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711 jili When one cabinet door opensSuriname's government announced Saturday that the small South American nation will not hold a state funeral for its ex-president Desi Bouterse, who this week died a fugitive from justice aged 79. Current President Chan Santokhi "has decided, based on his powers and advice received, that there will be no state funeral... No period of national mourning," Foreign Minister Albert Ramdin told a press conference. Bouterse was a former military man who twice mounted coups, in 1980 and again in 1990, to take charge as a dictator. He eventually returned to power after being elected president in 2010 and governed for a decade. He died Tuesday in the unknown location where he had been holed up as a fugitive, with in-absentia convictions for cocaine trafficking and murder. Bouterse's body was dropped off at his residence in the capital Paramaribo. An autopsy was ordered, though police said there were "no signs of criminal activity." Bouterse had been sentenced to 20 years in prison in December 2023 for the 1982 execution of political opponents, including lawyers, journalists, businessmen and military prisoners. He remained a popular figure with the poor and working class in the former Dutch colony. The foreign minister said that, out of respect for Bouterse's status as an elected former president, flags would be flown at half-staff on government buildings on the day of his funeral, whose date has not yet been given. str-jt/rmb/acb

Emboldened 'manosphere' accelerates threats and demeaning language toward women after US electionCaleb Temiloluwa Adewole, a first-class graduate from FUTA, achieved academic excellence with a CGPA of 4.85/5.00, ranking as the second-best student in his class Overcoming challenges such as balancing leadership roles and financial constraints, Caleb attributes his success to discipline, active recall, and spaced repetition study techniques His journey from scoring high in UTME and Post-UTME to receiving prestigious scholarships shows his dedication and resilience in pursuit of becoming a world-class engineer CHECK OUT: Learn at Your Own Pace! Our Flexible Online Course allows you to fit copywriting skills development around your busy schedule. Enroll Now! In Federal University of Technology , Akure (FUTA), where dreams are often forged from sheer will and determination, Caleb Temiloluwa Adewole emerged as a beacon of academic excellence. His story, much like a river carving its path through mountains, is one of resilience, unwavering faith, and an insatiable thirst for knowledge. Caleb Temiloluwa Adewole first-class graduate Graduating with a CGPA of 4.85/5.00, he stood as the second-best student in his class, a testament to his relentless pursuit of greatness. Read also Graduate of Ajayi Crowther University completes degree with CGPA of 4.95, shares proudest moments PAY ATTENTION : Standing out in social media world? Easy! "Mastering Storytelling for Social Media" workshop by Legit.ng. Join Us Live! In an interview with Legit.ng , Caleb said he had early academic victories in 2017. “I never expected to score as high as 339/400. I just wanted to do well in the exam; I didn't have a specific goal in mind. I was the highest in my secondary school that year, and that record remains unbroken even seven years after I graduated! I'm also proud of my 2017 Post-UTME result: I scored a whopping 96%, getting 24 questions right out of the 25 multiple-choice questions. I like to think that I should have scored 100%. I recall that there was a math question that had no correct answer, and I had to just pick one of the four options which I assumed to be the answer. That could have been the only question I got wrong. In university, I had very high scores in notoriously difficult courses. There was one particular course where I had 98%. When the rumour went out that someone scored 98%, I thought the person was one of my friends, who was known to be very passionate about that course; I never expected it would be me. I was amazed when I saw the result!” Read also FUTA graduate who overcame failing a course in year two to bag first class shares her study hack Challenges Along the Way Yet, these numbers were but milestones on a journey defined by meticulous preparation and an unyielding spirit. As Caleb navigated the labyrinth of higher education , he encountered challenges that tested his resolve. “One challenge I faced had to do with balancing my academics with leadership responsibilities. In my third year at FUTA, I was appointed as the President of my fellowship. This role required a lot of sacrifices and dedication. I needed to keep maintaining excellent grades because of my reputation in the department and needed to also do well in leadership. Another challenge was financial. There were times I was really broke and that affected me a bit.” Nigerian Student Academic Excellence In these moments of adversity, Caleb's character was forged, his resilience becoming a symbol of hope for those who followed. “First, God made everything possible. I was excellent because God made me excellent. Also, I think my love for excellence was also key. I have always loved excellence—when I was younger, I prayed about it a lot. Then there is the place of discipline. I wouldn't have been able to achieve high standards if I wasn't disciplined enough. Studying requires discipline—putting away all distractions and focusing for the study period. When I was President, I would delegate responsibilities to my fellow executives when it was difficult to meet up due to tight schedules. I had a very supportive team. This made the work easy. In addition, I used to take advantage of free times to study. As I used my phone for study a lot, I didn't have to take my books everywhere. For times when I was broke, the scholarships I won came through a lot.” Read also Lead City University first class graduate gets plot of land worth N2m, live turkey, N100,000 Study Techniques for Academic Success The secret to Caleb's success lay in the habits he diligently cultivated. Techniques like active recall and spaced repetition became his trusted allies. He told Legit.ng : “One of the habits that helped me succeed academically is the practice of doing active recall and spaced repetition. Active recall involves quizzing oneself based on a study material rather than passively reading and re-reading the material. Spaced repetition, on the other hand, involves strategically spacing out study sessions on a particular topic or subject. Put simply, it means pushing forward what you already know and reviewing it later in the future while reviewing what you don't know more frequently till you can easily recall it. I found a software called "Anki" that implemented these techniques, and I religiously used it from my 3rd year till my final-year, 500 level. Another habit was studying past exam papers. In my school (or more specifically, my department), past questions are a thing! When preparing for exams, my friends would bring past exam questions to me, and I would attempt to answer (or solve) them. One other thing I want to mention is the place of seniors or mentors. I had people in higher levels whom I looked