Millions of girls are out of school in Pakistan; negotiations underway to find a safe haven for Aasia Bibi; stifling dissent in Bangladesh; Rohingya refugees fear being sent back to Myanmar; recordings link Saudi Crown Prince to Khashoggi death; trade union leader viciously attacked in Kazakhstan; cracking down on LGBT people in Tanzania; and false rumors on social media spark murder in Mexico.

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Nearly 22.5 million of Pakistan’s children are out of school, the majority of them girls, a new Human Rights Watch report has found. 

Talks seem to be underway between Canada and Pakistan about providing a safe haven for Aasia Bibi, a Christian woman whose life is in danger after having been acquitted of blasphemy charges last month. Bibi had spent eight years on death row, and her  acquittal sparked violent protests by Islamist groups in the country. 

Vague and overly broad provisions of Bangladesh’s new Digital Security Act could be used to intimidate and imprison journalists and social media users, silence dissent and carry out invasive forms of surveillance, says Amnesty International. The country is already using the guise of public security to crack down on social media ahead of next year’s elections.

Rohingya refugees are fleeing makeshift camps in Bangladesh, and some have gone into hiding, out of fear they may be sent back to Myanmar, aid groups are warning. Meanwhile, Amnesty International has stripped Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi of its Ambassador of Conscience Award.

A recording gathered by Turkish intelligence of a telephone conversation conducted shortly after the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi could provide the strongest evidence yet linking Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the killing of the Washington Post columnist.

In Kazakhstan, unidentified assailants have viciously attacked a local trade union leader. Colleagues fear the attack is linked to Dmitry Sinyavskii's professional activities. His injuries prevented him from meeting a visiting international trade union delegation.

The latest crackdown on LGBT communities in Tanzania is not unique. Homosexuality is illegal in 34 African countries. African leaders often cite culture and religion as reasons for outlawing it. But homosexuality is not a western import to Africa, research shows. Homophobia is.

And finally, in a small Mexican town two men were burned to death by a mob after fake rumors were spread on social media accusing them of child kidnapping and organ trafficking. 

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