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60 jilibet SUBMITTED Four students attending Purcell Collegiate School (PCS) have been named to their countries’ U18 women’s national teams for upcoming IIHF World Championship events slated for early in the new year. Alejandra Radcliffe, Flóra Pásztor, Anja Poulsen, and Boglárka Báhiczki-Tóth all attend Grade 11 at PCS and play for Purcell Hockey Academy (PHA) on an elite 19U team consisting of student-athletes from countries around the world including Canada, the US, Hungary, Denmark, Czechia, Sweden, Ukraine, and Argentina. Alejandra will represent Mexico at the IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship (Division II, Group B) in Istanbul, Türkiye from January 18-23, 2025. Flóra and Boglárka play for Hungary and will represent their country at the IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship (Division I, Group A) in Budapest, Hungary from January 5-11, 2025. In a recent tuneup event that took place in Füssen, Germany, Team Hungary went undefeated in games against Germany, Austria, and Slovakia with both PHA players standing out as top performers for their team. Anja, a goaltender, will backstop Team Denmark at the IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship (Division I, Group B) in Katowice, Poland from January 7-13, 2025. Follow @purcellhockey on social media for game times and streaming platforms to view these exceptional PHA student-athletes in action as they represent their countries and Purcell Collegiate on the world stage. For more information on the various world championship events, visit www.iihf.com.Indian legend Virat Kohli was on his way back to the pavilion in Perth. And almost instantaneously, every Fox Cricket and Kayo Sports viewer had exceptional insight as to why. By the time a bereft Kohli had left the centre wicket area in the first Test of the summer, the production team behind the Halo technology being used exclusively by Fox Cricket this summer had the images demonstrating what caused his downfall. In the broadcast booth, former Australian captain Allan Border was awaiting confirmation of something he suspected Josh Hazlewood had managed to extract from the pitch with his delivery. Watch every ball of Australia v India LIVE & ad-break free during play in 4K on Kayo | New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer. Border’s instincts were as sharp as the reflexes he used to show when facing the ferocious West Indian attack and within the blink of an eye he had what he needed from behind the scenes. He had believed additional bounce was the key and so it proved. The 80 cameras circling Perth Stadium had captured perfectly the surprise on Kohli’s face at the Hazlewood delivery that reared sharply into his rib cage before deflecting from the upper portion of his bat through to Usman Khawaja at first slip. A graphic detailing the difference in height from the previous delivery, even though it landed on a similar length, was broadcast to viewers as Border readied himself to explain what had just unfolded. “He is on the front foot and he makes himself a little vulnerable (and) was surprised by the extra bounce,” Border explained to the Kayo Sports subscribers. Border marvels at the technology now available for viewers. As he explained to foxsports.com.au prior to the series, the detail provided by innovations including Fox Halo provides a phenomenal insight into what occurs in the middle. That is a massive bonus for subscribers to Kayo Sports and Fox Cricket. Perhaps the only people not pleased with the intensive insights it provides are those who are holding the bat. “There’s so much homework done on you as a batsman, about where to bowl. Now there’s so much footage of you batting on all sorts of services, against all sorts of bowlers, so you’re analysed,” Border said. THE HOLY GRAIL FOR BROADCASTERS Brad McNamara, who played 59 first class games for New South Wales and is now Innovation and Production Lead of the Fox Cricket coverage, was conducting the process behind the scenes in Perth, just as he is in Brisbane for what shapes as a pivotal Test. Standing a few metres behind Border, with more television screens than one would find at a Harvey Norman outlet between them, he alternated between whispering instructions to the Korean team operating the Halo system and letting the commentators know what was coming. The broadcasting business has changed since “Buzz”, who is also a member of the Six & Out crew performing gigs at Tests throughout the summer, swapped his time in the middle for the Blues to help enhance the entertainment for viewers after his retirement in 2000. He loves the context his team are now capable of delivering to lovers of the sport watching at home on Kayo and Fox Cricket and checking in with foxsports.com.au for on-line coverage as well. Being able to deploy the groundbreaking technology, which is used in American baseball among other elite global sports, has added to his excitement broadcasting what is shaping as another nail-biting series between Australia and India. “We’ve been able to do that before, but with another program, but it took about 25 minutes to stitch all those camera angles together,” McNamara said. “This is ready within 15 seconds, which is extraordinary. We’re all about being live and being immediate and people these days, they don’t want to wait 20 minutes. They want to see what happened now. “Our philosophy at Fox Sports, with all our sports, is to get it live immediately. ‘What happened? Why did it happen? What’s going to happen?’ And the quicker you can do that, that’s the Holy Grail for us. What once used to take 20 minutes, now it is immediate.” Champion Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist has no doubt the technology, which was used by international broadcasters to cover the Paris Olympics, will improve the ability of former players to explain to subscribers the reason something has happened. “It is going to be very interesting to analyse ... the batting positions, the foot positions, the weight transferrals (and) to try and bring you people at home, wherever you are, out into the middle of these fine venues. It is fantastic,” he said. Fox Cricket’s executive producer Joe Bromham told News Corp papers leading into the Adelaide Test the new technology was a big hit back in India as well. “It’s really made for cricket. It’s an incredible innovation for analysis. Our coverage is going to the Indian audience through Star and they’re raving about Fox Halo,” he said. “There was a cut shot from Yashasvi Jaiswal (in Perth) which just showed his footwork and his movement and when he contacted the ball, both his feet were off the ground. (Halo) just showed it perfectly.” THE CREW TAKING CRICKET TO THE WORLD As impressive as the insights provided by Fox Halo are, it is just one facet of a massive operation aimed at delivering the best coverage the sport of cricket has ever seen. From the expert analysts in the commentary booth in the grandstands to the camera operators out on the fence to the broadcast vans tucked under or behind the stadiums, it is an immense operation. A quick view of the main centre of operation — a broadcast van where everything comes together before beamed around the world — would be mind-boggling for the average viewer. Plugged into the back of the van is a tangle of blue, yellow, red and white cords resembling a nest of snakes, but every single link is critical to telling the whole story out in the middle. In this van sits the director and about 10 other specialists viewing feeds from various vantage points around Adelaide Oval to decide what goes to air and when. From one second to the next, decisions are made as to whether to flick from the top of the bowler’s mark to the vantage point of the keeper, or from the DRS graphic and out to the centre to get a close-up on the face of the batter anxiously awaiting their fate at the hands of the third umpire. Fox Cricket host Mark Howard provided an insight into the Flying Fox, which uses a Sony P50 camera weighing about 10kg, for viewers during a lunch break in the first Test in Perth. It is, pilot Nick Linton said, one of about 30 systems in the world and it costs about $1 million to operate through a Test match. But the value to the subscribers watching is immense. Howard said the quality of the microphones attached to Flying Fox made it easier to interview players and fellow Fox Cricket analysts before and during a day’s play. “Originally when we started interviewing players in the middle, the player had to put on a headset to be able to hear the questions from commentary,” Howard said. “But the way it has been developed now, there is an actual speaker on the camera, so the players no longer have to put the headset on. “They stand next to the camera and they can hear commentary blaring out from the speakers asking all sorts of questions. Then you can see the microphone under the camera where we get the return audio from the players.” AN ANALYSTS DELIGHT William Edwards is a broadcast operator in the Virtual Eye technology van, which is positioned about the length of a pitch away from the main broadcast truck. This van drips diamonds when it comes to providing insights as well. The crew staffing the Virtual Eye truck have all played cricket at various levels and love the sport, and have also covered elite golf tournaments, top-level baseball and also the America’s Cup. They aim to provide the best experience at every international event they attend and are delighted to be contributing to the broader Fox Cricket and Kayo Sports offering. Edwards explains there are four cameras dedicated to tracking the ball every single delivery and the information provided enables various technologies that enhance the spectacle. The detail features in graphics that portray, as examples, the DRS system, pitch maps, the wagon wheels as to where a batter has scored, the launch angle from the bat and so on. It also uses two cameras dedicated to tracking the players for every single ball, which provides a mini-map to allow the viewers to know where the cricketers are positioned. At Adelaide Oval on the opening day of the Second Test, the Flying Fox added to the detail and accuracy of what was broadcast. A prime example was the footage used to decide