Security Council votes unanimously to condemn a ban on Afghan women working for the UN, the latest move to restrict the lives of women and girls.The UN Security Council (UNSC) has unanimously condemned a ban by the Taliban on Afghan women working for the United Nations in Afghanistan, calling on Taliban leaders to “swiftly reverse” a crackdown on the rights of women and girls. The resolution – drafted by the United Arab Emirates and Japan – describes the ban as “unprecedented in the history of the United Nations” and says it “undermines human rights and humanitarian principles”. The resolution also…
Author: National Tone
Mike Pence was subpoenaed to testify about the events leading up to the 2021 US Capitol attack, led by supporters of then-President Donald Trump.Former United States Vice President Mike Pence has testified before a federal grand jury investigating efforts by then-President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. The person requested anonymity to discuss the private appearance before the grand jury. Pence’s appearance in Washington, DC – scrutinising the president he once loyally served – is a milestone in the US Department of…
TEMPE, Ariz. — The Arizona Cardinals have swapped third-round picks with the Philadelphia Eagles in this year’s draft after the Cardinals had impermissible contact with Jonathan Gannon during their recent coaching search. Arizona’s third-round pick was originally the No. 66 overall selection, but now it will select at No. 94. The Cardinals will also receive the Eagles’ fifth-round pick as part of the agreement. The Cardinals said they self-reported that new general manager Monti Ossenfort had a phone conversation with Gannon — who was the Eagles’ defensive coordinator — in the days following the NFC championship game, when contact is…
Emotional Griner speaks for first time about detainmentBasketball star Brittney Griner says she had to “dig deep” to get through her 10-month detention in Russia.The American, 32, was held on drug charges in February 2022 after authorities at a Moscow airport found cannabis oil in her luggage.Griner was later sentenced to nine years in prison before returning to America in a prisoner swap in December.”I’m no stranger to hard times,” the Phoenix Mercury centre said in her first news conference since her return.Houston-born Griner added: “Just digging deep, honestly, you’re going to be faced with adversities throughout your life. This…
OTTAWA — The former president of Canada Soccer faced questions Thursday at a parliamentary committee over the hiring and conduct of a disgraced former coach by a B.C. community club. Steven Reed served as president of Canada Soccer from 2017 to 2020 and previously as president of BC Soccer from 2006 to 2009. He also served in a vice-president role and as chair of the finance committee for Canada Soccer. He says he was unaware that former Canadian women’s soccer head coach Bob Birarda had been hired by a community club until 2017. Birarda was sentenced to nearly 16 months…
The Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have agreed to extend their ceasefire amid ongoing violence in the capital Khartoum and the western Darfur region. In the final hours of the repeatedly broken three-day truce, due to end at midnight (22:00 GMT) on Thursday, the army said it would extend the ceasefire “for an additional 72 hours” following mediation efforts by Saudi Arabia and the United States. The RSF also said that it approved the extended truce, adding that the proposal came from two diplomatic groupings that include the US, Saudi Arabia, Norway, the United Kingdom and…
NATO allies and partner countries have provided Ukraine with 1,550 armoured vehicles and 230 tanks to form units and help it retake territory from Russian forces, the military alliance’s chief said. Jens Stoltenberg, NATO secretary general, said on Thursday that the deliveries constituted more than 98 percent of the combat vehicles promised to Ukraine during Russia’s invasion and war, giving Kyiv a bigger punch as it contemplates launching a counteroffensive. “In total, we have trained and equipped more than nine new Ukrainian armoured brigades. This will put Ukraine in a strong position to continue to retake occupied territory,” Stoltenberg told…
People had fled to Sudan to escape conflict and persecution in their home countries, but are now on the move again.As evacuation flights in Sudan continue to take foreign diplomats and citizens back to their countries or to safety in third countries, many people, refugees included, are being left behind to fend for themselves. Fighting continued to rattle various cities across Sudan despite an American and African push to extend a shaky truce between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) group. The conflict between the two warring sides has so far left hundreds of people dead,…
PHOENIX (AP) — Brittney Griner got emotional quickly. Speaking to reporters for the first time since a nearly 10-month detainment in Russia on drug-related charges, the WNBA star had to take a moment to compose herself after being asked about her resiliency through the ordeal. “I’m no stranger to hard times,” Griner said Thursday from the lobby of the Footprint Center, home of the Phoenix Mercury and the NBA’s Phoenix Suns. “Just digging deep. You’re going to be faced with adversities in life. This was a pretty big one. I just relied on my hard work to get through it.”…
In Sudan’s western region of Darfur, a place long synonymous with conflict, fears of a new civil war are on the rise. Civilians have begun arming themselves, residents and humanitarian organisations have said, as they organise their own defence forces to protect themselves against attacks from rival tribes as well as the feared paramilitary known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The RSF is currently involved in a violent power struggle with its former ally, the Sudanese army, resulting in a security vacuum that armed tribes are now exploiting. “The security situation in Khartoum poses a lot of threats to…