Hurricane Joaquin poised to hit Bahamas, could target U.S. next

The cyclone Joaquin strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane in the Atlantic on Wednesday morning, poised to pound the central Bahamas with heavy rain and dangerous storm surges in the next day.

Its move after that -- still hard to predict -- could have flooding implications for an already drenched eastern United States.

Joaquin's center was spinning 190 miles (305 kilometers) east-northeast of the central Bahamas. Its maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (130 kph) were mid-range for a Catergory 1 storm, but forecasters predicted it would become stronger.

A hurricane warning was in effect for the central Bahamas, with the storm's center expected to be near or over the islands by Thursday before turning north, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

More than 10,000 people live on the Bahamian islands most squarely in the storm's path. Five to 20 inches of rain could fall over much of the central Bahamas through Friday, with lesser amounts expected over the rest of the country, the center said.

"Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion," the hurricane center said about the Bahamas on Wednesday.

Rain and winds aren't the only concerns: Dangerous storm surges -- with water levels as high as 4 feet above normal tides -- are possible on the Bahamian coasts.

Swells from Joaquin also will affect the southeastern U.S. coast by Friday, potentially creating life-threatening rip currents, the hurricane center said.

A U.S. landfall?

A hurricane hasn't made landfall in the eastern United States since Hurricane Arthur hit North Carolina in 2014. That could change with Joaquin.

Forecasters expect Joaquin to turn north after the Bahamas, but they have low confidence in predicting the path after that. Many U.S. computer forecast models predict a hit on the East Coast next week, anywhere from North Carolina to New York's Long Island.

One European-based model predicts the storm going out to sea instead.

"We simply don't know if it's going to go left into America or right and pass Bermuda," CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said.

Significant rain possible for Mid-Atlantic next week

Landfall or not, Joaquin at the very least could send significant rainfall to the East Coast, where some states already were dealing with flood threats from separate systems this week.

"There is so much tropical moisture, we will get 10 inches of rainfall in the Mid-Atlantic (in the next seven days) -- and that's with a miss," Myers said. "If we get a hit ... that number may double."

Waterlogged East

Heavy rains hit the Mid-Atlantic and New England this week, and 2 to 6 inches of rain were still expected to fall in New England on Wednesday.

Large portions of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine were under flood watches or warnings Wednesday afternoon.

Flooding made some streets impassable in Portland, Maine. Several cars were stalled on one street there after their drivers tried to drive through standing water, CNN affiliate WMTW reported.

Student shoots, injured principal in South Dakota

A student shot and injured the principal at Harrisburg High School near Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on Wednesday, district Superintendent Jim Holbeck said.

Kevin Lein was wounded in the arm and was in good condition, Holbeck said.

The student, whose identity was not disclosed by police and has not yet been charged, was tackled by two school employees and is in custody, Holbeck said.

The incident happened when the student came into a main office and got into some kind of disagreement with the principal, according to Sioux Falls Police Officer Sam Clemens. There was a physical struggle and the teenager took out a firearm and shot Lein, added Clemens.

The assistant principal and the school's athletic director quickly tackled the teenager, Holbeck said, and kept him under control until authorities arrived.

And they came in droves -- including agents from the FBI and ATF, several sheriffs and police agencies and officers with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, according to Clemens.

The school, meanwhile, went into its often drilled procedure, Holbeck said, with panic buttons pushed and students put in lockdown.

Bomb squad investigators were still checking out the school midday Wednesday as a precaution, Clemens said, but believe that the building is safe. Police have recovered the firearm, he added.

Holbeck has not made a decision on whether school will be in session Thursday.

Lein, meanwhile, is recovering. He even called Holbeck from the hospital.

During that conversation, the wounded principal even asked the superintendent how he was doing, Holbeck said.

"It's a shame that for years schools have been trying to prepare for this and you hope it doesn't happen in your backyard," the superintendent said.

Afghan forces struggling to take Kunduz back from Taliban

Afghan security forces are struggling in their attempt to wrest the major city of Kunduz back from Taliban militants.

The government lost control of Kunduz on Monday, the first time the Taliban have taken over a provincial capital since 2001.

As the fighting rages, civilians are stuck in the middle.