whether Nathan McSweeney had managed to execute a fine catch to dismiss KL Rahul. “If we didn’t have this technology and cricket broadcasted the way that we have it now, I probably wouldn’t watch cricket,” Edwards told foxsports.com.au . “I’d probably find it a little dull, to be honest, but being able to show what players are up to and how they’re moving, along with their decision making and the process behind it, and why they’re doing what they’re doing, it adds to the excitement to the game. “We’re trying to tell the most valuable stories that the general public wouldn’t be able to tell while watching the normal broadcast because we have access to dozens of cameras ... and we can show this before anyone else can see it. We work very closely with the producers at Fox so we can tell those stories.” Another innovation on the Fox Cricket coverage is HyperLayer, but the Virtual Eye team say this is only just the beginning of a new intelligence stream that will assist players, broadcasters and also the viewers to understand what is going on in the centre. Already this technology is providing detail for graphics on ball and bat speeds, for example, but in time ... well, it might just be able to tell us what is going to unfold based on probability. “The whole idea is that it could end up predicting what play could be the right one to make, it could be the right field to place, it could be better decision making than the players themselves are capable of,” Edwards said. As McNamara said, the aim is to provide the “Holy Grail” when it comes to broadcasting cricket. And in an intriguing series, the technology further magnifies the interest.

With a focus on human rights, US policy toward Latin America under Jimmy Carter briefly tempered a long tradition of interventionism in a key sphere of American influence, analysts say. Carter, who died Sunday at the age of 100, defied the furor of US conservatives to negotiate the handover of the Panama Canal to Panamanian control, suspended aid to multiple authoritarian governments in the region, and even attempted to normalize relations with Cuba. Carter's resolve to chart a course toward democracy and diplomacy, however, was severely tested in Central America and Cuba, where he was forced to balance his human rights priorities with pressure from adversaries to combat the spread of communism amid the Cold War standoff with the Soviet Union. "Latin America was fundamental and his global policy was oriented toward human rights, democratic values and multilateral cooperation," political analyst Michael Shifter of the Inter-American Dialogue, a think tank in Washington, told AFP. During his 1977-1981 administration, which was sandwiched between the Republican presidencies of Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan, the Democrat sought to take a step back from US alignment with right-wing dictatorships in Latin America. - Panama Canal - An important symbol of Carter's approach was the signing of two treaties in 1977 to officially turn over the Panama Canal in 1999. "Jimmy Carter understood that if he did not return the canal to Panama, the relationship between the United States and Panama could lead to a new crisis in a country where Washington could not afford the luxury of instability," said Luis Guillermo Solis, a political scientist and former president of Costa Rica. Carter called the decision, which was wildly unpopular back home, "the most difficult political challenge I ever had," as he accepted Panama's highest honor in 2016. He also hailed the move as "a notable achievement of moving toward democracy and freedom." During his term, Carter opted not to support Nicaraguan strongman Anastasio Somoza, who was subsequently overthrown by the leftist Sandinista Front in 1979. But in El Salvador, the American president had to "make a very uncomfortable pact with the government," said Shifter. To prevent communists from taking power, Carter resumed US military assistance for a junta which then became more radical, engaging in civilian massacres and plunging El Salvador into a long civil war. Carter took a critical approach to South American dictatorships in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay, suspending arms deliveries and imposing sanctions in some cases. But his efforts "did not achieve any progress in terms of democratization," said Argentine political scientist Rosendo Fraga. - 'Let's go to the ball game' - The American president also tried to normalize relations with Cuba 15 years after the missile crisis. He relaxed sanctions that had been in force since 1962, supported secret talks and enabled limited diplomatic representation in both countries. "With him, for the first time, the possibility of dialogue rather than confrontation as a framework for political relations opened up," Jesus Arboleya, a former Cuban diplomat, told AFP. But in 1980, a mass exodus of 125,000 Cubans to the United States, with Fidel Castro's blessing, created an unexpected crisis. It "hurt Carter politically with the swarm of unexpected immigrants," said Jennifer McCoy, a professor of political science at Georgia State University. Castro continued to