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Scots will save as little as 1p a day after income tax changes as millions face huge council rate hikesHow to Prepare for a Criminal Defense Case Hearing in LouisianaPrime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre on Wednesday of being unable to put partisanship aside in the face of Donald Trump's tariff threat. Trudeau flew to Florida last week to meet with the U.S. president-elect after Trump threatened to slap 25 per cent tariffs on all goods coming from Canada and Mexico unless both countries stop what he called an "invasion" of drugs, "in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens" into the U.S. The prime minister met with Poilievre and the other opposition leaders on Tuesday to brief them on his visit to Florida. Trump's quip about Canada becoming 51st state was a joke, says minister who was there Poilievre pushes Freeland to present fall economic statement to give Canadians a look at the books Ontario launches multimillion-dollar U.S. ad campaign amid Trump's tariff threat Despite all party leaders agreeing that the tariffs would be disastrous for both the Canadian and U.S. economies, Tuesday's meeting doesn't appear to have forged a united front among the parties. Speaking to reporters on his way into question period on Wednesday, Trudeau said Poilievre was failing to put politics on the backburner in the face of Trump's threat. "There is a tradition in Canada that when times are tough, when there's a moment of crisis or when we're threatened, Canadians pull together. We step up, we go across partisan lines and we defend Canada," Trudeau said. "It seems increasingly clear that is not something Pierre Poilievre is able to do." WATCH | Trudeau criticizes Poilievre for partisanship in face of Trump tariff threat: Trudeau criticizes Poilievre for partisanship in face of Trump tariff threat 3 hours ago Duration 0:20 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says that when Canada is in crisis or threatened regardless of partisan stripes Canadians come together, but added that it is ‘increasingly clear that is not something Pierre Poilievre is able to do.’ Poilievre has criticized the government's border policies over the past few days, saying that the Liberals have "lost control of the border." Those comments come after Trudeau reportedly asked opposition leaders not to feed into Trump's claim that the Canada-U.S. border is somehow being overrun by migrants and drug trafficking. While the flow of migrants and illegal drugs over the northern border is a fraction of what crosses over from Mexico , Trump is still concerned about what's coming from Canada — just as Canadian officials are alarmed by drugs and guns flowing north. Analysis Trump's tariff threat is testing both Justin Trudeau and Pierre Poilievre How Canada can hit the U.S. where it hurts in fight against Trump's tariffs Analysis Rattled by Trump's tariff threat, Canada's leaders point fingers at each other Green Party Leader Elizabeth May said after Tuesday's meeting that Trudeau asked the other leaders to present a united front against American broadsides. "We were reminded, please, don't say things that aren't true, don't play into Trump's narrative," she said. The leaders were told "it would be helpful in the coming weeks and months if we don't in any way amplify the kind of messaging and language the Trump administration is using to attack Canada," she said. But Poilievre came out of Tuesday's meeting and told reporters the border is "broken." "The prime minister has broken our immigration system, broken our banks, broken our border. We need to fix those things and put Canada first," he said. WATCH | Poilievre says Trump's proposed tariffs would hurt the U.S. as well: Poilievre says Trump’s proposed tariffs would hurt the U.S. as well 1 day ago Duration 1:56 Following a meeting with all party leaders about the prime minister’s dinner meeting in Florida with U.S. president-elect Donald Trump last week, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre discussed how Trump's threatened tariffs would be damaging to both the U.S. and Canada. Poilievre has continued that line of attack in question period, saying Wednesday that "this weak prime minister has lost control of everything. He's lost control of the borders, lost control of immigration." After meeting with representatives of a number of Canadian and American law enforcement agencies, Quebec's Public Security Minister François Bonnardel said Tuesday that the number of irregular crossings from Canada to the U.S. has jumped significantly in the last three years . Of the 25,000 irregular crossings into the U.S. from Canada this year, 19,000 happened between Cornwall, Ont., and Sherbrooke, Que., he said. He said there were 600 irregular crossings from Quebec in 2022 and 7,000 in 2023. "We are in a situation that we can consider stable at the border," Bonnardel said. "This situation is maybe more complicated on the other side." Quebec sees spike in irregular crossings to U.S., public security minister says The takeaway from Trudeau's trip to Mar-a-Lago: For Trump, fentanyl is priority No. 1 Canada to buy helicopters, drones to meet Trump's demand for tighter border security The Liberals have said they are starting to take measures to address some of Trump's concerns and are planning to buy helicopters and drones to improve monitoring at the border. Following Tuesday's meeting, Poilievre told reporters that he urged the prime minister to remind the Trump administration of just how damaging tariffs would be for both Canadian and American businesses and workers. He said it should be "easy" for Canada to avoid tariffs if the Americans understand they could deliver a hit to their own economy.
