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Sunday, 31 March 2019

Canadian Women’s Hockey League goes belly up

TORONTO — The Canadian Women’s Hockey League will discontinue operations on May 1, the league announced Sunday.

A week after the Calgary Inferno won the league championship and hoisted the Clarkson Cup trophy, the CWHL said in Toronto that the 12-year-old league will discontinue operations May 1.

“Unfortunately, while the on-ice hockey is exceptional, the business model has proven to be economically unsustainable,” the league said in a statement.

The CWHL was founded in 2007, and had six teams in North America and China this past season.

The league included national team players from the United States, Canada, Finland, Japan and China.

“I’m heartbroken at the news of the #CWHL folding,” Calgary Inferno forward Brianne Jenner said on Twitter.

“Hard to process this after our most successful season to date. Thank you to the builders, players, coaches, GMs, fans that made it possible for 12 seasons. We will rebound from this.”

Sami Jo Small, who co-founded the league in 2007, was hired as general manager of the Toronto Furies last summer.

“I have no idea what this means for the future, but this is heartbreaking,” Small tweeted. “We will work hard to ensure there is still women’s hockey in Toronto.”

Inferno forward Blayre Turnbull and Les Canadiennes de Montreal forward Marie-Philip Poulin posted identical reaction on Twitter:

“This morning we were informed the #CWHL is folding. As players, we will do our best to find a solution so this isn’t our last season of hockey but it’s hard to remain optimistic. #NoLeague.”

The CWHL operates like the MLS in that the league owns the teams.

Former player Jayna Hefford was appointed interim commissioner last year when Brenda Andress stepped down.

The CWHL began paying its players’ salaries in 2017-18 ranging from $2,000 to $10,000, out of a total budget of $3.7 million.

The addition of two expansion teams in China that season — since combined into one — was believed to have added significant dollars into the CWHL.

But the CWHL lost a major financial backer in November when longtime supporter Graeme Roustan withdrew the sponsorship of his venture capital firm Roustan Capital.

And the new coach of the Chinese women’s team hinted recently that he hopes the players soon won’t have to travel internationally to develop into better players.

“I think the biggest goal now is to have a league or some competitions here in China where we can play good games,” Jakob Kolliker told China Daily.

“It’s important for the future.”



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Sunwing passengers upset after diverted flight leads to lengthy delays

TORONTO — A replacement aircraft for a grounded Sunwing Airlines Boeing 737 Max was forced to make an emergency landing in New Orleans on the weekend, sparking anger among passengers who complained they were stranded for hours.

In a statement on Sunday, the charter airline confirmed the Boeing 767-300 en route from Toronto to Cancun, Mexico, was diverted on Saturday due to an unspecified “mechanical issue.”

However, Sunwing normally has no connection to the New Orleans airport, creating logistical issues for the 239 people aboard, the company said.

“We didn’t have our staff on the ground to support communications,” the company said in a statement. “Because of the unplanned nature of the landing, the airport was very busy and it took many hours to find a secured area for our customers to deplane to.”

Passengers aboard Flight WG511 took to social media to vent their frustrations at being stranded aboard the aircraft for hours, then for several more hours in a holding room at the airport.

One passenger, Marcelo Gomez-Wiuckstern, a vice president with Canada Lands Company, tweeted that passengers had been “locked in” the airport basement for more than seven hours without any information.

“No one from the crew is to be seen,” Gomez Wiuckstern said. “The call centre says, ‘We are working on it, keep waiting’.”

“Stuck at New Orleans in a basement which feels like a detention centre with no idea what is happenings,” tweeted another passenger, Robert Liu.

Sunwing said it had leased the Boeing 767 from Eastern Airlines to help maintain its flying schedule after regulatory authorities recently grounded the 737 Max.

The grounding followed deadly crashes off Indonesia and in Ethiopia killed 346 people. Suspicion has fallen on an automated system designed to prevent the aircraft from stalling by pitching the nose of the plane down.

Sunwing said it provided its stranded passengers with water service, snacks and pizza while it sought to replace have Eastern replace the aircraft. That ultimately happened Saturday night with a plane sent from Miami. Everyone was then flown to Cancun, the agency said.

“We are very apologetic for this unfortunate start to their vacation and have compensated accordingly,” Sunwing said.

Sunwing Airlines bills itself as an award-winning leisure carrier that flies out of 33 airports across Canada and the U.S. using more than 40 Boeing 737-800 and the now-grounded Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft. It mainly flies to vacation destinations across the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America and Florida.



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Dieppe veteran, Canadian Army’s longest-serving officer, dies at 101

MONTREAL — Honorary Col. David Lloyd Hart, a decorated Second World War veteran who was the Canadian Army’s oldest and longest-serving officer, has died at age 101.

The Canadian Armed Forces announced that Hart died March 27 in Montreal.

Hart served for more than 80 years in the army in various roles, including as a young communications operator in England and France during the Second World War. A sergeant at the time, Hart went on to receive a military medal for bravery for his actions during the ill-fated Allied raid on Dieppe in 1942, when he insisted on briefly going off-air to locate two brigades and pass on an order to withdraw.

Born in July 1917 in Montreal, Hart enlisted in the reserves in 1937 with the Fourth Signal Regiment and was called to active duty in 1939.

Hart told The Canadian Press in 2017 that he still remembered every detail of the chaotic scene on the beach that day in Dieppe, which would prove to be the single bloodiest for Canada’s military in the Second World War.

The Allied forces quickly became “sitting ducks” after their forces were spotted by German troops early on in what was supposed to be a stealth operation, Hart said. He recalled sitting in a crippled ship five metres from shore, unable to leave the radio, watching his fellow soldiers trying in vain to dig with stones to create a place to hide.

“The fire was terrible,” he said at an interview at his home in Montreal. “There was mortar fire and there were machine-gun nests in the cliffs which weren’t seen by our intelligence people because they had them covered, and they had heavy six-pounder or more cannons shooting at us.”

Of the almost 5,000 Canadian soldiers who took part in the raid on occupied France, nearly 3,400 were captured, injured or killed. The number of deaths totalled 916.

Hart went on to serve in various honorary positions after leaving active duty in 1965, and remained an active and visible presence at Montreal military events right up to his death. The year he turned 100, he returned to Dieppe to walk down the same beach where he’d fought some 75 years earlier.

Hart, who was not injured in the raid, said in 2017 that while all soldiers must live with their memories, he didn’t regret his service and would sign up again, if given the chance.

A funeral for Hart was scheduled for Sunday afternoon.

In a statement, the Canadian Army described Hart as a “friend and mentor to many” and praised what they called an “extraordinary life of service.”

“When looking at the life of this Canadian military icon, we are truly thankful for his dedication, courage and contribution to the military and Canadians,” Lt.-Gen. Jean-Marc Lanthier said in a statement. “Not only was he decorated for saving lives during World War II but he spent his entire adult life serving Canada and inspiring fellow soldiers both on active duty and in honorary positions.”