Doctors Without Borders said its trauma hospital in Kunduz has been overwhelmed with patients. The aid organization reported that its doctors treated at least 171 wounded people, including 46 children, in the first 36 hours of the fighting.

"The majority of patients had sustained gunshot wounds, and surgeons have been treating severe abdominal, limb and head injuries," Doctors Without Borders said in a statement. Anticipating more casualties, the organization is rushing medical supplies by road and air to the embattled city.

"We don't know what to do and where to go," a male resident of Kunduz told CNN by phone Wednesday. He spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing retribution.

He said shrapnel had struck his hand after he was accidentally caught in a firefight between government and Taliban forces.

"I was near the main roundabout of Kunduz when the fight between government forces and the Taliban became intense and the Taliban fighters were firing back meters away from me," the man said.

"I was running to get to a safe place when shrapnel hit my hand I was wounded."

The man said shops are closed, there is a citywide power blackout, and it is becoming difficult to find food.

"Kunduz has turned into a ghost city," he said.

The effort to retake the strategically important city began Tuesday, but it is being hindered by a shortage of ground troops, said Sayed Sarwar Hussaini, a spokesman for the police chief of Kunduz province.

Hundreds of reinforcements that were supposed to arrive in Kunduz are still stuck in neighboring Baghlan province, where the Taliban have blocked the highway, he said Wednesday.

Taliban claim advances on airport

The picture of events on the ground in Kunduz remained fuzzy, with each side claiming to have inflicted heavy damage on the other.

Airstrikes by the Afghan military and the U.S.-led coalition have killed more than 100 Taliban insurgents, including the group's top commander in the province, Hussaini said. The Taliban denied that the commander was dead and said he would release an audio message.

But the bombardment from the sky hasn't translated into clear gains on the ground.

Hussaini acknowledged that government forces had to pull back from the police chief's compound in the city Tuesday evening after having retaken it earlier in the day.

He said Afghan security forces were in Kunduz airport and other city areas Wednesday.

The Taliban said in an email that they had surrounded the Kunduz airport area and were advancing toward the airport itself.

'Obviously, this is a setback'

The U.S.-led coalition ended its combat mission in Afghanistan last year, handing over the lead to Afghan forces while remaining in a training and assistance role.

"Obviously, this is a setback for the Afghan security forces," Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said of the fall of Kunduz. "But we've seen them respond in recent weeks and months to the challenges they face, and they're doing the same thing in Kunduz right now."

In addition to the U.S. airstrikes, the NATO-led international mission in Afghanistan said there were "limited coalition forces in the Kunduz area advising and assisting" Afghan security forces.

"We've seen U.S. aircraft supporting the Afghan government and the Afghan security forces because they can't do it alone just yet," said Mark Hertling, a retired U.S. Army general. "You're also going to see U.S. special forces -- special operating forces -- supporting the commandos in Afghanistan as they attempt to reinforce Kunduz."

U.S. and German forces regularly operate in the area, advising Afghan forces.

Thousands reportedly flee violence

The fierce fighting in a major population center has caused a high number of civilian casualties.

A public health official in Kunduz reported that 16 people had been killed and more than 150 wounded, according to journalist Sune Engel Rasmussen in Kabul.

As many as 6,000 civilians are reported to have fled the city because of the violence, the United Nations said Wednesday.

"I am deeply concerned about the situation in Kunduz following the Taliban's attack on the city," said Nicholas Haysom, the U.N. special representative for Afghanistan. "The reports of extrajudicial executions, including of healthcare workers, abductions, denial of medical care and restrictions on movement out of the city are particularly disturbing."

Insurgents accused of using human shields

It's unclear how many casualties the Afghan security forces have suffered in the city.

Acting Defense Minister Masoom Stanekzai said Tuesday afternoon that 17 Afghan troops had been killed and 18 more wounded in fighting across Afghanistan in the previous 24 hours. But he didn't provide a toll specifically for Kunduz.

President Ashraf Ghani accused the Taliban of using civilians as human shields.

"The Afghan government is a responsible government, so it cannot carry out airstrikes on a city and on the houses of its people," he said.

Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah told CNN's Christiane Amanpour that initial reports suggest the Taliban were able to infiltrate, rather than fight their way into, the city.

The militants released hundreds of inmates from a prison in the city as they overran Afghan forces.

