The United Nations has renewed its opposition, in principle, to imposing or banning certain clothing on women, in response to preventing French athletes from wearing the hijab during the Olympic Games that France will host next year in the name of secularism.
On Tuesday, the United Nations renewed its opposition in principle to imposing or banning certain clothing on women, in response to preventing French athletes from wearing the hijab during the Olympic Games that France will host next year in the name of secularism.
“In general, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights believes that no one should dictate to women what they should or should not wear,” said Marta Hurtado, spokeswoman for the High Commissioner for Human Rights, in response to a question during the regular United Nations press conference in Geneva. Based on recent statements made by French Sports Minister Amelie Odea Castera.
The minister explained on the French public channel “France 3” on Sunday that the government “is committed to a strict secular system, which is strictly applied in the field of sports, What does that mean? It means banning any form of proselytization, it means absolute neutrality for public service, and therefore the people who represent our delegations In our French teams, they cannot wear the hijab.”
Hurtado recalled that the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women obligates all parties, in this case France, to take “all appropriate measures necessary to modify any social or cultural model based on the idea of the inferiority or superiority of one sex over the other.”
“These discriminatory practices can have harmful consequences,” she stressed, which is why, “according to international human rights standards, restrictions on the expression of religions or beliefs, such as choice of clothing, are only acceptable in very specific circumstances that proportionately and necessarily address concerns.” legitimate concerns of public safety, public order, public health or morals.”
The French Minister acknowledged that the International Olympic Committee “follows a logic based on understanding wearing the hijab not as a religious factor but as a cultural factor,” noting that the French position was based on a decision issued by the State Shura Council, the highest administrative judicial authority in France.
At the end of June, the Shura Council maintained the ban on wearing the hijab in women's football.
In a judicial conclusion to a new case related to religious symbols in public places, which is the subject of frequent debates in France, the Shura Council ruled that the French Football Federation can enact rules that it deems necessary for the “proper conduct” of matches, which subsequently justifies it banning the wearing of the hijab in stadiums.
Amid intense polarization, the US Congress is moving towards closing federal institutions
Millions of Americans are preparing to close government institutions and stop their salaries and social benefits, with Republicans and Democrats not reaching an agreement on the budget, months before the debt default.
The US Congress is moving towards closing government institutions after right-wing Republicans obstructed efforts to approve the budget.
Millions of Americans fear that their salaries and social benefits will stop within just days of this approval.
Four months after avoiding a catastrophic debt default, the world's largest economy is once again on the brink of crisis, with lockdown measures expected to begin appearing at the end of this week.
The Republicans, who have a majority in the House of Representatives, were unable to approve the usual set of bills that determine departmental budgets for the next fiscal year, which begins Sunday, after their efforts were hampered by right-wing Republicans demanding a significant reduction in spending.
The party leadership does not have the votes necessary to advance a short-term funding bill based on 2023 spending levels to ensure continuity of funding for federal institutions after midnight on Saturday/Sunday.
A closure would jeopardize the financial resources allocated to workers in national parks, museums and other federally funded sites, and could have serious political repercussions for Biden as he seeks to win a second term in the 2024 elections.
The US President said in a statement to reporters at the White House that "financing the government is one of Congress's primary responsibilities."
He continued: "If Republicans in the House of Representatives do not take the initiative to do their job, then we should stop electing them."
The Biden administration warned that 7 million people who depend on the Food Assistance Program for Women and Children may be cut off from funding.
In addition, another thorny issue is the request for additional aid for Kiev, after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Congress last week and requested more weapons to fight Russian forces in the war that has been raging in his country for 18 months.
Both parties in the Senate support the $24 billion aid bill, but a group of Republicans in the House of Representatives threatens to block the approval of any financing measures, including aid.
"Unpaid employees"
The budget vote in Congress often turns into a confrontation in which one party uses the specter of a closure to extract concessions from the opponent, but these maneuvers usually fail.
The dilemma is usually resolved before it turns into a crisis, but the possibility of closing federal institutions this year is exacerbated by sharp polarization in Congress.
The specter of closure looms only four months after the country approaches a catastrophic default on its debts, with dire consequences for the economy in the United States and abroad.
The US government employs more than two million civilians, as well as military personnel and federal contractors.
“Non-essential” civil servants may be asked to stay home during the closure, and they will not receive their salaries until the closure ends and they return to work.
“Attempts to steal the spotlight.” Biden and Trump visit the auto sector strikers
US President Biden is visiting striking auto industry workers, which is the electorate that Trump plans to address, as he will head to the region, which is the cradle of this industry. Biden is seeking to steal the spotlight from his Republican rival, who intends to head to the same state on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden will visit striking auto industry workers, an electorate that Donald Trump plans to address the next day, as he will head to the region, which is the cradle of this industry.
The Democratic president, who is conducting his election campaign, will be the first president to go to a sit-in site in Michigan, the central state of an unprecedented strike movement affecting three giant companies in the sector, namely General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis.
In this context, Biden seeks to steal the spotlight from his Republican rival, who intends to head to the same state on Wednesday to get closer to the workers on whom he is basing his hopes in order to regain the White House.
Donald Trump, who announced his trip before Biden announced a similar move, had accused the Democratic president of copying him. His spokesman, Jason Miller, described Joe Biden's visit as "nothing more than a bad photo shoot."
But according to White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre, the US President's trip was not affected "at all" by Trump's trip.
Pro-union
For Joe Biden, the challenge is to prove that he is the president of the working classes, the defender of unions, and the architect of America's industrial renewal.
Karen Jean-Pierre said on Monday, "His visit will be historic, and will highlight the extent to which the president is the most supportive of unions in the history of the United States."
But the octogenarian, who struggles in the polls and is focused on his physical condition on every trip, is walking in a minefield, as the current demand movement could be very destructive to the American economy.
The strike at the two automakers, General Motors and Stellantis, expanded due to the lack of progress in union negotiations, unlike Ford, where “real progress” was made.
Biden has stated several times that manufacturers should distribute their “record profits” to their workers.
In response to questions about whether the president was taking sides in the social conflict, the White House spokeswoman preferred to avoid answering, and stressed that Joe Biden wants, above all, to reach an agreement that “takes into account the interests of both sides.”
She added: “We do not interfere in the negotiations.”
"He wants to take your jobs."
Joe Biden has made his support for unions a hallmark of his state, and the UAW's support for his 2020 candidacy helped swing Michigan in his favor, while the state voted for Donald Trump in 2016.
However, one of the reasons behind the auto industry's historic turmoil is the Democratic president's government policy as it pushes toward more environmentally friendly vehicles.
Donald Trump said on the Truth Social website, “When he walks slowly to pretend he is at a sit-in, remember that he wants to take your jobs and send them to China.”
The Republican's hopes of returning to the White House are based largely on the labor votes he won in 2016 in key states such as Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
But on the Democratic side, the billionaire real estate mogul's pro-union commitment is being called into question.
Donald Trump will speak on Wednesday in front of a spare parts manufacturing plant in Clinton, Michigan, according to his campaign team, a little more than 60 kilometers away from where Joe Biden will visit.
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