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Article content This in from the Edmonton Oilers , news that they have signed big and hyper-aggressive winger Connor Clattenburg to a three-year entry level contract.”The 2024 fifth-round NHL Draft selection is captain of the Flint Firebirds and has scored 10 goals with 8 assists in 22 games thus far in the OHL Hockey season. Said Bob Stauffer of the Oilers radio network: “Clattenburg played a very aggressive game in Penticton at the Rookie Tournament. He is physical, combative, and can bring a little bit of offence as well. Could be a stealth sleeper pick for the Edmonton Oilers .” 1. Like any fifth round draft pick, Clattenburg is a major long shot to make it as an NHLer, but as we’ve seen in recent years with late round Oilers picks John Marino and Michael Kesselring, sometimes players taken in those late rounds to defy the odds. 2. Clattenburg has taken his first major step in doing so, earning an entry level contract with the Oilers, even as he’s been in and out of the Flint line-up this year due to injuries. He’s made it into 22 of the team’s 32 games, but his point scoring rate is up considerably from last year, and his nasty, hyper-aggressive style of play remains intact, as seen in his 57 penalty minutes in 22 games. The young man is a Cal Clutterbuck-style hitting machine on the ice, and as Clutterbuck demonstrated that kind of player can come out of nowhere to have a long and successful NHL career. Clutterbuck was a third round pick who played in 1064 NHL games. 3. The Oilers are dead last in the NHL in hits per 60, just 13.4 per game, with NHL leader Florida at 28 per game. Florida stocks its fourth line with rough and aggressive hitting forwards. The Oilers might well do something similar. Right now the only Oilers forwards who play much of a hitting game are Vasili Podkolzin and Evander Kane, with Kane gone for much of the season with injury. Zach Hyman, Corey Perry and Leon Draisaitl play a physical puck protection game but they’re not big hitters. There will be openings this year and in years to come for forwards with enough skill to hang in the NHL game and with the determination, guts and ferocity to hit hard and often. Clattenburg is in the running for one such job. 4. The Cult’s own sharp-eyed Bruce McCurdy kept a close watch on Clattenburg for two games at the Penticton rookie tournament. Here’s what he reported: “The banging winger completed the first [line] and proved to be a decent choice thanks to his incessant physical play. His heavy pressure caused a Vancouver d-man to hear footsteps and cough up the puck, even as Clattenburg carried on to finish the check. Twice landed a pair of crunching checks on the same shift bringing his total to at least 5 hits in the first period alone. ... He was heavily boarded by 25-year-old Dylan Anhorn, survived the crash, got up mad and proceeded to fill in his opponent with some solid punches. Somehow only coincidental minors were called after the bare-knuckled set-to. Made a good play to win the puck with an aggressive forecheck and feed it to a mate in the low slot, the type of sequence that will need to become a trademark if he is to make it in the pros... To these eyes he raised those expectations with a positive first impression.” At the Cult of Hockey McCURDY: Players grades in big win over Sens Staples on politics Poilievre’s knockout speech signals historic 2025 defeat for Liberals, whoever leads them
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The recent death of Bengaluru-based techie Atul Subhash, allegedly tied to dowry harassment, has once again laid bare the deep-seated malaise of dowry culture that continues to plague our society. While his death may have initially sparked outrage, the public discourse has quickly shifted, desensitised to the plight of women who endure such silent suffering daily. This case is not just a tragedy; it is a mirror reflecting our collective apathy toward the toxic web of patriarchal expectations and abuse that dowry perpetuates. The issue of dowry-related violence is not new. Section 304 B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), introduced in 1986, specifically addresses dowry deaths, stipulating stringent punishments for those responsible. Yet, the grim reality persists: official data reveals that over 6,000 dowry deaths are reported annually in India. Bengaluru, with its urban and educated demographic, is not immune to this epidemic. The tragic irony of these cases lies in the societal strata they touch—the so-called educated, modern elite, often employed in professions like technology, where progressiveness is presumed, but patriarchal norms endure unabated. Dowry deaths, however, represent only the most visible and extreme manifestation of the issue. Beneath these numbers lies an ocean of untold stories: women coerced into silence, trapped in abusive marriages, and suffering psychological and physical harm. Often, the financial demands begin subtly, masquerading as “gifts”, and escalate into outright harassment. Many women are forced to compromise their self-worth and safety for fear of societal backlash, the stigma of divorce, or lack of financial independence. The Bengaluru case is particularly troubling because it underscores the failure of both the legal system and societal mechanisms to act as deterrents. While laws exist on paper, their enforcement is often riddled with gaps. Victims who come forward face arduous legal battles, often compounded by insensitive policing, prolonged trials, and societal ostracism. The burden of proof disproportionately falls on women, leaving them with little recourse but to endure or succumb to the pressures. Furthermore, the digital age has added a new dimension to this issue. Social media outrage, while significant, often has a fleeting impact. Hashtags trend for a day or two, and the public moves on, leaving the systemic issues unaddressed. This transient engagement contributes to the desensitisation of society toward the grim reality of dowry deaths. The way forward requires both systemic reform and a shift in societal attitudes. First, the