On Wednesday, Ghani's office announced that he has appointed Hamdullah Daneshi as Kunduz province's acting governor.

But will such shuffling make a difference on the ground? Can Afghanistan's government -- especially without the same level of active coalition military backing -- not only retake Kunduz, but fend off future assaults elsewhere?

Final answers are still a long way away.

Deadly parcel bombs rock southern China region of Guangxi

At least three people have been killed and 13 others injured after multiple blasts in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southern China, according to local media.

Initial investigations suggest the explosions were caused by a series of parcel bombs in the seat of Liucheng county and the surrounding area, China's state-run Xinhua news agency said.

Emergency services rushed to the scenes of the blasts, which caused severe damage to buildings and vehicles, it said. The first occurred around 3:50 p.m.

Police named a 33-year-old man from Liucheng Tai Po town as a suspect in the explosions and said their investigations were continuing, Xinhua reported on Weibo.

The South China Morning Post put the death toll at six. It said there had been 15 separate explosions at locations including a shopping mall, prison, hospital and vegetable market.

The People's Daily and CCTV news outlets tweeted that seven people had been killed in 17 blasts and that police were hunting the suspect. CCTV said that terrorism had been ruled out.

People's Daily,China

Swath of eastern U.S. set for drenching, possible floods

Tuesday's flooded streets and stranded cars in western North Carolina might be a preview of what's coming for other parts of the East this week.

Portions of 11 states were under flood watches that extend as late as Thursday, with generally 2 to 6 inches of rain predicted from the central Appalachians to New England.

Heavy rain already was pooling in parts of North Carolina and Virginia.

In High Point, North Carolina, a city of about 100,000 people, streets and a parking deck were flooded, with water rising up to the top of the vehicles' tires.

Shannon Smith

A man was rescued from his car after water stranded him at a High Point intersection, CNN affiliate WHGP reported.

A flash- flood warning also was in effect for the Martinsville, Virginia, area. In Woolwine, high water washed away a 94-year-old covered bridge, CNN affiliate WDBJ reported.

Widespread heavy rains were expected to develop along a cold front that was pushing toward the upper Ohio Valley, central Appalachians and the northern Mid-Atlantic areas. The rain are expected to shift north and east Tuesday night into Wednesday, CNN meteorologists said.

NWS Blacksburg

Flood watches were in effect in North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

The weather on the North Carolina coast this weekend could be influenced by Tropical Storm Joaquin, though forecasters at the National Hurricane Center have "very low" confidence in predicting the storm's future path.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Joaquin was pushing west toward the Bahamas, but it is possible it could turn sharply well before it gets to the islands. Then, as Joaquin travels north through the Atlantic, it could strengthen and become a hurricane, the center said in a discussion posted on its website.

Why your cat needs an iPad

The old ball of yarn isn't cutting it anymore when it comes to cat toys.

As with kids' toys and adults' favorite board games, diversions for pets have overwhelmingly gone digital. A slew of apps and other tech toys are now being marketed to our cats and dogs. (OK, marketed to us, who then run out and buy them for our cats and dogs.)

Your kitty can make new use of an old iPhone or Android tablet, thanks to a suite of animal-friendly apps available for download. And in the digital age, you no longer have to wrestle the ball from Fido for a game of fetch.

Friskies, the cat-food company, has been producing digital games for cats since 2011. Titles includeCat Fishing, JitterBug and Pull 'n Play, and each involves tempting cats to chase moving targets on the screen of a phone or tablet.

"All of the Friskies Games for Cats are inspired by things that pique that amazing curiosity unique to cats and their spirit of imagination and discovery," Friskies' parent company, Nestle Purina, said in a statement.

The company says its games have more than 2.7 million downloads, an average of about 20,000 a week on iTunes. YouTube hosts nearly 12,000 videos of cats playing the games.

Cat Fishing, which encourages cats to paw at digital fish swimming across the screen, has mostly positive iTunes reviews: "Downloaded this months ago and my buddy Hobbes still comes running whenever he hears the bubbles that signal the start of the game. He cannot get enough of this app!"wrote user Butters867.

JitterBug has fewer raves in the rating section, with some dissatisfied pet owners saying their cats simply ignore the game.

Oh, those finicky cats. That's where hardware comes in.

