NoneNEW YORK (AP) — Free agent pitchers Luis Gabriel Moreno and Alejandro Crisostomo were suspended for 80 games each by Major League Baseball on Friday following positive tests for performance-enhancing substances under the minor league drug program. Moreno tested positive for Nandrolone, and Crisostomo tested positive for Boldenone and Nandrolone, the commissioner’s office said. A 26-year-old right-hander, Moreno was released by the New York Mets’ Class A Brooklyn Cyclones on Tuesday. He was 5-1 with a 5.33 ERA in 12 relief appearances this season for Brooklyn after spending 2016-23 in the San Francisco Giants organization. Crisostomo, a 24-year-old right-hander, was released by Minnesota on Aug. 24 after going 0-1 with a 7.13 ERA this year with the Florida Complex League Twins. He signed with Boston in 2017, spent 2018 in the Dominican Summer League with the Red Sox, then signed with Minnesota and spent 2023 with the Twins DSL team. Nineteen players have been suspended this year for positive drug tests, including eight under the minor league program and nine under the new program for minor league players assigned outside the United States and Canada. Two players have been suspended this year under the major league drug program. , a 22-year-old infielder who is the Cincinnati Reds’ top prospect, missed the first 80 games following a positive test for boldenone. Toronto Blue Jays infielder was suspended for 80 games on June 23 following a positive test for the performance-enhancing drug clomiphene, an announcement made . ___ AP MLB:
Mumbai, Dec 24 (IANS): A day after Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Maharashtra, the state unit organised full-throated protest marches in multiple districts demanding the removal of Home Minister Amit Shah for his recent remarks on Bharat Ratna Dr B R Ambedkar, here on Tuesday. The protests were called ‘Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Samman Morcha’ and saw the participation of thousands of party workers and common citizens who trooped out to condemn what they termed as the Bharatiya Janata Party and Shah’s “insults” to the Chief Architect of the Indian Constitution. Besides party workers, the protests saw several MPs, MLAs, district party heads, state-level leaders, and the chiefs of various frontal organizations, joining the stir across the state. The participants carried banners, placards, and posters condemning BJP-Shah, some sported copies of the Constitution and they marched or took out bicycle or motorcycle processions. “We have taken an aggressive stance on the issue and demand that Shah must tender an apology to the whole country for insulting Vishwa Ratna Dr Ambedkar. We also call upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi to remove Shah from the Union Cabinet for his slurs on Dr Ambedkar,” said state Congress President Nana F. Patole. In Latur, MP Dr Shivaji Kalge, former minister Amit V. Deshmukh and scores took out a motorcycle rally from Dr B R Ambedkar Park to the Collectorate and submitted a memorandum to the Collector. City and district leaders led by MP Ravindra V. Chavan, district chief B R Kadam, city president Abdul Sattar and others including many women joined the protests and demonstrations in Nanded. MP Pratibha Dhanorkar along with former AAP district chief Subhash Dhote and others took out a procession ranting slogans against Shah-BJP in Chandrapur. Amravati witnessed a long procession led by state leaders Bhaiya Pawar, Kishore Borkar, former city Mayor Vilas Ingore, Milind Chimote and district chief Bablu Shekhawat, raising slogans slamming the Centre. Akola Congress staged a march to the Collectorate led by MLA Sajid Khan Pathan, city chief Dr Prashant Wankhade, former legislators and other party office-bearers taking part with a large number of workers and commoners. In Buldhana, senior leaders like Laxmanrao Ghumre, Babasaheb Bhonde, Santosh Ambekar, Ganeshrao Patil, Dattabhau Kakas and others marched to the district administration office and submitted a memorandum to the Collector. The Congress took out a vociferous protest march in Palghar and raised slogans seeking an apology and resignation of Shah, and asking the PM to drop him from the cabinet. The protest marches and agitations will be continued in different districts in the state on Friday (After the Christmas holiday), said Jalna party chief Rajabhau Deshmukh and MLA Kailash Gorantyal. The state Congress had last week announced a series of agitations in the state and elsewhere to condemn Shah’s remarks on Dr B R Ambedkar which has angered all political parties and the society, particularly the Dalits.