A funeral notice posted online suggested that Hart is survived by his wife of 75 years as well as two children.



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Gerald Butts provides notes, texts to justice committee on SNC-Lavalin

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s former principal secretary Gerald Butts says he has provided notes and text messages to the House of Commons justice committee in response to evidence filed last week by former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould on the ongoing SNC-Lavalin controversy.

In a tweet published today, Butts says he has handed over notes and texts between himself and Wilson-Raybould after having reviewed the materials she submitted last week.

On Friday, the justice committee released a 43-page brief from Wilson-Raybould, which includes emails and text messages, as well as a 17-minute audio clip of a secretly-recorded telephone call between herself and Michael Wernick, the country’s top public servant.

In the Dec. 19 call, Wernick repeatedly asks Wilson-Raybould why she isn’t using all tools at her disposal on the SNC-Lavalin case, but she pushes back saying she would not override the decision of the director of public prosecutions to pursue criminal charges against SNC-Lavalin for bribery and fraud.

Wernick told her the prime minister is “quite determined” on the matter and would likely “find a way to get it done one way or another.”

Butts, who resigned as Trudeau’s principle secretary last month, told the justice committee he believes nobody from the Prime Minister’s Office did anything wrong and that Wilson-Raybould never complained about facing improper pressure on the case.



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Get ready to pay more at the pumps: New carbon tax kicks in Monday for 4 provinces

People in Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick will be paying more for gasoline and heating fuel Monday when the federal government’s carbon tax begins in provinces that refused to impose their own emissions pricing.

The federal tax is $20 a tonne for this year and is set to increase by $10 annually until it reaches $50 a tonne in April 2022.

The starting rate adds 4.4 cents to the price of a litre of gas, about four cents to a cubic metre of natural gas, and also drives up the cost of propane, butane and aviation fuel.

There is uncertainty about how widespread the impact will be, how businesses will receive rebates, and whether the tax will survive court challenges underway in two of the rebel provinces.

Todd Lewis, president of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan, said while farm fuel is exempt from the carbon tax, the levy does apply to that used in commercial trucks and trains moving grain off farms and bringing in seed and equipment.

“As we move our commodities, we’re going to have increased costs. Simple as that,” Lewis said in an interview.

“There’s no way for us to pass these costs along. If you’re a grocery store or a dry cleaner, if you’re costs go up, you can pass them along to the consumers, but we participate in a world market.”

The business community also has unanswered questions. The federal government has yet to reveal details about a program to rebate some of the increased costs faced by small- and medium-sized businesses.

Residents of the four provinces will be getting rebates as well on their income tax returns. The rebates start at $128 annually, vary between provinces and increase for people with spouses or dependents at home.

The federal government says the carbon tax is a sensible way to protect the environment — put a price on activities that pollute to discourage emissions, and give back most or all of the money through income taxes.

The holdout premiers have been vocal in their criticism.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has described the carbon levy as a “job-killing” tax that will increase prices on everything. He has warned that it could cause a recession — a claim economists dispute.

Ford has tweeted nearly daily about the tax over the last two weeks — his caucus members have contributed dozens more — and has held news conferences to rail about it.

An Ontario court is set to hear the government’s constitutional challenge of the carbon tax in April. A Saskatchewan court has already heard similar arguments and is expected to deliver its verdict shortly.

New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs’s government argues the tax will punish the province’s large rural population because there’s no option to ditch vehicles for public transit.

In Manitoba, Progressive Conservative Premier Brian Pallister initially intended to implement a lower carbon tax, and demanded the province be recognized for spending billions to build clean hydroelectric infrastructure. He dropped the idea and joined the protesting provinces when Ottawa refused to accept the lower rate.

Pallister said the tax comes at a time of economic uncertainty for Manitobans.

“Uncertainties for people who are concerned about trade … or people who are concerned about higher interest rates for mortgages when they come up for renewal.”

Pallister suggests the federal rebates may not be enough to offset increased costs businesses will face, which could be passed on to consumers.

“The proposed plan does not consider … the multiplier effects of these taxes on the people we buy things from.”

Beverly Gilbert, a Calgary tax adviser, says the carbon tax will affect Canada’s competitiveness.

“The U.S. does not have any kind of carbon levy or carbon charge so it makes it more difficult to compete internationally,” she said.



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‘YOU’RE ‘JESSIE’ FROM NOW ON’: Chris Rock roasts Jussie Smollett at NAACP Awards

Comic Chris Rock poked fun at Empire star Jussie Smollett while presenting an award at the NAACP Image Awards Saturday night.

“They said no Jussie Smollett jokes,” Rock told the audience at the ceremony, eliciting laughs from the crowd.

“Yeah, I know, but what a waste of light skin. Do you know what I could do with that light skin? That curly hair? My career would be out of here. I would be f—ing running Hollywood,” Rock said during the televised show.

“You’re ‘Jessie’ from now on, you don’t get the ‘u’ no more. That ‘u’ was respect, you ain’t getting no respect from me,” Rock added, while the camera showed The Daily Show host Trevor Noah laughing hysterically.

Smollett, who was recently arrested for disorderly conduct in Chicago after allegedly staging and reporting a fake assault, was a no-show at the event, despite being nominated in the category for best supporting actor in a drama series.

Though he was charged earlier this month on several felony counts, the charges were dropped last week and his record wiped clean.

Ironically, Smollett ended up losing to Jessie; Jessie Williams won for his work on Grey’s Anatomy.

The full list of NAACP Image Awards winners is:

Entertainer of the Year: Beyonce

Outstanding Motion Picture: Black Panther

Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture: Chadwick Boseman, Black Panther

Outstanding Breakthrough Performance: Motion Picture: Letitia Wright, Black Panther

Outstanding Actressin a Motion Picture: Amandla Stenberg, The Hate U Give

Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture (Film): Ryan Coogler, Black Panther

Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance (Television or Film): Samuel L. Jackson, Incredibles 2

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture: Michael B. Jordan, Black Panther

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture: Danai Gurira, Black Panther

Outstanding Independent Motion Picture: If Beale Street Could Talk

Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture: Black Panther

Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series: Taraji P. Henson, Empire

Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series:  Anthony Anderson, Black-ish

Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series: Omari Hardwick, Power

Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series: Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-ish

Outstanding Comedy Series: Black-Ish

Outstanding Drama Series: Power

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series: Marcus Scribner, Black-ish

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series:  Marsai Martin, Black-ish

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series: Jesse Williams, Grey’s Anatomy

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series: Lynn Whitfield, Greenleaf

Outstanding Guest Performance in a Comedy or Drama Series: Kerry Washington, How to Get Away with Murder

Outstanding Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special: The Bobby Brown Story

Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special: Michael B. Jordan, Fahrenheit 451

Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special: Regina King, Seven Seconds

Outstanding News/Information (Series or Special): Oprah Winfrey Presents: Becoming Michelle Obama

Outstanding Talk Series: The Real

Outstanding Reality Program, Reality Competition or Game Show (Series): Iyanla: Fix My Life

Outstanding Variety Show (Series or Special):  Black Girls Rock!