up to. I would ask them questions and get useful materials for each semester. This was particularly instrumental to my academic success.” Read also Lead City University student who studied for three hours daily graduates with excellent result Caleb’s academic excellence did not go unnoticed. Scholarships from the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) and a joint venture between the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation ( NNPC ) and Chevron Nigeria Limited were testaments to his hard work and dedication. These accolades were more than financial aids; they were affirmations of his capabilities and the promise of what he could achieve. Now, his eyes are set on the horizon, where dreams of becoming a world-class engineer beckon. With a foundation built on excellence and a heart full of aspirations, he seeks to further his education abroad, positioning himself for global opportunities. To those who aspire to academic excellence, Caleb offers a simple yet profound piece of advice: believe in your potential. “You need an excellence mindset. Believe that you can be excellent academically and seek ways to get better in your studies. Experiment with different methods of studying and pick which one gives you the best result. I think some people discover what works for them too late. So start early! Focus on results and pick the process that gives you the best result. I am rooting for you!” Read also Against all odds, graduate of Federal University of Gusau finishes his degree with first class Graduate of FUGUS Finishes Degree with First Class Legit.ng earlier reported that Mamud Abdulmajeed achieved remarkable academic success . Graduating with a first-class degree in Microbiology and a CGPA of 4.56, Abdulmajeed's journey is a testament to hard work, discipline, and the support of his family and friends. PAY ATTENTION : Legit.ng Needs Your Opinion! That's your chance to change your favourite news media. Fill in a short questionnaire Source: Legit.ngWEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau returned home Saturday after his meeting with Donald Trump without assurances the president-elect will back away from threatened tariffs on all products from the major American trading partner. Trump called the talks “productive” but signaled no retreat from a pledge that Canada says unfairly lumps it in with Mexico over the flow of drugs and migrants into the United States. After the leaders’ hastily arranged dinner Friday night at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, Trudeau spoke of “an excellent conversation." Trump said in a Truth Social post later Saturday that they discussed “many important topics that will require both Countries to work together to address.” For issues in need of such cooperation, Trump cited fentanyl and the “Drug Crisis that has decimated so many lives as a result of Illegal Immigration," fair trade deals "that do not jeopardize American Workers” and the U.S. trade deficit with its ally to the north. Trump asserted that the prime minister had made “a commitment to work with us to end this terrible devastation” of American families from fentanyl from China reaching the United States through its neighbors. The U.S., he said, “will no longer sit idly by as our Citizens become victims to the scourge of this Drug Epidemic.” The Republican president-elect has threatened to impose a 25% tax on all products entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico as one of his first executive orders when he takes office in January. U.S. customs agents seized 43 pounds of fentanyl at the Canadian border last fiscal year, compared with 21,100 pounds at the Mexican border. On immigration, the U.S. Border Patrol made 56,530 arrests at the Mexican border in October alone and 23,721 arrests at the Canadian border between October 2023 and September 2024 — and Canadian officials say they are ready to make new investments in border security. Trudeau called Trump after the Republican's social media posts about the tariffs last Monday and they agreed to meet, according to a official familiar with the matter who was not authorized to publicly discuss detail of the private talks. The official said other countries are calling Canadian officials to hear how about how the meeting was arranged and to ask for advice. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, after speaking with Trump on the telephone, said Thursday she was confident a tariff war with Washington would be averted. At the dinner that was said to last three hours, Trump said he and Trudeau also discussed energy, trade and the Arctic. A second official cited defense, Ukraine, NATO, China, the Mideast, pipelines and the Group of Seven meeting in Canada next year as other issues that arose. Trudeau's office said in a statement that the leaders “shared a productive wide-ranging discussion” centering on “collaboration and strengthening our relationship,” adding, "As Canada’s closest friend and ally, the United States is our key partner, and we are committed to working together in the interests of Canadians and Americans.” Trump, during his first term as president, once called Trudeau “weak” and “dishonest,” but it was the prime minister who was the first G7 leader to visit Trump since the Nov. 5 election. "Tariffs are a crucial issue for Canada and a bold move was in order. Perhaps it was a risk, but a risk worth taking,” Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal. Trudeau had said before leaving from Friday that Trump was elected because he promised to bring down the cost of groceries but now was talking about adding 25% to the cost of all kinds of products, including potatoes from Prince Edward Island in Atlantic Canada. “It is important to understand that Donald Trump, when he makes statements like that, he plans on carrying them out. There’s no question about it,” Trudeau said. “Our responsibility is to point out that he would not just be harming Canadians, who work so well with the United States, but he would actually be raising prices for Americans citizens as well and hurting American industry and business,” he added. The threatened tariffs could essentially blow up the North American trade pact that Trump’s team negotiated during his first term. Trudeau noted they were able to successfully renegotiate the deal, which he calls a “win win” for both countries. When Trump imposed higher tariffs as president, other countries responded with retaliatory tariffs of their own. Canada, for instance, announced billions of new duties in 2018 against the U.S. in a response to new taxes on Canadian steel and aluminum. Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states. Nearly $3.6 billion Canadian (US $2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day. About 60% of U.S. crude oil imports are from Canada, and 85% of U.S. electricity imports are from Canada. Canada is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum and uranium to the U.S. and has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is eager for and investing in for national security. Canada is one of the most trade-dependent countries in the world, and 77% of Canada’s exports go to the U.S. ___ Gillies reported from Toronto.