GENEVA (AP) — World Cup sponsor Bank of America teamed with FIFA for a second time Tuesday, signing for the Club World Cup that still has no broadcast deals just over six months before games start. Bank of America became FIFA’s first global banking partner in August and sealed a separate deal for a second event also being played in the United States, two days before the for the . It features recent European champions Real Madrid, Manchester City and Chelsea. “FIFA is going to take America by storm and we’re going to be right at their side,” the bank’s head of marketing, David Tyrie, said in a telephone interview Tuesday. Bank of America joins 2026 World Cup sponsors Hisense and in separately also backing the club event, and more deals are expected after as the 2034 World Cup host. While games at the next World Cup, co-hosted with Canada and Mexico, will be watched by hundreds of millions globally mostly on free-to-air public networks, the Club World Cup broadcast picture is unclear. FIFA has promised hundreds of millions of dollars in prize money for the 32 clubs to share but is yet to announce any broadcast deals for the month-long tournament. It is expected to land on a streaming service. “You have to think about how you are going to connect with these fans,” Tyrie told the Associated Press from Boston. “TV is one, sure, social media is a big avenue. “The smart marketing capabilities are able to say ‘Hey, we need to tilt this one a little bit more away from TV-type marketing into social-type marketing.’ We have got a pretty decent strategy that we’re putting in place to do activation.” Engaging Bank of America’s customers and 250,000 employees are key to that strategy, Tyrie said. “It’s going to be for our clients, and entertainment, it’s going to be for our employees in creating excitement. All of the above.” The Club World Cup will be played in 12 stadiums across 11 cities, including Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C, and Lumen Field where the hometown Seattle Sounders play three group-stage games. European powers Madrid, Man City and Bayern Munich lead a 12-strong European challenge. Teams qualified by winning continental titles or across four years of those competitions. The exception is Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami, who reserved for a host nation team in October based on regular season record without waiting for the MLS Cup final. LA Galaxy hosts New York Red Bulls playing for that national title Saturday. Messi’s team opens the FIFA tournament June 15 in the Miami Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium and will play its three group games in Florida. “The more brand players you bring in, the bigger the following you have got,” Tyrie acknowledged, though adding Messi being involved was “not a make or break for the event.” The Club World Cup final is July 13 at Met Life Stadium near New York, which also will one year later. ___ AP soccer: Graham Dunbar, The Associated Press
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Olivia Olson scored 18 points, including eight straight to open the fourth quarter, as the No. 23 Michigan Wolverines survived a 60-54 scare from the Northwestern Wildcats in the Big Ten opener for each team in Ann Arbor, Mich. Northwestern (4-4, 0-1 Big Ten) led throughout the third quarter and took a four-point lead into the fourth, but Olson capped her 8-0 burst with a 3-pointer, and Syla Swords also nailed a trey to put the Wolverines (8-1, 1-0) ahead 50-44. Michigan has won eight straight games since opening the season with a six-point loss to then-No. 1 South Carolina. Caileigh Walsh's 3-pointer put the Wildcats back in front 53-52 with 3:36 to go. Michigan responded by scoring eight of the game's last nine points, six by Jordan Hobbs. Hobbs finished with 16 points and teammate Mila Holloway had 10. Kyla Jones led Northwestern with 14 points and Walsh notched 10 before fouling out. No. 4 Texas 93, James Madison 62 Madison Booker, Jordan Lee and Rori Harmon dominated the first half as the Longhorns clobbered the host Dukes in Harrisonburg, Va. Booker scored 21 points, Lee added 20 and Harmon 19 by combining on 25-of-33 shooting. They had 49 of their points in the first half as Texas (7-1) piled up a 58-29 halftime lead. The Longhorns, who entered seventh in the nation in scoring at 90 points per game, shot 54 percent for the game to 40 percent for the Dukes. Roshala Scott led James Madison (7-3) with 22 points and Peyton McDaniel and Ashanti Barnes had 12 apiece. McDaniel added eight rebounds for the Dukes, who had 24 turnovers. No. 10 Notre Dame 93, Syracuse 62 The Fighting Irish pulled away from a seven-point halftime lead to demolish the host Orange in the ACC opener for both schools. The trio of Sonia Citron, Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles led Notre Dame's win with double-doubles. Citron had 25 points and 11 rebounds, Hidalgo racked up 24 and 10, respectively, and Miles shone with 20 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Hidalgo, third in Division I in scoring (24.6 ppg), netted nine points and Citron had eight in the third quarter, as Notre Dame (7-2, 1-0 ACC) outscored Syracuse (4-6, 0-1) 29-13 to pull away. Keira Scott posted 16 points and Sophie Burrows tacked on 13 for the Orange, who shot only 32.5 percent. The Irish shot 50 percent and thrived despite 20 turnovers. No. 16 North Carolina 72, Coppin State 46 The Tar Heels built a comfortable halftime lead and used its bench players freely in devouring the Eagles in Chapel Hill, N.C. North Carolina (9-1) entered second-best in the nation in scoring defense at 49.1 points per game and excelled again, holding Coppin State to 27.3 percent shooting. Meanwhile, the Tar Heels shot 44.4 percent while having 12 players enter the scoring column, led by Maria Gakdeng's 