FroliCat, a PetSafe brand, makes toys that mimic old-school yarn and fake mice to keep cats occupied like they're chasing the real thing. Other games use a laser to focus the cat's attention and send it on a wild goose chase.

PetSafe has seen more demand for the cat toys since it acquired the line from another company three years ago.

"You do see an uptick in people pampering their pets and wanting to give their pets a way to interact when they're not home," said Jason Hart, director of marketing for PetSafe.

The company is interested in producing high-tech toys for dogs too, Hart said, but finding electronic toy concepts that appeal to dogs at the right price point has proved difficult. Dogs are pretty hard on toys, after all.

Tablet and smartphone apps such as Airship Software's Game for Dogs are out there, but owners may be wary of dogs getting too excited and destroying their devices.

"Perhaps I should have thought this one out a little better," user JackSpratsmom wrote in an iTunes review of Game for Dogs. "90lb Golden Retriever vs iPad screen?? I'll let you figure out the outcome of that one."

For dogs, hardware could be the way to go. Some new technology is interactive for both owner and pet.

For the rangy dog, there are toys such as the Go-Go Dog Pal, a remote-controlled toy that resembles a small animal on wheels. Pet owners can buy a raccoon, skunk or woodchuck version that races around the yard while the dog gives chase.

Other gadgets take even less effort on the part of pet parents.

Fetch machines, which launch balls for a dog to chase, have been around a while. Brookstonecarries a version. And there's one available from Go Dog Go.

Both let you train your dog to reload the launcher and play on its own while you're at work.

If you're an avid fitness tracker who takes your dog along on your runs or hikes, you can now obsess about Fluffy's "steps," too. That's right -- there's a pedometer for dogs.

And in these "record everything" times, pet owners can even strap a GoPro harness and camera onto their dog to get a new perspective on their pooch's workout routine.

Pet owners, the future is now.

Grosjean to drive for Haas F1 in American team's debut season

The experienced Romain Grosjean will pilot one of Haas F1's cars in 2016 as it becomes the first American team to compete in the elite division of motorsport for 30 years.

Grosjean, from France, was unveiled at a news conference held at the team's base in Kannapolis, North Carolina, on Tuesday.

He has 78 grand prixs under his belt, along with 10 podium finishes, and will make the move from Lotus at the end of the 2015 campaign.

The 29-year-old is in his third year at Lotus, having spent one year driving for the team under its guise as Renault in 2009.

He will link up with the Haas F1 team which is the brainchild of Gene Haas, co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

"What Gene Haas and everyone at Haas F1 Team is building is impressive, and I'm very proud to be a part of it," Grosjean said.

Haas F1 Team

"Formula One is incredibly competitive and the only way to succeed is by finding new ways of doing things.

"This is a new opportunity with a new team that is taking a very different approach to Formula One. I believe in their approach and they believe in me.

"While I am committed to giving my absolute best to my current team in these last five races, I am very excited for what the future holds at Haas F1 Team."

Haas has already tasted success in the premier U.S. racing series when the Stewart-Haas Team, which he founded with three-time Sprint Cup champion driver Tony Stewart, won the 2011 Sprint Cup Series championship.

Romain Grosjean

F1 last expanded the grid in 2010 when three new teams joined. Of the trio, two are still racing in their current guises -- Caterham and Marussia.

"We wanted an experienced driver capable of developing our car and our race team into one that can score points and better itself each race and each season. We found him in Romain Grosjean," said Haas.

"I've been involved in motorsport for a long time and learned early on the most crucial component is the driver. Romain has strong credentials and he will be an important asset to Haas F1 Team."

The last U.S. backed team ran a limited number of races during the 1985 and 1986 seasons under the Lola-Hart moniker.

Other American teams to enter the sport include Eagle, which debuted in 1966, as well as Shadow and Penkse, both of which raced in the 1970s.

The USF1 team launched an unsuccessful bid to join F1 for the 2010 season after difficulties securing financial backing.

Jack Warner: Disgraced former official banned for life by FIFA

Disgraced former FIFA official Jack Warner has been banned from football for life by world soccer's governing body.

The former FIFA vice-president quit football four years ago amid a string of corruption allegations and is facing fraud charges as part of a United States investigation.