Outstanding Children’s Program: Doc McStuffins

Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited-Series): Marsai Martin, Black-ish

Outstanding Host in a Talk or News/Information (Series or Special) – Individual or Ensemble: Jada Pinkett Smith, Adrienne Banfield Norris, Willow Smith, Red Table Talk

Outstanding Host in a Reality/Reality Competition, Game Show or Variety (Series or Special) – Individual or Ensemble: Steve Harvey, Family Feud

Outstanding Album: Ella Mai by Ella Mai

Outstanding New Artist: Ella Mai

Outstanding Male Artist: Bruno Mars

Outstanding Female Artist: H.E.R.

Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration: All The Stars by Kendrick Lamar & SZA

Outstanding Jazz Album: The Story of Jaz by Jazmin Ghent feat. Jeff Lorber, James P. Lloyd, Kim Scott, Philippe Saisse

Outstanding Gospel Album (Traditional or Contemporary): Unstoppable by Koryn Hawthorne

Outstanding Music Video/Visual Album: This Is America by Childish Gambino

Outstanding Song – Traditional: Long As I Live by Toni Braxton

Outstanding Song – Contemporary: Boo’d Up by Ella Mai

Outstanding Soundtrack/Compilation: The Album Music From and Inspired By Black Panther by Various Artists (Kendrick Lamar, SZA feat. 2Chainz, ScHoolboy Q, Saudi, Khalid, Swae Lee, Vince Staples, Yugen Blakrok, SOB x RBE, Jorja Smith, Anderson .Paak, Ab Soul, Reason, Zacari, Babes Wudumo, Sjava, Travis Scott)

Literary Work – Fiction: An American Marriage by Tayari Jones

Outstanding Literary Work – Nonfiction: For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Politics by Donna Brazile, Yolanda Caraway, Leah Daughtry, Minyon Moore & Veronica Chambers

Outstanding Literary Work – Debut Author: Us Against The World: Our Secrets to Love, Marriage, and Family by David Mann, Tamela Mann & Shaun Saunders

Outstanding Literary Work – Biography/Autobiography: Becoming by Michelle Obama

Outstanding Literary Work – Instructional: Rise and Grind: Outperform, Outwork, and Outhustle Your Way to a More Successful and Rewarding Life by Daymond John & Daniel Paisner

Outstanding Literary Work – Poetry: Taking the Arrow Out of the Heart by Alice Walker

Outstanding Literary Work – Children: Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly

Outstanding Literary Work – Youth/Teens: Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson

Outstanding Documentary (Film): Amazing Grace

Outstanding Documentary (Television): Say Her Name: The Life and Death of Sandra Bland

Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series: The Daily Show with Trevor Noah

Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture (Television): J. David Shanks, Seven Seconds: Matters of Life and Death

Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture (Film): Ryan Coogler & Joe Robert Cole, Black Panther

Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series: Donald Glover, Atlanta (FUBU)

Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series: Deborah Ann Chow, Better Call Saul (Something Stupid)

Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture (Television): Tracy Heather Strain, Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes/Feeling Heart

– with files from WENN.com



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Bob Saget breaks silence on Lori Loughlin’s college scandal

Bob Saget has broken his silence over Lori Loughlin’s alleged involvement in the U.S. college admissions scandal.

Earlier this month, the Fuller House actress and her husband Mossimo Giannulli were among 50 people – including Hollywood star Felicity Huffman – arrested by federal authorities and charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud.

Talking to a TMZ reporter as he left a restaurant in Beverly Hills earlier this week, Saget was quizzed about Loughlin’s alleged involvement in the scheme, used to help the children of the rich and famous gain access to elite U.S. universities like Yale, University of Southern California (USC), and University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

“You love who you love in your life. I just love who I love. Candace (Cameron Bure) said it really good at the Kids Choice Awards,” the 62-year-old said. “You love who you love.”

“I’m on the team of people that I love,” he cryptically continued. “But life’s complicated. I don’t like talking about it.”

While accepting the award for Favourite Funny TV Show at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards on 23 March, Fuller House stars Bure, Andrea Barber, and Jodie Sweetin seemingly offered a message of support for Loughlin.

“Family sticks together no matter what. They stick together through the hard times. They support each other, they encourage one another, they pray for each other and they stand by their side no matter how tough it gets,” Bure said. “And where there’s a lot of heart, there’s a lot of love. And a loving family sticks together no matter what.”

Loughlin and her fashion designer husband allegedly paid $500,000 to make it appear that their daughters – Olivia Jade, 19, and Isabella Rose, 20 – were members of rowing teams.

Loughlin and Giannulli were released on bail and are set to appear in a Boston court on April 3.



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Eddie Alvarez suffers embarrassing upset in One Championship debut

TOKYO — Russian Timofey Nasyukhin upset American Eddie Alvarez with a first-round technical knockout in the mixed martial arts One Championship on Sunday at Ryogoku Kokugikan, Tokyo’s premier sumo venue.

Nasyukhin floored Alvarez with a right hand to the side of the head with 55 seconds left in the opening round of the lightweight bout, which was Alvarez’s debut with One Championship.

Nasyukhin kicked high early and put a two-punch combination together when Alvarez attempted to pressure him backward. He sent the former UFC 155-pound title holder down with a right hand two minutes in.

With a minute left, Nasyukhin again stunned Alvarez who went down on a knee and his opponent was relentless until the referee stepped in.

“This has been the case most of my career, people have underestimated me,” the 28-year-old Nasyukhin said. “I knew that he was a better opponent than me and he’s an MMA legend but I used that as motivation.”

The 35-year-old Alvarez, who hadn’t fought since July 2018, was unavailable for comment after the bout as he was taken to a nearby hospital.

American Demetrious Johnson, also making his One Championship debut, won his flyweight bout when he got Japan’s Yuya Wakamatsu in a choke hold at 2 minutes, 40-seconds of the second round.

“He’s good about crossing distance,” Johnson said after the win. “I had a hard time trying to cross distance carefully. I got caught, but sometimes you battle through adversity in the cage or in life, and you keep pushing through it.”

Johnson and Alvarez are two former UFC champions who moved to the Singapore-based One Championship this year.

One has staged shows across Asia from Myanmar to China over the past seven years, but waited to take its shot at the martial arts-loving fan base in Japan, where several major MMA organizations have risen and fallen over the years. One also plans to debut in Vietnam and South Korea later in 2019.

Also, Aung La N Sang retained his middleweight title with a second-round TKO of challenger Ken Hasegawa.

With 30 seconds left, La N Sang landed a massive right hand. Hasegawa immediately fell to the canvas and La N Sang moved in to get the finish.

Jing Nan Xiong defeated Angela Lee to keep her strawweight title.

Xiong survived a series of submission attempts in the fourth round then countered in the final frame with body kicks and got the TKO stoppage at the 1:37 mark of the fifth round.

