Bulgarians head to polls amid voter apathy and disillusionment over endemic corruption and political instability.Bulgarians are casting their ballots in the fifth general election in two years, hoping to end political instability and help overcome the economic woes fuelled by the war in Ukraine. Polling stations opened at 7am local time (04:00 GMT) on Sunday. Initial exit poll results will be announced after polls close at 8 pm (17:00 GMT) and preliminary results are expected on Monday. Turnout is expected to be low due to voters’ apathy and disillusionment with politicians, who have failed to form stable governments and deliver…
Author: National Tone
On Sunday, Minsk and Moscow will mark a day of unity, remembering when in 1996, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and then-Russian president Boris Yeltsin signed a treaty aimed at forming a Union State of the two Slavic neighbours. Some proposals, like a shared currency, never took off, but the Union State became the basis for a gradually deepening cooperation. While Belarus also seemed interested in relationships with the West, that changed in 2020, when Moscow came to Lukashenko’s rescue. The moustachioed leader had faced huge anti-government street protests. Russia said it was ready to send in troops, to support the…
Robeisy Ramirez was crowned as the new WBO featherweight champion after a final round knockdown of Isaac Dogboe sealed a dominant points win.The Cuban southpaw dropped Dogboe with a well placed left hand to put the finishing touches to a unanimous decision victory, securing the vacant WBO title with scores of 119-108, 118-109 and 117-110 in Oklahoma. Taking command in the early stages, Ramirez unloaded a hurtful uppercut that forced Dogboe to clinch in the second round, while the Ghana-born fighter was caught by a succession of precise left hands in the sixth round.Dogboe dug deep in round eight, lashing…
Kyiv is cracking down on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church on the grounds it is pro-Russian and collaborating with Moscow, a charge the church denies.A court in Ukraine’s capital has sentenced a top cleric to house arrest, according to his church, amid hearings into whether he glorified invading Russian forces and stoked religious divisions. In a statement on Saturday, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) said the Kyiv court also ordered Metropolitan Pavlo to wear an electronic bracelet. The Interfax Ukraine and Ukrinform news agencies said Pavlo had been given 60 days of house arrest. “I haven’t done anything. I believe this is…
Last year, a severe drought hit much of Europe, with some scientists claiming it was the worst in 500 years. In France, a state of emergency was declared in five northern provinces; in Spain, water reservoirs dropped to 36 percent of capacity; in Italy, the level of the country’s largest river Po was six times lower than normal. Europe’s east was also affected. In Hungary, lakes and rivers disappeared, as 90 percent of the country suffered from the drought. In Poland, the lack of rain had a devastating impact on agriculture, with the sector losing some 1.35 billion euros due to lower yields. In Romania, there was a seven-fold…
Canada beat Finland 3-1 on Saturday in the home team’s lone pre-tournament game ahead of the IIHF Women’s World Championship in Brampton, Ont. Facing off at the Gale Centre in Niagara Falls, Ont., both teams put up a strong performance in a showcase of offence, defence and goaltending. The game was scoreless until just before the halfway mark when Brianne Jenner put Canada up 1-0 at 9:30 of the second period. The play saw Jamie Lee Rattray intercept a pass at the Finnish blue line before getting the puck to Jenner, who scored bar down. .acf-block-preview .instagram-twitter-container width: 340px; margin:…
Iranian president says hijab is the law after viral video shows man throwing yoghurt at uncovered women in Masshad.President Ebrahim Raisi has said that the hijab is “a legal matter” in Iran after a viral video appeared to show a man throwing yoghurt at two uncovered women in a shop near a holy Shia Muslim city. Growing numbers of women have defied authorities by discarding their veils after nationwide protests that followed the death in September of a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman in the custody of the morality police for allegedly violating hijab rules. Security forces violently cracked down on…
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Patrick Rodgers shot a 1-under 71 on Saturday to take a one-stroke lead into the final round of the Valero Texas Open, with his first PGA Tour title and Masters spot at stake. Making his 235th tour start, the 30-year-old Rodgers had a 12-under 204 total at the Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio. Canadian Corey Conners, the 2019 Texas Open winner, was second after a 69. .acf-block-preview .instagram-twitter-container width: 340px; margin: 0 auto; Matt Kuchar was a shot back on the 18th tee, but he made a double bogey for a 69 to end up…
Demonstrators take to the streets days after Israeli PM Netanyahu’s decision to freeze the controversial proposal.Thousands of Israelis have protested in Tel Aviv for the 13th straight week against a controversial judicial overhaul that has now been suspended by the government while talks are held with party representatives. Carrying Israeli flags on Saturday, people marched through the centre of Israel’s commercial hub, chanting “democracy” and carrying placards condemning the hard-right government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Smaller rallies were taking place in other cities. Demonstrations erupted in January after the coalition announced its reform package, which the government says is…
Petra Kvitova guaranteed her return to the top 10 in the world after seeing off Elena Rybakina to claim the Miami Open title.The 33-year-old outgunned her opponent 7-6 (14) 6-2 to take her 30th career win and reclaim a place in the upper echelons of the WTA rankings when they update on Monday. Kvitova was last in the top 10 in September 2021 and she proved she was worthy of the status by seeing off a player currently sitting seventh on the list.Rybakina carried a 13-match winning streak into the final but was unable to take a set off her…