FIFA's Ethics Committee handed down the ban to Warner, who served as president of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) between 1990 and 2011.

It comes after criminal proceedings were opened against FIFA president Sepp Blatter on Friday by Swiss authorities.

It is investigating a contract signed with the Caribbean Football Union, then run by Warner, that was deemed "unfavorable for FIFA" and an alleged "disloyal payment" of two million Swiss francs (about $2 million) to Michel Platini, the head of European football body UEFA, made in 2011.

All three men deny any wrongdoing.

"Mr Warner was found to have committed many and various acts of misconduct continuously and repeatedly during his time as an official in different high-ranking and influential positions at FIFA and CONCACAF," a FIFA statement said.

"In his positions as a football official, he was a key player in schemes involving the offer, acceptance, and receipt of undisclosed and illegal payments, as well as other money-making schemes."

It said the ban was effective from September 25, the date on which the decision was made.

Warner was arrested in May in his native Trinidad and Tobago after the U.S. attorney Loretta Lynch accused him and a clutch of current or former FIFA officials of running a "rampant, systemic and deep-rooted" racket.

Warner quit FIFA in 2011 after he was suspended pending a bribery inquiry. After his resignation, FIFA said the investigation had been closed and "the presumption of innocence is maintained."

FIFA was plunged into crisis in late May when seven officials were charged by the FBI with racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering.

The charges are part of a U.S. prosecution that indicted a total of 14 people from around the globe.

In further developments on Tuesday, Switzerland said it had approved the extradition of Eduardo Li -- former president of the Costa Rican Football Federation and one of those arrested -- to the United States.

Li is accused of taking bribes in connection with the sale of marketing rights for World Cup 2018 qualifiers to a U.S. sports marketing company. He has 30 days to appeal the decision.

Meanwhile, a separate probe by Swiss authorities is investigating potential corruption into the bidding process for both the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, which will be hosted by Russia and Qatar.

FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke was suspended earlier in September, while the organization investigates allegations he participated in a scheme to profit off the sale of World Cup tickets on the black market.

Valcke has been relieved of his duties until further notice.

Why the Taliban takeover of Kunduz is a big deal

The loss of the major city of Kunduz to the Taliban is a stunning reversal for the Afghan government, deepening worries about the ability of its security forces to take the fight to the Islamic militants.

Afghan officials vowed to quickly drive the Taliban back out again from the northern provincial capital where the insurgents freed hundreds of inmates from a prison and raised their white flag at points around town.

On Tuesday, the Interior Ministry reported some areas had already been reclaimed and promised "a big military operation" to come. The United States also appeared to join the fray, carrying out an airstrike in Kunduz province.

As the world watches, the embattled Afghan government can't afford to let the Taliban hang on to a key population center.

Here are the main reasons why the fall of Kunduz is a big deal:

It's the biggest Taliban victory since 2001

A U.S.-led coalition helped local Afghan forces drive the Taliban out of Kabul, the capital, in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks in 2001. But stamping out the Taliban across the rest of the country proved to be an elusive goal.

The militants no longer held sway in the main cities but remained a deadly foe, clashing with foreign troops over Afghanistan's rugged terrain and launching frequent suicide attacks in population centers. After 13 years and the deaths of thousands of its service members, the international coalition ended its combat mission last year, leaving Afghan forces at the forefront of the fight.

The loss of Kunduz, even if the Afghan government manages to take it back soon, is an ominous sign. It's Afghanistan's fifth largest city and the capital of the province of the same name.

"This is the biggest town they've been able to take since 2001," said Nic Robertson, CNN's international diplomatic editor. "This is a significant target and prize for the Taliban."

It highlights the weakness of Afghanistan's NATO-trained forces

The U.S. government has tried to portray the handover of combat duties to Afghan troops as a step forward.

"Instead of Americans patrolling the valleys of Afghanistan, we've trained their security forces, who've now taken the lead," President Barack Obama said in his State of the Union address in January.

But analysts have expressed concern about issues like corruption, poor recruitment and problematic coordination among the different branches of the Afghan security forces: the army, police and local militias.

The Taliban's intent to try to take Kunduz was well flagged, and yet Afghan forces were unable to hold the city despite outnumbering the attackers. "Since about April this year, the Taliban increased their strength in the countryside to the north of Kunduz and have essentially had it in their sights since then," Robertson said.