Challenger Shinya Aoki gave the sellout crowd of 11,000 a thrill when he won his lightweight bout over Eduard Folayang with a choke hold in the first round.



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The 8 Most Expensive Luxury Cruises

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Mulroney memoirs tell different story about interference with AG on Milgaard case

OTTAWA — Jody Wilson-Raybould approvingly points to Brian Mulroney as a prime minister who knew better than to politically interfere with the judgment of his attorney general when it comes to criminal prosecutions.

But the former justice minister evidently didn’t read Mulroney’s memoirs, in which the former Conservative leader proudly recounts how he ordered his attorney general to refer a controversial murder case to the Supreme Court of Canada.

That attorney general was Kim Campbell who, according to Mulroney, did as she was told in the case of David Milgaard, who was wrongly imprisoned for 23 years for a murder he did not commit. She went on to become prime minister.

Mulroney’s memoirs flatly contradict the version of events cited by Campbell in her own memoirs and repeated by Wilson-Raybould in a written submission last week to the House of Commons justice committee. The submission was intended to bolster her contention that she faced inappropriate pressure last fall from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, his top aides and others to stop the criminal prosecution of Montreal engineering giant SNC-Lavalin.

As part of her submission, Wilson-Raybould included transcripts of text messages she exchanged with her chief of staff, Jessica Prince, following a Dec. 18 meeting with Trudeau’s chief of staff, Katie Telford, and principal secretary Gerald Butts.

Prince relates that the duo tried to persuade her that Wilson-Raybould should seek advice from a retired Supreme Court justice as to whether she could review a decision by the director of public prosecutions, who had refused to negotiate a remediation agreement with SNC-Lavalin rather than pursue prosecution on bribery charges related to contracts in Libya. Prince says she repeatedly told Telford and Butts that would amount to “interference.”

In the course of that discussion, Prince says Butts raised the Milgaard case.

“Gerry told some story about how Mulroney met with David Milgaard’s mom, walked into the cab(inet) room and told Kim Campbell she had to fix it. She gave him all these AG reasons why she couldn’t interfere but then she ultimately did what Mulroney wanted and was right,” Prince says.

After asking for more details about the reference to Milgaard, Wilson-Raybould then asks Prince to send her Campbell’s cell phone number, commenting “Good grief — this is absurd.”

Wilson-Raybould met with Campbell the following day at a Vancouver coffee shop.

“Needless to say, she categorically denied what Mr. Butts had said and was quite offended and outraged by the comments. She adamantly denied the characterization not only of her as the attorney general but of her former boss, Prime Minister Mulroney,” Wilson-Raybould wrote in her submission.

“She further reflected — as she did in her memoirs (1996) — that Brian Mulroney ‘was much too good a lawyer to intervene improperly in the matter. He never breathed a word about the Milgaard case to his AG, nor did anyone in his office ever attempt to influence her handling of the case.”‘

Wilson-Raybould did not mention that Campbell also wrote in her memoirs that Mulroney had “blindsided” her by meeting with Milgaard’s mother, Joyce, in 1991. She wrote that she was assured the two discussed only Milgaard’s living conditions in prison and not his application for a review of his conviction for the 1969 rape and murder of a Saskatoon nursing student, which Campbell had rejected.

David Milgaard with his mother Joyce at the 14th annual Gemini Awards in this file photo taken in November 1999. (Todd Gillis/Postmedia Network files)

Nevertheless, Campbell termed it an “inappropriate intervention” and suggested it was politically motivated. She wrote that Mulroney’s chief of staff, Hugh Segal, told the British Columbia Conservative caucus that the prime minister’s meeting with Joyce Milgaard was “brilliant” and the kind of thing he needed to do more to burnish his image in the run-up to the 1993 election.

Nor did Wilson-Raybould mention, or appear aware of the fact, that Mulroney completely contradicted Campbell’s version of events in his own memoirs, published in 2007.

He recounted how he was “disturbed” by the way in which Campbell had “brushed off” Joyce Milgaard, having told her during a public encounter: “Madam, if you wish to have your son’s case dealt with fairly, please do not approach me.” He was “privately furious with her” for rejecting Milgaard’s application for a review of his case.

Mulroney provided a condensed transcript of his meeting in Winnipeg with Joyce Milgaard, during which he said he was “extremely prudent” in his choice of words because he knew they were being recorded. At one point, he told her that Campbell is going to look at “new information that’s come in” and that he’s going to be talking to her when he gets back to Ottawa about her son’s case.

When he got back, Mulroney wrote, he had Campbell summoned to his parliamentary office where, “because of the sensitivity of the matter, I met with her alone.”

“‘The matter has been reviewed by the department and I have conveyed our decision,’ she told me.

“‘Kim,’ I answered, ‘that is not acceptable to me. The law provides for a reference to the Supreme Court and it is my intention to ensure that this case is in fact referred to the Supreme Court.’

“My tone was firm and my words unequivocal. She understood and changed her tack quickly.

“‘Prime Minister,’ she answered, ‘If this is the case, may I make the announcement myself?”‘

The top court ultimately recommended Milgaard’s conviction be set aside. Campbell ordered a new trial but the government of Saskatchewan refused to do so, issued a stay of proceedings and freed Milgaard in 1992. Five years later, DNA evidence from the victim’s clothes cleared Milgaard and led to the arrest and eventual conviction of serial rapist Larry Fisher.

Butts and the top public servant, Michael Wernick, have testified that no improper pressure was exerted on Wilson-Raybould over the SNC-Lavalin case. They have maintained they only wanted her to get a second opinion on the advisability of overriding the public prosecutor’s decision, as allowed by law.

Wilson-Raybould’s written submission, released Friday, supplements her nearly four hours of oral testimony last month. She believes she was moved out of her dual role as justice minister and attorney general to Veterans affairs in a mid-January cabinet shuffle as punishment for refusing to intervene in the SNC case. She resigned from cabinet a month later.



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Breakdancing Is Now One Step Closer To Becoming An Olympic Sport By 2024

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7 Paybacks of Hiring Catering Services for a Corporate Event

The world of corporations is filled with celebrations and gatherings. One day executives will be planning a retirement party and the other an annual board meeting. Each presents an opportunity for people to network and collaborate. Therefore, it stands to reasons, that these events must necessarily fulfil their potential. To do so, meticulous planning is needed. The accommodation should be apt, the conveyance for guests must be on time, and the food has to be par excellence.

While most people focus on the first two, the last is left standing on the side-lines which is a grave error. Food is the essential element that makes people comfortable, happy and more open to conversations. Today, we breeze through some of the advantages a manager, a top executive or business owner gets by hiring professional indoor or outdoor caterers for their event.

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Justin Gaethje KOs Edson Barboza in lightweight bout at UFC Philly

PHILADELPHIA — Justin Gaethje needed one brutal blow to show why he’s called “The Highlight” and stamp himself a championship contender.