Ken-Betwa project: Bringing rivers closer

Shoppers have been left bemused after spotting Easter eggs on supermarket shelves before New Year’s Eve. With Easter Sunday falling on April 20 next year, customers shared their confusion on social media after finding chocolate eggs and hot cross buns already for sale in shops including Morrisons, Tesco and Asda. One user, @Jingle1991, shared an image of Malteser Bunnies in Sainsbury’s on Christmas Eve and pointed out: “Jesus hasn’t even been born yet.” Meanwhile, Gary Evans from Margate shared a shot of Creme Eggs on display in Morrisons in Margate on Boxing Day. “I just think its crazy that everything is so superficial and meaninglessly commercial... (there’s) something quite frantic about it,” the 66-year-old told the PA news agency. No Shame.Morrisons.Easter eggs.Boxing Day. December 26th.Peace on Earth pic.twitter.com/slGoIjOpRq — Gary Evans (@GaryEva04679693) December 26, 2024 Joseph Robinson found Easter confectionary including Cadbury Mini Eggs, and themed Kit-Kat and Kinder Surprise products at his local Morrisons in Stoke-on-Trent on Friday evening. “It’s funny, as they’ve not even managed to shift the Christmas chocolates off the shelves yet and they’re already stocking for Easter,” the 35-year-old admin support worker told PA. “I wish that Supermarkets weren’t so blatantly consumerist-driven and would actually allow customers and staff a time to decompress during the Christmas period.” @Morrisons It's not even a full 2025 and you're already stocking for easter.Kindly get in the bin pic.twitter.com/kLS7DGSRXt — Joseph (@stokegoblin) December 27, 2024 Asked if he was tempted to make a purchase, Mr Robinson added: “As a vegan it holds no appeal to me!” Mike Chalmers, a devout Christian from Chippenham, Wiltshire, was slightly less critical after spotting a display entitled: “Celebrate this Easter with Cadbury.” Easter is for life, not just for Christmas(Photo today in Morrisons!) pic.twitter.com/VmdJ31La9r — Mike Chalmers (@realMChalmers) December 27, 2024 “Christmas and Easter are the two centrepoints of the Christian good news story so it’s no bad thing to see the connections,” the 44-year-old said. “It’s about more than shapes of chocolate though!” Marketing consultant Andrew Wallis admitted he was surprised to see Easter eggs in the Co-op in Kilgetty, Pembrokeshire, but added it also illustrates “forward-thinking” from big businesses. Christmas isn’t even over, and Easter eggs are already on the shelves. Say what you want about it—but big brands don’t wait. They plan ahead and act fast. Are you doing the same? Your future self will thank you pic.twitter.com/Sl9qd7sOGS — andrewwallis (@andrewwallis) December 27, 2024 “It made me reflect on how big brands are always thinking ahead and planning early,” the 54-year-old from the Isle of Man, who provides marketing advice to the fitness industry, told PA. “My message to retailers would be: while planning ahead is important, it’s also essential to be mindful of consumer sentiment. “Some might feel it’s too early for seasonal products like this but others might see it as a sign of forward-thinking. “Striking the right balance is key to keeping customers happy.”Lance Terry scored a game-high 22 points, helping lead Georgia Tech to a 92-49 rout of visiting Alabama A&M on Saturday in Atlanta. Javian McCollum added 18 points, while Jaeden Mustaf chipped in 13 points and seven rebounds, as Georgia Tech (6-7) won its second game in three outings. Baye Ndongo had 10 points for the Yellow Jackets, who shot 54.1 percent (33 of 61) from the field and made 10 of 21 (47.6 percent) on 3-pointers. AC Bryant and Bilal Abdur-Rahman each led the Bulldogs (4-9) with 11 points. Alabama A&M managed to shoot just 20.8 percent (15 of 72) from the field en route to its sixth straight loss. After London Riley's 3-pointer cut the Bulldogs' deficit to 16-15, McCollum's triple began a 12-0 scoring run, extending Georgia Tech's lead to 28-15 with 5:30 remaining in the opening half. Bryant's layup stopped the Yellow Jackets' run, but McCollum scored five straight points to push Georgia Tech's advantage to 15 at the 4:13 mark. The lead expanded to 18 points before Quincy McGriff's layup trimmed the Bulldogs' deficit to 16. Terry's back-to-back triples jump-started a 12-3 run to close the first half with Georgia Tech ahead 50-25. McCollum led all scorers with 18 first-half points, while McGriff led Alabama A&M with seven. Ndongo's dunk to open the second half started a 10-1 Georgia Tech run, stamped with Duncan Powell's triple with 17 minutes left to push the Yellow Jackets' lead to 60-26. After Angok Anyang knocked down a pair of free throws for the Bulldogs, Terry's fourth triple was followed by Naithan George's layup, extending Georgia Tech's lead to 68-35 with 11:49 left. Jaylen Colon and Terry then traded triples, before Georgia Tech's 13-6 spurt was stamped with Ndongo's layup at the 3:33 mark, giving the Yellow Jackets an 84-44 edge. Georgia Tech's dominant day was stamped with baskets from a pair of Yellow Jacket walk-ons, as Emmers Nichols and Marcos San Miguel each tallied their first career points in the closing minutes. --Field Level Media

DAIZEN MAEDA will never stop putting in the hard yards. Just as long as he gets to recover at the soft play with his children . Advertisement 4 Maeda with his kids on trophy day last year Credit: Kenny Ramsay 4 The striker loves spending time with his children Credit: Kenny Ramsay The Japanese flying machine knows Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers will ring the changes to cope with five games in 15 days that could define their season. But after the goal that snatched a dramatic Champions League point at home to Club Brugge on Wednesday night, Maeda swears he doesn’t need ice baths or squad rotation to keep him fresh. Just an hour on a bouncy castle . The 27-year-old dotes on five-year-old daughter Soyo and two-year-old son Tensei and admitted: “I recover my energy by playing with the kids . Advertisement READ MORE FOOTBALL STORIES BOO BHOYS Brendan Rodgers recalls Celtic boo boys with Santa quip after Ross County rout MEGA OFFER Get £50 in free bets to spend on football when you stake £10 with Betfred “After a lot of games I take them to soft play centres and that refreshes me. “Maybe I have a different way of relaxing from the others, but that works for me. “I want to play every game, so it’s up to me to recover as well as possible, so that hopefully I will keep starting. “However, no club that plays this many games can possibly go with the same starting 11 every time, so it’s up to whoever is picked to prove themselves — because we always need to win . Advertisement Most read in Football Gossip MONEY TALKS Ex-Rangers star yielding 'several concrete enquiries' from Premier League clubs IN THE HAT Full list of teams in Scottish Cup fourth round draw as Prem big guns enter Exclusive SOLD FIRM Scott Brown's stunning new £2m mansion used to belong to Rangers supremo FAB FINISH Rangers loan flop scores stunner as he and unsung Scotland star take down Barca “Regardless of the opposition or the competition , we just have to win the next game and to keep winning. We can think of who comes next once we win this one. “Strong teams have players who can step up and show themselves. We are that kind of team and I am sure we have guys who can do this over the tough period ahead.” Celtic stars Kyogo and Daizen Maeda sample some Scottish treats for the first