It complicates the next move for the U.S.

The fall of Kunduz comes at an awkward time for U.S. officials as they debate what kind of military presence they want to have in Afghanistan in the coming years. Gen. John Campbell, the top commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, is due to testify before a U.S. Senate committee about the situation in Afghanistan next week.

The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Campbell had sent five different proposals to the Pentagon and NATO officials on what to do with the roughly 10,000 U.S. troops currently in the country, most of whom are there to train, advise and assist Afghan security forces.

The recommendations range from keeping U.S. troops at their current level or sticking to the current plan to cut them dramatically to a small force by the end of next year, the report said. In a fresh indication of the Afghans' continued reliance on American backup, the U.S. military said it carried out an airstrike in Kunduz province on Tuesday.

It shows the Taliban remain a force to be reckoned with

The militant group hasn't had the easiest year. ISIS has been reported to be eating into its recruitment efforts in Afghanistan, and internal divisions in the Taliban were laid bare after the admission that longtime leader Mullah Omar had died more than two years ago.

But despite initial questions over whether the group would fall apart, new leader Mullah Akhtar Muhammad Mansour appears to have overcome the bumpy start and can now point to big blow against the Afghan government in Kunduz.

The Taliban appear to have made the most of the first summer fighting season since NATO troops took a step back. But there are still doubts about the militant group's ability to hold onto large areas of territory.

"It can destabilize far more than it can control," said a report in May by the Brookings Institution.

It's a fresh blow for the Afghan government

The Kunduz defeat is an embarrassing setback for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who's had a troubled first year in office. He took power after a lengthy political standoff with his main rival that paralyzed government. Problems have continued since then, including the inability to find a nominee for the key role of defense minister whom lawmakers will approve.

"The country's deep and broad political divisions and wounds, exacerbated by the presidential election, have not begun to heal," the Brookings report said.

The Taliban resurgence and the increasingly apparent shortcomings of the Afghan security forces are likely to do further damage to Ghani's leadership credentials.

"The army by its retreat yesterday, and the police by their retreat as well, have really shown that there are question marks over the government's ability to impose its writ in Kunduz, at least in the short term," Robertson said.

China calls Hillary Clinton a "rabble rouser" over Xi tweet

China has lashed out at Hillary Clinton for her tweet criticizing Chinese President Xi Jinping's record on gender equality, accusing her of being a "rabble-rouser" intent on China-bashing to win election points.

The English edition of Global Times, a state-run media outlet, ran the editorial on Monday saying she had "resorted to these ignominious shenanigans" and likened her to another 2016 candidate, Donald Trump.

It added: "Hillary was a lawyer, the former hostess of the White House, and also a senior leader in the government. It is a pity that even the former first lady has also thrown away her decency and reputation only to gain a leg up in the election."

U.S. presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton criticized Chinese President Xi Jinping for co-hosting a summit on women's rights with the United Nations whilst punishing several prominent women's rights activists in his own country.

"Xi hosting a meeting on women's rights at the U.N. while persecuting feminists? Shameless," Clinton tweeted Sunday.

Hillary Clinton

The New York Times

Clinton was referring to the cases of five Chinese women activists -- Wei Tingting, Wu Rongrong, Li Tingting, Wang Man and Zheng Churan -- who were detained in March for campaigning against sexual harassment.

Although China released them on bail 37 days later, their ordeal continues. The five women are subject to surveillance for a year, their activities restricted, and police can call them in for questioning at any time.

"This shouldn't be a moment of celebration," Wu's lawyer Liang Xiaojun told CNN at the time. "The arbitrary detention and release of these women really shows the backwardness of China's legal system."

'Half the sky'

At the U.N. summit meeting, Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed to "reaffirm our commitment to gender equality and women's development." It marked the 20th anniversary of the historic Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in 1995.

Xi invoked a famous line from Mao Zedong that "women hold up half the sky" and pledged $10 million to the U.N. agency for women.

"As the Chinese people pursue a happy life, every Chinese woman has the opportunities to excel in life and make their dream come true. China will do more to enhance gender equality as its basic state policy, give play to women's important role as 'half the sky' and support them in realizing their own dreams and aspiration in both career and life," Xi said.

