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MONACO - Canadians Alex Tessier, Sophie de Goede and Laetitia Royer have been named to World Rugby’s Women’s 15s Dream Team of the Year. Canada sevens captain Olivia Apps, meanwhile, was selected to World Rugby’s Women’s Sevens Dream Team. The women’s 15s world all-star squad also featured six players from top-ranked England and three from No. 2 New Zealand. The other three came from the U.S., Ireland and France. Tessier was also a finalist for the World Rugby Women’s 15s Player of the Year award won by England fullbackEllie Kildunne.France’s Pauline Bourdon Sansus and England’s Alex Matthews were the other finalists. Tessier won her 50th cap in 2024 and, playing at inside centre alongside fly half Claire Gallagher, led the Canada women to a historic first-ever victory over New Zealand to win the 2024 Pacific Four Series in May. The 22-19 comeback victory lifted Canada into second place in the women’s world rankings, its highest position since November 2016. Tessier’s strong kicking game was also key for Canada. The 31-year-old from Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, Que., scored 27 points in starting all six matches for Canada in 2024 to up her career total to 48 points (including five tries) in 54 appearances. Tessier plays professionally in England for the Exeter Chiefs. De Goede made the all-star team despite tearing her anterior cruciate ligament in training in June. A finalist for the Women’s Player of the Year award in 2022, the Victoria back-rower plays in England for Saracens. Royer, from Loretteville, Que., is a second-row forward who plays in France for ASM Romagnat. Top-ranked South Africa dominated the men’s 15s all-star squad with seven players represented. Ireland had four players with New Zealand three and Argentina one. —- World Rugby’s 15s Dream Teams of the Year Women 1. Hope Rogers (U.S.); 2. Georgia Ponsonby (New Zealand); 3. Maud Muir (England); 4. Zoe Aldcroft (England); 5. Laetitia Royer (Canada); 6. Aoife Wafer (Ireland)’ 7. Sophie de Goede (Canada); 8. Alex Matthews (England); 9. Pauline Bourdon Sansus (France); 10. Holly Aitchison (England); 11. Katelyn Vahaakolo (New Zealand); 12. Alex Tessier (Canada); 13. Sylvia Brunt (New Zealand); 14. Abby Dow (England); 15. Ellie Kildunne (England). Men 1. Ox Nche (South Africa); 2. Malcolm Marx (South Africa); 3. Tyrel Lomax (New Zealand); 4. Eben Etzebeth (South Africa); 5. Tadhg Beirne (Ireland); 6. Pablo Matera (Argentina); 7. Pieter-Steph du Toit (South Africa); 8. Caelan Doris (Ireland); 9. Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland); 10. Damian McKenzie (New Zealand); 11. James Lowe (Ireland); 12. Damian de Allende (South Africa); 13. Jesse Kriel (South Africa); 14. Cheslin Kolbe (South Africa); 15. Will Jordan (New Zealand). World Rugby Sevens Dreams Team of the Year Women Olivia Apps (Canada), Michaela Blyde (New Zealand), Kristi Kirshe (U.S.), Maddison Levi (Australia), Ilona Maher (U.S.), Jorja Miller (New Zealand), Séraphine Okemba (France). Men Selvyn Davids (South Africa), Antoine Dupont (France), Aaron Grandidier Nkanang (France), Terry Kennedy (Ireland), Nathan Lawson (Australia), Ponipate Loganimasi (Fiji), Matías Osadczuk (Argentina). This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 27, 2024.Thousands attend funeral of Afghan minister
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — School district officials who punished two parents for wearing pink wristbands marked “XX” during a soccer game featuring a transgender player defended their decision Friday at a hearing on whether they can take similar action while they are being sued. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — School district officials who punished two parents for wearing pink wristbands marked “XX” during a soccer game featuring a transgender player defended their decision Friday at a hearing on whether they can take similar action while they are being sued. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — School district officials who punished two parents for wearing pink wristbands marked “XX” during a soccer game featuring a transgender player defended their decision Friday at a hearing on whether they can take similar action while they are being sued. Kyle Fellers and Anthony Foote were banned from school grounds after the September game by officials who viewed the wristbands as intimidation or harassment of a transgender player. They later sued the Bow school district, and while the no-trespass orders have since expired, a judge is deciding whether the plaintiffs should be allowed to wear the wristbands and carry signs at upcoming school events, including basketball games, swim meets and a music concert, while the case proceeds. Both men testified Thursday that they didn’t intend to harass or otherwise target a transgender player on the opposing team, and their attorneys have argued they did nothing more than silently express their support for reserving girls’ sports for those born female. But school officials testified Friday that they had reason to believe the men wouldn’t stop there. Superintendent Marcy Kelley and Bow High School Athletic Director Michael Desiletes described receiving strongly-worded emails from Foote in which he called himself a “real leader” who was prepared to take action and seeing his social media posts urging others to attend the game. In the days leading up to the game, another parent told school officials she overheard others talk about showing up to the game wearing dresses and heckling the transgender player. “When we suspect there’s some sort of threat ... we don’t wait for it to happen,” Kelley said, comparing it to the way school officials wouldn’t wait until a fight broke out between two students to intervene if they got wind of it beforehand. Kelley also pushed back on the idea that the plaintiffs were simply expressing support for their daughters and their teammates in general, noting that they chose the one game involving a transgender player to begin wearing the wristbands. “This was organized and targeted,” she said. “If we were to allow harassment, we’re liable.” Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. The transgender player in question, Parker Tirrell, and another student athlete are challenging the state law that bans transgender athletes in grades 5 to 12 from teams that align with their gender identity. A federal judge ruled in their case that they can play sports during the ongoing lawsuit that seeks to overturn the law. Gov. Chris Sununu, who signed the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act into law in July, has said it “ensures fairness and safety in women’s sports by maintaining integrity and competitive balance in athletic competitions.” About half of states have adopted similar measures. Advertisement AdvertisementAccording to SI.com , former NBA star Lou Williams has an opinion on who is and should be the face of the WNBA and it’s not Caitlin Clark . Williams thinks that Las Vegas Aces star and WNBA MVP, A’ja Wilson is still the face of the league despite Caitlin Clark’s success in the WNBA. In a recent interview with FanDuel TV show ‘ Run It Back’ , Lou Williams said, “I still think that [the title of face of women’s basketball] still belongs to A’ja Wilson. A’ja has done a tremendous job of being a champion, being an MVP, doing all of these things. And now her visibility has gone up. You’re starting to see her in commercials.... [So] I still feel like it’s A’ja Wilson.” When the discussion arises about who the face of the league is, there are only two logical choices. With A’ja Wilson being the reigning MVP (2020, 2022, and 2024) and Caitlin Clark who was named Time Magazine’s Athlete of the Year 2024 and WNBA Rookie of the Year captivating new WNBA fans, the choices are clear. Wilson has not only won the league MVP in three of the last five seasons, but she has proven to be a team leader in guiding the Aces to two WNBA championships. Last season, Wilson set the single season scoring record with 1,000 points. Clark has brought new fans to the league and a little bit more recognition for the league to people who were not usually watching WNBA games before Clark. You can also measure her superstardom coming into the league from college basketball and playing against the likes of former LSU standout and Chicago Sky star Angel Reese. Williams also went on to say, “A’ja has done a tremendous job of being a champion, being an MVP, doing all of these things. And now her visibility has gone up. You’re starting to see her in commercials.” In respect to Clark, Williams said, “I think some of these people are here for the wrong reasons and I don’t think they stay around to see the tremendous career that she’s gonna put together. Is she the absolute face of the WNBA? She’s one of them, for sure... but I think that still belongs to A’ja Wilson.” This article first appeared on Dice City Sports and was syndicated with permission.