legal framework must be strengthened. Fast-track courts specifically dedicated to dowry-related cases could ensure swift justice, reducing the psychological burden on survivors and their families. Second, sensitisation programmes for law enforcement and judiciary personnel are crucial to handle such cases with the sensitivity they demand. Third, financial empowerment of women, through accessible education and employment opportunities, must be prioritised to reduce dependence on abusive spouses and in-laws. However, laws and policies alone cannot solve the problem. Society must confront the normalisation of dowry culture head-on. The practice of lavish weddings, exorbitant dowries, and the silent expectation of financial exchanges perpetuates the very mindset that leads to such tragedies. Education campaigns, starting from schools, should challenge these norms and instil values of gender equality. Media, too, has a significant role to play in reshaping narratives and sparking sustained, meaningful discourse. Ultimately, the fight against dowry-related violence must be collective. It requires the courage of individuals to speak up, the diligence of institutions to enforce the law, and the conscience of society to reject regressive practices. The Bengaluru case is not just a wake-up call—it is a reminder of the cost of our indifference. For every Atul Subhash or the countless unnamed women who have suffered in silence, justice is not merely a legal mandate; it is a societal obligation. Let this tragedy not fade into yet another statistic. Instead, let it serve as a rallying cry to dismantle the toxic structures that continue to claim lives and dreams. Only then can we hope to heal the wounds inflicted by this centuries-old scourge. anilmalhotra1960@gmail.com ( The writer is a lawyer at Punjab and Haryana high court)None
NoneSt. Paul-based Bremer Bank to be acquired in $1.4 billion merger with Old National BankNEW YORK (AP) — In an angry outburst in a New York courtroom, Rudy Giuliani accused a judge Tuesday of making wrong assumptions about him as he tries to comply with an order requiring him to turn over most of his assets to two election poll workers who won a libel case against him. U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman responded by saying he’s not going to let the former New York City mayor and onetime presidential candidate blurt things out anymore in court unless he’s a sworn witness. The interruption to an otherwise routine pretrial hearing in Manhattan came as the judge questioned Giuliani's lawyer about why Giuliani has not yet provided the title to a car he has relinquished in his effort to satisfy a $148 million defamation judgment won by two former Georgia election workers. “Your client was the U.S. attorney for this district,” the judge said, referring to Giuliani's years in the 1980s as the head of the federal prosecutor's office in the Southern District of New York, as he suggested it was hard to believe that Giuliani was incapable of getting a duplicate title to the car. Giuliani learned forward and began speaking into a microphone, telling the judge he had applied for a duplicate copy of the car's title but that it had not yet arrived. “The implication I’ve been not diligent about it is totally incorrect,” Giuliani said in a scolding tone. “The implication you make is against me and every implication against me is wrong.” Giuliani went on: "I’m not impoverished. Everything I have is tied up. I don’t have a car. I don’t have a credit card. I don’t have cash. I can’t get to bank accounts that truly would be mine because they have put ... stop orders on, for example, my Social Security account, which they have no right to do.” Liman responded by warning defense lawyers that the next time Giuliani interrupts a hearing, “he's not going to be permitted to speak and the court will take action.” The judge said Giuliani could either choose to represent himself or let lawyers do so, but “you can't have hybrid representation.” If Giuliani wants to speak in court again, he can be put on the witness stand and be sworn as a witness, Liman added. The exchange came at a hearing in which the judge refused to delay a Jan. 16 trial over the disposition of Giuliani’s Florida residence and World Series rings. Those are two sets of assets that Giuliani is trying to shield from confiscation as part of Liman's order to turn over many prized possessions to the poll workers. Earlier in the proceeding, defense attorney Joseph M. Cammarata asked Liman to delay the trial, which will be heard without a jury, for a month because of Giuliani's “involvement" in inauguration planning for President-elect Donald Trump. “My client regularly consults and deals directly with President-elect Trump on issues that are taking place as the incoming administration is afoot as well as (the) inauguration," Cammarata said. "My client wants to exercise his political right to be there.” The judge turned down the request, saying Giuliani's “social calendar” was not a reason to postpone the trial. Giuliani, who once served as Trump's personal attorney, was found liable last year for defaming two Georgia poll workers by falsely accusing them of tampering with ballots during the 2020 presidential election. The women said they faced death threats after Giuliani falsely claimed they sneaked in ballots in suitcases, counted ballots multiple times and tampered with voting machines. Larry Neumeister, The Associated Press