World News | African Union Chairperson Candidates Advocate for Permanent UN Security Council SeatsDetails emerge about suspect charged with murder in killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO
Juan Soto agrees to record $765 million, 15-year contract with Mets, AP source saysThe Danish government has unveiled a significant increase in defence spending for Greenland, shortly after US President-elect Donald Trump reiterated his interest in acquiring the Arctic territory. Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen confirmed that the investment, which amounts to a “double-digit billion” figure in kroner, equates to at least $1.5bn (£1.2bn). Poulsen characterised the timing of the announcement as an “irony of fate,” following Trump’s statement on Monday that the ownership and control of Greenland was an “absolute necessity” for the United States. Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, hosts a major US space facility and holds strategic importance for the US due to its location on the most direct route to Europe. The island is also rich in mineral and oil reserves. The planned defence package will fund the purchase of two new inspection ships, two long-range drones, and two additional dog sled teams. It will also support the expansion of staffing at Arctic Command in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, and the upgrade of one of the island’s three primary civilian airports to accommodate F-35 fighter jets. Poulsen noted that Denmark had not invested sufficiently in the Arctic in recent years, emphasising that the government is now prioritising a stronger presence in the region. While the precise cost of the package has not been disclosed, Danish media estimates place it at around 12-15bn kroner. The announcement comes just a day after Trump reiterated on his Truth Social platform that the United States deems Greenland’s control essential for national security and global freedom. In response, Greenland’s Prime Minister Mute Egede firmly stated, “we are not for sale,” though he welcomed continued cooperation and trade, particularly with neighbouring countries. Analysts suggest that the defence package had been under discussion for some time and should not be seen as a direct reaction to Trump’s remarks. However, they note that Denmark has been slow to expand its military capacity in Greenland, and should it fail to protect the territory’s waters from encroachments by China and Russia, there could be growing US demands for greater control. Army Major Steen Kjaergaard of the Danish Defence Academy speculated that Trump’s renewed focus on Greenland could have influenced Denmark’s decision. He believes that Trump is using the pressure of international demands to encourage Denmark to enhance its Arctic military capabilities without directly taking control of Greenland, which relies heavily on subsidies from Denmark. Trump’s previous suggestion in 2019 to purchase Greenland was met with a strong rejection from local leaders, including Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who described the proposal as “absurd.” This led to the cancellation of a planned state visit to Denmark. The idea of acquiring Greenland is not new; it was first proposed during President Andrew Johnson’s administration in the 1860s. Follow us on:Andrew met the individual through “official channels” with “nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed”, a statement from his office said. The businessman – known only as H6 – lost an appeal over a decision to bar him from entering the UK on national security grounds. He brought a case to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) after then-home secretary Suella Braverman said he should be excluded from the UK in March 2023. H6 was described as a “close confidante” of The Duke. Judges were told that in a briefing for the home secretary in July 2023, officials claimed H6 had been in a position to generate relationships between prominent UK figures and senior Chinese officials “that could be leveraged for political interference purposes”. They also said that H6 had downplayed his relationship with the Chinese state, which combined with his relationship with Andrew, 64, represented a threat to national security. A statement from Andrew’s office said: “The Duke of York followed advice from His Majesty’s Government and ceased all contact with the individual after concerns were raised. “The Duke met the individual through official channels with nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed. “He is unable to comment further on matters relating to national security.” At a hearing in July, the specialist tribunal heard that the businessman was told by an adviser to Andrew that he could act on the duke’s behalf when dealing with potential investors in China, and that H6 had been invited to Andrew’s birthday party in 2020. A letter referencing the birthday party from the adviser, Dominic Hampshire, was discovered on H6’s devices when he was stopped at a port in November 2021. In a ruling on Thursday, Mr Justice Bourne, Judge Stephen Smith and Sir Stewart Eldon, dismissed the challenge.