China is known for its high-speed trains, including bullet trains. It also runs CR400 Fuxing high-speed rail (HSR), which operates at speeds of 350 kmph. Now, the country has unveiled an updated model of its high-speed bullet train, known as the CR450 prototype. Its manufacturer claims it reached a speed of 450 kmph during the test runs, making it the world's fastest high-speed train. According to the China State Railway Group Co (China Railway), the new model will further shorten travel time and improve connectivity, making travel more convenient and efficient for the country's vast passengers. The CR450 prototype reached a test speed of 450 kmph, with key performance indicators — operational speed, energy consumption, interior noise, and braking distance — setting a new international benchmark, official media in the country reported. China Railway will arrange a series of line tests for the prototypes and optimise technical indicators to ensure the CR450 enters commercial service as soon as possible, it said. According to the latest official figures, China's operational HSR tracks have reached about 47,000 kms, connecting major cities in the country. In recent years, HSR exported its network in Thailand and Indonesia, and built the Belgrade-Novi Sad HSR in Serbia. READ | Meet woman, former WWE star whose husband is Indian-origin billionaire, she works as... Though not profitable, China says the HSR network expansion has played a crucial role in the nation's economic and social development, reducing travel times and boosting industrial development along railway routes. According to internal surveys, the Beijing-Shanghai train service was the most profitable, while the networks in other cities have yet to turn lucrative. (With inputs from PTI)
Roula Dakheelallah was named the winner of the Chopard Emerging Saudi Talent award at the Red Sea International Film Festival on Thursday. The award — and the glitzy festival itself — is a sign of Saudi Arabia's commitment to shaping a new film industry. “My heart is attached to cinema and art; I have always dreamed of a moment like this,” Dakheelallah, who still works a 9-5 job, told The Associated Press before the awards ceremony. “I used to work in voluntary films and help my friends in the field, but this is my first big role in a film.” The reopening of cinemas in 2018 marked a cultural turning point for Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarchy that had instituted the ban 35 years before, under the influence of ultraconservative religious authorities. It has since invested heavily in a native film industry by building theaters and launching programs to support local filmmakers through grants and training. The Red Sea International Film Festival was launched just a year later, part of an attempt to expand Saudi influence into films, gaming, sports and other cultural fields. Activists have decried the investments as whitewashing the kingdom’s human rights record as it tightly controls speech and remains one of the world’s top executioners. With FIFA awarding the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia this week, Lina al-Hathloul, a Saudi activist with the London-based rights group ALQST, said Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman “has really managed to create this bubble where people only see entertainment and they don’t see the reality on the ground.” These efforts are part of Vision 2030, an ambitious reform plan unveiled in 2016 to ease the economy's dependence on oil. As part of it, Saudi Arabia plans to construct 350 cinemas with over 2,500 movie screens — by this past April, across 22 cities, it already had 66 cinemas showing movies from the local film industry, as well as Hollywood and Bollywood. (The Red Sea International Film Festival attracts a host of talent from the latter industries, with Viola Davis and Priyanka Chopra Jonas also picking up awards Thursday.) The country's General Entertainment Authority last month opened Al Hisn Studios on the outskirts of Riyadh. As one of the largest such production hubs in the Middle East, it not only includes several film studios but also a production village with workshops for carpentry, blacksmithing and fashion tailoring. “These facilities, when they exist, will stimulate filmmakers,” said Saudi actor Mohammed Elshehri. “Today, no writer or director has an excuse to imagine and say, ‘I cannot implement my imagination.’” The facilities are one part of the equation — the content itself is another. One of the major players in transforming Saudi filmmaking has been Telfaz11, a media company founded in 2011 that began as a YouTube channel and quickly became a