Gaethje knocked out Edson Barboza in one of the more electric first-round finishes in recent UFC history to win a pivotal lightweight bout on Saturday night. Gaethje (20-2) was the crowd favourite and had 10,000 fans going wild from the moment he his entrance music hit the Wells Fargo Center. He turned into the biggest Broad Street Bully of the season and had the crowd chanting “Gaethje! Gaethje!” throughout the 155-pound main event bout.

Well, for as long as it lasted.

“You will regret not seeing me fight live,” Gaethje said. “I’m sorry it was so short .”

Gaethje and Barboza exchanged a flurry of blows that brought some life to a listless crowd and had them on their feet. Gaethje ended the brawl when he connected on a stiff right that floored Barboza and was worth the price of admission. Gaethje rushed Barboza but was quickly waved off by the referee and declared the winner. He performed a backflip off the top of the octagon and then draped himself in the American flag and sat on the top of the opposite side of the cage.

Barboza (20-7) pandered to the crowd by walking out to the Rocky theme “Gonna Fly Now” and still had them booing Philly sports’ unofficial anthem.

Gaethje won for the second straight time and said he was ready to fight lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

“I want to be the world champion,” he said. “I want to fight Khabib. I think I’m one of the biggest threats to his title.”

Gaethje added to his reputation as one of UFC’s most exciting fighters after making quick work of Barboza.

“That was well done all the way through. Congratulations Justin ,” former UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor tweeted.

This marked the third time UFC held an event in Philadelphia at the Wells Fargo Center. UFC ran most of its East Coast shows in New Jersey until an MMA ban was lifted in New York in 2016. The promotion now holds its biggest cards at Madison Square Garden or Barclays Center. Philadelphia hadn’t been the site of a card since UFC 133 in August 2011, and the promotion’s only other show was UFC 101 in August 2009 .

Michelle Waterson defeated Karolina Kowalkeiwicz by unanimous decision in a 115-pound fight on the ESPN card.

Waterson had the Philly crowd on her side from the moment she walked to the octagon and delivered a punishing performance in each round. She locked Kowalkeiwicz in an armbar toward the end of the second round that had the crowd going wild and frothing for a potential tapout. The 33-year-old Waterson scored another takedown in the third and connected on a stiff elbow to Kowalkeiwicz’s head with 45 seconds left to seal the decisive 30-27 victory.

“I was really looking to take her down, but she was a lot better than I anticipated,” Waterson said. “She’s ranked top-six in the world for a reason. As the fight went on, I think she was getting frustrated because every time she was coming in, I was catching her.”

Waterson’s young daughter climbed inside the cage to celebrate with mom and the crowd ate it up. Waterson calls herself “The Karate Hottie” and there’s no doubt she’s on fire right now. She reeled off her third straight win to put her back in the thick of the championship hunt.

Kowalkeiwicz had called Waterson her idol and knew she’d have to dig deep to bury her personal feelings to score the win of her career. But the upbeat Waterson, who is one of the more likable fighters in UFC, took another step toward becoming a mother and an MMA champ .

“I don’t know who I want next, but someone in the top five,” she said. “I want someone that’s going to get me closer to the gold.”

The card was loaded with fighters who all made the tourist stop at the Rocky Balboa statue at the base of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. They posted videos on social media of their arms raised in triumph like Rocky or running the steps like Philly’s favourite fictional fighter. A die-hard fan of the inspirational saga, Barboza was struck by emotion in his trip and texted photos to his father in Brazil.

Paul Craig, who defeated Kennedy Nzechukwu via third-round submission on the second fight of the main card, got some laughs when he did his best Rocky impression : “Yo, Adrian, we did it baby!”

UFC 101 in 2009 packed 17,500 fans into the arena for a $3.55 million gate, but interest and ticket sales lagged 10 years later in large part because of a lacklustre card. Philly fans about booed Josh Emmett and Michael Johnson out of the arena in a fight where action stalled until Emmett’s dramatic KO for the win and it was clear the hardest hit of the day in the sports complex came instead from Phillies slugger Bryce Harper’s 465-foot home run . UFC drew 11,123 fans for a $1.1 million gate on Saturday night.



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Mavericks forward Kristaps Porzingis accused of rape: Lawyer

NEW YORK — An attorney for Kristaps Porzingis acknowledged Saturday that a woman has accused the NBA star of rape, but says the Dallas Mavericks forward “unequivocally” denies the allegation.

Lawyer Roland Riopelle said the claim against the player was part of an extortion attempt that is being investigated by the FBI.

Citing unidentified law enforcement officials, the New York Post and other news organizations reported earlier that a woman went to police Thursday and said Porzingis raped her in his Manhattan apartment last year while he was playing for the Knicks.

NYPD officials declined to comment.

While playing for the Knicks last year, Porzingis suffered a major knee injury during a game at Madison Square Garden against the Milwaukee Bucks that the Knicks lost. He then went home and invited the woman to his luxury Manhattan apartment where she alleges she was sexually assaulted, the Post said the woman told police.

“We made a formal referral to federal law enforcement on December 20th, 2018, based on the accuser’s extortionate demands,” Riopelle said in a statement.

The attorney says the NBA was also notified.

Porzingis, a 23-year-old native of Latvia, was traded to the Mavericks in January. But he’s not expected to play with the team till next season while he recovers from the injury.



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NBA breaks 3-point record for seventh consecutive season

MIAMI — It’s official: In the NBA, this was the year of the 3-pointer.

Again.

The NBA has set a record for 3-pointers made for the seventh consecutive year, after the 25,808th of the season was made Saturday night. The league is on pace for about an 8 per cent rise in 3-pointers over last season — and 3s are getting made a staggering 57 per cent more often than what was the case just five years ago.

The league record for total 3-pointers attempted was broken earlier this month, with 72,354 getting hoisted entering Saturday.

The first season where the NBA combined to make 15,000 3-pointers was 2009-10. The 20,000 plateau was broken just three seasons ago, and this season’s total is on pace to end up just shy of 28,000.



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Virginia tops Purdue in OT to reach Final Four

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — From embarrassment to exhilaration. From early exit to regional champ. From bracket busters to net cutters.

Virginia, the first No. 1 seed to lose to a 16 seed a year ago, survived overtime and Carson Edwards’ staggering 3-point show Saturday night to make it to the Final Four for the first time since 1984.

The top-seeded Cavaliers needed a last-ditch buzzer-beater to send the game in overtime, and then finally contained Edwards in the extra period to hang on for an 80-75 victory over Purdue in the South Region final.

The Cavaliers (33-3) redeemed themselves from last year’s loss to UMBC by relying on veterans, sound defence, poise, controlling the ball and a failure to be rattled even when the Boilermakers had the chance to ice the game in regulation at the foul line.

Their balance and experience allowed them to overcome a brilliant performance by Edwards, whose 10 3-pointers were one shy of the NCAA Tournament record. Edwards finished with 42 points for third-seeded Purdue (26-10) and none of his teammates scored more than seven each.