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — CNN wants a court to dismiss a defamation lawsuit filed by North Carolina Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson that attacks its report that he made explicit posts on a pornography website’s message board. The network says Robinson presented no evidence that the network believed its story was false or aired it recklessly. The September report says Robinson, this month, left statements over a decade ago on the message board in which, in part, he referred to himself as a “black NAZI” and said he enjoyed transgender pornography. The report also says he preferred Adolf Hitler to then-President Barack Obama and slammed the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. as “worse than a maggot.” Robinson, who was seeking to become the state’s first Black governor, said he didn’t write those posts and sued in October, just before early in-person voting was to begin. While filing a dismissal motion Thursday in Raleigh federal court, attorneys for CNN said Robinson’s arguments suggesting he was the likely victim of a computer hacking operation that created fake messages would require a series of events that is not just “implausible, it is ridiculous.” Generally speaking, a public official claiming defamation must show a defendant knew a statement it made was false or did so with reckless disregard for the truth. “Robinson did not and cannot plausibly allege facts that show that CNN published the Article with actual malice,” attorney Mark Nebrig wrote in a memo backing the dismissal motion, adding that the lawsuit “does not include a single allegation demonstrating that CNN doubted the veracity of its reporting.” For Robinson, who already had a history of inflammatory comments about topics like abortion and , the CNN story nearly led to the collapse of his campaign. After the report’s airing, most of his top campaign staff quit, advertising from the Republican Governors Association stopped and fellow Republicans distanced themselves from him, Robinson lost to Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein by nearly 15 points and will leave office at year-end. Robinson’s lawsuit was initially filed in state court. It says, in part, that CNN chose to run its report based on data from the website NudeAfrica, which had been hacked several years ago and ran on vulnerable, outdated software. His suit claims the network did nothing to verify the posts. He’s seeking monetary damages. Thursday’s memo highlights the network’s story, including a section where the CNN journalists showed how they connected Robinson to a username on the NudeAfrica site. As the CNN story said previously, the memo says the network matched details of the account on the message board to other online accounts held by Robinson by comparing usernames, an email address and his full name. The details discussed by the account holder matched Robinson’s length of marriage, where he lived at the time, and that both Robinson and the account holder had mothers who worked at a historically Black university, the memo says. CNN also said it found matches of figures of speech used by both the NudeAfrica account holder and in Robinson’s social media posts. “This is hardly a case where, as Robinson alleges, CNN ‘disregarded or deliberately avoided the truth’ rather than investigate,” Nebrig said, adding later that the network “had no reason to seriously doubt that Robinson was the author” of the posts. Robinson’s attorneys didn’t immediately respond to an email Friday seeking comment. The lawsuit says anyone could have used Robinson’s breached data to create accounts on the internet. His state lawsuit also sued Louis Love Money, a former porn shop worker who alleged in a music video and a media interview that for several years starting in the 1990s, Robinson frequented a porn shop where Money was working and that Robinson purchased porn videos from him. Robinson said that was untrue. Money in the state lawsuit. But since then, CNN moved the lawsuit to federal court, saying that it’s the proper venue for a North Carolina resident like Robinson and a Georgia-based company like CNN and that the claims against Money are unrelated.
The announced it is seeking concepts for , or FCUAS C2, solutions enabling a single operator to engage multiple drone targets, as well as manned aircraft. The FCUAS C2 system sought under the DIU’s area of interest solicitation should be solely operable through a portable device, such as a tablet or laptop. In addition, the solution should be interoperable with current or emerging C2 systems and can rapidly integrate new third-party sensors. The solicitation’s participants must demonstrate their solutions in an expected live-fire CUAS test in the summer of 2025, including an interface with a government-supplied simulation tool. Terms of the Solicitation Partnerships are encouraged in FCUAS C2 prototype concept solicitation, particularly the collaboration of artificial intelligence/machine learning companies and integrators of counter-drone technologies. One recent involves Anduril Industries’ collaboration with ChatGPT developer OpenAI. Individual companies that can deliver the entire solution to the FCUAS C2 system can also apply in the prototyping solicitation. They have to indicate though if subcontractors would be involved along with their roles. and are among the companies that recently demonstrated AI capabilities in their counter-drone systems. An other transaction agreement awarded on the FCUAS C2 prototype may result in a follow-on production contract without further competition. The value of the follow-on contract could be significantly larger than the prototyping agreement, as several Department of Defense units may order the FCUAS C2 system. The deadline for the prototype concept submission is on Dec. 23.