trailblazer. Producing high-quality digital content such as short films, comedy sketches and series, Telfaz11 offered fresh perspectives on Saudi and regional issues. In 2020, Telfaz11 signed a partnership with Netflix to produce original content for the streaming giant. The result has been movies that demonstrate an evolution on the storytelling level, tackling topics that were once off-limits and sensitive to the public like secret nightlife in “Mandoob” (“Night Courier”) and changing social norms in “Naga.” “I think we tell our stories in a very simple way, and that’s what reaches the world,” Elshehri says of the changing shift. “When you tell your story in a natural way without any affectation, it will reach every person.” But the films were not without their critics, drawing mixed reaction. Social media discoursed ranged from pleasure that Saudi film were tackling such topics to anger over how the films reflected conservative society. As Hana Al-Omair, a Saudi writer and director, points out, there are still many stories left untold. “We certainly have a long time ahead of us before we can tell the Saudi narrative as it should be,” she said, acknowledging that there are still barriers and rampant censorship. “The Goat Life,” a Malayalam-language movie about an Indian man forced to work without pay in Saudi Arabia, is not available on Netflix's platform in the country. Movies that explore political topics or LGBTQ+ stories are essentially out of the question. Even “My Driver and I,” featured at the Red Sea festival alongside 11 other Saudi feature-length films, was initially too controversial. It centers on a Sudanese man in Jeddah, living away from his own daughter, who feels responsible for the girl he drives as her parents are absent. It was initially blocked from being made because of the relationship between the girl and the driver, filmmaker Ahd Kamel has said, even though it's not a romantic relationship. Now in 2024, the film is a success story — a symbol of the Saudi film industry's evolution as well as the growing role of women like Kamel behind the camera and Dakheelallah in front of it. “I see the change in Saudi cinema, a very beautiful change and it is moving at a wonderful speed. In my opinion, we do not need to rush,” Dakheelallah said. “We need to guide the truth of the artistic movement that is happening in Saudi Arabia.”Hallmark to air 41 new Christmas movies this year
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Best Buy is running a 3-Day Sale that ends on Sunday, and a handful of doorbuster deals are dropping select products to some of their best prices of the year . The AirPods Max , for example, is seeing a generous $170 discount and comes with free three-month subscriptions to Apple Fitness+ and Apple Music. The headliner might be the TCL 65-Inch 4K QLED Smart TV , as the budget-friendly TV is on sale for the extremely low price of $320 (was $550). Best Buy Doorbuster Deals TCL 65-Inch Class Q5-Series 4K QLED Smart TV -- $320 ($ 550 ) Samsung 75-Inch Class DU6950 4K UHD Smart TV + Free 32-Inch HD LED TV -- $550 ($ 750 ) HP OmniBook X 14-Inch Touchscreen Laptop (Snapdragon X Plus, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) -- $550 ($ 900 ) HP Envy 2-in-1 Touchscreen Laptop (AMD Ryzen 7, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) -- $600 ($ 1,050 ) Apple AirPods Max -- $380 ( $550 ) Ninja Foodi 10-in-1 Smart XL Air Fryer Oven -- $130 ($ 330 ) The TCL 65-Inch Class Q5-Series 4K QLED Smart TV is a frugal way to upgrade your home theater, as it’s packed with some decent technology despite its low price. Beyond its 4K resolution, it offers HDR Pro+ with Dolby Vision, a 60Hz refresh rate, and an Auto Game Mode to automatically adjust your settings for the lowest possible input lag. It’s a good-looking TV too, with a metal bezel-less design that maximizes its screen space. Need something to fill a larger room? Step up to the Samsung 75-Inch Class DU6950 Series 4K UHD Smart TV , as it’s discounted to $550 (was $750). It benefits from a large 4K display, support for HDR 10+, a 60Hz refresh rate, and 4K upscaling. This deal also comes with a free 32-inch Samsung LED TV valued at $230. If you’re a college student or young professional, the HP OmniBook X is a solid choice for work or lectures. Best Buy is slashing its price to $550 (was $900), and while Qualcomm Adreno GPU isn’t the best for gaming, its Qualcomm Snapdragon X Plus CPU and 16GB RAM make it ideal for anything your professors or bosses can throw at you. It also benefits from up to 26 hours of battery life--so it won’t run out of juice at an inopportune moment.
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