Afghanistan's new, young painter

Afghanistan's new, young painter

A 7-year-old Afghan girl who lost her arm to an explosive has been enjoying her newfound talent for painting. Less than a year ago, Shah Bibi Tarakhail was playing outside when she picked up what she thought was a rock and threw it on the ground. The resulting explosion took her right arm and right eye. She was brought to the U.S. and fitted with a prosthetic, which she soon began using to create colorful works of abstract art. Artist Davyd Whaley compared her “mind-blowing” paintings to the work of Jackson Pollock.

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All 12,500 secondary school students in St. Vincent and the Grenadines will soon receive a new laptop computer thanks to a deal brokered by The Week’s owner, publisher Felix Dennis. The program involves Microsoft, the Taiwanese computer-maker Acer, and a Japanese security software firm called Trend Micro. Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said the computers will promote the education of the region’s children, inspire a new generation of entrepreneurs, and boost the country’s economy in the future. Dennis, who launched the program through The Week’s U.K.-based sister company, Dennis Publishing, has had a long-standing relationship with the tiny Caribbean nation since he purchased a hilltop villa on the island of Mustique in 1995.

Two long-lost sisters reunite

After 18 years apart, two long-lost sisters have reunited through social media. Nia Edwards, 23, has been searching for her scattered siblings for years. She scoured Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter without any luck. In one last effort to reconnect, she downloaded Instagram and was immediately successful. Brenda Edwards had been looking for her sibs as well. “She had followed so many people named Nia Edwards, hoping that one was me,” said an overjoyed Nia. “I was so happy that I called my local news station. With so much negativity in the world, mine is a happy story.”