GANGNEUNG, Korea, Republic Of — Canada’s Jennifer Jones and Brent Laing qualified for the semifinal after wrapping up first place in their pool at the world mixed doubles curling championship on Thursday. The duo beat host South Korea 7-6 to finish with an 8-1 round-robin record, and received some good fortune when the Netherlands upset Estonia 8-6. Both Canada and Estonia entered the final day of the round robin with identical 7-1 records. Estonia, who handed Canada its only loss, owned the tie-breaker between the two teams if they finished tied atop Pool A. “That kind of came out of…
Author: National Tone
A new report has raised concerns over the disparity in internet access between women and men in low-income countries.Nine out of 10 young women and teenage girls in the world’s poorest countries have no access to the internet, a UNICEF report published on Wednesday says. The wide disparity in internet access poses a serious risk that women will be left behind economically in an increasingly digitally connected world, the report from UNICEF stated. About 78 percent of young men and teenage boys in the poorest countries are offline, according to UNICEF, which in its report, examined data usage in 54…
Sudanese families have been massing at a border crossing with Egypt and at a port city on the Red Sea, desperately trying to escape their country’s violence and sometimes waiting for days with little food or shelter, witnesses say. In the capital, Khartoum, the intensity of the fighting eased on the second day of a three-day truce, and the military said it had “initially accepted” a diplomatic initiative to extend the current ceasefire for another three days after it expires on Thursday. With the possibility of any future truce uncertain, many people took the opportunity presented during the lull in…
In the middle of the mighty Himalayas in Indian-administered Kashmir lies the world’s highest railway bridge. The bridge over the Chenab River – 1,315-metre-long (4,314 feet) and 359-metre-high (1,177 feet) from the bed of the river – will link the remote region with India’s vast railway network by providing all-weather connectivity. At the peak of the winter, a large part of the disputed region is cut off from the rest of India. The bridge, taller than the Eiffel Tower in Paris, lies between the villages of Bakkal and Kauri in Reasi district of the southern Jammu area of Kashmir. Constructed…
As the war enters its 428th day, we take a look at the main developments.Here is the situation as it stands on Thursday, April 27, 2023: Diplomacy Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held an hour-long call with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The two discussed “possible cooperation to reach a fair and sustainable peace deal for Ukraine” and Zelenskyy stressed there can be “no peace at the expense of territorial compromises”. Zelenskyy appointed Pavlo Riabikin, a former minister of strategic industries, as Kyiv’s new ambassador to China. Russia’s foreign ministry noted China’s willingness to engage in a peace process for Ukraine after…
Ukrainian forces have advanced on a poorly-defended part of the riverine coast of Kherson, the southern region bisected by the Dnipro River, according to several reports during the 61st week of the war. Ukraine took back a large swathe of the region, including the capital city also called Kherson, from invading Russian forces last year but the Russians entrenched themselves on the river’s left bank. Geolocated footage published by a Russian military reporter on April 22 showed that Ukrainian forces had established positions north of Oleshky, 7km (4.3 miles) southwest of Kherson city, said the Institute for the Study of…
Revenues rose as digital advertisers returned to familiar platforms like Facebook and Instagram in an uncertain economy.Meta Platforms posted its first sales increase in nearly a year on Wednesday and forecast second-quarter revenue above market expectations, as digital advertisers returned to familiar platforms like Facebook and Instagram amid growing economic worries. Shares of the Facebook parent soared by 12 percent after the bell, adding more than $50bn to its stock market value with the profit also beating Wall Street estimates. The company said its expenses for the year may be lower than it forecasted in March. The strong results came…
Boston Bruins centre Patrice Bergeron returned to the lineup for Game 5 against the Florida Panthers after missing the previous four games with illness and injury. .acf-block-preview .instagram-twitter-container width: 340px; margin: 0 auto; Bergeron was considered a game-time decision for the contest after taking part in a morning skate earlier Wednesday. Sergei Bobrovsky will start in net for the Panthers, who trail the series, 3-1. .acf-block-preview .instagram-twitter-container width: 340px; margin: 0 auto; Bergeron left the regular-season finale against the Montreal Canadiens with an injury and has not yet played in the first-round playoff series. He skated on the top line…
Brian Kolfage has received a four-year sentence for pocketing donations raised to help build Donald Trump’s border wall.The co-founder of a fundraising group that promised to help Donald Trump construct a wall along the southern border of the United States has been sentenced to four years and three months in prison on Wednesday for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from donors. Brian Kolfage, a decorated Air Force veteran who lost both of his legs and an arm in the Iraq War, previously pleaded guilty for his role in siphoning donations from the We Build the Wall campaign. A co-defendant, financier Andrew…
MADRID — Montreal’s Eugenie Bouchard downed Ukrainian Dayana Yastremska 6-7 (6), 6-2, 6-2 on Wednesday to advance to the second round of the Madrid Open clay-court tennis tournament. Bouchard won 75 per cent of her first serves and was successful on eight of 21 break point opportunities. The 29-year-old Bouchard, who beat American Elizabeth Mandlik in a Tuesday qualifier, is playing in her first main-draw WTA Tour 1000 berth without the benefit of a wild card in more than four years. She will next face the 18th-seeded Martina Trevisan of Italy on Friday. Also Wednesday, Leylah Fernandez, of Laval, Que.,…