Latest news with #Voronkov
Al Etihad
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Al Etihad
UN launches network to support victims and survivors of terrorism
29 Apr 2025 09:33 ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)The UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) launched the Victims of Terrorism Associations Network (VoTAN) on network is a key outcome from the first UN Global Congress of Victims of Terrorism, held in September 2022. It brings together victims and survivors of terrorism, victims' associations and civil society organisations from across the goal is to provide a safe space for victims and survivors to support each other, build resilience and engage as advocates, educators, and Voronkov, UN Under Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism, expressed solidarity with all victims regardless of nationality, ethnicity, or religion, and paid tribute to their courage and resilience.'In the face of unimaginable personal tragedy, many have chosen to raise their voices, becoming powerful advocates for solidarity and tolerance,' he said, while also calling for greater support. 'In many cases, the needs of victims and survivors are urgent and underfunded. International and national assistance remains critical,' he stressed.
New York Times
09-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Blue Jackets awaken offensively, stave off playoff elimination by beating Ottawa
COLUMBUS, Ohio — It doesn't look good, and everybody knows it. The Columbus Blue Jackets would need a miracle over the final five games and nine days of the regular season to jump four teams and claim the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. But 'doesn't look good' is not the same as 'mathematically eliminated.' Advertisement The Blue Jackets awakened offensively and snapped an ill-timed three-game losing streak by beating the Ottawa Senators 5-2 on Tuesday before 15,188 in Nationwide Arena. If the Jackets had lost in regulation, they would have been playing out the string the rest of the way. 'We used different words in the locker room, but, basically, (we wanted) to play with great confidence,' Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason said. 'Have some bite. Play with an edge. We're good, too. I think we've lost that a little bit. 'We've gone over our last couple of games and while we didn't play poorly, we didn't play with that bite, that extra edge that we had tonight. We have to play like that the rest of the way. We have a chance. You guys know the numbers better than I do, and we'll talk about it tomorrow. But we're not mathematically eliminated, so we're going to play freakin' hard every night.' Dmitri Voronkov, Justin Danforth, Mathieu Olivier, Sean Monahan and Adam Fantilli scored for the Blue Jackets, who had been shut out in their previous two games, including once by these Senators. Kent Johnson added two assists while goaltender Elvis Merzlikins had 33 saves. A BIG SHOT FROM BIG BOSS GETS US STARTED💥@FanaticsBook | #CBJ — Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) April 8, 2025 Voronkov's goal was big on two fronts. It was the big Russian's first goal in 16 games — his longest scoring drought of the season — and it put the Blue Jackets ahead 1-0 only 7:00 into the game. Voronkov's last goal came on March 1, when the Jackets beat the Detroit Red Wings in the outdoor game at Ohio Stadium for the high-water mark of the season. The goal ended a run for 14 consecutive goals against the Blue Jackets (dating back to an April 3 game vs. Colorado), and snapped their scoring drought at 159 minutes, 4 seconds. Advertisement 'We're a desperate team right now and it showed early on,' Danforth said. 