support Soviet-backed African governments and even deployed troops against Washington's wishes, finally putting an end to the normalization process. However, more than 20 years later, Carter made a historic visit to Havana as ex-president, at the time becoming the highest-profile American politician to set foot on Cuban soil since 1959. During the 2002 visit, "he made a bold call for the US to lift its embargo, but he also called on Castro to embrace democratic opening," said McCoy, who was part of the US delegation for the trip, during which Castro encouraged Carter to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at a Cuban All-Star baseball game. "Castro was sitting in the front row and we were afraid he would rise to give a long rebuttal to Carter's speech. But he didn't. He just said, 'Let's go to the ball game.'" In the years following Carter's presidency, Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) would go on to resume a full-frontal confrontation with Cuba. Decades later, Barack Obama (2009-2017) opened a new phase of measured normalization, which Donald Trump (2017-2021) brought to an end. US President Joe Biden promised to review US policy toward Cuba, but hardened his stance after Havana cracked down on anti-government protests in 2021. "Carter showed that engagement and diplomacy are more fruitful than isolation," McCoy said. bur-lp-rd-jb/lbc/mlr/bfm/sst/bbkRemains found in 1973 identified as Pennsylvania teen girl who left for school and never returnedJimmy Carter, the 39th US president, has died at 100

Musk Appears To Soften Pro-Foreign Worker, H-1B Visa Stance Amid Online SpatIn recent events, two alarming incidents of harassment targeting interfaith couples have come to light from Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, shedding light on the ongoing threat of right-wing vigilante groups and challenges surrounding personal freedoms in the country. In Uttar Pradesh’s Basti district on Saturday, December 28, Hindutva members reportedly affiliated to the Vishva Hindu Mahasangh organisation heckled a Hindu woman who had recently married a Muslim man, accusing her of being a target of “Love Jihad”. “Love jihad” is a conspiracy theory that accuses Muslim men of intentionally and strategically alluring and entrapping non-Muslim women with the intent to “convert them” to Islam and marry them as part of an “Islamisation project”. A video of the harassment that has surfaced on social media depicts the group members led by Akhilesh Singh, donning saffron scarves, questioning the woman and demanding she show her Aadhaar card. Despite the woman’s repeated explanations she and her Muslim partner had a legal marriage in court with their consent, the agitated group continued to harass her, demanding to call her parents to verify the legality of the marriage. In UP's Basti, Hindutva mob on Sat harassed interfaith couple, accusing the man of "love jihad”, despite the woman pleading with them and explaining that they had legally married. "I'm ready to go to jail. I have got married on my own wish. This is my life," said the woman. pic.twitter.com/zf5GR3XEF3 A similar incident occurred in Bhopal on December 27 where a Muslim youth was assaulted by a group of Hindutva members while he was with his Hindu female friend. The group surrounded the couple and alleged that the Muslim youngster was engaging her in “love jihad” and called on the police to arrest him. When the authorities declined to register a case based on allegations the mob staged a protest outside the police station. A video of the video circulating on social media platforms shows the mob aggressively questioning the youth’s identity and repeatedly chanting slogans such as “ Love Jihad ke support karne wale ko joothe maro saale ko ” (beat those who support love jihad) and “ Police prashasan brasht hai” (police administration is corrupt) accusing the police of being an accomplice of what these groups consider to be a social evil. In MP's Bhopal on Friday, a Muslim youth was assaulted by Hindutva mob for hanging out with his Hindu female friend accusing him of engaging in "love jihad." When the police refused to register a case based on their allegations, the mob staged a protest at the police station. pic.twitter.com/VjWT6CG9lQ These incidents depict an increasing trend in communal strife, where personal relationships are being subjected to public scrutiny and violent intervention. The disturbing trend of roles of vigilantes and mob violence undermines citizens’ freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution of India. The interfaith couples often face attacks and mob violence under the guise of combating “love jihad”. Earlier this month, the Bombay High Court upheld a Hindu girl’s right to choose her partner and allowed her to continue her live-in relationship with a Muslim boy. The bench consisting of Justice Bharti Dangre and Justice Manjusha Deshpande observed that the girl was an adult and therefore even with opposition from her family and right-wing groups, like Bajrang Dal, she was free to exercise her rights. The court secured the freedom of the couple by allowing their relationship.