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting. Reniya Kelly scored six of her eight points in the first quarter as North Carolina took a 23-13 lead. The Tar Heels grew the lead to 46-27 by intermission. Tiffany Hammond and Angel Jones scored 12 points apiece for Coppin State (6-5), and Laila Lawrence added 10 points with 10 rebounds. No. 18 Ole Miss 85, Tennessee State 38 The Rebels had more points by halftime than the Lady Tigers scored in the game after jumping out to a 14-2 lead in the first quarter and 44-19 by intermission. Kennedy Todd-Williams led Ole Miss (6-3) with 15 points and seven rebounds, and Sira Thienou added 12 and six, respectively. The Rebels shot 46 percent for the game. Ole Miss began the day seventh in the nation in scoring defense at 49.8 points allowed per game, and it punished Tennessee State to the tune of 23.6 percent shooting and 22 forced turnovers. XaiOnna Whitfield led the Lady Tigers (4-6) with 10 points. No. 20 Iowa State 82, Central Michigan 56 Audi Crooks scored 19 points on 9-of-12 shooting and added 10 rebounds as the Cyclones slammed the Chippewas in Ames, Iowa. Emily Ryan netted 10 of her 12 points in the first quarter and Crooks scored nine in the period as Iowa State (8-2) jumped out to a 31-13 lead and enjoyed a cushion of at least 18 points the rest of the way. Addy Brown added 18 points for the Cyclones, who shot 52.5 percent and rolled despite having 20 turnovers. Jayda Mosley led Central Michigan (3-6) with 11 points and Madi Morson and Ayanna-Sarai Darrington added 10 apiece. The Chippewas shot only 33.3 percent from the floor and had 26 turnovers. No. 24 Michigan State 89, DePaul 61 The unbeaten Spartans put four scorers in double figures as they systematically disposed of the Blue Demons in East Lansing, Mich. Jaddan Simmons finished with 18 points, five rebounds and five assists, and Julia Ayrault stuffed the stat sheet with 17 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and three steals for Michigan State (9-0). Emma Shumate and Jocelyn Tate had 12 and 10 points, respectively. Jorie Allen put up 15 points, 11 boards, seven assists and three steals and Grace Carstensen also notched 15 points for DePaul (3-7), which shot just 28.8 percent despite hitting 9 of 18 of its 3-point attempts. The Spartans led by seven after one quarter and 17 at halftime before coasting through the second half. No. 25 Nebraska 84, Minnesota 65 Strong first quarters by Callin Hake and Amiah Hargrove sent the Cornhuskers on their way to pinning the first loss on the Golden Gophers in the Big Ten Conference opener for each team. Hake scored eight of her 11 points in the first period and Hargrove eight of her 10 as Nebraska (8-1, 1-0 Big Ten) seized a 27-11 lead and never looked back. Hargrove scored eight of the Cornhuskers' 10 straight points to end the quarter. Alberte Rimdal led the winners with 12 points and Alexis Markowski added 11 with nine rebounds. Mallory Heyer collected 12 points and eight rebounds for Minnesota (10-1, 0-1). Tori McKinney scored 11 points and Grace Crocholski and Alexsia Rose 10 apiece, but the Golden Gophers hit just 35.2 percent of their shots. --Field Level MediaFast reflexes are crucial in martial arts, where milliseconds can determine victory or defeat. African martial arts amplify this aspect with unique drills emphasizing agility, precision, and rapid decision-making. Perfect for individuals looking to sharpen their reaction times in martial arts or high-speed sports, these practices offer a fresh perspective rooted in ancient traditions and dynamic techniques. Mastering the basics with stick fighting Stick fighting is a fundamental component of many African martial arts and a fantastic tool for honing your reflexes. The basic drill is simple: two partners square off with sticks, one launching attacks while the other focuses on defense and counterstrikes. This exercise sharpens anticipation and reaction time as you need to read your opponent's intentions quickly to mount a successful defense. Incorporating Capoeira movements for agility Capoeira may be Brazilian, but its origins extend to African combat games, which were introduced by enslaved Africans. It's not your typical martial art - it blends dance, acrobatics, and music into a mesmerizing display of athleticism. Training in Capoeira movements significantly enhances reflex speed due to the rapid directional changes and high coordination demands. The continuous motion and rhythmic flow condition practitioners for instinctual response mechanisms. Speed training with shadow boxing Shadow boxing isn't unique to African martial arts, but it's a staple in training routines because it significantly improves reflex speed. Practitioners spar with an imaginary opponent, punching and dodging the air. It offers a way to build speed without requiring equipment or a partner. Plus, it's great for footwork and learning to anticipate strikes from an opponent. Reaction drills using traditional drum beats Music is central to many African cultures, even extending to martial arts where traditional drum beats guide the rhythm of exercises. Drills that require responding to sudden changes in drum rhythm improve reflexes by necessitating quick adjustments in movement or attack direction. This element of unpredictability keeps fighters on their toes, literally, and significantly increases their reflex speed. Enhancing reflexes through sparring sessions Sparring is the secret ingredient in any martial art training recipe for reflexes. In African martial arts, sparring sessions blend stick fighting strikes, Capoeira movements, and traditional rhythms into a free-form combat dance. This dynamic environment pushes you to translate your knowledge into action against a constantly changing human adversary - a surefire way to forge lightning-fast reflexes!