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Cricket’s governing body is under fire from Afghan women after being banned from playing by the Taliban, while men have continued competing.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has been accused of making “unfair decisions” following the deterioration of women’s rights under Afghanistan’s hardline rulers.

Now political pressure has been growing, including from more than 160 MPs and peers, for the England men’s cricket team to boycott their upcoming Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan next month.

A total of 25 female players, who were selected to train in 2020 with the plan that they would eventually represent Afghanistan before the Taliban took over in 2021, are living in exile in Australia.

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Why people want cricket match boycotted

Firooza Amiri is one of those players now based in Melbourne.

While she escaped with her parents and siblings to a new life, her extended family remain at home and she believes now more than ever a female cricket team representing Afghanistan would give women of the country some hope.

“It is heartbreaking for me. I have all my freedoms, they can’t have their basic rights. I have an aunt who dreamed of being a teacher her whole life and she got a contract with a school in 2020 and in 2021 the Taliban took power. After they took over, she got a very deep depression and every time I talk to her she is always crying.

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“Girls are growing up without education, they are forced to get married at 14. These things are heartbreaking for me. Women are living in a very horrible situation. Afghanistan went back to a very past time. All the countries are improving and celebrating equality but in Afghanistan there is not something like equality.”

When the players fled they had yet to play an international match.

Women’s cricket in the country was just beginning, now it has been snuffed out completely, even though the ICC rules state that women’s cricket must be supported by member nations.

Firooza Amiri
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Amiri says the ICC must ‘turn their face to the women of Afghanistan’

Amiri doesn’t think that a boycott of a match or a complete boycott of the Afghanistan men’s team is the way forward, but is in no doubt the ICC has not gone into bat for the Afghan women’s team.

“At the end of the day all of the decisions come from the ICC and it’s been unfair decisions from the ICC for us. We sent a letter to the ICC, they never respond to us. They make excuses, they always say having a women’s Afghanistan team is complicated. It is not complicated, it’s as simple as ‘we want to have a team’ – it’s very easy.

“The ICC must stop making unfair decisions and turn their face to the women of Afghanistan. We are here, we just dream to play cricket for our country.”

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As far as the ICC is concerned the matter isn’t closed, but it’s hard to see how it can be resolved in the near future.

An ICC spokesperson statement said: “The ICC remains closely engaged with the situation in Afghanistan and continues to collaborate with our members. We are committed to leveraging our influence constructively to support the ACB [Afghanistan Cricket Board] in fostering cricket development and ensuring playing opportunities for both men and women in Afghanistan.

“The ICC has established the Afghanistan Cricket Task Force, chaired by deputy chairman Mr Imran Khwaja, who will lead the ongoing dialogue on this matter.”

We asked to speak to Mr Khwaja to get an update and the ICC are looking into that.

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‘Governing bodies of sport have failed’

The response from Amiri though is openly critical. “The ICC as an international council has never reached out to us. We are national players. They’ve never been to help. I think in general the ICC only focus on the men’s team… it doesn’t matter which country. The ICC is always talking about equality but there is no equality that the ICC should celebrate.”

But she does not want the Afghanistan men’s team, who are ranked 8th in the world for One Day Internationals, to be banned.

“They tried so hard to get where they are today,” she said, adding that they also “had the support of the ICC” to achieve that.

An Afghan woman poses for a photo with her cricket bat in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, Nov. 11, 2022. The ruling Taliban have banned women from sports as well as barring them from most schooling and many realms of work. A number of women posed for an AP photographer for portraits with the equipment of the sports they loved. Though they do not necessarily wear the burqa in regular life, they chose to hide their identities with their burqas because they fear Taliban reprisals and because some of them continue to practice their sports in secret. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
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The ruling Taliban have banned women from sports. File pic: AP

The Afghanistan female players would like to play as a refugee team, but even this has been refused for now.

Amiri said: “We just want to represent Afghanistan as long as we are on the ground, on the field. Every time we play we are not just playing for ourselves but millions of girls who are still in Afghanistan.

“We just want to make sure Afghanistan women do not feel forgotten.”

