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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada has “no intention” of pursuing a free trade deal with China.”We have no intention of doing that with China or any other non-market economy,” he told reporters on Sunday in Ottawa. “What we’ve done with China is to rectify some issues that have developed in the last couple of years.” Carney said that under the continental trade pact, known as CUSMA, Canada cannot pursue free trade agreements with non-market economies – ones driven more by government than market forces without prior notification. Carney’s remarks come one day after US President Donald Trumpآ threatened to impose 100 per cent tariffsآ on Canada if it goes through with a trade deal with China. ( Source link
Al Waab and Muaither booked their places in the quarter-finals of the QSL Cup following dramatic and decisive Play-Off victories. At the Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Stadium in Al Wakrah, Al Arabi edged Qatar SC 12-11 on penalties after a thrilling 2-2 draw in regulation time. Qatar SC were moments away from victory, leading 2-1 deep into added time, before Al Arabi produced a sensational equaliser to force the shootout. Yan Matheus (14th minute) and Joao Pedro (58th minute) had put Qatar SC ahead, while Al Arabi responded through Karl Toko Ekambi from the penalty spot in the 57th minute and Joao Pedro Darros in the second minute of stoppage time. Ibrahim Abdelhalim Masoud’s missed kick proved decisive as Al Arabi advanced. The winners had finished fourth in the league with 19 points, while Qatar SC placed 13th with 13 points. At Al Shamal Stadium, Al Waab claimed a convincing 3-1 victory over Mesaimeer to secure their quarter-final berth. Al Waab struck early to establish a 2-0 lead by half-time, with Mekki Mohsen scoring in the third minute and Ameer Fowadah adding the second in the 32nd. Baha Faisal sealed the win in the 69th minute, while Mohammed Djenidi netted a late consolation for Mesaimeer in the 74th. Al Waab had finished fifth in the league standings with 18 points, while Mesaimeer were 11th on 13 points. Meanwhile, Muaither registered a comfortable 2-0 win over Al Kharaitiyat at Al Khor Stadium. Both goals came after the break, with Siriky Diabate opening the scoring in the 56th minute before Etyan Morales doubled the advantage in the 76th. Muaither, who finished third in the league phase with 20 points, moved confidently into the last eight, while Al Kharaitiyat had scraped into the Play-Offs in 14th place, the final qualifying position, with 13 points. Related Story Source link
António Guterres was addressing a high-level open debate of the UN Security Council convened by Somalia, which holds the Council presidency for January.The discussion comes as…
From morning until noon, captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mushfiqur Rahim, and their teammates toured the city aboard the bus, drawing massive crowds of jubilant cricket fans…
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that a private plane carrying eight people crashed shortly after takeoff from Bangor International Airport in Maine.The fate of the eight people on board was not immediately known, and no official details were available. A government official stated that a large fire broke out after the crash, noting that the plane had arrived in Maine after a flight from Texas. The FAA said that the twin-engine Bombardier Challenger 600 jet crashed during takeoff from Bangor Airport, adding that it would investigate the incident in cooperation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). This incident comes amid a severe snowstorm sweeping across the northeastern United States. Temperatures in Maine have dropped well below zero, with light snowfall causing a significant decrease in visibility. Source link
Israeli fire killed three Palestinians in two separate incidents in the Gaza Strip yesterday, while an Israeli drone wounded four others in Gaza City, local health authorities said yesterday. Medics said Israeli fire killed at least two people east of Tuffah neighbourhood in the northern Gaza Strip, while a 41-year-old man was killed by Israeli forces in Khan Younis, in the south of the enclave. Earlier medical workers said an Israeli drone exploded on the rooftop of a multi-floor building in Gaza City, wounding four civilians in the street nearby.There was no comment by the Israeli military on any of the incidents. US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met in Israel on Saturday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, mainly to discuss Gaza, Witkoff said yesterday.