time Maeda kept his place for yesterday’s 5-0 league thrashing of Ross County before going off at half-time. Next up is Wednesday’s trip to nearest challengers Aberdeen , the visit of Hibs to Parkhead on Saturday, a vital Champions League trip to Dinamo Zagreb 72 hours after that, then the Premier Sports Cup final against Rangers at Hampden a week on Sunday. Advertisement Rodgers showed his intentions by bringing in Liam Scales , Luke McCowan , Paulo Bernardo , and Adam Idah — who all scored — along with Alex Valle and James Forrest , with Auston Trusty , Greg Taylor , Reo Hatate , Arne Engels , Nicolas Kuhn and Kyogo Furuhashi rested. The Celtic boss pressured the board into adding quality as well as quantity for spells like these and now is the time when fans will find out just how well those millions were spent. If he gets the balance right they could wake up two weeks tomorrow with at least a five-point lead at the top of the Premiership, one foot in the play-offs for the knockout stages of the Champions League and the first domestic silverware of the season on the sideboard. There’s no question Celtic’s depth on the bench has taken them up a level, both at home and in Europe , this season. Advertisement 4 That was a fact rammed home against Brugge when Bernardo and Valle came on for the toiling Arne Engels and Greg Taylor just after the hour — and within two minutes, the Spanish left-back had set up Maeda for a stunning strike which hauled them back in a contest that had seemed way beyond rescuing. Moments like these could be worth fortunes in the long term. Points like these could end up more than justifying the money sitting on the sidelines for all but 20 or 30 minutes of every game. Advertisement That’s a lesson to the club’s moneymen after too many seasons of thinking all they had to do was be better than Rangers . But Maeda believes everyone at the club should be learning all the time. He said: “As a team in the first half we didn’t perform well and the fans got frustrated, so it was a difficult time, but then we got the goal and the point and we all felt better. “Champions League games are the most difficult and we always learn lessons from them. Advertisement 4 Maeda celebrating his goal against Club Brugge Credit: Getty “We will learn from this game, because it’s all about experience. And one point in any Champions League game is a good point. “We just have to focus on the next one now and take on board what happened. We always want to say that each game has been a good learning experience for us. “As for the goal, every one I score is important, but this was such a big game that it felt really good.” Advertisement Maeda got right behind Cameron Carter-Vickers , whose bizarre own goal had plunged Parkhead into stunned silence. Keeper Kasper Schmeichel quickly galvanised the team by calling an impromptu huddle before the game restarted and Maeda says that proves how together they are. He said: “Cameron has been a leader for this team and he will keep being so. “What happened was not only his fault, it was a team thing and we all take part of the responsibility. Advertisement Read more on the Scottish Sun SIP SIP HOORAY Exact time Coca-Cola truck arrives in Scotland tomorrow for Xmas tour FESTIVE CHEER Scots Xmas market tops London's Winter Wonderland as 'most stunning' in UK “In the time I have been here, we have never had a huddle as we did after the goal. But we are disciplined and it showed how much we wanted to win the game. “It was a good gesture in a very difficult moment.” Keep up to date with ALL t h e latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football pageShoppers bemused as Easter eggs spotted at Morrisons, Tesco and Asda

Russian state news agencies say ousted Syrian leader Bashar Assad is in Moscow and given asylumHYDERABAD In Indian history, only two persons have been born as leaders who later became Prime Ministers — Vajpayee and Modi, said BJP’s Rajya Sabha member and national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi, while drawing parallels between former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee and current PM Narendra Modi. While delivering the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Memorial Lecture, organised by the ABV Foundation in Hyderabad on Tuesday, Mr. Trivedi called Hyderabad the best venue for the programme, highlighting the region’s significant contributions during Vajpayee’s leadership. The lecture was organised in the city on Tuesday to kick off the birth centenary celebrations of the late PM. Mr. Trivedi lauded Vajpayee’s decisive leadership, citing the Pokhran nuclear tests as a landmark moment that showcased India’s strategic capabilities. He noted that Vajpayee’s tenure from 1999 to 2004 witnessed the creation of six crore jobs and substantial foreign exchange growth, which laid the foundation for India’s economic stability. He also credited Vajpayee with launching the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and strengthening India’s nuclear capabilities, which Mr. Modi further expanded. Former Governor Vidyasagar Rao reflected on Vajpayee’s calm and resolute leadership in crisis, including the 2001 Parliament attack. “Vajpayee ensured that democracy prevailed, with Parliament functioning as usual the very next day,” Mr. Rao said. He also spoke of Vajpayee’s foresight during the Emergency era and his ability to unify diverse political ideologies under a common vision. Mr. Rao praised Vajpayee’s contributions to infrastructure development through the Golden Quadrilateral project and his efforts to bolster India’s international standing. He urged the BJP to uphold Vajpayee’s vision of a caste-free society and a governance model rooted in nationalism and inclusivity. Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy shared personal anecdotes from his interactions with Vajpayee, describing him as a selfless leader dedicated to the ideology of nationalism. “Vajpayee was instrumental in creating three new states — Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Uttarakhand — without compromising on national integrity,” he said, adding that the centenary celebrations would continue until December 2025. Published - December 24, 2024 09:36 pm IST Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp RedditHeavy travel day off to a rough start after American Airlines briefly grounds all flights