Edwards was named the Most Outstanding Player of the South regional, becoming the first player to win the honour from a losing team since Stephen Curry in 2008. Fitting, too, since Edwards scored the most points (139) through four NCAA Tournament game since 2000; Curry had the previous most with 128 points for Davidson.

De’Andre Hunter scored four points in overtime, including the go-ahead layup with 29 seconds remaining, while Kyle Guy and Kihei Clark each added two free throws as Virginia finally shook loose from Purdue.

Virginia got a last-gasp jumper from Mamadi Diakite’s as time expired to force overtime and the Cavaliers got clutch baskets from Ty Jerome and Hunter, who also had two free throws, before Guy and Clark sealed the victory.

Guy injured his ankle in the first half and his return was uncertain. But he came out from the break and hit back-to-back 3s and finished with 25 points — 21 after halftime — and 10 rebounds. Jerome had 24, Diakite 14 and Hunter 10 as the Cavaliers outlasted the high-scoring Boilermakers.

Edwards had been unstoppable until overtime, and although he connected on a jumper, he missed a late 3 and committed a turnover that ultimately led to Clark’s game-sealing foul shots.

The win put coach Tony Bennett in the Final Four for the first time in a decade with the Cavaliers. His father, Dick Bennett, coached Wisconsin to the Final Four in 2000 — beating Purdue in the regional finals.

BIG PICTURE

Purdue: The Boilermakers looked like they would shoot Virginia out of the building and made clutch 3s. But they went cold for stretches and allowed the Cavaliers to get critical rebounds ending with an 18-10 advantage in second-chance points.

Virginia: The Cavaliers have finally shed the shadow of last year’s historic first-round exit and lived up to its No. 1 seeding. It wasn’t easy but they didn’t flinch as Edwards made 3s with regularity. Guy and Jerome took care of that with Guy making a gutsy recovery after going down in pain with the ankle injury late in the first half.

UP NEXT

Virginia faces the Midwest Region winner at the Final Four next weekend in Minneapolis.



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Trump seeks to cut foreign aid to El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras

PALM BEACH, Fla. — Taking drastic action over illegal immigration, U.S. President Donald Trump moved Saturday to cut direct aid to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, whose citizens are fleeing north and overwhelming U.S. resources at the southern border.

The State Department notified Congress that it would look to suspend 2017 and 2018 payments to the trio of nations, which have been home to some of the migrant caravans that have marched through Mexico to the U.S. border.

Amplified by conservative media, Trump has turned the caravans into the symbol of what he says are the dangers of illegal immigration — a central theme of his midterm campaigning last fall. With the special counsel’s Russia probe seemingly behind him, Trump has revived his warnings of the caravans’ presence.

Trump also has returned to a previous threat he never carried out — closing the border with Mexico. He brought up that possibility on Friday and revisited it in tweets Saturday, blaming Democrats and Mexico for problems at the border and beyond despite warnings that a closed border could create economic havoc on both sides.

“It would be so easy to fix our weak and very stupid Democrat inspired immigration laws,” Trump tweeted Saturday. “In less than one hour, and then a vote, the problem would be solved. But the Dems don’t care about the crime, they don’t want any victory for Trump and the Republicans, even if good for USA!’

As far as Mexico’s role, he tweeted: “Mexico must use its very strong immigration laws to stop the many thousands of people trying to get into the USA. Our detention areas are maxed out & we will take no more illegals. Next step is to close the Border! This will also help us with stopping the Drug flow from Mexico!”

When reporters asked Trump on Friday what closing the border could entail, he said “it could mean all trade” with Mexico and added, “We will close it for a long time.”

Trump has been promising for more than two years to build a long, impenetrable wall along the border to stop illegal immigration, though Congress has been reluctant to provide the money he needs. In the meantime, he has repeatedly threatened to close the border, but this time, with a new group of migrants heading north , he gave a definite timetable and suggested a visit to the border within the next two weeks.

A substantial closure could have an especially heavy impact on cross-border communities from San Diego to South Texas, as well as supermarkets that sell Mexican produce, factories that rely on imported parts, and other businesses across the U.S.

The U.S. and Mexico trade about US$1.7 billion in goods daily, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which said closing the border would be “an unmitigated economic debacle” that would threaten 5 million American jobs.

Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, spoke out Saturday against cutting off aid to Central America, declaring that “foreign assistance is not charity; it advances our strategic interests and funds initiatives that protect American citizens.”

And a group of House Democrats visiting El Salvador denounced the administration’s decision to cut aid to the region.

“As we visit El Salvador evaluating the importance of U.S. assistance to Central America to address the root causes of family and child migration, we are extremely disappointed to learn that President Trump intends to cut off aid to the region,” said the statement from five lawmakers, including Rep. Eliot L. Engel of New York, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “The President’s approach is entirely counterproductive.”

The Trump administration has threatened before to scale back or cut off U.S. assistance to Central America. Congress has not approved most of those proposed cuts, however, and a report this year by the Congressional Research Service said any change in that funding would depend on what Congress does.

Short of a widespread border shutdown, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said the U.S. might close designated ports of entry to re-deploy staff to help process parents and children. Ports of entry are official crossing points that are used by residents and commercial vehicles. Many people who cross the border illegally ultimately request asylum under U.S. law, which does not require asylum seekers to enter at an official crossing.

Border officials are also planning to more than quadruple the number of asylum seekers sent back over the border to wait out their immigration cases, said an administration official. The official said right now about 60 migrants per day are returned and officials are hoping to send as many as 300 per day. The official was not authorized to speak publicly about internal plans and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Friday his country was doing its part to fight migrant smuggling. Criminal networks charge thousands of dollars a person to move migrants through Mexico, increasingly in large groups toward remote sections of the border.

“We want to have a good relationship with the government of the United States,” Lopez Obrador said. He added: “We are going to continue helping so that the migratory flow, those who pass through our country, do so according to the law, in an orderly way.”

Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico’s foreign relations secretary, tweeted that his country “doesn’t act based on threats” and is “the best neighbour” the U.S. could have.

Alejandra Mier y Teran, executive director of the Otay Mesa Chamber of Commerce in San Diego, said the mere threat of border closures sends the wrong message to businesses in Mexico and may eventually scare companies into turning to Asia for their supply chains.

“I think the impact would be absolutely devastating on so many fronts,” said Mier y Teran, whose members rely on the Otay Mesa crossing to bring televisions, medical devices and a wide range of products to the U.S. “In terms of a long-term effect, it’s basically shooting yourself in your foot. It’s sending out a message to other countries that, ‘Don’t come because our borders may not work at any time.’ That is extremely scary and dangerous.”



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Missing Quebec woman Edith Blais kidnapped, taken to Mali: Human Rights Watch

A Canadian woman who’s been missing in West Africa for several months has reportedly been kidnapped and taken to Mali.

Edith Blais of Quebec and her travel companion, Luca Taccheto of Italy, went missing in December while travelling in Burkina Faso.

They were travelling by car in southwestern Burkina Faso en route to Togo, where they planned to do volunteer work with an aid group.

