US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has pledged to oppose Israeli settlements or annexation in the occupied West Bank, as former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to return to power. Netanyahu has sealed a coalition deal with extreme-right and pro-settler parties, including Religious Zionism, after his right-wing coalition won the November 1 elections. Palestinians fear more illegal settlements will likely be built in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem under Netanyahu, who saw record settlement expansion during his 12-year period as prime minister until 2021. Settlements are considered illegal under international laws and seen as an impediment to…
Author: National Tone
The Toronto Raptors have listed forward Juancho Hernangomez as doubtful for Monday’s game against the Boston Celtics due to a right ankle sprain. Hernangomez sustained the injury during Saturday’s 121-108 win over the Orlando Magic. He had played five minutes and registered one point (1 for 2 from the free-throw line) before leaving the game. The 27-year-old Hernangomez, who signed with the Raptors as a free agent during the summer, is averaging 4.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 0.8 assists over 16 games this season. The Raptors are already without Precious Achiuwa (right ankle sprain) and Otto Porter Jr. (left foot,…
The White House has condemned Donald Trump after the former president called for the termination of the US Constitution. Trump made the call in a post on Saturday on the social media platform Truth Social, which he owns, as he repeated the false claim that he won the 2020 presidential election. White House spokesman Andrew Bates said the US Constitution is a “sacrosanct document” that brings the American people together. “Attacking the Constitution and all it stands for is anathema to the soul of our nation, and should be universally condemned,” Bates said in a statement. “You cannot only love…
Raheem Sterling is heading back to the UK from England’s World Cup camp after armed intruders broke into his home while his family were inside.Sterling missed England’s 3-0 win over Senegal in the last 16 after being ruled out of the team due to a “family matter” shortly before kick-off, having started two of the Three Lions’ three games at the World Cup so far. It is understood Sterling wanted to get home as soon as he was alerted to the break-in, having been very shaken and concerned for the wellbeing of his children.Manager Gareth Southgate confirmed Sterling is heading…
EXPLAINERThe Islamic guidance patrol may be gone for now after months of protests, but mandatory hijab is not.Tehran, Iran – The morality police in Iran have been shut down, at least for now, according to the country’s prosecutor general. But what does that mean? Mohammad Jafar Montazeri was quoted as saying by local media on Saturday that the morality police force “has no connection with the judiciary and was shut down by the same place that it had been launched from in the past”. The announcement was made in the third month of protests that erupted after the death in police…
Manchester City recorded a sixth successive Women’s Super League victory as they defeated Brighton 3-1 at the Academy Stadium, with all their goals coming in the opening half-hour.City went ahead in the 11th minute when the ball went in off Veatriki Sarri for an own goal following Chloe Kelly’s corner. Julie Blakstad then headed in from a Kelly delivery to double the lead after 19 minutes and Laura Coombs added a strike seven minutes later. Brighton pulled a goal back in stoppage time via former City player Lee Geum-min.The result saw the gap between Gareth Taylor’s fourth-placed side and the…
Frustration and grievances over China’s zero-COVID policy have led to large protests in more than a dozen cities, on a scale unseen since the Tiananmen Square demonstrations in 1989. These youth-led social protests involved open calls for a change not just in COVID-19 policies but in governance and politics as well. The big message from the scenes coming out of China: The suppression of policy debates in an increasingly centralised bureaucracy can ignite social unrest overnight despite intensified censorship and security enforcement. For the moment, the Chinese Community Party has responded by moving to ease some virus restrictions despite high…
Doha, Qatar – When Andrea M set off from New York to follow Team USA’s journey at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, she reassured her friends and family that she would not do anything risky during the tournament. What she had read about Qatar painted an alarming picture of the host country. “The US media’s portrayal of the Middle East has been very different from what I have experienced here,” Andrea, 29, told Al Jazeera, adding that her friends decided against travelling to Qatar. Andrea said is glad she came. “Simple things like taking a walk around the city…
The individuals allegedly received payment in cryptocurrencies to buy weapons and engage in kidnappings.Tehran, Iran – Iran has executed four people and handed prison sentences to three others accused of working with Israeli intelligence. The four individuals – identified as Hossein Ordoukhanzadeh, Shahin Imani Mahmoudabad, Milad Ashrafi Atbatan, and Manouchehr Shahbandi Bojandi – were hanged early on Sunday, according to the official news website of the judiciary. The judiciary called them “thugs” and said they were guided by Israeli intelligence when they engaged in destroying public and private property, theft, kidnappings, and obtaining fake confessions. They received their instructions from…
Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines also said Russia’s precision munitions appear to be running out quickly.The slowed pace of fighting in Ukraine is set to continue over the next several months and the United States sees no evidence that Ukraine’s will to resist Russia has diminished, despite Moscow’s crippling attacks on the Ukrainian power grid, a senior US intelligence official said. Avril Haines, director of national intelligence in the Biden administration, also said on Saturday that she believed Russian President Vladimir Putin had been surprised that his military had not achieved more in its war on Ukraine. “We’re seeing…