Unwrap the latest AI features with Amazon Fire Tablets
A long-awaited appeal for convicted double murderer Alex Murdaugh was filed Tuesday in the South Carolina Supreme Court. Alex Murdaugh listens as his attorneys Dick Harpootlian, left, and Phil Barber speak during a judicial hearing at The Richland County Judicial Center in Columbia, S.C. on Monday, Jan. 29, 2024. In the 132-plus page brief, Murdaugh’s lawyers lay out two main prongs of attack they say should be grounds for granting Murdaugh a new trial: First, they allege that former Colleton County clerk of court Becky Hill, a state official, improperly swayed one or more jurors to vote to find Murdaugh guilty. Hill’s intrusion denied Murdaugh “infected the trial with unfairness” and denied him his right to a fair trial by an impartial jury, they argue. Second, they allege that the extensive information about Murdaugh’s financial crimes that state Judge Clifton Newman allowed the jury to hear about from 10 witnesses unfairly prejudiced the jury against Murdaugh (Murdaugh had not pleaded guilty to the crimes at that point). Those 10 witnesses testified “over a span of six days” about various Murdaugh financial crimes that involved 19 victims, the brief said. The brief also attacks various evidence offered by prosecution witnesses. The brief was submitted to the State Supreme Court nearly two years after the five-week Murdaugh murder trial, which began in January 2023 and ended in early March of that year. The trial was followed by millions on television, social media and mainstream media. The delay was caused in part by the time it took to prepare a 6,000-page transcript of the three-week trial and by an appeal Murdaugh’s lawyers made to the S.C. Court of Appeals on the alleged jury tampering issue. Normally, appeals in non-death penalty murder cases are first heard by the Court of Appeals. But in this case, Murdaugh’s attorneys sought and received permission from the Supreme Court to appeal directly to the high court. The State Attorney General’s office now has 30 days to file a reply. However, due to the holidays, and the complexity of the issues, the Supreme Court will probably grant an extension if prosecutors request one. The filing is the latest move in a case that shocked and riveted South Carolina and the world with its unexpected twists and fatal blend of violence, family dysfunction, big money and white collar crime. Murdaugh was convicted in March 2023 of murdering his wife Maggie and son Paul in what prosecutors argued was a cold-blooded attempt to distract suspicion from the looming threat of public disclosure that the attorney had stolen millions of dollars from his clients and his family’s 110-year-old law firm. His trial and conviction was a stunning downfall for a fourth-generation member of a prominent South Carolina legal and political family. The murders took place on June 7, 2021, at the dog kennels on the Murdaugh 1,700-acre family estate, called Moselle, just after nightfall, in rural Colleton County. Maggie was killed with an assault rifle; Paul, by a shotgun. No weapons were ever recovered. Murdaugh, 56, who is serving two life sentences for murder in a S.C. prison, claims he is innocent and that someone else did the killing. The appeal comes almost two years after Mardaugh was sentenced to life in prison for shooting and killing his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul. The delay was partly due to a pause put on the normal appeals process while his attorneys attempted to win Murdaugh a new trial following bombshell allegations that Becky Hill, the clerk of court who served on his trial, tampered with the jury. That attempt failed. Hill, who gained a small measure of celebrity during the trial, was accused of encouraging the jury to doubt Murdaugh’s testimony, pressuring the jury to reach a quick verdict and working to ensure a juror who had indicated that she was not convinced of Murdaugh’s guilt be dismissed. After the trial, she published a book based on her insider’s position at the trial, a position in which she oversaw the jury and had confidential conversations with the judge. Her goal, Murdaugh’s attorneys argued, was to ensure Murdaugh’s conviction in order to drive sales of the book she planned to write about the trial. The book was published in August 2023 and later withdrawn from publication after she admitted plagiarizing passages from a BBC’s reporter’s article. At a hearing last January before former South Carolina Supreme Court Justice Jean Toal, Hill denied the charges against her. While Toal found Hill “not completely credible,” she declined to grant Murdaugh a new trial, arguing that the state supreme court did not have the authority to grant a “a new trial in a very lengthy trial such as this on the strength of some fleeting and foolish comments by a publicity-influenced clerk of court But the controversy over Hill’s actions has not died down. Hill resigned from her position