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Europe must ‘ramp up’ pressure on Russia, says No 10 after Coalition of the Willing meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy

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Europe must 'ramp up' pressure on Russia, says No 10 after Coalition of the Willing meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Europe must “ramp up” pressure on Russia “to bring an end to this barbaric war”, a Downing Street spokesperson said after Sir Keir Starmer chaired a meeting with the Coalition of the Willing.

Earlier, the prime minister met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at Downing Street for crisis talks on the future of Ukraine.

After the Downing Street meeting, a spokesperson said Sir Keir “convened a call with other European allies alongside President Zelenskyy”.

“The leaders all agreed that now is a critical moment and that we must continue to ramp up support to Ukraine and economic pressure on Putin to bring an end to this barbaric war.”

Ukraine latest: ‘Critical stage’ in push for peace

Friedrich Merz, Sir Keir Starmer, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Emmanuel Macron at Downing Street. Pic: Reuters
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Friedrich Merz, Sir Keir Starmer, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Emmanuel Macron at Downing Street. Pic: Reuters

During the earlier meeting, the Downing Street spokesperson said that the leaders “discussed the importance of the US-led peace talks for European security and supported the progress made”.

All four “underscored the need for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, which includes robust security guarantees,” the spokesperson added.

“The leaders agreed that, while diplomatic efforts continue, Europe must stand with Ukraine, strengthening its ability to defend against relentless attacks that have left thousands without heat or light,” they said.

“They also discussed positive progress made to use immobilised Russian sovereign assets to support Ukraine’s reconstruction.”

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Mr Zelenskyy arrives at Downing Street

After arriving in the UK, Mr Zelenskyy said in a post on Telegram that “we are joining our efforts to end this war with a decent peace for Ukraine” and that “security must be guaranteed”.

He later said: “We can’t manage without Americans, we can’t manage without Europe and that is why we need to make some important decisions.”

The discussions come as US President Donald Trump accused Mr Zelenskyy of having failed to read the latest peace plan.

He said he was “a little disappointed” in the Ukrainian leader, while insisting Russia’s Vladimir Putin was “fine with it”.

Mr Trump’s eldest son had earlier told Sky’s lead world news presenter Yalda Hakim in an interview that his father may walk away from the Ukraine peace process.

When asked directly if he believed the US president would walk away from Ukraine, he answered: “I think he may, what’s good about my father and what’s unique about my father is you don’t know what he’s going to do. He’s unpredictable.”

Pic: Reuters
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Pic: Reuters

Sir Keir had earlier insisted any ceasefire must be “just” and “lasting”, adding: “We are at a critical stage in the push for peace.

“The principles remain the same. We stand with Ukraine, and if there is to be a ceasefire, it needs to be a just and lasting ceasefire.”

Mr Macron had insisted Ukraine’s allies have “a lot of cards” – but the main issue was to “finalise these peace negotiations” and find the “best possible conditions for Ukraine, for the Europeans, and for collective security”.

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Why the meeting in London is important

Moments after arriving at Downing Street, Mr Merz said he was “sceptical about some of the details in documents coming from the US” but that was one of the reasons for Monday’s talks.

The four European leaders emerged from Downing Street at around 2.20pm for a group photo – but declined to answer any questions from the media.

Sir Keir and Mr Zelenskyy then went back inside the prime minister’s residence for further talks while Mr Macron and Mr Merz departed.

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The London meeting comes after Mr Zelenskyy’s officials concluded three days of talks with US diplomats.

Over the weekend, Mr Zelenskyy said he had discussed “next steps” with Mr Trump’s advisers and was “determined to keep working in good faith”.

According to Vatican sources, the Ukrainian president will next meet with Pope Leo at Castel Gandolfo, the papal residence outside of Rome, on Tuesday morning.

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Israeli government accused of intimidation and harassment after raid on UN building in Jerusalem

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Israeli government accused of intimidation and harassment after raid on UN building in Jerusalem

The Israeli government has been accused of intimidation, harassment and a “blatant disregard” of its obligations by the United Nations after Israeli officials raided a UN building in Jerusalem.

Police officers, along with officials from the town council, entered the East Jerusalem compound of UNRWA, the UN agency that provides services to Palestinian refugees.