“The discussion was constructive and positive, with both sides aligned on next steps and the importance of continued co-operation on all matters critical to the region,” Witkoff said in a post on X. Gaza has been reduced to rubble in the war that began in October 2023 in which 1,200 people were killed, according to Israeli tallies. The Gaza health ministry says more than 71,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed by Israeli fire since then. It added at least 480 people have been killed by Israeli fire since a ceasefire agreement came into effect last October. Earlier this month, Washington said the plan had moved into a second phase, in which Israel is expected to withdraw troops further from Gaza, and Hamas is due to yield control of the territory’s administration. Meanwhile, in Khan Younis, more than 100 people attended the funeral of a person killed by Israeli drone fire on Saturday, after holding special prayers in front of his white-shrouded body at the morgue in Nasser Hospital. “They are liars, there is no ceasefire,” said Fares Erheimat, a relative of the dead man, during the funeral. Meanwhile, Israeli strikes on south Lebanon killed two people yesterday, the health ministry reported. Israel has kept up regular strikes in Lebanon despite a November 2024 truce that sought to end more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah. In a statement, Lebanon’s health ministry said “an Israeli enemy raid” near the town of Khirbet Selm killed one person and wounded another five. It said a separate strike in the village of Derdghaya killed one more person. Source link
Aryna Sabalenka extended her reign as tiebreak queen to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals for a fourth successive year and Carlos Alcaraz joined her as Daniil Medvedev’s campaign ended Sunday.Third seed Coco Gauff advanced to her third quarter-finals in a row with a pulsating 6-1 3-6 6-3 victory over crafty Czech Karolina Muchova in a late-afternoon contest at Margaret Court Arena, while Alexander Zverev and Alex de Minaur eased through. Belarus’ Aryna Sabalenka reacts after a point against Canada’s Victoria Mboko in Melbourne Sunday. (AFP) But three-times finalist Medvedev was handed another harsh lesson by his new nemesis Learner Tien, the Russian going down 6-4 6-0 6-3 to the American again at Melbourne Park.”He played great, super-aggressive. Even when I was making good shots, he was making a better shot back,” Medvedev said.”I didn’t find many solutions today on the court, which is rare, and I didn’t feel that many times in my life like this.”A day after blistering heat caused mayhem at Melbourne Park, normal service resumed as a cool change brought relief for players, fans and tournament schedulers.Twice champion and favourite Sabalenka was first out on a glorious morning, seeing off Canadian 19-year-old Victoria Mboko 6-1 7-6(1) in a match of two halves.The Belarusian was at her irrepressible best as she crushed the teen in a 31-minute opening set and raced to a 4-1 lead in the second before Mboko produced a thrilling fightback.Breaking Sabalenka twice on the way to a 6-5 lead, Mboko then hit a brick wall as the Belarusian raised her game to notch a 20th successive tiebreak win at Grand Slams, eclipsing Novak Djokovic’s record of 19 between Wimbledon 2005 and 2007.”I’m upset right now,” Djokovic joked in response to a post on X highlighting Sabalenka’s feat. PUSHED HARDBelarusian Sabalenka heaped praise on her young opponent.”It’s incredible to see these kids coming up on the tour,” said the world number one, who has reached 13 successive Grand Slam quarter-finals.”Having taken down one young gun, Sabalenka gets a shot at another in the quarter-finals against 18-year-old American Iva Jovic, who thrashed Kazakh veteran Yulia Putintseva 6-0 6-1 at John Cain Arena, two days after dumping out Jasmine Paolini.The men’s tournament has seen few surprises of the magnitude of Mboko and Jovic, with the final 16 shut out by seeded players for the first time at any Grand Slam in the professional era.Top seed Alcaraz did his bit in preserving the status quo despite facing arguably his toughest test during this tournament against 19th seed Tommy Paul, a semi-finalist in 2023.Alcaraz appeared in cruise control in a 7-6(6) 6-4 7-5 win under the afternoon sun at Rod Laver Arena.Once a stubborn matchup for Alcaraz, Paul has now lost on three Grand Slam surfaces to the Spaniard following last year’s quarter-final thrashing at the French Open and his 2024 defeat at Wimbledon.”I guess the way that I would describe it is, he suffocates you in a way,” Paul said of Alcaraz.”He makes you feel like you have no time.” LOCAL HEROAlcaraz next takes on Australian Alex de Minaur, who brushed aside 