NEW YORK — I’ll get you, my pretty! And your little pygmy hippo, too! Forgive us the shameless attempt to link the fantasy hit “Wicked” to the delightful Moo Deng . But, hear us out — there’s something the two have in common as the year draws to a close. Escapism. Whether we found it on the yellow brick road, or in videos from a Thailand zoo, or perhaps in unlikely Olympic heroes , we gravitated toward fantasy and feel-good pop culture moments this year. There were new trends, as always. “Brat summer” became a thing, as did “demure, mindful.” And for some inexplicable reason, we became obsessed with celebrity lookalike contests. There were breakups — Bennifer is, again, a thing of the past — and reunions: Oasis, please try to stay together for the tour. Yet some things stayed, remarkably, the same: Taylor Swift and Beyoncé kept on breaking records and making history. So, after a year where much changed but some things held steady, here’s our annual, very selective trip down pop culture memory lane: Lily Gladstone poses in the press room Jan. 7 with the award for best performance by an actress in a motion picture, drama for "Killers of the Flower Moon" at the 81st Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. It starts as a cheery tweet from a beloved “Sesame Street” figure: “ ELMO is just checking in! How is everybody doing?” The answers hint at something deeper and more worrisome. “Not great, Elmo. Not great,” says one milder reply. Doing much better is the viral phenomenon called “BARBENHEIMER,” which makes its awards season debut at the GOLDEN GLOBES . But perhaps the most poignant moment comes from neither film: LILY GLADSTONE , first Indigenous winner of best actress in a drama for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” begins her remarks in the language of her tribe, Blackfeet Nation. Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) kisses Taylor Swift on Feb. 11 after the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers in overtime during the NFL Super Bowl 58 football game in Las Vegas. Valentine’s Day — a perfect time to settle into a sweet love saga via TikTok. Only that’s not quite what we get with “Who TF Did I Marry?,” REESA TEESA ’s depressing, fascinating, 50-part account of her disastrous marriage with a man who lied about absolutely everything. Meanwhile, if you're looking for a single week that encapsulates peak SWIFT cultural dominance , try this: she begins with the Grammys in Los Angeles (becoming the first artist to win album of the year four times AND announcing a new album), then heads to Tokyo for four tour dates, then jets back just in time for the Super Bowl in Las Vegas — where she shares a passionate smooch with boyfriend TRAVIS KELCE on the field of victory. Ryan Gosling performs the song "I'm Just Ken" from the movie "Barbie" on March 10 during the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. “What was I made for?” BILLIE EILISH sings at the OSCARS, channeling BARBIE . And what was KEN made for? Not entirely clear — but it's clear RYAN GOSLING was made to play him. His singalong version of “I’m Just Ken” is one of the most entertaining Oscar musical moments in years. Still, Christopher Nolan's “OPPENHEIMER” prevails, a rare case of the top prize going to a blockbuster studio film. Will it happen again in 2025? CYNTHIA ERIVO and ARIANA GRANDE sure hope so; as presenters, they make a sly reference to their upcoming juggernaut, “WICKED.” Speaking of marketing, people are obsessed with that bizarre “DUNE” popcorn bucket. Beyonce And BEYONCÉ carves her space in country music with “Act II: Cowboy Carter,” which will make her the first Black woman to top the Billboard country chart. Taylor Swift performs June 21 at Wembley Stadium in London as part of her Eras Tour. Tennis, anyone? The game’s been around for centuries, but it’s having a cultural moment right now, helped mightily by “CHALLENGERS,” the sweaty romance triangle starring ZENDAYA, MIKE FAIST and JOSH O'CONNOR (40-love? More like 40-sex.) Elsewhere, a new era dawns: At midnight, SWIFT drops “THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT," then drops another 15 songs two hours later. The fascinating and disturbing “BABY REINDEER,” the story of a struggling comedian’s extended encounter with a stalker, debuts on Netflix. Ben Affleck, left, and Jennifer Lopez arrive Feb. 13 at the premiere of "This Is Me ... Now: A Love Story" at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. It’s MET GALA time — or as it's known in 2024, another early marketing moment for “WICKED.” ERIVO and GRANDE make fashion waves on the carpet and then musical ones at dinner, with a soulful performance of “When You Believe.” If the “Wicked” tour is in full force, another one stops in its tracks: JENNIFER LOPEZ cancels her summer tour amid reports of both poor ticket sales and trouble in her marriage to BEN AFFLECK . It’s been an eventful year for J.Lo, who's released an album and movie called “THIS IS ME ... NOW" — both reflections on her renewed love with Affleck. Welcome to BRAT SUMMER ! CHARLI XCX releases her hit “Brat” album , with its lime green cover, and launches a thousand memes. Collins Dictionary defines “brat,” its word of the year, as “characterized by a confident, independent, and hedonistic attitude.” At the celeb-heavy SWIFT shows in London, we see PRINCE WILLIAM shaking it off, which is either charming or cringe, you decide. Even better: KELCE dons a top hat and tux and performs for one night. At another stadium across the pond, METS infielder JOSE IGLESIAS delights the crowd with his cheery number “OMG.” Stephen Nedoroscik is introduced June 29 at the United States Gymnastics Olympic Trials in Minneapolis. Bonjour, it’s OLYMPICS time! In Paris! An audacious opening ceremony along the Seine is punctuated by a fabulous CELINE DION , perched on the EIFFEL TOWER , singing her heart out — in the rain, too. Controversy swirls over a scene critics feel mocks Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” (organizers say it does not). Olympic stars are born — including French swimming superstar LEON MARCHAND , rugby player ILONA MAHER , and bespectacled “Pommel Horse Guy” gymnast STEPHEN NEDOROSCIK , who nets two bronze medals and comparisons to Clark Kent. Baby pigmy hippo Moo Deng plays with a zookeeper Sept. 19 in the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi province, Thailand. Also capturing hearts: yep, MOO DENG , born this month. Her name means “bouncy pork.” Australia's Rachael Gunn, known as B-Girl Raygun, competes Aug. 9 during the Round Robin Battle at the breaking competition at La Concorde Urban Park at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. This is them ... now: BENNIFER is no more. After two decades, two engagements and two weddings, J.Lo files for divorce. One union dissolves, another returns: OASIS announces a reunion tour. Everyone seems to want to get in on TikToker JOOLS LEBRON 's “ DEMURE, MINDFUL ” act — even the WHITE HOUSE press team. Back at the Olympics, in the new sport of breaking, we meet Australia’s RAYGUN , arguably neither demure nor mindful with her “kangaroo” move. Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani brings his dog Decoy to the mound Aug. 28 before Decoy delivered the ceremonial first pitch prior to a baseball game between the Dodgers and the Baltimore Orioles in Los Angeles. Cute animal alert: SHOHEI OHTANI ’s perky pooch DECOY does a great “first pitch” in his Major League Baseball debut. Chappell Roan performs "Good Luck, Babe" on Sept. 11 during the MTV Video Music Awards at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. One of the year’s biggest breakout artists, CHAPPELL ROAN , withdraws from a music festival after speaking out about frightening fan interactions. And more on the price of fame: In an excruciating moment, “Bachelorette” JENN TRAN , the franchise’s first Asian American lead, is forced to sit through a painful viewing of her proposal to her chosen suitor, after tearfully explaining how he’d later dumped her over the phone. Tran is keeping busy though — she’s announced as part of the new “Dancing with the Stars” lineup. Also on the list: rugby player Maher, and Pommel Horse Guy! Also, ANNA SOROKIN , dancing with an ankle monitor. Online fandom, meanwhile, is shaken when X is temporarily suspended in Brazil and celebrity stan accounts post tearful farewells, revealing to many across the globe that their favorite accounts are run by Brazilians. Miles Mitchell, 21, wins of the Timothee Chalamet lookalike contest Oct. 27 near Washington Square Park in New York. “Dune” Chalamets! “Wonka” Chalamets! Thousands gather in Manhattan for a TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET lookalike contest, and things really get interesting when Chalamet himself shows up. He doesn’t enter the contest, though, and with his mustache, he may not even have won. The trend continues with contests for JEREMY ALLEN WHITE, ZAYN MALIK and — in a very Washington version — Kennedy scion JACK SCHLOSSBERG , who's been gathering a following with some interesting social media posts. New York Liberty Kennedy Burke dances with the mascot, Ellie the Elephant, during an Oct. 24 ceremony after a parade in honor of the Liberty's WNBA basketball championship at City Hall in New York. Turning to basketball, who’s that dancing with USHER ? Why it’s ELLIE THE ELEPHANT , the now-viral NEW YORK LIBERTY mascot. Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, right, appears Nov. 2 with Maya Rudolph on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" in New York. MAYA RUDOLPH does a pretty good KAMALA HARRIS laugh on “Saturday Night Live,” but you know who does it better? HARRIS herself. The Democratic candidate makes a surprise cameo three days before the U.S. presidential election, following in the footsteps of HILLARY CLINTON , SARAH PALIN and others. Elsewhere in television, Bravo announces that “VANDERPUMP RULES,” the Emmy-nominated reality show that has lived through countless scandals, is entirely recasting its 12th season — apart from namesake LISA VANDERPUMP . As for MOO DENG , she doesn't have her own TV series yet, but our favorite pygmy hippo is generating plenty of merch . And THAT brings us back to ... Ariana Grande, left, and Cynthia Erivo pose for photographers Nov. 11 prior to the premiere of "Wicked" at Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City. “WICKED” ! Director JON M. CHU ’s emerald-hued fantasy remains very very popular, to quote one of its buzzy show tunes, dancing through life and defying gravity at the multiplex. Moviegoers also come for “GLADIATOR II” and, in a veritable tidal wave, Disney's “MOANA 2,” which beckons us back to the seas of Oceania. Once again, 2024 seems to be telling us: Give people some whimsy, a place to escape, maybe some catchy tunes — and no one knows how far they’ll go. The stories and images that defined 2024. Searching for something? From queries about U.S. politics to cricket in India, Wikipedia has become a source of information for millions of people across the globe. From the Paris Olympics to the Super Bowl. From Simone Biles to Shohei Ohtani. And, of course, Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift. These are the sp... AP photographers assembled a visual catalog of our civilization as life in 2024 hurtled directly at us at every speed and in every imaginable ... In 2024, photographers captured glimpses of humanity, ranging from a deeply divisive presidential election, to hurricanes and fires that ravag... Associated Press photographers captured voters with raw emotions of joy, excitement, contemplation or sorrow. See entertainment's biggest moments in 2024, through the lens of Associated Press photographers. It beat five other finalists: demure, slop, dynamic pricing, romantasy and lore. News anchors, politicians and other public figures in the U.S. struggled with these words the most this year. Is it any surprise Merriam-Webster's word of the year is "polarization"? Here are the other words that rounded out the top 10 for 2024. 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Brock Purdy will miss Sunday's game for the 49ers with a shoulder injury

Arkansas DE Landon Jackson carted off field and taken to hospital with neck injuryFacing SC State, Georgia aims for best start in nearly a century

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Daylen Berry scored 27 points as Charleston Southern beat Columbia International 95-89 on Saturday. Berry had 10 rebounds for the Buccaneers (4-11). RJ Johnson scored 25 points while shooting 7 for 19 (0 for 6 from 3-point range) and 11 of 13 from the free-throw line and added seven assists. Keenan Wilkins went 4 of 12 from the field (3 for 8 from 3-point range) to finish with 11 points, while adding six rebounds. JJ Vaughan finished with 24 points for the Rams. Columbia International also got 22 points from Christian Howard. Brandon Hunt also had 13 points and 11 rebounds. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .The World Bank must be kidding

Growing Hindu-Muslim tension in Bangladesh widens rift with IndiaShare this Story : Major passion for World Juniors: 13th tournament for superfan Art Benjamin Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Breadcrumb Trail Links News Local News Sports World Juniors Local Sports Major passion for World Juniors: 13th tournament for superfan Art Benjamin The Winnipeg resident admits he has spent "a small fortune" attending Canadian team games at the world junior tournament over the past couple of decades. Get the latest from Marlo Glass straight to your inbox Sign Up Author of the article: Marlo Glass Published Dec 28, 2024 • Last updated 4 minutes ago • 2 minute read Join the conversation You can save this article by registering for free here . Or sign-in if you have an account. Art Benjamin has travelled around the world to attend more than a dozen IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships since 2005. He's one of thousands of superfans in Ottawa for the 2025 tournament, hoping to see Canada regain its top spot after a disappointing fifth-place finish last year. Photo by Marlo Glass / Postmedia Article content Don’t ask Art Benjamin how much money he’s spent or how many kilometres he’s travelled to more than a dozen IIHF World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. Article content We apologize, but this video has failed to load. Try refreshing your browser, or tap here to see other videos from our team . Major passion for World Juniors: 13th tournament for superfan Art Benjamin Back to video Article content He says he’d attend every year if only ticket prices weren’t so high. “I’ve spent a small fortune,” he admits, “but it’s worth it.” The first year he attended was 2005, when the tournament was hosted in Grand Forks, N.D. There he saw Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin face off as juniors amid a National Hockey League lockout. Advertisement 2 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles from Elizabeth Payne, David Pugliese, Andrew Duffy, Bruce Deachman and others. Plus, food reviews and event listings in the weekly newsletter, Ottawa, Out of Office. Unlimited online access to Ottawa Citizen and 15 news sites with one account. Ottawa Citizen ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles from Elizabeth Payne, David Pugliese, Andrew Duffy, Bruce Deachman and others. Plus, food reviews and event listings in the weekly newsletter, Ottawa, Out of Office. Unlimited online access to Ottawa Citizen and 15 news sites with one account. Ottawa Citizen ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Sign In or Create an Account Email Address Continue or View more offers If you are a Home delivery print subscriber, online access is included in your subscription. Activate your Online Access Now Article content Benjamin was also in Vancouver the next year and in Ottawa in 2009, where many of Canada’s players went on to become NHL household names, including John