bet365 sign up bonus Former FBI Informant Accused of Lying About Bidens Indicted on Tax ChargesThe British Columbia Hockey League hosted a special board of governors meeting this week to discuss ways to deal with the recent NCAA eligibility change, but one thing they didn't discuss was rejoining Hockey Canada. The league has seen a number of players depart the league this month for the Canadian Hockey League – or other major junior leagues – due to the NCAA's ruling on Nov. 7 that players suiting up in any of the three CHL leagues could continue on at the NCAA level. Prior to that decision, those who played in the CHL were not able to play at the NCAA level due to those leagues being considered semi-professional. The BCHL left Hockey Canada in 2023 and became an independent league. The mission at that time was to create a world-class junior league for players seeking NCAA and U Sports scholarships. It allowed the BCHL to recruit from a larger pool of players, as under Hockey Canada they could not recruit as heavily from other provinces and parts of the world. The BCHL also stated in 2023 that all player fees would be eliminated by the 2024-25 season. According to Jesse Adamson, the director of communications for the BCHL, discussions about linking back with Hockey Canada are not on the table. "Being an independent league puts us in a much better situation to handle this change as it gives our league the autonomy to make regulation changes to adapt to the new landscape," he told Black Press Media. "Our governors are still very happy with the decision to become independent." The BCHL issed a press release on Friday morning (Nov. 22), stating that only a small percentage of players have left the league and other players have been brought in to replace them. They also reiterated that the BCHL has always been about player choice. Unlike the CHL, the BCHL does not hold a draft or tell players where to play. Players are recruited and can choose their own destination from the start of their junior hockey career. "There’s no doubt that this rule change has altered the landscape of junior hockey, but as our league has always done, we will adapt to the new regulations and continue to thrive,” stated BCHL commissioner Steven Cocker. "We will always be in favour of athletes doing what they think is best for their development.” BCHL board chairman Richard Murphy said he believes that, despite the changing landscape, the BCHL is still the best path for players to develop into NCAA Division I hockey players. He added that the league will continue to produce college-bound athletes for years to come. The release stated that the BCHL’s mandate going forward remains: unity and growth, players' choice, academics, independence, and meeting the needs of its athletes and of NCAA Division I programs. following the meeting with more information. The FAQ states that the league has had multiple meetings with NCAA Division I programs and conferences and they all feel that this decision will not make the BCHL irrelevant. The FAQ added that the BCHL's high academic standards also makes players from the league more easy to recruit into the NCAA. , with the West Kelowna Warriors and Penticton Vees both losing two. The Vees put out a statement on Friday (Nov. 22) after losing forward Casey Brown and defenceman Julien Wasmer to the CHL. “Casey came to us with a personal issue. He felt being closer to his family would be best and we fully support and respect his decision. We wish him all the best in Moose Jaw," said Fred Harbinson, Vees president, general manager and head coach "We are a few weeks away from getting two 20-year-old defencemen back from injury, and coupled with the outstanding play of our two young defencemen, Julien understood his role was going to be reduced. He looked for an opportunity with another team, rather than compete for a more favourable spot on our roster." Other players who have moved on since the decision include: Lukas McCloskey (Vernon Vipers), Robin Benoit (Sherwood Park Crusaders), Linden Burrett (Cowichan Valley Capitals), Thomas Belzil (Powell River Kings) and Liam Beamish (Salmon Arm Silverbacks).A US judge ruled on Friday in favor of Meta Platforms' WhatsApp in a lawsuit accusing Israel's NSO Group of exploiting a bug in the messaging app to install spy software allowing unauthorized surveillance. US District Judge Phyllis Hamilton in Oakland, California, granted a motion by WhatsApp and found NSO liable for hacking and breach of contract. The case will now proceed to a trial only on the issue of damages, Hamilton said. NSO Group did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment, according to Reuters. Will Cathcart, the head of WhatsApp, said the ruling is a win for privacy. "We spent five years presenting our case because we firmly believe that spyware companies could not hide behind immunity or avoid accountability for their unlawful actions," Cathcart said in a social media post. "Surveillance companies should be on notice that illegal spying will not be tolerated." Cybersecurity experts welcomed the judgment. John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher with Canadian internet watchdog Citizen Lab — which first brought to light NSO’s Pegasus spyware in 2016 — called the judgment a landmark ruling with “huge implications for the spyware industry.” “The entire industry has hidden behind the claim that whatever their customers do with their hacking tools, it's not their responsibility,” he said in an instant message. “Today's ruling makes it clear that NSO Group is in fact responsible for breaking numerous laws.” WhatsApp in 2019 sued NSO seeking an injunction and damages, accusing it of accessing WhatsApp servers without permission six months earlier to install the Pegasus software on victims' mobile devices. The lawsuit alleged the intrusion allowed the surveillance of 1,400 people, including journalists, human rights activists and dissidents. NSO had argued that Pegasus helps law enforcement and intelligence agencies fight crime and protect national security and that its technology is intended to help catch terrorists, pedophiles and hardened criminals. NSO appealed a trial judge's 2020 refusal to award it "conduct-based immunity," a common law doctrine protecting foreign officials acting in their official capacity. Upholding that ruling in 2021, the San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals called it an "easy case" because NSO's mere licensing of Pegasus and offering technical support did not shield it from liability under a federal law called the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, which took precedence over common law. The US Supreme Court last year turned away NSO's appeal of the lower court's decision, allowing the lawsuit to proceed.