'For us, getting first goals is big for our confidence. We played a bit mean, played with a bit of swagger. Everybody played great up and down the lineup. We got one and we got rolling.' While the Blue Jackets were pulling away from Ottawa — a goal late in the second (Olivier) and a power-play goal early in the third (Monahan) made it 4-1 — the Montreal Canadiens were taking care of business at home against the Detroit Red Wings. For weeks now, the battle for the final wild-card spot has been more like a potato-sack race than a sprint to the postseason. But the Canadiens, who have won six straight, have taken charge to put their grip on the final playoff spot. A regulation loss by the Blue Jackets on Tuesday would have ended it. But any combination of a Blue Jackets regulation loss or a Canadiens win — Columbus hosts Buffalo on Thursday, while Montreal plays at Ottawa on Friday — would pull the plug. That's just their situation with Montreal. The Jackets would also need to pass the Red Wings, the New York Rangers, and the New York Islanders in the standings. 'We know the situation we're in,' Fantilli said. 'We see the standings. We still have to give ourselves the best chance to get in. We've put ourselves in a tough position, but our goal is to win out the rest of the season.' TAP TAP TAP TAP AROO 🚨@FanaticsBook | #CBJ — Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) April 9, 2025 Evason said he and the coaching staff have noticed a tendency in recent weeks, and not a good one. The Blue Jackets, he noted, have been wading into games physically. That is, they've been responding to physical play, but not dictating it themselves. That was not the case on Tuesday. There were greasy hits, hard checks and post-whistle scrums for most of the final two periods, with Sean Kuraly, Olivier, Monahan, Erik Gudbranson and others providing much of the spark. Advertisement 'It was a bit of a chippy game, and that got us engaged,' Evason said. 'We talked to the team after the game that we need to do that on a consistent basis, not have something happen in order for us to get (there). I think we started that way (tonight). We had some bite in our game right from the start.' After Tuesday's slate of games, the Sabres were eliminated from the playoffs despite a shutout win over Carolina. The team directly above Buffalo in the standings is the Blue Jackets, but they're not looking over their shoulder, the players said. 'We can't lose. We just have to play like we can't lose,' Olivier said. 'Until there's an 'E' or an 'X' next to our name … as soon as that's decided, we have to play like we have a chance. Tonight was a good first step.' (Photo of Elvis Merzlikins and Tim Stützle: Russell LaBounty / Imagn Images)
The National
11-02-2025
- Politics
- The National
UN says ISIS remains resilient despite global efforts
The UN said on Monday that despite counter-terrorism efforts, ISIS remains resilient and continues to adapt its 'modus operandi'. Speaking at a Security Council meeting on terrorist threats to international peace and stability, Vladimir Voronkov, head of the UN counter-terrorism office, expressed particular concern about the situation in Syria after the fall of former president Bashar Al Assad. 'The terrorism landscape is evolving and demands collective, multilateral action, as terrorist attacks threaten life, well-being and the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals,' he said. Mr Voronkov said Syrian's Badia region remains a centre for ISIS's external operational planning and activities and noted the possibility of advanced weapons stockpiles falling into the hands of terrorists. Adding to the complexity is the condition of camps, detention centres and other facilities in north-eastern Syria, where about 42,500 former fighters and their families are being held, he said. 'This includes 17,700 Iraqis and 16,200 Syrians, along with 8,600 nationals from other countries,' he added. Regrettably, said Mr Voronkov, the overall pace of repatriations has declined significantly. 'Only five member states reportedly repatriated more than 760 individuals from Iraq and the Syrian Arab Republic. The government of Iraq repatriated approximately 400 Iraqi children from the north-east of the Syrian Arab Republic to a rehabilitation centre,' he said. US deputy ambassador Dorothy Shea told council members President Donald Trump's administration is watching the situation in Syria. She said Washington is committed to preventing Syria from being used as a base for 'ISIS, Iranian-backed terrorism or other terrorist groups' that threaten the region, and further emphasised the critical importance of dismantling Syria's chemical weapons arsenal and ensuring the 'weapons are not used for terrorism".