In a January statement, Burkina Faso’s government referred to the pair’s disappearance as a kidnapping.

The Canadian government did not confirm the information, but said it was not ruling out any possibilities.

However, a recent report by Human Rights Watch indicates that they were indeed abducted.

“While no armed Islamist group has taken responsibility for their abduction, they are believed to have been kidnapped and later taken to Mali,” the reported, titled “Abuses by Armed Islamist Groups in Burkina Faso’s Sahel Region,” states. It cites an interview with Malian security sources on Jan. 13.

The report, published March 22 on the organization’s website, does not mention the fate of the two travellers.

In January, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he believed Edith Blais was still alive.

“As far as we know, she is,” Trudeau said when asked by a reporter whether Blais was still alive. He said Blais’ story has people across the country preoccupied.

“Our hearts go out to the family of Edith Blais and the entire community,” he said at the time.

His statement came the day after another Canadian, Kirk Woodman, was found dead in northern Burkina Faso, close to the border with Mali and Niger. An executive with a Vancouver-based mining company, Woodman had been kidnapped a day earlier by gunmen as he worked on a gold mining project.



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Texas Tech earns first Final Four trip with win over top-seeded Gonzaga

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Texas Tech is heading to its first Final Four thanks to a kid from Italy who made the big shots and a defence that refuses to rest.

Davide Moretti opened up a late lead with the two most important 3-pointers of his life, Tariq Owens came up with a big rejection and the Red Raiders caught a ride straight to Minneapolis with a 75-69 victory over top-seeded Gonzaga on Saturday.

Moretti also made all four of his free throws down the stretch to wind up with 10 of his 12 points over the final 4 minutes.

The first of them –a spot-up 3-pointer from the side of the arc– gave third-seeded Texas Tech (30-6) a five-point lead, its largest to that point, with 3:49 remaining. The second came with 1:50 left and pushed the advantage to six.

Six might not seem like much. But then again, not every defence is like the one coach Chris Beard draws up, and demands, out of the transfers and second-choice players he started bringing to Lubbock when he arrived three seasons ago.

Nobody’s overlooking them now.

“It’s real. That defence is real,” Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. “It impacted us tonight. They took a lot of balls tonight.”

Texas Tech had nine steals among 16 turnovers by Gonzaga.

With Texas Tech leading 68-62 and less than a minute remaining, Owens swooped over to the sideline to reject Gonzaga’s NBA-bound star, Rui Hachimura, and put an exclamation point of sorts on a celebration that was just getting warmed up.

Gonzaga (33-4), which spent a good chunk of the season atop the AP Top 25, pulled within 71-69 on Zach Norvell Jr.’s putback with 11 seconds left. But Josh Perkins reached over the end line and tipped the ball out of Matt Mooney’s hand as he was inbounding for a technical.

Moretti did the honours –sinking the technical free throws– and then made two more after Gonzaga fouled in desperation.

Jarrett Culver, an NBA prospect who chose his hometown college over several other suitors, led the Red Raiders with 19 points. Mooney, a transfer from South Dakota State, had 17.

But, as usual, the biggest stats came on defence. Texas Tech held the Bulldogs’ nation-leading offence to 42 per cent shooting and nearly six more turnovers than their season average. This was only the fourth time Gonzaga was held under 70 this season.

“I think I turned the ball over five times in the first half,” Gonzaga forward Brandon Clarke said. “It’s something I’ve never done.”

Bottom line, Texas Tech gives teams very little room to breathe.

And though Gonzaga was the only team to beat Duke and Zion Williamson at full strength this season, there will be no rematch.

This was a tight, back-and-forth game. Neither team led by more than five for the first 38:10, until Moretti spotted up for one of the most open looks of the game for either team.

 



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Tiger Woods meets his match in Lucas Bjerregaard at Match Play

AUSTIN, Texas — The conditions were severe. The high stakes put a premium on every shot down the stretch. Tiger Woods was in his element.

Only this time, he was a spectator.

Woods finally met his match Saturday in the Dell Technologies Match Play, and it wasn’t Rory McIlroy.

Lucas Bjerregaard delivered the clutch shots so often seen from Woods in their quarterfinal match. He holed a 30-foot eagle putt to tie the match on the par-5 16th. He holed a 12-foot birdie putt that snapped hard to the right at the end on No. 17, knowing Woods was in tight for a certain birdie.

And on the final hole, Woods blinked first.

His lob wedge from a fluffy lie in the rough came out soft, short and in a bunker. Given a chance to send the match to overtime, Woods missed a 4-foot putt.

“It’s a shame it had to end the way it did,” Bjerregaard said. “Our match didn’t deserve that. But I’m happy to be on the winning side.”

Bjerregaard considers Woods his golfing hero, and he used to take his book to the range in Denmark with hopes of copying his swing. He never could get it just right, though the 27-year-old Dane showed plenty of Woods’ mettle.

Equally surprising was how Woods won earlier Saturday against McIlroy, a big match between the two biggest stars left at Austin Country Club. McIlroy was on the verge of squaring the match on the 16th hole when he had a short iron for his second shot into the par-5 16th. He made 7 and Woods closed him out on the next hole.

McIlroy was so angry he walked briskly away into a cart, and wouldn’t make eye contact on his way to the car.

Woods knows the feeling.

“This is going to sting for a few days,” Woods said in his last event before the Masters.

Bjerregaard, who won his first European Tour title last fall at St. Andrews in the Dunhill Links, next faces Matt Kuchar on Sunday morning in the semifinals.

Kuchar had to cope with a contentious moment in his 2-up victory over Sergio Garcia, two players in the news this year for all the wrong reasons.

Garcia had an 8-foot par putt on No. 7 to win the hole to square the match. He left it just short, and then casually stabbed at it from the other side as it rimmed around the cup. Such putts typically are conceded. Kuchar said that was his intention. But under the rules, a putt can’t be conceded after a player hits it.

Kuchar says he didn’t want to win the hole that way. That’s when Garcia suggested if he felt that way, he could concede the next hole.

“I thought about it and said, ‘I don’t like that idea, either,”‘ he said.

Garcia needed to birdie the 18th hole to send the match into extra holes, missed the green and wound up conceding.

“At the end of the day, I’m the one that made the mistake,” Garcia said.

Overlooked it all this drama was British Open champion Francesco Molinari, who has steamrolled his way into the semifinals. Molinari, at No. 7 the only player from the top 20 remaining, has played only 73 holes in five matches. He is the only player to have not lost a match, and the only one left who has not played the 18th hole.

“I can play 27 holes per match, that’s not really the point,” Molinari said after his 6-and-5 victory over Kevin Na. “It’s nice obviously to close it out early, but I’m ready to go as long as it takes.”

Kevin Kisner became only the third player to lose a match in group play and advance to the semifinals. He lost to Ian Poulter on Wednesday and has been rock-solid ever since, winning three straight holes late to flip his match in a 2-and-1 victory over Louis Oosthuizen.