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MillionaireMatch Empowers Singles with Entrepreneurial Spirit to Connect and SucceedNEW YORK (AP) — The man accused of burning a woman to death inside a New York City subway train used a shirt to fan the flames, a prosecutor said Tuesday at his arraignment on murder charges. Sebastian Zapeta, 33, who federal immigration officials said is a Guatemalan citizen who entered the U.S. illegally, was not required to enter a plea and did not speak at the hearing in Brooklyn criminal court. Zapeta, wearing a white jumpsuit over a weathered black hooded sweatshirt, will remain jailed at the city's Rikers Island complex and is due back in court on Friday. His lawyer did not ask for bail. Zapeta is charged with two counts of murder, accusing him of intentionally killing the woman and killing her while committing arson. He is also charged with one count of arson. The top charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole. Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez called the attack a “gruesome and senseless act of violence” and said it would be “met with the most serious consequences.” The apparently random attack occurred Sunday morning on an F train that was stopped at the Coney Island station. The victim's identification is still pending. Authorities say Zapeta approached the woman, who may have been sleeping in the train, and set her clothing on fire with a lighter. Zapeta then fanned the flames with a shirt, engulfing her in fire, Assistant District Attorney Ari Rottenberg said in court Tuesday. Zapeta then sat on a bench on the subway platform and watched, Rottenberg said. According to Rottenberg, Zapeta told detectives that he didn’t know what happened but identified himself in images of the attack. Zapeta's lawyer, public defender Andrew Friedman, did not speak to reporters after the arraignment. A message seeking comment was left for him. Video on social media appears to show some people looking on from the platform and at least one police officer walking by while the woman is on fire inside the train. NYPD Transit Chief Joseph Gulotta said Sunday that several officers responded to the fire and one stayed to keep the crime scene “the way it’s supposed to be" while the others went to get fire extinguishers and transit workers. “Officers who were on patrol on an upper level of that station smelled and saw smoke and went to investigate. What they saw was a person standing inside the train car fully engulfed in flames,” Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. They eventually put the fire out, but “unfortunately, it was too late,” Tisch said, and the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Zapeta was taken into custody Sunday afternoon while riding a train on the same subway line after teenagers recognized him from images circulated by the police. A Brooklyn address for Zapeta released by police matches a shelter that provides housing and substance abuse support. The shelter did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Federal immigration officials said Zapeta was deported in 2018 but later reentered the U.S. illegally. The crime deepened a growing sense of unease among some New Yorkers about the safety of the subway system, amplified by graphic video of the attack that ricocheted across social media. Overall, crime is down in the transit system compared to last year. Major felonies declined 6% between January and November compared to the same time period last year, according to data from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. But murders are up, with nine killings this year through November compared to five during the same period last year. There have also been several high-profile incidents, including one in September where police inadvertently shot two bystanders and a fellow officer when they opened fire on a man holding a knife in front of a train. Earlier this month, a Manhattan jury acquitted former Marine Daniel Penny in the chokehold death last year of an agitated subway rider. The case became a flashpoint in debates over safety, homelessness and mental illness on the system. Policing the subway is difficult, given the vast network of trains moving between 472 stations. Each stop contains multiple entry points and, in many stations, multiple floors and platforms. This story has been corrected to show that the name of Zapeta's lawyer is Andrew Friedman, not Ed Friedman.