Tavares, Jamie Benn and P.K. Subban. Saskatoon was next. Then Buffalo, N.Y. In 2013, Benjamin made the trip to Ufa, Russia, a round trip of more than 16,000 kilometres from his home in Winnipeg. Since then he has also been to Helsinki, Montreal, Vancouver and Ostrava, Czech Republic. Next year, the world junior tournament will be in Saint Paul, Minn., just a 750-kilometre trip down the highway from Winnipeg. In all, this year’s tournament in Ottawa is the 13th Benjamin has attended. Superfan Art Benjamin shows off his jersey listing all of the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships he’s attended since 2005. This year, he’s one of thousands of superfans descending on the nation’s capital, with the hopes of seeing Canada reclaim gold after a disappointing fifth-place finish last year. He keeps coming back, Benjamin says, because of the friends he’s made along the way and the parade of talented Canadian team members developing into tomorrow’s NHL superstars. “They’re kids, they’re just kids and they’re going to the NHL,” he said, “and you get to see them progress. It’s just crazy.” Advertisement 3 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content In his travels, he’s made friends from coast to coast. “We see all our friends here,” he said. “And we travel together all over the world.” Benjamin says he prefers to support the IIHF tournament instead of the NHL because of the chance to see promising young players hone their talents before they step up to the big show. The 2005 tournament, for example, saw a powerhouse Canadian team with a star-studded roster filled with players who may have already been playing in the NHL if not for the lockout and drawn-out negotiations that ultimately led to a league-wide salary cap. That year Canada beat Russia in 6-1 in a marquee final, bringing home the gold medal to kick off a five-year tournament winning streak. At this year’s Boxing Day showdown between Canada and Finland at the Canadian Tire Centre, dozens of other superfans donned jerseys bearing the names of legends from Team Canadas of yesteryear: Gretzky, Crosby, Iginla and Bedard. Other rabid Canadian fans wore red morph suits (the full-body Lycra coverings that make people look like cartoon characters) and flew Canadian flags, and at least two spectators dressed as Santa Claus. The Boxing Day game produced a 4-0 win for Canada against Finland, but the following night the home side lost to Latvia in a shocking 3-2 upset capped by an eight-round shootout. Canada next faces off against Germany on Dec. 29, and the tournament hosts will play the defending-champion United States at the Canadian Tire Centre on New Year’s Eve. Article content Share this article in your social network Share this Story : Major passion for World Juniors: 13th tournament for superfan Art Benjamin Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Comments You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments. Create an Account Sign in Join the Conversation Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information. Trending Canadian military fears maintenance issues will plague equipment sent to Latvia Defence Watch Canada suffers two big losses against Latvia at world juniors World Juniors Caldwell: These 2024 photos of Ottawa expose its struggles and small wins News Victim of Christmas Day homicide remembered as 'a beautiful person' News The Arena at TD Place, as it stands, is hosting its last World Juniors — and that's good for Ottawa Sports Read Next Latest National Stories Featured Local Savings

Anjali Damania says she prophesied Chhagan Bhujbal’s ‘political moves’ 11 months ago

My love of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is no secret. Last year, I dedicated 20,000 words to a two-part 20th-anniversary retrospective featuring several of the talented artists who worked on the seminal BioWare Edmonton RPG. From the refreshingly standalone story and strong cast of characters to the compelling D&D -inspired turn-based combat and diverse array of planets to visit, KOTOR is an absolute gem. It remains one of my top five games of all time, even to this day. And yet, I’ve always felt a twinge of sadness over that (deservedly) glowing reputation because it’s inadvertently meant that its sequel, Obsidian Entertainment’s Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords , has often been overlooked comparatively. That’s a real shame, because KOTOR II is easily my favourite Star Wars story ever told, a richly crafted and deeply engrossing yarn that deconstructs core tenets of the entire franchise. And now, as we approach KOTOR II ‘s 20th anniversary on December 6th, I’ve found myself revisiting the game and developing an even greater appreciation for it. The original KOTOR , like the original trilogy, revolved around the player character, Revan, stopping the genocidal Sith regime from harnessing a powerful space station and taking over the galaxy. While there’s certainly nuance to be found within the writing of individual characters and storylines, that overall conflict is undeniably black and white. KOTOR II , on the other hand, eschews any such binaries for a fascinating morally grey narrative. The game follows the Exile (also known as ‘Meetra Surik’), a former Jedi Knight who has been excommunicated from the Jedi Order for her role in aiding Revan in the controversial Mandalorian Wars. In the five years since the events of KOTOR , however, Revan has vanished in the outskirts of the galaxy and the Sith have nearly exterminated the Jedi, leading the Exile to embark on a desperate mission to unite the remaining Light Side warriors and strike back. Right off the bat, this premise creates a powerful sense of melancholy rarely seen in Star Wars. Over the course of 30 hours, KOTOR II presents a vivid depiction of a deeply solemn galaxy. In more direct cases, this is shown through returning planets Dantooine and Korriban, which were once teeming with Jedi and Sith but are eerily lifeless vestiges of civilization overrun by beasts and lingering spirits. But beyond that, there’s just a pervasive fatigue and depression throughout each planet you visit, from the sickly beggars on the crime-filled Nar Shaddaa to the civil war on the nationalist planet of Onderon. There’s always been an underlying darkness to Star Wars, of course, but KOTOR II is one of the first times it was put forward in such a layered and serious way. (Generally, there was something silly that dampened the impact to varying degrees, like the goofy Ewok teddy bears in Return of the Jedi or bad dialogue of the prequels.) Part of KOTOR II ‘s sophistication comes from its status as a video game, which means it’s able to leverage interactivity to strengthen your connection to the narrative. As the Exile, it’s your job to determine how to rebuild this galaxy ravaged by war. When you find each of the remaining Jedi Masters, you can choose to recruit them to your cause or harness their powers to increase your own Force-wielding prowess. (Given their hubris and complacency, you could make a case for doing either.) And expanding upon the strong writing of the first KOTOR , your interactions with your party members can lead to them becoming Jedi or Sith. Memorably, this includes Atton Rand, a seemingly Han Solo-esque scoundrel who harbours his own battle scars and complicated resentment towards the Jedi, and Visas Marr, a Sith apprentice who was the sole survivor of a planetary genocide. Having you fill