This is the second straight year Kisner has reached the semifinals. He lost in the championship match last year to Bubba Watson.

Woods, who had not been at Match Play since 2013, advanced to the weekend for the first time since 2008, his third title in this World Golf Championship. All the attention was on his match against McIlroy, and Woods had a 1-up lead when one bad shot changed everything.

McIlroy pounded a 395-yard drive with the wind at his back. Woods drove into a half-buried lie in the bunker, could only advance it 60 yards and had 204 yards for his third shot before McIlroy hit a short iron for his second.

Woods never had to putt.

McIlroy hit a shot so bad that it was short and right. Worse yet, it hopped out of its pitch mark on the edge of a bunker, but not back enough to fall into the sand. Facing a difficult shot to the pin over another bunker, he went long and the ball rolled through the gallery against wooden posts. His only option was to go back to the original spot and play his fifth shot.

Woods, who looked certain to lose the hole and go all square, suddenly was 2 up with two to play. He closed out McIlroy with a 12-foot par putt.

“It was a difficult day for both of us,” Woods said.

Bjerregaard looked at the bracket the night before and knew there was a chance he would get Woods. First, he had to beat Henrik Stenson, and the Dane took care of Scandinavia’s best player in 16 holes.

He said he often dreamed about a chance to play Woods in a match when he was growing up in Demark.

“I didn’t think it was ever going to come true,” he said.

Playing him or beating him?

“Both,” he said with a smile. “And definitely the latter.”



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USC student allegedly murdered by man she thought was her Uber driver

Police said they have charged a man in the murder and kidnapping of a University of South Carolina student Samantha Josephson who went missing early Friday after mistakenly getting into a car she thought was her Uber ride.

The young woman’s devastated father, Seymour Josephson wrote in a message on Facebook: “I will miss and love my baby girl for the rest of life. Samantha is no longer with us but she will not be forgotten.”

“It is extremely hard to write this and post it but I love her with all my heart. I could continue to write about her but it kills me. I sit here and cry while looking at the picture and write this,” her father continued.

The 21-year-old went missing in Columbia, S.C., early on Friday, and on Saturday morning USC’s president confirmed that the senior political science major is dead.

“It is with the heaviest of hearts that I write these words this morning. Our prayers are with the family and friends of Samantha Josephson following the devastating news of her death,” wrote USC president Harris Pastides in a statement.

Samantha, originally from, Robinsville, N.J., had been out with friends.

And they saw her get into a black Chevy Impala she believed was her Uber. However, it wasn’t and her actual driver cancelled when she missed her pickup.

Samantha was last seen at around 2 a.m. on Friday, when she was leaving after a night out with a group of friends in the Five Points area.

Throughout Friday, Samantha’s friends and family were unable to get in touch with her and an urgent search was launched.

Surveillance images released by the Columbia Police Department show the student before she disappeared.

She is seen wearing an orange shirt and black pants, and talking on the phone.

Surveillance cameras also captured images of the car she got into by mistake, a black Chevy Impala.

Police said Saturday, Samantha’s body was found by hunters in a rural Clarendon County, S.C., Friday afternoon.

Around 3 a.m. Saturday, police said, an officer pulled over a black, Chevy Impala. The suspect tried to  tried to make a break for it on foot but was caught. The cop also found what appeared to be blood in the car.

Nathaniel Rowland, 24, has been charged with murder and kidnapping.

— With files from Postmedia



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LeBron James to sit out last 6 games of Lakers’ season

LOS ANGELES — LeBron James’ first season with the Los Angeles Lakers is over.

James will sit out the final six games of the Lakers’ sixth consecutive losing season, the team announced Saturday. In a statement, President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson and General Manager Rob Pelinka claimed the decision will provide James with a head start on off-season healing for a three-month-old groin strain, the first significant injury of his career.

“After consulting with our team doctors and medical staff, we have decided to hold LeBron out of games for the remainder of the season,” the statement said. “This decision will allow his groin to fully heal, and is best for the future success of both LeBron and the Lakers.”

James is the NBA’s fifth-leading scorer at 27.4 points per game, and he averaged 8.5 rebounds and 8.3 assists in his first season on the West Coast. He will accompany the Lakers on their upcoming trip to New Orleans and Oklahoma City, but the 16-year NBA veteran won’t play again in his first non-playoff season since 2005, his second year in the league.

James appeared in the past eight NBA Finals with Miami and Cleveland, but he will finish this year playing in a career-low 55 games and a career-low 35.2 minutes per game for the Lakers. Despite James’ ballyhooed arrival along with Rajon Rondo and JaVale McGee to lead the Lakers’ talented young core, Los Angeles failed to overcome several major injuries and a midseason crisis of team confidence when the Lakers attempted to land superstar Anthony Davis in a multi-player trade.

“It’s challenging, but I kind of knew what I was getting myself into,” James said earlier this month.

Los Angeles is 34-42 after beating Charlotte 129-115 on Friday night, with James scoring 27 points in what turned out to be his final appearance.

The Lakers have won three of four since being eliminated from playoff contention last week with a loss to Brooklyn, their 10th in 11 games and their 28th in 42 games since Christmas.

Los Angeles entered Saturday’s games with the NBA’s 10th-worst record. While a strong finish to the season could be a boost for the future, it could also damage the Lakers’ hopes of landing an elite talent in the draft.

“We picked a hell of a time to have a great rhythm,” James said after the Lakers beat the Hornets. “We’re having fun. We’re playing the way we wanted to play all year, but obviously because of injuries, multiple lineup changes and things of that nature, that would affect it. But we’ve kind of known who’s going to be in the lineup over these last few games, and it’s allowed us to have our rotations down, and guys have been playing well.”

Although James’ first season with Los Angeles was a failure, it showed promise before injuries changed everything.

The Lakers were 20-14 and in fourth place in the Western Conference when James strained his groin during a stunning 26-point road victory over Golden State on Christmas. He sat out their next 17 games in the longest injury absence of his career.

James returned to the lineup for good in early February, but the injury-plagued Lakers were unable to recover and make the playoffs.

Along with James, the Lakers are finishing the season without three key players in their young core. Brandon Ingram has been out since March 2 due to a blood clotting issue, while Lonzo Ball hasn’t played since Jan. 19 because of an ankle injury, and Josh Hart was ruled out for the season this week with a knee injury.

“I haven’t been a part of a season with this ton of injuries to all our key guys, to big, big key guys,” James said earlier this month. “It’s just the way the season has been. We’ve had guys step up … but for us, we prided ourselves on our depth to start the season, and obviously our depth has dwindled.”

Earlier this season, the 34-year-old James expressed ambivalence about the possibility of shutting himself down early, saying such a decision would clash with his natural competitiveness. He also said he felt fresh after the least-busy season of his adult life.

But Johnson and Pelinka apparently persuaded James of the wisdom of an early wrap to a lost year, followed by a fresh start in the fall.

Overall, the Lakers went 28-27 with James in their lineup.

 



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