How Experian is using data to unlock financial power for everyonePatna (Bihar) [India], December 21 (ANI): Memorandum of understanding (MoU) of around Rs 1.81 lakh crore across 11 sectors were signed during the Bihar Business Connect 2024, state Chief Secretary Amrit Lal Meena said on Saturday and noted that state government is encouraging investment through various steps aimed at ease of doing business. In an interview with ANI, Meena said that investors have shown positive response and there has been a substantial increase in MoUs signed compared to last year. Also Read | Sam Konstas Reflects on Maiden Test Call-Up Ahead of IND vs AUS Boxing Day Test, Says 'Mum Was in Tears, I Was Trying Not To Cry' (Watch Video). "Under the leadership of the CM, Bihar Business Connect 2024 was organised on December 19 and 20. Investors from the country have shown a positive response. With more than 400 investors, MoUs worth Rs. 1,81,000 crore were signed, covering 11 sectors in which the renewable energy sector is the prime focus," he said. He stated that the renewable energy sector received maximum response and there are significant investment opportunities in sectors like food processing, textiles, information technology, logistics and plastics. Also Read | Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid, La Liga 2024-25 Free Live Streaming Online: How to Watch Spanish League Match Live Telecast on TV & Football Score Updates in IST?. Referring to the Business Connect in 2023, he said MoUs of about Rs 53,000 crore were signed and in about half of them, steps have been taken for implementation. He said MoUs signed this year will also facilitate people and its implementation will be visible in the coming days. Meena said the state has established a State Investment Promotion Board that goes through proposals every week. He also said the state has created a single-window clearance system for the facilitation of the investors and there is a project monitoring system. He said officials, who are involved in giving clearances, have been urged to encourage investment proposals so that the state gets more investment and more employment opportunities are created He said a lot of skilled people came back to the state during COVID-19 and the state government facilitated them. Many people were from the textile sector in different parts of the country and were provided working facilities and they established new textile units. He said that inspired by this, the state government created 24 lakh square feet of "play and plug" infrastructure in 2022-23 and 17 lakh square feet was allocated to 135 units. Meena said the "plug and play" infrastructure is greatly helping IT, textile sector and food processing sectors as at a rate of Rs per 4 to 6 per square foot per month lease rate - infrastructure facilities have been made available for very low charges. The small and medium-scale investors have got this readymade space available which has water, electricity and connectivity and all these are located in industrial areas, he noted. Big investments have taken place in IT, the textile sector, food processing and the state government is working towards land availability and facilities under plug and play initiative. He said the investment projects are seen not only as that of the Industry Department but of "Bihar as a unit" and all departments concerning investment opportunities hold joint meetings. Meena said industrialists and investors have been informed of sector-specific and umbrella policies and suggestions received have also been incorporated into the policies. He said the state government is open to suggestions from investors to get more investment. Meena said the state has witnessed a lot of change in the last 15-20 years. "In Bihar, the Ganga River had just four bridges before 2005, now the number has reached 14. The connectivity challenge that was there earlier has now been resolved and it is benefitting every sector," he stated. The Bihar Business Connect 2024 connected industry leaders, government officials, and experts to foster partnerships and collaborations. During the two-day summit, the leaders engaged in meaningful discussions and knowledge-sharing sessions with industry leaders to explore investment opportunities in Bihar. (ANI) (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)

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The Kimberley Curling Club (KCC) hosted the 2025 Safetek Profire BC U18 Curling Championships from Dec. 19 to 23. "We were thrilled with how everything went," said KCC general manager Blair Jarvis. "We knew that most teams were travelling a long way to get here and unfortunately they had to deal with some adventures with the snow we had last Wednesday. "We wanted to make sure that we gave them an experience that they would remember, so we spent a lot of time on the ice, we wanted to give them a great social experience off the ice as well and we heard from a number of curlers that it was the most U18 event that they’ve attended and so we’re really proud of that fact." The event had 12 teams competing on the Boys' side and seven Girls teams. On the Boys side of the competition, Team Jaeger out of Kelowna beat out Team Hrynew in the finals and for the Girls, Team Arndt from Vernon beat out Team Rempel to win the gold. With these wins, Team Jaeger has earned a spot at the Canadian Under-18 Curling Championships, which will be held at the Nutana Curling Club in Saskatoon, Sask. from Feb. 16-22, 2025. Teams Arndt and Rempel will both be headed to the Nationals. Team Jaeger was made up of coaches Tyler Jaeger and Travis Wielgosz, Lead Brendan Hruschak, Second Noel Wielgosz, Third Spencer Rempel and Skip Owen Jaeger. "We really worked hard this year, this year we really wanted to win," said Skip Owen Jaeger. "We