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U.N rights commission accuses South Sudan of violations ahead of elections

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:01 GMT

JUBA, South Sudan (AP) — The U.N Human Rights Commission on South Sudan accused the country’s National Security Service (NSS) of threatening media and civil society and undermining prospects for a democratic transition.A new report based on the Commission’s independent investigations in 2023 released on Thursday details attacks on journalists and civil society, both within and outside the country.Journalists have been subjected to surveillance, intimidation, and human rights violations including arbitrary detention, according to the U.N report.“Independent media and a vibrant civil society represent critical voices in developing accountable governance, and the democratic processes required to enable peace and ensure human rights,” said the chair of the commission, Yasmin Sooka.South Sudan is going through a political transition period after a civil war that wracked the country from 2013 until 2018, when a peace agreement was signed by President Salva Kiir and his rival turned Vice P...

REVIEW: The Royal Hotel is nail-biting tension through and through

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:01 GMT

Picture this, you’re travelling through the Australian outback and you find yourself with no money. You take a job at a bar in a mining town in the middle of nowhere to survive, and you realize that you’re the only young woman in this town. Almost everyone else is a man surrounded by testosterone, and every time they see you they’re getting drunk and looking at you like you are prey.Toby Wallace, Hugo Weaving, and Jessica Henwick in the Royal Hotel courtesy of Elevation Pictures.That’s the situation the two lead characters of the Royal Hotel find themselves in. Hanna (played by Julia Garner from Ozark and the Assistant) and Liv (played by Jessica Henwick from Glass Onion and Iron Fist) take a job at a small pub called the Royal Hotel to make some money and find themselves becoming the obsession of several men in their town. As the days go by, the two main characters find the pressure building and the walls closing in on them.Directed by Australian filmmaker K...

Weekend need to know: Thanksgiving, Pumpkinfest, Screemers, Oktoberfest

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:01 GMT

It’s the Thanksgiving long weekend and events are going on all weekend including the holiday Monday.Plus, Screemers haunted house is back at Assembly Park in Vaughan, as well as Toronto Oktoberfest at Fort York.There is a scheduled subway closure on part of Line 1, alongside ongoing road closures. Scroll below for details.Click here for a full list of what’s open and closed on the holiday Monday.Here’s what to do this long weekend:Top eventsThanksgiving eventsJamaal Magloire Foundation Thanksgiving Food DriveScarborough native and Canadian basketball legend, Jamaal Magloire, is hosting his charity’s third annual Thanksgiving Food Drive presented by Longo’s on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 395 McCowan Rd.The family-friendly event is designed to provide 1,000 meals to families this holiday weekend.Woodbridge FairThe annual Woodbridge Fair is happening all weekend long, including Thanksgiving Monday, at 100 Porter Ave. in Woodbridge.The fair includes midway rides and games, ...

Narges Mohammadi wins Nobel Peace Prize for fighting oppression of Iranian women

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:01 GMT

OSLO, Norway (AP) — Imprisoned activist Narges Mohammadi won the Nobel Peace Prize Friday for fighting the oppression of women in Iran.“This prize is first and foremost a recognition of the very important work of a whole movement in Iran with with its undisputed leader, Nargis Mohammadi," said Berit Reiss-Andersen, the chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee who announced the prize in Oslo. "The impact of the prize is not for the Nobel committee to decide upon. We hope that it is an encouragement to continue the work in whichever form this movement finds to be fitting.”Authorities arrested Mohammadi in November after she attended a memorial for a victim of violent 2019 protests. Reiss-Andersen said Mohammadi has been imprisoned 13 times and convicted five times. In total, she has been sentenced to 31 years in prison.She is the 19th woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize and the second Iranian woman, after human rights activist Shirin Ebadi won the award in 2003.Mohammadi was be...

Fordians, Silver Warriors play to draw in state ranked matchup

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:01 GMT

WATERFORD, NY (NEWS10) -- The Waterford-Halfmoon girls soccer team has picked up right where it left off this season after winning the Class C state championship game last year. The Fordians entered Thursday with a record of 11-1-1, ranked second in the state in Class C. They faced a tough test Thursday night, welcoming in Niskayuna, ranked eight in the state in Class AA with a 9-1-2 record. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! The two teams battled it out in the first half, entering the break scoreless. Imani Bloomfield got the Foridans on the board first, launching a free kick into the back of the net with 19 minutes remaining in the game. Eight minutes later, Niskayuna's Addison Brys knotted it back up. The Fordians and Silver Warriors played to a 1-1 draw. The Fordians sit at 11-1-2 on the year, while the Silver Warriors are now 9-1-3.