Littler, who won the Grand Slam of Darts last week, hit checkouts of 170, 164 and 136 as he threatened to overturn an early deficit, but Humphries held his nerve to win the last three legs. “I’m really, really proud of that one to be honest,” Humphries told Sky Sports. FOR THE SECOND TIME 🏆🏆 Luke Humphries retains his 2024 Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals title, beating Luke Littler 11-7 in the final. pic.twitter.com/QUhxvSbGeu — PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) November 24, 2024 “I didn’t feel myself this week playing-wise, I felt like I was a dart behind in a lot of the scenarios but there’s something that Luke does to you. He really drives me, makes me want to be a better player and I enjoy playing him. “He let me in really early in that first session to go 4-1 up, I never looked back and I’m proud that I didn’t take my foot off the gas. These big games are what I live for. “Luke is a special talent and he was right – I said to him I’ve got to get these (titles) early before he wins them all. “I’d love to be up here and hitting 105 averages like Luke is all the time but he’s a different calibre, he’s probably the best player in the world right now but there’s something about me that never gives up. “This is a great way to go into the worlds.” HUMPHRIES GOES BACK-TO-BACK! 🏆 Luke Humphries retains his Players Championship Finals title! Cool Hand puts on an absolute clinic to defeat Luke Littler 11-7 in an epic final! 📺 https://t.co/AmuG0PMn18 #PCF2024 | Final pic.twitter.com/nZDWPUVjWE — PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) November 24, 2024 Littler, who lost the world championship final to Humphries last year, said: “It was tough, missed a few doubles and if you don’t take chances early on, it’s a lot to come back. “I hit the 170 and the 164 but just didn’t have enough in the end. “It’s been a good past two weeks. I just can’t wait to go home, chill out, obviously practice at home for the worlds. That’s it now, leading up to the big one.”The political circumstances that surrounded the publication of "Ultimatum," once a best-selling novel that imagined an American effort to annex Canada, may ring familiar to anyone following recent headlines. A US leader announces tariffs on Canadian imports, signaling a more confrontational relationship, and a prime minister named Trudeau scrambles to respond. But the American, in this case, was former president Richard Nixon and the Canadian leader was Pierre Elliott Trudeau -- father of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Nixon and the elder Trudeau are long dead, but the author of "Ultimatum," published in 1973, is D-Day veteran Richard Rohmer, the honorary lieutenant general of the Canadian Armed Forces, who recently turned 101. Still an avid news consumer and writer, Rohmer told AFP that remarks by President-elect Donald Trump implying that Canada could be absorbed by the United States should not be laughed off. "This man has to be taken seriously," he said. "He is a man with great imagination who has ideas about what he can do and what he cannot do, and as far as Canada is concerned." Trump mocked Trudeau this week as the "governor" of a state, rather than prime minister of the giant US neighbor -- a taunt beyond any seen during Trump's first term. The president-elect's jibe followed Fox News reports that, in talks with Trudeau in Florida, he had suggested that if Canada could not withstand his threat to impose 25 percent tariffs on Canadian imports, then it should be absorbed as the 51st US state. While some analysts dismissed the barbs as "Trump being Trump," it hit a sensitive nerve in Canada. Days after meeting Trudeau, Trump posted an AI-generated image showing himself standing high atop a mountain next to a Canadian flag, gazing forward. Former Quebec premier Jean Charest responded on X by tartly cautioning Trump to "think twice before invading Canada." Charest recalled the War of 1812, when US advances on Canadian territory ended in defeat -- and the torching of the White House. - Support for annexation? - Yet not everyone in Canada views US annexation as a terrible idea. A poll by the Leger research firm conducted after Trump's comments found that 13 percent of Canadians would like the country to become a US state, with support strongest among men and Conservative