and quiet is a right.

That is a strong message. What else did they say?

Yes. The group said people should not face unwanted solicitations.

It also said this problem is not only on the phone.

The group said the same thing is true online.

And on the street.

So this is about more than one nuisance.

Exactly. The group said many people do not want sales calls.

It called the change a victory for consumers.

Are all business groups happy?

No. Some business groups are angry about the new rule.

Officials in Morocco are also worried.

Some call centres there depend on the French market.

And there is talk of job losses?

Yes. One minister said the change could cost up to 50,000 jobs.

That number came in a report from a Moroccan newspaper.

So one new rule helps many people.

But it also worries some businesses.

That is the picture.

It is a big change for a simple daily annoyance.

First, three words from the Afghanistan story.

girls, young female people. In the story, “girls” were not allowed into secondary school. Example: The girls walk to school together.

school, a place where children learn. In the story, many girls could not go to school. Example: My school starts at eight.

ban, an official rule that stops something. In the story, the Taliban kept the ban on girls’ education. Example: The city has a ban on smoking here.

Now the grammar point: can not go

We use can not go to say something is not possible.

Example one: About 2.4 million girls in Afghanistan cannot go to secondary school.

Example two: Many children can not go to class every day.

Repeat after me: can not go