as the elected clerk of court and has been facing ethics and criminal investigations into jury tampering and allegations that she abused her position for financial gain . Defense lawyers on Murdaugh’s brief include Dick Harpootlian, Jim Griffin, Phil Barber, Andrew Hand and Maggie Fox. Get local news delivered to your inbox!A rash of unexplained drone sightings in the skies above New Jersey has left locals rattled and sent US officials scrambling for answers. Breathless local news reports have amplified the anxious sky-gazing and wild speculation -- interspersing blurry, dark clips from social media with irate locals calling for action. For weeks now, the distinctive blinking lights and whirling rotors of large unmanned aerial vehicles have been spotted across the state west of New York. But military brass, elected representatives and investigators have been unable to explain the recurring UFO phenomenon. Sam Lugo, 23, who works in the Club Studio gym in New Jersey's Bergen county, one of the corners of the state that has seen several drone sightings, called the reports "crazy." "It's pretty concerning they were sighted... without explanation. It can be alarming," he said. Officials including the governor have called on people not to be alarmed, but have not yet offered an explanation for the aerial activity. The clamor for transparency intensified on Thursday when the four senators for New Jersey and New York called on the FBI, Department of Transportation and Homeland Security (DHS) to brief them on how the agencies were working to "identify and address the source of these incursions." The White House said the sightings featured in a briefing received by President Joe Biden, while National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said there was "no evidence" of a threat -- and that they may be manned aircraft. "There's just no indication that this is some sort of foreign, malign activity -- or, in fact, even criminal," Kirby said. He also called on lawmakers to expand legislation clamping down on drone operations near airports and other high-risk sites. Later, the FBI and DHS said in a statement that "upon review of available imagery, it appears that many of the reported sightings are actually manned aircraft, operating lawfully. There are no reported or confirmed drone sightings in any restricted air space." But social media users have been adamant they have seen outsized drones. "I've seen them every night since Thanksgiving, they're smaller than my Jeep," wrote X user Gus Seretis. "They hover just about tree height or a little higher," he added, describing them as like aircraft too small for a pilot and vowing to "shoot at one if it comes low enough." New Jersey congressman Chris Smith wrote to the Pentagon on Tuesday demanding answers. "There have been numerous instances of unmanned aerial systems flying over New Jersey, including in close proximity to sensitive sites and critical infrastructure, to include military installations located in my district," he wrote to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Smith said he had been told that more than a dozen drones pursued a coastguard lifeboat over the weekend. The lawmaker then spent "hours" monitoring the night sky with the sheriff of Ocean County, the location of a number of sightings, according to his office. The Pentagon, the nerve center of the US military, insists the objects are not "US military drones." "Our initial assessment is that this is not the work of a foreign adversary or a foreign entity," said deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh. Singh also rejected claims by Republican lawmaker Jeff Van Drew on Fox News that Washington's foe Tehran was behind the spate of sightings. "There is no Iranian ship off the coast of the United States, and there's no so-called mothership launching drones towards the United States," she said. New Jersey native Joseph Boutros, 21, said he had seen the reports of drone activity on social media. "But I've not seen them myself," he said. "It's not something that worries me as long as they aren't carrying weapons," said the suited local as he collected takeout from a Bergen county strip mall as night fell. In the cloudy skies above, the only aerial vehicles with flashing lights were passenger jets on approach to New Jersey's Newark airport. The FBI told AFP it was aware of the sightings "in multiple locations over the past several weeks" and said it was working with other agencies on the issue. But the agency would not confirm reports of a crisis meeting between various government departments over the mounting concern. Drones are permitted for both business applications and recreational use but are regulated by Federal Aviation Administration rules. Witnesses stress that the unexplained aerial objects are larger than those commonly used by drone enthusiasts. "I don't want to get abducted or anything like that," said Lugo with a smile. gw-wd/st