Party supporters. Trudeau has not publicly responded to Trump's taunts. An op-ed piece in the Toronto Star said Trump was behaving "like a toddler," and the prime minister was wise to not "rise to the bait." For Laura Stephenson, chair of the political science department at Western University, Trump's musings amount to an escalation compared to a tariff threat. "We're in a different world now. Annexation isn't the same as 'I'm going to hurt your industry.'" Even if an active confrontation with the US remains unthinkable, Stephenson told AFP that such mockery can be "humiliating" to Canadians. She said many Canadians identify themselves explicitly as "not American," and Trump's poking at the issue "has all sort of implications for Canadian identity." - Moment for patriotism? - University of Toronto political scientist Renan Levine, on the other hand, suggested Trump's ribbing could be a "good sign" for Canadians, as it implies a bond with Trudeau. "He's basically signaling, 'I have a certain level of comfort with you and we can exchange wisecracks,'" Levine told AFP. Rohmer said the moment calls for patriotism. The success of his book "Ultimatum" came at a curious time in Canadian fiction, with a flurry of books, including a novel by acclaimed author Margaret Atwood, exploring conflict with the US. Rohmer said his book likely tapped into a thirst for national pride that Canadians crave but are notorious for suppressing. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland responded to Trump's mockery by saying "Canada is the greatest country in the world" -- while adding that such a boast was not "appropriately Canadian." When asked if he thought Trump's insults should prompt Canada to assert its strength, Rohmer said: "I think we should, but I have no idea how." bs/bbk/bgs

Zero Zero Robotics showcases bestselling HOVERAir X1 series at CES 2025The Chicago Cubs ran baseball's seventh-highest payroll in 2024, according to Spotrac . They also missed the playoffs for the fourth straight year. For now, the Cubs show no signs of moving up in either area. More news: Cubs Make Trade, Acquire Former First-Round Draft Pick From Angels ESPN's Jeff Passan, speaking on the Baseball Tonight podcast with colleague Buster Olney, reported Friday that the Cubs are not involved yet with the offseason's biggest free agents. "I've gotten no sign so far that the Chicago Cubs are going to be involved in any of the major free agents," Passan told Olney . "That may change. Let's remember last winter, when the price came down on Cody Bellinger, suddenly the Cubs are back in." Ironically, the only Bellinger news linked to the Cubs this winter was a recent report from Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic that the Cubs want to trade Bellinger but "they also note the difficulty the team likely will face pulling off such a move." More news : Cubs' New Front Office Hire Reveals Big Shift in Pitching Philosophy Bellinger is owed $27.5 million next year and holds a $25 million player option in his contract for 2026. The Cubs acquired catcher Matt Thaiss from the Los Angeles Angels for cash on Wednesday. In a recent interview with Buster Olney , Cubs GM Carter Hawkins confirmed he was in the market for catching and starting pitching help. More news: Cubs Looking to Trade $27.5 Million Star: Report Passan suggests the Cubs aren't lining up to sign Blake Snell, Corbin Burnes, or any of the other top-of-the-rotation arms on this winter's free agent market — but that might change as the offseason drags along. "Every winter, one guy who's out there in free agency doesn't get what he's wanting and lasts for a while," Passan said. "Perhaps the Cubs jump in there, but I don't anticipate right now that they're going to be involved in any of the major players." More news: Cubs GM Identifies Top Two Offseason Targets With Bellinger opting into the next year of his contract, the Cubs have most of the key players returning from a team that went 83-79 for the second straight year. Hawkins and president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer might not have that much work cut out for them to narrow the gap with the first-place Milwaukee Brewers. If their operating budget is slim, however, the Cubs' front office might have to get a bit more creative. More to come on this story from Newsweek Sports.