EU launches the Youth Empowerment Fund to support young people contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:01 GMT

The European Commission and the world's largest youth organizations, the “Big Six”, announced a partnership to launch the EU Youth Empowerment Fund, markingthe first anniversary of the Youth Action Plan for EU External Action, the EU's policy framework for a strategic partnership with young people to build a more resilient, inclusive and sustainable future. As a flagship initiative of the Youth Action Plan, and designed by, with and for young people, the EU Youth Empowerment Fund is a €10 million pilot initiative, to be implemented through the Global Youth Mobilization (GYM). It will provide and facilitate access to vital resources for young people to contribute to the sustainable development of their local communities and societies in EU partner countries across the world to reach the objectives of Agenda 2030, in line with the EU's Global Gateway strategy.During the Fund's launch in Nairobi, International Partnerships Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen said: “Our Youth Action Plan has ...

Empowering Democracy: Protecting Freedom of Expression and Media Integrity in Uzbekistan

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:01 GMT

Freedom of speech, opinion and information is a fundamental human right. According to Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes the freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers - writes Azamjon Farmonov, Head of the public association "Legal Support" in Human Rights of Uzbekistan.In addition, Arthur Sulzberger, publisher of The New York Times, noted that without free speech and reliable information, the rules of democracy and public trust will continue to crumble. In this regard, the role of the media is increasingly important, since free and independent media play a crucial role in ensuring democratic changes.Uzbekistan is actively cooperating with international partners with the aim to strengthening freedom of the media, enhancing the civic responsibility and moral courage of journalists...

Word Game: Oct. 6, 2023

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:01 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — SERPENT (SERPENT: SER-pent: Snake.)Average mark 34 wordsTime limit 40 minutesCan you find 40 or more words in SERPENT? The list will be published tomorrow.YESTERDAY’S WORD — AMBASSADOR aboard abroad adsorb amass armada arms aroma madras mass morass moss bard bass basso boar board boss brad brass broad sabra samba soar soda sora sorb dorm drab dram drama dross ramada road roamTo purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com. Order it now for just $5 while supplies last!RULES OF THE GAME:1. Words must be of four or more letters.2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible.4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.Contact Word Game creator Kathleen Saxe at [email protected].

Ask Amy: I want to change my children’s names, but one of them may not be happy about it

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:01 GMT

Dear Amy: I have two children, ages 5 and 10. I have been a single mother for the past four years after a decade of abuse from their father and a resulting restraining order. The court awarded me sole custody of the children.Unfortunately, both children have their father’s last name.I’m ready to move forward with changing their last names to my surname because I am their mother and sole caregiver.The 5-year-old is too young to remember his father and is as excited as a 5-year-old can be about the change, but the 10-year-old has mixed feelings.I think it’s better to do this change sooner rather than later, though I am cautious of the identity conflict a name change can bring.– MatrinameDear Matriname: You state that you want to move forward with this name change because you are your children’s mother and sole caregiver, but your decision here should be more about them and less about you.I agree that your 10-year-old’s feelings should very much be taken into account as you make ...

Hijacked Hope: Why a Decade of Mass Protest Backfired

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:01 GMT

The 2010s bore witness to a decade of massive global protests, from the seismic events of the Arab Spring to the birth of Occupy Wall Street and the fervor of the Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong. But what tangible accomplishments emerged from these impassioned movements? This week on Deconstructed, Ryan Grim is joined by Vincent Bevins, a veteran foreign correspondent and author of “If We Burn: The Mass Protest Decade and the Missing Revolution.” Bevins and Grim discuss the Arab Spring and the mass anti-austerity demonstrations in Brazil, and scrutinize the unsettling reality that, in numerous instances across various nations, conditions either stagnated or took a more repressive turn. Bevins details how more organized and, oftentimes, more authoritarian forces — ranging from organized groups to governments — were adept at harnessing the unrest, co-opting it, and ruthlessly quashing these burgeoning movements.Transcript coming soon.The post Hijacked Hope: Why a Decade of Mass Prote...