Voice of America
10-02-2025
- Politics
- Voice of America
UN Security Council raises alarm over rising IS-K threat from Afghanistan
United Nations counterterrorism officials warned during a Security Council meeting Monday that an Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan remains a significant threat to regional and global security. The discussion centered on the threat posed by Islamic State, also known as Daesh, and its regional offshoots to international peace and security. The Afghan-based Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) was highlighted as one of the 'most dangerous branches' of the transnational terrorist group. It has carried out repeated high-profile attacks targeting Afghan civilians and members of the country's de facto Taliban rulers. 'ISIL-Khorasan has continued to pose a significant threat in Afghanistan, the region and beyond,' Vladimir Voronkov, U.N. undersecretary-general for counterterrorism, told the meeting, using another acronym for IS-K. He stated that IS-K supporters had plotted attacks in Europe and were actively seeking to recruit individuals from Central Asian countries. 'There were also reports of small numbers of foreign terrorist fighters continuing to travel to Afghanistan,' Voronkov said. He renewed a U.N. appeal for all member states to come together to prevent the South Asian country from 'again becoming a hotbed of terrorist activities.' While addressing the meeting, U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea described IS-K as a significant global threat. 'We remain concerned about ISIS-K's capabilities to plot and conduct attacks, as well as sustain recruitment campaigns, particularly in Afghanistan and Pakistan,' Shea stated, using another acronym for IS-K. Chinese envoy Fu Cong cautioned without elaborating that terrorists linked to IS-K, al-Qaida and the anti-China East Turkestan Islamic Movement 'are very active' in Afghanistan and 'are colluding with each other.' 'China calls on the Afghan interim government to take visible and verifiable action to disintegrate and eliminate all terrorist organizations entrenched in Afghanistan,' Fu said, referring to the Taliban government, which is not recognized by any country. Vassily Nebenzia, Russia's ambassador to the U.N., attributed the increasing threat of IS-K to the hasty withdrawal of U.S.-led NATO troops from Afghanistan in 2021. 'The growing activity of ISIL-Khorasan is no coincidence. While hastily leaving Afghanistan, NATO troops abandoned vast quantities of weapons and equipment there, which then fell into the hands of ISIL inter alia [among other things],' Nebenzya asserted. Munir Akram, Pakistan's envoy to the U.N., questioned the validity of U.S. claims that IS-K is conducting recruitment campaigns in his country. He cited U.N. findings that Afghanistan is 'the main hub for ISIL-K's recruitment and facilitation' and rejected 'any imputation that there is any such recruitment in Pakistan.' Taliban authorities have not responded to the U.N. assertions but have persistently downplayed IS-K activities in the country, claiming that no foreign terrorist groups operated on Afghan soil. De facto Afghan leaders assert that Taliban counterterrorism forces have nearly eliminated IS-K hideouts, and the group can no longer pose a threat to Afghanistan or other nations from its territory. However, IS-K has routinely conducted and claimed attacks targeting members of the Afghan Shiite community and the Taliban. Last December, an IS-K suicide bomber targeted and killed Khalil Ur-Rahman Haqqani, the Taliban's minister of refugees, along with several of his associates inside his ministry in Kabul, the Afghan capital. This marked the most high-profile assassination since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in August 2021, following the withdrawal of NATO troops from the country.
The National
10-02-2025
- Politics
- The National
UN warns ISIS remains resilient despite global efforts
The UN warned on Monday that despite counter-terrorism efforts, ISIS remains resilient and continues to adapt its 'modus operandi'. 'The terrorism landscape is evolving and demands collective, multilateral action, as terrorist attacks threaten life, well-being and the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals,' said Vladimir Voronkov, head of the UN counter-terrorism office. Speaking at a Security Council meeting on terrorist threats to international peace and stability, he expressed particular concern about the situation in Syria after the fall of former president Bashar Al Assad, noting the possibility of advanced weapons stockpiles falling into the hands of malign non-state actors. Mr Voronkov said that the Syrian Badia region remains a critical centre for ISIS's external operational planning and activities. Adding to the complexity is the condition of camps, detention centres and other facilities in north-eastern Syria, where about 42,500 former fighters and their families are being held, he said. 'This includes 17,700 Iraqis and 16,200 Syrians, along with 8,600 nationals from other countries,' he added. Regrettably, said Mr Voronkov, the overall pace of repatriations has declined significantly. 'Only five member states reportedly repatriated more than 760 individuals from Iraq and the Syrian Arab Republic. The government of Iraq repatriated approximately 400 Iraqi children from the north-east of the Syrian Arab Republic to a rehabilitation centre,' he said. US deputy ambassador Dorothy Shea told council members President Donald Trump's administration is closely watching the situation in Syria. She said Washington is committed to preventing Syria from being used as a base for 'ISIS, Iranian-backed terrorism or other terrorist groups' that threaten the region, and further emphasised the critical importance of dismantling Syria's chemical weapons arsenal and ensuring the 'weapons are not used for terrorism".