Dr Hari Babu Kambhampati appointed new Governor of Odisha
Sebastian Zapeta, 33, who federal immigration officials said is a Guatemalan citizen who entered the US illegally, was arraigned in Brooklyn criminal court. He appeared briefly before a judge and wore a white jumpsuit over a weathered black hooded sweatshirt. He did not speak. He will remain jailed ahead of his next court date on Friday. The apparently random attack occurred on Sunday morning on a stationary F train at the Coney Island station in Brooklyn. Police said on Tuesday that identification of the victim was still “pending at this time”. Authorities say Zapeta approached the woman, who was sitting motionless in the train car and may have been sleeping, and used a lighter to set her clothing on fire. The woman quickly became engulfed in flames, while the suspect then sat at a bench on the subway platform and watched, according to police. Video posted to social media appeared to show the woman standing inside the train ablaze as some people look on from the platform, and at least one officer walks by. NYPD chief of transit Joseph Gulotta said that several officers had 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. They were eventually able to douse the fire, but “unfortunately, it was too late”, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said — the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. During Zapeta’s court hearing on Tuesday, Assistant District Attorney Ari Rottenberg said Zapeta at one point fanned the flames on the woman using his shirt. He said a 911 call from a subway rider helped identify Zapeta. Mr Rottenberg added that under interrogation Zapeta claimed he did not know what happened, noting that he consumes alcohol. But he alleged that Zapeta identified himself to interrogators in images related to the attack. Zapeta was taken into custody on Sunday afternoon while riding a train on the same subway line after police got a tip from some teenagers who recognised 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 had been previously deported in 2018 but at some point reentered the US illegally. The crime — and the graphic video of it that ricocheted across social media — deepened a growing sense of unease among some New Yorkers about the safety of the subway system in a city where many residents take the subway multiple times each day.Cowboys RB Rico Dowdle could be in line for a big game against Carolina's 32nd-ranked run defenseBy NICK INGRAM and HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH Taylor Swift has made a surprise stop at a Kansas City children’s hospital, shocking parents and patients alike as she laughed with them, posed for photos and exchanged gifts. Related Articles Entertainment | Tech review: Earbuds and phones for those on your holiday list Entertainment | ‘No Good Deed’ review: Los Angeles real estate is murder. Literally. Entertainment | Oscars 2025: Could Timothée Chalamet become the youngest lead actor winner? Entertainment | Don Jr., fiancée Kimberly Guilfoyle split amid Trump ambassadorship nom Entertainment | Elton John calls marijuana legalization ‘greatest mistake of all time’ All parent Cassie Thomas was told beforehand was that she might want to brush her hair and teeth because there was going to be a special visitor. But she was stunned when Swift, fresh off her Eras Tour and one day before her 35th birthday, walked into her son’s son Beckett Thomas’ room on Thursday at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City. “No rumors. Like, we literally had absolutely no idea this was happening,” Thomas recalled. Her 13-year-old son, Beckett Thomas, is a cancer patient and a fan of Swift’s Kansas City Chiefs tight-end boyfriend, Travis Kelce. Beckett uses a 3D printer to make earrings bearing his and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ names, walking around the hospital unit selling them to nurses. Now, Swift has a pair as well. “She was amazing,” Beckett’s mom said. “So down to earth.” Another patient told Swift that her favorite song was “Love Story” and had some questions about San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy, whose team played the Chiefs in the Super Bowl earlier this year. Surprised, Swift, muttered: “Brock Purdy, What? I mean, I don’t mind Brock Purdy.” She then continued: “He put me through a lot last February.” Asked before the Super Bowl whether he was prepared to disappoint Swift, Purdy responded: “Yes.” The game ended with Mahomes rallying the Chiefs to their second straight Super Bowl title, 25-22 over the 49ers in overtime. “I was very stressed for a second but it all ended up fine,” Swift told the girl, their recorded conversation posted online. The girl then chimed in: “I like Travis now.” Swift responded with: “Me too. That’s an absolute yes on that one.” There is no word on whether Swift will be in the stands when the Chiefs play the Browns on Sunday in Kelce’s hometown of Cleveland.