10th-seeded Kazakh Alexander Bublik 6-4 6-1 6-1 to make his second successive quarter-final at Melbourne Park.”I’m super pleased with my level, I’m excited for the next one,” said De Minaur, who is looking to be the first Australian to win the tournament since compatriot Mark Edmondson’s triumph five decades ago.”I’m going to have to come out all guns blazing and I’m excited for a battle against Carlitos.”Last year’s runner-up Alexander Zverev stayedon trackin his bid for an elusive maiden Grand Slam title, beating Francisco Cerundolo 6-2 6-4 6-4.Even as the fourth-round action unfolded on court, Djokovic was given the news he had reached the quarter-finals as fourth-round opponent Jakub Mensik withdrew due to an abdominal injury a day before they were scheduled to meet.While the leading men eased through, two-times Grand Slam champion Gauff saw three match points slip through her fingers before she prevailed in a proper scrap against 19th seed Muchova, a former semi-finalist.”She definitely elevated her game and I thought I was sometimes a bit passive,” said Gauff, who next faces Elina Svitolina after the Ukrainian beat Mirra Andreeva 6-2 6-4.”I think today I didn’t panic… I knew I had to capitalise on those chances in the third set and I did that.” Related Story Source link
At least 11 people were killed and 12 others injured in an armed attack at a football field in the Mexican city of Salamanca, local authorities said. Mayor Cesar Prieto said in a post on Facebook that a woman and a child were among those injured in what he described as a “regrettable and cowardly” attack. The incident took place in the Loma de Flores area during a social gathering. Prieto described the attack as a a sign of a severe social breakdown, adding that it was part of a broader wave of violence that state has been experiencing. Source link
The UN Commission on Human Rights (OHCHR) in South Sudan expressed grave alarm over the deteriorating situation in Jonglei State, South Sudan.The UN warned that such developments significantly heighten the risk of mass violence against civilians and further erode the peace agreement.The OHCHR, established by the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) said that public statements by commanders and others exercising effective command and control, when combined with active troop mobilization, represent a dangerous escalation at a moment when the political foundations of the peace process are already severely weakened. The Commission held criminally responsible those who fail to prevent or punish crimes they knew about, or should have known were being committed. The Commission stressed that the current escalation is not an isolated incident, but part of a wider political breakdown driven by sustained violations of the peace agreement, and the erosion of command discipline in an already volatile and ethnically fractured environment. The Commission called on all parties to immediately cease inflammatory rhetoric and troop mobilizations in order to de-escalate tensions, demanding regional and international partners to urgently re-engage to preserve the peace agreement and press South Sudanâ€s leaders to return to the political path they committed to. Source link
Al Sadd players celebrate with the trophy after winning the Qatar-UAE Super Shield at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium yesterday. Roberto Firmino’s dramatic stoppage-time strike secured a 3-2 victory for Al Sadd over Shabab Al Ahli in the Qatar-UAE Super Shield at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium yesterday. The Qatar Stars League champions overturned a 1-0 halftime deficit to claim the trophy in a thrilling second half that produced four more goals. Firmino opened his account in the 55th minute before adding a decisive finish in the 90+6th minute, while Al Sadd playmaker Akram Afif, at the forefront of the hosts’ attacking play, scored in the 75th minute. Shabab Al Ahli’s goals came from Yuri Cesar in the 31st minute and Mohammad Juma in the 79th. The UAE side initially took the lead through Cesar, who fired a powerful strike after a precise setup from Federico Nicolas Cartabia just outside the penalty area. Al Sadd nearly responded at the hour mark when Afif’s attempt from inside the box was expertly blocked by Bogdan Planic. Al Sadd drew level shortly after the break when they were awarded a penalty following a mistimed tackle by Mateus Henrique Silva on Afif inside the box. Firmino converted with composure to make it 1-1. The hosts then surged ahead in the 75th minute as Afif latched onto a long floater from Pedro Miguel, intercepting before calmly finishing from close range. Roberto Firmino is overjoyed as he…