The compound has been empty since January, when the Israeli government ordered UNRWA to close the building, accusing the agency of being “infested” with members of Hamas.

The United Nations denied that accusation vehemently.

Read more: What were UNRWA workers in Gaza accused of?

Having gained entry to the compound, the officials filled vehicles with possessions, including office furniture, and raised an Israeli flag in place of the United Nations flag.

They claimed that the building had been raided because UNRWA owed around hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of local taxes.

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However, under the UN charter, UN buildings are exempt from such taxes and are also considered “inviolable”, meaning that, rather than raiding the building, Israel has an obligation to protect it.

Since its staff were told to leave, there have been attempts to break into the compound, which has been secured by a team of guards employed by the UN.

Sky News has been told that, when the Israeli officials arrived on Monday morning, the security guards were detained in a room within the compound.

“We didn’t let them in when they first came to the compound, but they cut the chains and the locks and took control,” said George, the head of security, who was standing outside the front gate when we arrived.

“They told my guards to stay in one room, took their phones from them, and told them they couldn’t leave.”

‘The false accusations led to this’

UNRWA’s commissioner-general, Philippe Lazzarini, said the raid was “a blatant disregard of Israel’s obligation as a United Nations Member State to protect and respect the inviolability of UN premises”.

He said that failing to cooperate with UN agencies “represent a new challenge to international law, one that creates a dangerous precedent anywhere else the UN is present across the world”.

His anger was not isolated. Outside the gates of the UNRWA compound, we met Hakam Shahwam, who used to work here as UNRWA’s chief of staff. It was, he said, “a very sad day”.

Shahwam says the claims that UNRWA was a breeding ground for Hamas had led to the raid.

He told me: “The false accusations led to this. This is a shameful day, not only for the United Nations but also for the government of Israel.

“There must be a strong protest, and a response from the international community. This is unacceptable.”

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‘It is time for UNRWA to be dismantled’

The Israeli government remains adamant that its criticism of UNRWA is justified.

When I asked Shosh Bedrosian, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, about the raid, she said: “UNRWA is a stain on the United Nations.”

She added: “It is time for UNRWA to be dismantled. It is not part of the solution for Gaza, it is part of the problem.”

She did not comment on the legality of the raid, or on Israel’s ongoing commitment to the UN Charter.

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Greek farmers have forced shutdown of Crete airport

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Greek farmers have forced shutdown of Crete airport

Greek farmers angered by delayed subsidy payments have shut down the international airport on Crete and clashed with riot police.

Images from local media showed dozens of farmers standing on the apron at Nikos Kazantzakis International Airport in Heraklion, the largest city on Crete.

Pic: Reuters
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Pic: Reuters


The airport was forced to suspend all flights, while fights between protesters and riot police broke out in Chania, the Greek island’s second-largest city, where two people were reportedly injured.

Officers used tear gas to disperse protesting farmers who pelted them with rocks and overturned a police patrol car, according to local media.

Pics: AP
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Pics: AP

The protests were sparked after delays in the payment of European Union-backed agricultural subsidies, which followed a scandal over fraudulent subsidy claims.

Authorities are reviewing all requests for EU farm subsidies, which protesters argue amount to collective punishment and leave farmers in debt and unable to plant their fields for next season.

Meanwhile, Greece’s farming sector has been hit by an outbreak of goat and sheep pox, leading to a mass cull of livestock.

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Farmers have since deployed thousands of tractors and other agricultural vehicles at border crossings and key points along highways across the country, as well as ports and airports.

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Pics: Reuters
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Pics: Reuters

Michalis Chrisochoidis, Greek minister for public order, said last week that the government remained open to talks with protest leaders, but warned it wouldn’t tolerate the shutdown of major transit points.

It comes after riot police fired tear gas at protesting farmers attempting to block the main access road to the international airport outside the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki on Friday.

Elsewhere, police have been enforcing traffic diversions in several parts of northern and central Greece, while farmer roadblocks at the country’s northern borders with Bulgaria, Turkey and North Macedonia have hampered truck traffic.

Protests by farmers are common in Greece, and similar blockades in the past have sometimes severed all road traffic between the north and south of the country for weeks.

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