Duke of York ‘ceased all contact’ with spy-accused man after concerns raisedOTTAWA - Zayne Parekh lived a strange week earlier this month. The Calgary Flames prospect was crushed after being left off Canada’s list of selection camp hopefuls for the upcoming world junior hockey championship. A chance to pull on the red Maple Leaf was a dream. At age 18, there would still be next year. Not seeing his name alongside the rest of the country’s marquee under-20 talent still stung. Some five days later, however, the defenceman from Nobleton, Ont., selected ninth overall at June’s NHL draft, was making travel plans for the nation’s capital — handed an unexpected lifeline that kept his tournament quest alive. “A lot of motivation came from finding out that I wasn’t on the team,” said Parekh, who replaced the injured Harrison Brunicke last Friday. “A bit devastated because every kid wants to represent their country on the highest stage. “Glad I got a second opportunity.” Oshawa Generals winger Beckett Sennecke, meanwhile, waited until Monday for his tap on the shoulder with Easton Cowan being held out of action this week as a precaution. The No. 3 pick in 2024 wants to do everything he can to ensure it doesn’t get slammed shut a second time. “It’s tough to not see your (name) on there,” said 18-year-old, who like Parekh has another year of world junior eligibility. “Getting the call a couple days later was extremely exciting. “I have certain qualities that they like. I’m trying to display those.” Parekh and Sennecke were last to enter the building. That doesn’t mean they’ll be the first two out. “You’ve got to cut the number off at some point,” said Hockey Canada’s Peter Anholt, who heads the organization’s under-20 program. “They’re here now to show us what they can do and see if they can cut out a niche.” Parehk and Sennecke took part in Thursday’s exhibition game against a team of university all-stars at TD Place that saw Canada register a 5-2 victory. Sennecke picked up two assists. The Canadians face the U Sports squad again Friday before the national program’s brain trust trims its roster. Parekh had an admittedly slow start to his Ontario Hockey League campaign with the Saginaw Spirit after winning last season’s Memorial Cup, going through the draft process and taking part in Calgary’s training camp. “They know I’m capable of playing with the puck,” the six-foot, 180-pound defender with 34 points across 25 games said of Canada’s management group. “You’ve got to step on the ice with a purpose and compete as hard as you can. I’m going to try and leave a good impression on all the staff.” Sennecke is in a similar boat. The six-foot-four, 195-pound forward needs to show he can play a 200-foot game to have a chance of sticking with Canada — a powerhouse aiming to rebound off a disastrous fifth-place finish 12 months ago in Sweden — for the annual showcase set to open Dec. 26 in Ottawa. “Size, speed, direct game, a heavy game,” Sennecke said of his attributes. “Going to continue to do what I do.” The Toronto native has 44 points in 26 contests with Oshawa, including six goals and eight assists in three appearances after initially being told he hadn’t been invited to try out at TD Place. “Hockey gods kind of rewarding me,” he said with a smile. “A couple good games where everything went in.” After bitter disappointment followed by excitement, both Parekh and Sennecke still cling to a world junior dream. “You watch it every Christmas,” Sennecke said. “The staple of a Canadian hockey family.” “It definitely got taken away from me,” Parekh added. “But I’m grateful to be here ... I have a pretty good feeling.” NHL PEDIGREE Canada doesn’t expect any of its three eligible NHLers — Chicago’s Connor Bedard, San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini or Buffalo’s Zach Benson — to be made available for the tournament, but there will still pro experience in the fold. Oshawa centre Calum Ritchie played seven games with Colorado in the fall, while Guelph Storm counterpart Jett Luchanko suited up four times with Philadelphia. Carolina prospect Bradly Nadeau has already been confirmed on Canada’s final roster — he will join up following selection camp — after playing once in the NHL last season before suiting up for the American Hockey League’s Chicago Wolves in 2024-25. SECOND CHANCE Tanner Molendyk made Canada’s roster last year only to break his wrist in pre-tournament play. The Nashville Predators defence prospect is back with unfinished business. “I flew home Christmas Eve and then watched Boxing Day,” said Molendyk, who figures to have a big role this time around. “It was tough, didn’t get the results they wanted. Hopefully this year we can change that around and flip the script.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 12, 2024.