Pakistan's Malala Yousafzai to meet Queen Elizabeth

Impressed by the bravery of Pakistani girls' education campaigner Malala Yousafzai, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II has invited the young activist to meet her at Buckingham Palace on Friday.
Malala has been based in Britain since she was rushed there for major surgery last year after the Taliban shot her in the head in her native Pakistan.
The queen and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, are hosting Malala at a "Reception for Youth, Education and the Commonwealth" at the palace.
In an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour last week, Malala joked that she was going "because it's the order of the queen, it's the command."
 Malala on being Pakistani prime minister Malala describes her shooting
Malala Yousafzai: Accolades, applause and a grim milestone
It's been a busy few days for the 16-year-old activist.
Last Friday, as the world marked the International Day of the Girl, she met U.S. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House.
Pakistan's educational challenges
Undaunted by the occasion, she challenged the president over U.S. drone strikes in her homeland, saying they risked "fueling terrorism" and that U.S. efforts would be better focused on promoting education, according to a statement she released. The U.S. government has said strikes by the unmanned aircraft are a necessary part of the fight against militant groups, including the Taliban.
A day earlier, Malala won the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, awarded by the European Parliament.
Parliament President Martin Schulz called her a "brave advocate for education" who "reminds us of our duty toward children and especially girls."
All this came in the same week the 16-year-old released her memoir, entitled "I am Malala."
There had been speculation Malala might also be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last Friday, but it went instead to the world's chemical weapons watchdog.
Why Malala's bravery inspires us
Malala's activism started after the Taliban banned girls from schools in Pakistan's Swat Valley in 2009. She anonymously blogged for the BBC in opposition to that order, and became an open advocate for girls' education.
In 2011, Malala told CNN, "I have the right of education. I have the right to play. I have the right to sing. I have the right to talk."
A year later, aged 15, she was riding the bus home from school when a Taliban gunman climbed aboard and shot her in the head. She nearly died.
Since then, Malala has recovered and continued advocating for girls' education, despite ongoing death threats from the Taliban.