To emphasize China's rising position on the world stage, Xi also promised to help build schooling and health projects for women and girls in developing countries. In programs jointly funded by China and the U.N., China will host women from other parts of the developing world to build skills.

"The Chinese women, through their own development, will also play a greater part in global women's movement and make greater contributions to gender equality in the world," Xi said.

Tweet controversy

According to Chinese media, Li Junhua, Director-General of the Department of International Affairs of the Foreign Ministry, remarked on Sunday that the feminists "were arrested not because they were advancing women's rights but because they broke the law."

China Daily quoted him saying that "Chinese women are best judges of their rights" and "some individuals or entities take groundless views, or show a lack of understanding" in what appeared to be a jab at Clinton's comment.

On Weibo, China's version of Twitter, users also joined in on the chatter. One user cited traditional expectations of womanhood and said Clinton "abandoned her grace and self-restraint," her words unbecoming for someone who served both as First Lady and Secretary of State.

However, one of the more popular comments came from "Voices of Feminism," which posted a number of surveys filled out by Chinese women about their satisfaction with the levels of gender equality in their country. It concluded that more than 70% of women were not satisfied.

"Hillary said it right," a user commented on the findings. "Shameless, indeed."

Meanwhile, The National People's Congress, China's top legislature, has begun deliberations on its first-ever draft law on domestic violence, reported Xinhua, a state-run news agency.

Domestic violence is one of the key issues the five previously-detained activists have protested against -- including "performance art"-style demonstrations where they donned wedding gowns splattered in blood.

Long-time women's advocate

Clinton, who is making a second run at becoming the U.S.'s first female president, has been a long-time advocate of gender equality. At a 1995 conference in Beijing, as First Lady, Clinton delivered a landmark speech on the violations of women's rights worldwide. Since she announced her run in April, she has made women's rights a cornerstone of her 2016 presidential campaign.

"What we are learning around the world is that if women are healthy and educated, their families will flourish," she said in her 1995 speech. "If women are free from violence, their families will flourish."

While she has harsh words for China's track record on gender equality, the U.S. also has significant room for improvement, according to campaigners there.

The U.S. Center for Health and Gender Equity (CHANGE) and The Leadership Conference released a separate "shadow report" over the weekend to coincide with the U.N. meeting. Signed by a network of American women's rights groups, the report called on the U.S. to improve its domestic and foreign policies, from banning violent practices such as the "shackling of pregnant women" in prison, to expanding health services for women, immigrants and LGBTQ people, to fully implementing its global development initiatives.

The report also urged the U.S. to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the only democratic nation not to have done so.

Afghan forces ready to take Kunduz back from Taliban, official says

Afghan security forces arrived in Kunduz on Tuesday morning and have started retaking areas of the city from the Taliban, an Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman said.

"A big military operation to clear all Kunduz city is about to start," spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said.

U.S. forces joined in the military action, launching an airstrike in Kunduz on Tuesday, said Brian Tribus, spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

The Kunduz prison, a police compound and the neighborhood of Zir Dawra are among the areas Afghan forces have secured, Sediqqi said.

A day earlier, Sediqqi said Kunduz had largely fallen into "the hand of enemies." Kunduz is the largest city to be overrun by the Taliban since 2001.

Sayed Sarwar Hussaini, a spokesman for the Kunduz police chief, said Taliban insurgents seized the main roundabout in the city and made it to the prison, where they freed more than 500 inmates.

The Taliban also claimed to have seized a 200-bed hospital -- posting photos to social media that they claimed proved their control of the facility.

A big prize

 

The Taliban has bolstered its strength north of Kunduz for months and has had its eyes on the city.

Kunduz is the capital of Kunduz province, an affluent area known for its trade ties. The main route to Tajikistan also runs through Kunduz province.

And the release of 500 prisoners by the Taliban makes the security situation in Kunduz even more challenging.

One of the newly released prisoners spoke to CNN.

"We were hearing gunshots throughout the day, but it was 4:00 p.m. when the Kunduz prison guards left the compound. Then, the inmates broke all the doors and fences and started running towards the main gate," he said.

"As soon as we opened the main gate, we saw a group of armed Taliban outside the gate. They told us that we were free and could go home. ... We all headed towards our homes."