If you think you’ve got your work cut out this Christmas , spare a thought for the staff of the UK’s largest paper recycling factory. Piles of giftwrap and cards in the average living room are a drop in the ocean compared to the daily lot of this hardworking team. Kemsley Paper Mill receives 144 lorries of waste a day to be recycled. It is Europe’s second largest and processes 830,000 tons a year. Christmas is the busiest time and Black Friday has brought the festive rush much earlier. Operations director Guy Lacey says: “We get very, very busy in that period with packaging coming from people’s homes. Sometimes the recycling network really struggles with the volume.” One problem is that not all packaging is recyclable and gets mixed in with the all the stuff that is. Guy explains: “With the packaging that has glitter on it, we can’t really make good use of it. Anything that contains plastics or anything that is added to the product can cause us problems with the recycling or in the later process.” The Kent factory is run by DS Smith which recommends a ‘scrunch test’ before people stick wrapping paper in their recycling bins. If it stays scrunched up when you crumple it in your hand it is good to go. If not it has a plastic film so cannot be recycled. Research by the London-based packaging giant estimates that the nation is set to waste 300,000 tons of packaging this festive season. Over a quarter of this could end up not being recycled. Contamination is a big reason it ends in landfill instead. In a perfect world , Guy believes everyone should have a separate bin for paper and cardboard. He adds: “Having one bin for all recycling does make things harder. If people put in something like a baked bean can with residue in or a milk carton that still has a bit inside, then this can contaminate the paper so much it can’t be accepted for recycling and sent to us. “When paper and plastic get wet they can also stick together so it is very difficult for the sorting stations to sort it out. “In an ideal world everyone would have a single bin for paper and cardboard they could keep dry but I appreciate there are challenges, such as with big tower blocks having too many bins. “Making sure you avoid contamination, by cleaning out food packets for example, and keeping it as separate as possible massively helps us.” During our visit to Kemsley, near Sittingbourne, we were shown how waste is turned back into paper – something that takes just 20 minutes. Material comes in on lorries from sorting hubs, where it has been separated from plastics, cans and glass. Kemsley’s job is to get as many of the paper-making fibres out of that recovered paper as they possibly can. Guy says: “That does still have some contamination in it. We bring warm water and put it into a big blender, stir it up and it releases all the paper-making fibres. We then have a slurry of fibre which we make paper from and we clean it as best we can using various different technologies to remove the different materials. “Once we have the fibre at a clean level, we make another sheet of paper in one of our paper machines by removing the water, and dry it.” This is then reeled up into giant three-ton rolls of paper, most of which are sent to DS Smith box plants where they are converted into board and boxes for packaging, with the remaining produce used for specialist papers. It is all 100% recyclable. The UK’s paper and cardboard recycling rate is lagging – we are 25th out of 30 European nations, with recycling rates of just 73% compared to the average of 82%. But Guy says he does believe people are making more effort. He adds: “I think there will be more of a generational shift. When I was at school we didn’t have recycling at home but younger people have grown up with it and understand the role they play in it.” Kemsley started out producing newsprint and is celebrating its 100th year of operation. Guy says: “If we didn’t exist, that incoming material would have nowhere to go and would just be burned and put into a hole in the ground. “This is really valuable stuff that can be reused time and time again into paper and boxes.”
Carlos Augusto and Alessandro Bastoni warn Inter must ‘forget last season’ and the Scudetto, because represent ‘important points.’ It was a hard-fought encounter at San Siro, the final test before Christmas, but they emerged with all three points thanks to the Carlos Augusto towering header on a Hakan Calhanoglu corner and stoppage-time Marcus Thuram screamer into the top corner. “I am happy, but as I always say, the most important thing is that Inter get the victory. We knew it was tough and we picked up the three points,” “We have to forget last season, there are many strong teams competing this year, but I have faith in my teammates that we’ll challenge to the end, I have the best teammates in the world.” Carlos Augusto, who was part of a totally reshuffled defence amid injuries, also proved decisive at the other end with a goal-saving interception to stop the Edoardo Goldaniga tap-in. Due to the absence of Matteo Darmian, Francesco Acerbi and Benjamin Pavard, with Stefan de Vrij only fit for the bench, Bastoni moved into the centre of the back three with Carlos Augusto on the left. “These are important points, especially in games where we might not be at 100 per cent and are missing key players,” Bastoni told Sky Sport Italia. “We are playing a lot of matches, we’re keeping the focus high and we just need to keep going. We’ve got Cagliari on December 28, then we fly to Saudi Arabia, so it’s going to be a bit of a strain. “It is important we get all the players fit again so that we can rotate more.” Inter have a more , because they are in the Supercoppa Italiana against Atalanta in Saudi Arabia, then possibly the Final too a few days later. They are also battling for a Champions League top eight finish and still have a Serie A game in hand to be played against Fiorentina, which probably won’t be until February.
In a significant achievement for China's space program, two astronauts have completed a record-breaking spacewalk of over nine hours, as announced by China's Manned Space Agency. This milestone took place outside the Tiangong space station and surpassed the previous record set by NASA. Meanwhile, a remarkable discovery in Peru's Amazon has caught the attention of the global scientific community. An 'amphibious mouse' and 26 other new species were found during a 2022 expedition spearheaded by Conservation International. The revelations include a diversity of creatures such as a spiny mouse and various species of fish, amphibians, and butterflies, indicating Peru's rich and unexplored biodiversity. (With inputs from agencies.)Expert underscores importance of power in achieving smart cities
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