your party with such characters, as well as the likes of Exchange syndicate droid G0-T0 and returning KOTOR mercenary and former Mandalorian Canderous Ordo, only further fleshes out the greyer sides of the galaxy. (If you love The Mandalorian , Canderous’ journey in this game, which explores the complexities of his warrior people’s creed, will prove especially exciting.) But nowhere is KOTOR II ‘s depth and moral ambiguity better exemplified than Kreia, one of the absolute greatest characters in the entire Star Wars pantheon. Interestingly, the enigmatic Force wielder, as masterfully portrayed by Sara Kestelman, is outwardly cold to pretty much everyone in the game except the Exile, leading her to become your maternal figure, of sorts, as you play. In this role, Kreia effectively plays devil’s advocate for every choice you make, resulting in a fascinating back-and-forth dynamic. While KOTOR II does retain the first game’s binary Light Side/Dark Side system, Kreia, quite interestingly, tends to serve as an active rebuttal of it, constantly questioning whether you made the “right” choice, regardless of your moral alignment, and pushing you to look beyond “Jedi” and “Sith.” Through Kreia, KOTOR II challenges the very nature of the Force itself and the role it plays in the cycles of war, making for some of the best storytelling in all of Star Wars. If that weren’t enough, KOTOR II presents some of the most memorable Sith in the entire franchise. While KOTOR ‘s Darth Malak was a serviceable enough riff on Darth Vader, the antagonists of the sequel are genuinely inspired. First, there’s Darth Nihilus (see above), the “face” of KOTOR II with a Revan-like tribal mask and hood. What makes Nihilus such an effective threat is that he’s genuinely terrifying in a way most Sith aren’t. This shell of a former man is so consumed by insatiable hunger for power that he feeds off the life force of all living things, only communicating to his disciples through hauntingly unintelligible rasps. Then we have Darth Sion, a comparatively more loquacious foe whose necrotic corpse-like body is literally being held together through the Force, leaving him in a constant state of unspeakable pain. And finally, an intriguing third character who completes the so-called Sith Triumvirate is revealed later in the story, solidifying KOTOR II ‘s villains as some of the most compelling in the series. In 2004, everything KOTOR II achives felt incredibly novel for Star Wars and even RPGs at large, and two decades later, that’s even more true. While I still adore Star Wars , I find myself frequently frustrated with how the franchise has basically become an ouroboros, constantly referencing itself as it desperately tries to tie everything back to nostalgic story beats, themes and characters. There is so much that can be done within the vast Star Wars template, yet we keep coming back to the Skywalker Saga and adjacent stories. Even The Acolyte , which was, ironically, partially inspired by Kreia , finds contrived connections to the Skywalker Saga despite being set a century before The Phantom Menace. That’s why I’ve always loved the first KOTOR ; BioWare was creative enough to leap literal millennia before Anakin Skywalker was even born and tell a completely standalone story. And even then that game, as amazing as it is, was really all about letting you live out your own version of Luke Skywalker’s adventure in RPG form. It hadn’t been done in games, to be sure, but there was still that sense of familiarity. That’s what makes KOTOR II even more of a revelation. Not only does it not draw any major inspiration from classic Star Wars stories, but it often actively critiques them. In a day and age when many fans can’t accept something like The Last Jedi daring to be even a little different, KOTOR II feels even more ahead of its time. Honestly, it’s hard to imagine Star Wars media like this ever getting made today. Even Andor, which is easily the best piece of live-action Star Wars media in decades, is really, first and foremost, a stellar political drama that just happens to be set in a galaxy far, far away. On top of all of that, Obsidian deserves even more praise for KOTOR II because it made the game under particularly difficult conditions. Infamously, publisher LucasArts only gave the team just over a year to follow-up one of the greatest games of all time, leading to, unfortunately, an excessive amount of crunch. What’s more, Chris Avellone, lead writer and designer on KOTOR II , wasn’t initially given access to the first game, meaning that many of his early concepts had to be reworked or scrapped entirely later on. Therefore, the fact that Avellone and the rest of the team were able to pivot and incorporate story beats from BioWare, and then actually use them so meaningfully, is beyond impressive. Admittedly, this especially tumultuous development cycle meant that KOTOR II launched with its fair share of issues. For one, it was remarkably buggy, but on a deeper level, cutscenes, quest lines and even an entire planet had to be cut to make the release date. These concessions are particularly felt in the game’s final level, which sees the Exile travel to Malachor V, the planet where the Mandalorian Wars reached their brutal conclusion. Setting the grand finale on a planet that had been so meticulously built up through its important connection to both Revan and the Exile was a conceptual masterstroke, but unfortunately, it feels unfinished in practice due to the cut content. Thankfully, dedicated fans have spent years restoring much of that material and have since released free mods that add it back to the game. But even if you don’t care about KOTOR II , its legacy is important because it was actually Obsidian’s first-ever game. “I mean, it’s what made Obsidian,” Dan Spitzley, KOTOR II senior programmer and now Obsidian lead programmer, told Eurogamer . “It’s the reason we’re still here. For me, KOTOR II just represents, how do I say it, Obsidian as a whole.” Without KOTOR II , we wouldn’t have gotten the many other acclaimed games that Obsidian has made, including Neverwinter Nights 2 , Pillars of Eternity , Pentiment and, of course, Fallout: New Vegas. (I also recently got to check out Avowed , Obsidian’s next RPG, and it looks like yet another winner from the prolific studio.) And so, 20 years later, I find even more reasons to love KOTOR II. Despite a brutal production, Obsidian had a remarkably fresh and philosophical take on Star Wars that feels even more revolutionary after all this time, both due to the nostalgia-driven direction of the franchise and the increasingly divisive and bleak modern climate. Admittedly, playing the game now can sometimes be a painful reminder of what Obsidian had been building up to for a once-planned third game, which, based on developer interviews , sounded absolutely unreal. But on the whole, it’s just been so great to revisit KOTOR II. I’ve long praised this game to everyone I know, and I’m happy for this anniversary to encourage me to finally write about it. If you’re someone who’s ever had even a passing interest in Star Wars , I can’t recommend enough that you play this game. Truly, it’s everything I love about the galaxy far, far away and RPG storytelling as a whole. Here’s to Star Wars . Here’s KOTOR II . Here’s to Obsidian. May the Force be with them, always. Image credit: Disney

2024 in pop culture: In a bruising year, we sought out fantasy, escapism — and cute little animals