The political circumstances that surrounded the publication of "Ultimatum," once a best-selling novel that imagined an American effort to annex Canada, may ring familiar to anyone following recent headlines. A US leader announces tariffs on Canadian imports, signaling a more confrontational relationship, and a prime minister named Trudeau scrambles to respond. But the American, in this case, was former president Richard Nixon and the Canadian leader was Pierre Elliott Trudeau -- father of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Nixon and the elder Trudeau are long dead, but the author of "Ultimatum," published in 1973, is D-Day veteran Richard Rohmer, the honorary lieutenant general of the Canadian Armed Forces, who recently turned 101. Still an avid news consumer and writer, Rohmer told AFP that remarks by President-elect Donald Trump implying that Canada could be absorbed by the United States should not be laughed off. "This man has to be taken seriously," he said. "He is a man with great imagination who has ideas about what he can do and what he cannot do, and as far as Canada is concerned." Trump mocked Trudeau this week as the "governor" of a state, rather than prime minister of the giant US neighbor -- a taunt beyond any seen during Trump's first term. The president-elect's jibe followed Fox News reports that, in talks with Trudeau in Florida, he had suggested that if Canada could not withstand his threat to impose 25 percent tariffs on Canadian imports, then it should be absorbed as the 51st US state. While some analysts dismissed the barbs as "Trump being Trump," it hit a sensitive nerve in Canada. Days after meeting Trudeau, Trump posted an AI-generated image showing himself standing high atop a mountain next to a Canadian flag, gazing forward. Former Quebec premier Jean Charest responded on X by tartly cautioning Trump to "think twice before invading Canada." Charest recalled the War of 1812, when US advances on Canadian territory ended in defeat -- and the torching of the White House. Yet not everyone in Canada views US annexation as a terrible idea. A poll by the Leger research firm conducted after Trump's comments found that 13 percent of Canadians would like the country to become a US state, with support strongest among men and Conservative Party supporters. Trudeau has not publicly responded to Trump's taunts. An op-ed piece in the Toronto Star said Trump was behaving "like a toddler," and the prime minister was wise to not "rise to the bait." For Laura Stephenson, chair of the political science department at Western University, Trump's musings amount to an escalation compared to a tariff threat. "We're in a different world now. Annexation isn't the same as 'I'm going to hurt your industry.'" Even if an active confrontation with the US remains unthinkable, Stephenson told AFP that such mockery can be "humiliating" to Canadians. She said many Canadians identify themselves explicitly as "not American," and Trump's poking at the issue "has all sort of implications for Canadian identity." University of Toronto political scientist Renan Levine, on the other hand, suggested Trump's ribbing could be a "good sign" for Canadians, as it implies a bond with Trudeau. "He's basically signaling, 'I have a certain level of comfort with you and we can exchange wisecracks,'" Levine told AFP. Rohmer said the moment calls for patriotism. The success of his book "Ultimatum" came at a curious time in Canadian fiction, with a flurry of books, including a novel by acclaimed author Margaret Atwood, exploring conflict with the US. Rohmer said his book likely tapped into a thirst for national pride that Canadians crave but are notorious for suppressing. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland responded to Trump's mockery by saying "Canada is the greatest country in the world" -- while adding that such a boast was not "appropriately Canadian." When asked if he thought Trump's insults should prompt Canada to assert its strength, Rohmer said: "I think we should, but I have no idea how." bs/bbk/bgs

Clippers hit the road looking to win, regardless of who’s on the court

2024 in focus: How political landscape of India changed this year after assembly polls in eight statesSocial media users are misrepresenting a report released Thursday by the Justice Department inspector general's office, falsely claiming that it's proof the FBI orchestrated the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. The watchdog report examined a number of areas, including whether major intelligence failures preceded the riot and whether the FBI in some way provoked the violence. Claims spreading online focus on the report's finding that 26 FBI informants were in Washington for election-related protests on Jan. 6, including three who had been tasked with traveling to the city to report on others who were potentially planning to attend the events.Jimmy Carter, 39th U.S. president, has died at 100

Climate finance's 'new era' shows new political realitiesWhat does Justice Haynes’ departure mean for Alabama’s RB room?