put in a lot of work and it just feels really, really good to win and for all that hard work to pay off. We’re really, really excited, it’s our first National event, first U18 provincial win so we’re really excited." Team Arndt is Coach David Arndt, Lead Alicia Evans, Second Ivy Jensen, Third Bethany Evans and Skip Ava Arndt. "We’re just super excited," said Skip Ava Arndt. "It took us a couple years to get here, but the hard work payed off and we can’t believe it, I don’t think it’s sunk in yet. It’s been a lot of hard work from us and the coaches and the parents. It’s been amazing." Jarvis coached Kimberley's Team Reynolds, who went on to win bronze. "We had set a target of making the playoffs and really happy with how the boys came together," Jarvis said. "They had a couple of games with a tough start and battled back and so the resilience they showed and how they stayed positive, there were a lot of great things we can take away from that. And the bronze medal, we were just thrilled to do that. "We saw Team Jaeger on the boys side and Team Arndt on the girls side as well — if we want to get to that level next year, we have some things to work on and it’s great to see the high level of curling in this province and so I think we’ve come away very motivated as well about what we need to do to get better if we want to be a little higher on the podium next year." Jarvis extended his gratitude to the over 50 volunteers who helped out before, during and after the event, including members of the Cranbrook Curling Club. "We’ll take some of the learnings from this event and apply them to the High School Provincials at the end of February, but we’re really happy with how everything went," he said. "And this is an event for the kids, we want to make sure that they’re going to have an experience that they’ll remember, the teams that had success will obviously remember the things that happened on the ice, but for most kids it will be the experiences they had off the ice. "We had karaoke here on the one night and a bunch of teams were intermingling together and having a great time and those are the experiences that I’m going to take away from this event." Patti Caldwell was head official for the event and Jarvis said she and Ian Milligan worked tirelessly throughout the week. "Patti’s attitude is this is all for the kids and making sure that they have fun and sure it’s a competition, but it’s meant to be fun and we’re going to enjoy this," Jarvis said. "This is a sport that we can enjoy for life and so you want to make sure you’re building positive memories in every aspect." Lindsay Shannon, administrative and event manager at Curl BC, was also on hand for the event, and presented all the awards. "We would just like to thank the Kimberley Curling Club and the City of Kimberley who put on an amazing event here and welcomed all of our athletes who have performed so well," Shannon said. "We're really looking forward to cheering our winners on at the Nationals." The Kimberley Curling Club's next big event is the High School Provincials from Feb. 26 to March 1."War on Gaza": Joe Sacco’s graphic journey through genocideCanada Post quarterly loss tops $300M as strike hits second week — and rivals step in MONTREAL — Canada Post saw hundreds of millions of dollars drain out of its coffers last quarter, due largely to its dwindling share of the parcels market — while an ongoing strike continues to batter its bottom line. Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press Nov 22, 2024 12:23 PM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message Canada Post says it lost $315 million before tax in the third quarter compared with a loss before tax of $290 million a year earlier.Canada Post signage is seen during a national strike action in Ottawa, on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby Listen to this article 00:01:14 MONTREAL — Canada Post saw hundreds of millions of dollars drain out of its coffers last quarter, due largely to its dwindling share of the parcels market — while an ongoing strike continues to batter its bottom line. The Crown corporation said Friday it lost $315 million before tax in the third quarter, larger than its $290 million loss a year earlier. "An increasingly crowded and highly competitive e-commerce delivery market continued to impact parcels results in the third quarter of 2024," Canada Post said. The number of packages dropped by six million or nearly 10 per cent year-over-year. Letter mail volumes also eroded further, though revenue nudged up due to a hike in stamp prices, it said. The financial results put Canada Post on track for "another significant loss" in 2024, which would mark the seventh year in a row in the red. They also come as Canada Post deals with an ongoing shutdown of its operations after more than 55,000 workers across the country walked off the job on Nov. 15. The two sides have been wrangling over wages and contract work as well as job security, benefits and working conditions. Amid the sudden halt of deliveries — government benefit cheques are among the few exceptions — business has increased at other shipping outfits. "We have record numbers of shippers within the last week. Our volumes — we’re just trying to keep up," said Kevin Ham, CEO of e-commerce shipping platform Chit Chats. "Everybody’s at full capacity." Purolator, which is majority-owned by Canada Post, said this week its volumes rose by double digits due to the job action. Meanwhile, FedEx has implemented a "contingency plan" to manage higher volumes, the company said earlier this week. Profit margins for shippers may be widening too, at least temporarily. Montreal-based pantyhose maker Sheertex said that alternative carriers, overloaded with orders, have implemented "significant surge pricing" on shipments. Small businesses especially have felt the squeeze of the strike, as store owners and entrepreneurs frantically search for workarounds to get orders to customers quickly and affordably. "It’s a hard time of year for both sellers — like e-commerce sellers — as well as consumers. The consumers are ordering, and if it was in the Canada Post network, their shipments are stuck," said Ham, who added that Chit Chats handles deliveries for some 12,000 online shippers each month ranging from boutique sock makers to jewelry designers. Even big corporations face hurdles. "Customers shipping to PO boxes and more rural areas may see delays," said Walmart Canada spokeswoman Stephanie Fusco in an email. However, she said most consumers making online purchases directly from the company — rather than from third-party sellers on its site — would see "minimal impact." The last postal work stoppage took place starting in late October 2018, when employees carried out rotating strikes lasting 31 days. That strike as well as one in 2011 ended when the federal government passed legislation sending employees back to work. Canada Post has reported more than $3 billion in losses since 2018, as Canadians sent fewer letters while competitors gobbled up even more of the parcel market. Households received seven letters a week on average in 2006, but only two per week last year, according to Canada Post’s latest annual report, which dubbed the trend "the Great Mail Decline." Both the union and the Crown corporation have pushed expanded parcel deliveries as a way to boost revenue, but they differ on how to go about it. The union says full-time employees should deliver package shipments on weekends at overtime wage rates, while Canada Post hopes to hire contract workers. According to last year's annual report, the postal service’s share of the parcel market eroded from 62 per cent before the COVID-19 pandemic to 29 per cent last year, as Amazon and other competitors seized on skyrocketing demand for next-day doorstep deliveries. — With files from Tara Deschamps in Toronto This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 22, 2024. Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press See a typo/mistake? Have a story/tip? 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Colorado adds record insurance coverage for Sanders and Hunter with both playing in Alamo BowlFormer Green Party leader Caroline Lucas has also resigned as vice-president of the animal welfare organisation, with both of them expressing their “sadness” over leaving the roles. It comes after an Animal Rising investigation made claims of cruelty at “RSPCA Assured” slaughterhouses in England and Scotland, with the campaign group sharing footage of alleged mistreatment. RSPCA Assured is a scheme whereby approved farms must comply with the organisation’s “stringent higher welfare standards”, according to its website. Mr Packham shared the news of his resignation on social media, saying: “It is with enormous sadness that I have resigned from my role as president of the RSPCA. “I would like to register my respect and admiration for all the staff and volunteers who work tirelessly to protect animals from cruelty.” Ms Lucas said she and Mr Packham failed to get the charity’s leadership to act. She posted on X, formerly Twitter: “With huge sadness I’m resigning as VP of the RSPCA, a role I’ve held with pride for over 15 years. “But their Assured Schemes risk misleading the public & legitimising cruelty. “I tried with @ChrisGPackham to persuade the leadership to act but sadly failed.” In June, the RSPCA commissioned an independent review of 200 farms on its assurance scheme which concluded the scheme was “operating effectively” to assure animal welfare on member farms. Following Animal Rising’s release of footage last week, the charity said it was “appalled” by what was shown, adding that it launched an immediate investigation and suspended three slaughterhouses from the scheme. In the wake of Mr Packham and Ms Lucas’ resignations, an RSPCA spokesperson said it is “simply not true” that the organisation has failed to take urgent action. They said: “We agree with Chris and Caroline on so many issues and have achieved so much together for animals, but we differ on how best to address the incredibly complex and difficult issue of farmed animal welfare. “We have discussed our work to drive up farmed animal welfare standards openly at length with them on many occasions and it is simply not true that we have not taken urgent action. “We took allegations of poor welfare incredibly seriously, launching an independent review of 200 farms which concluded that it was ‘operating effectively’ to improve animal welfare. “We are taking strong steps to improve oversight of welfare, implementing the recommendations in full including significantly increasing unannounced visits, and exploring technology such as body-worn cameras and CCTV, supported by £2 million of investment.” The charity insisted that while 94% of people continue to choose to eat meat, fish, eggs and dairy, it is the “right thing to do” to work with farmers to improve the lives of animals. “RSPCA Assured visit all farms on the scheme every year, but last year just 3% of farms were assessed for animal welfare by state bodies,” the spokesperson continued. “No-one else is doing this work. We are the only organisation setting and regularly monitoring animal welfare standards on farms. “We have pioneered change through RSPCA Assured, which has led to improvements throughout the industry including CCTV in slaughterhouses, banning barren battery cages for hens and sow stalls for pigs, giving salmon more space to swim and developing slower growing chicken breeds who have better quality of life.”

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