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poker games online Dylan Hernández: MLS deal with Apple TV could be hurting league's efforts to grow its fan baseSouth Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's brief imposition of martial law marks a new warning for the worldwide fragility of democracy, even in a country hailed as a model of political transformation. Yoon's overnight attempt to shut down political activity, censor media and lock out opposition lawmakers stunned South Korea's longtime ally, the United States, which said it had no advance warning and issued a statement of concern. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.Bryce Thompson scored 17 points and achieved a milestone as Oklahoma State defeated Miami 80-74 on Friday afternoon in a Charleston Classic consolation game in Charleston, S.C. Thompson made 6-of-14 shots from the floor, surpassing 1,000 points for his career at Oklahoma State (4-1), which also got 15 points from Marchelus Avery. The Cowboys won in large part thanks to their impressive 3-point shooting (10-for-22, 45.5 percent). Oklahoma State backup guard Arturo Dean, a Miami native, posted eight points and one steal. He led the nation in steals last season while playing for Florida International. Miami (3-2) has lost two straight games in Charleston, failing to take a lead at any point. They will play on Sunday against either Nevada or VCU. The Hurricanes on Friday were led by Nijel Pack, who had a game-high 20 points. Brandon Johnson had a double-double for Miami with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Matthew Cleveland scored 11 points and Lynn Kidd and Paul Djobet added 10 points apiece for Miami. Miami, which fell behind 7-0 in Thursday's loss to Drake, got behind 9-0 on Friday as Abou Ousmane scored six of his eight points. Oklahoma State stretched its lead to 18 before settling for a 43-27 advantage at the break. Pack led all first-half scorers with 10 points, but Miami shot just 29.6 percent from the floor, including 3-of-13 on 3-pointers (23.1). Oklahoma State shot 48.4 percent, including 8-for-15 on 3-pointers (53.3 percent) before intermission. The Cowboys also had a 14-8 edge in paint points. In the second half, Miami closed its 20-point deficit to 55-42 with 12:12 left. Miami got a bit closer as two straight short jumpers by Kidd, trimming the deficit to 73-62 with 3:25 to play. The Hurricanes cut it to 77-70 on Pack's 3-pointer with 34 seconds remaining, but the Cowboys hit their free throws to close out the win. --Field Level Media

S.Korea political upheaval shows global democracy's fragility - and resilienceTariffs, sanctions or bans? What will Trump really achieve when the US says ‘no’

Vancouver-based bookkeeping service Bench Accounting has announced its sudden closure, putting hundreds of staff out of work and forcing clients to seek alternatives just days from the end of the year. The company that has described itself as North America’s largest bookkeeping service for small businesses posted a “notice of service closure” on its website. It said that as of Friday the platform was “no longer accessible.” “We know this news is abrupt and may cause disruption, so we’re committed to helping Bench customers navigate through the transition,” it said. Bench has previously said it had more than 600 employees, more than 12,000 U.S.-based customers and had received investor funding of US$113 million. It said it moved to Vancouver and changed its name to Bench in 2013, having started out in 2012 as 10sheet Inc in the U.S. Calls to Bench’s Vancouver office went to voice mail and did not immediately receive a response. B.C.‘s Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation Diana Gibson said in a statement Friday that “our thoughts go out to the people who have lost their jobs, especially during the holidays.” “It’s disappointing any time we hear of a business closing ... as this is a private business, I don’t have any information about why it’s closing,” she said. She added that B.C. had a “strong financial tech sector,” and the government would continue to support those businesses. Bench’s website said customers would be told how to access their data by Dec. 30, and that the material would be available for download until March 7. ”(You’ll) be able to enter your Bench login credentials to download your current and prior year-end financials, as well as any documents you’ve uploaded such as receipts and bank statements,” it said. It said customers should file for a tax extension to get extra time to find a new bookkeeper to file their taxes. The company’s former CEO and co-founder Ian Crosby released a statement on social media on Friday, saying he was “very sad” about the closure. But Crosby, who said he was ousted by the company’s board about three years ago, said there was a lesson in the fate of the company. “I hope the story of Bench goes on to become a warning for VCs (venture capitalists) that think they can ‘upgrade’ a company by replacing the founder. It never works,” he said. The University of British Columbia Sauder Business School alumnus said he had been avoiding speaking publicly about Bench since his exit, but wanted to make a statement in light of the company’s demise. He said that in 2021 he had been battling with some board members over their strategy for a “new direction” that he thought was a “very bad idea.” “Rather than continuing to fight with me, they opted to just replace me, thinking that they could run the company better themselves,” he said. “I was totally convinced that their approach would destroy the company. I opted to resign rather than fight.” Kaz Nejatian, COO of Bench investor Shopify, agreed with Crosby. “Bad investors destroyed a great Canadian company by replacing the founder with so-called professionals,” Nejatian said on social media platform X. Other bookkeeping companies were quick to reach out to Bench’s former clients, with rivals such as Acuity and Better Bookkeeping making reference to Bench’s closure in social media pitches. Rival companies also commented on complaints by Bench clients, offering their services. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 27, 2024.South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's brief imposition of martial law marks a new warning for the worldwide fragility of democracy, even in a country hailed as a model of political transformation. Yoon's overnight attempt to shut down political activity, censor media and lock out opposition lawmakers stunned South Korea's longtime ally, the United States, which said it had no advance warning and issued a statement of concern. South Korea's transition to elected rule since a mass uprising in 1987 had been seen as so thorough that the United States increasingly spoke of its ally as a global partner. Meanwhile, Seoul billed itself as a new, ideal hub for international media as China clamped down on Hong Kong. President Joe Biden had even chosen Yoon as the host in March of his final Summit for Democracy -- a signature initiative of the outgoing US leader, who sought to champion liberal values globally, in an unstated repudiation of Donald Trump, who returns to the White House next month. But observers, while stunned by Yoon, said there were warning signs. Danny Russel, a top US diplomat for Asia under former president Barack Obama and who earlier served in South Korea, pointed to the deadlock in parliament where the opposition repeatedly sought impeachments against Yoon's administration. Yoon's move "was a complete surprise to me (but) yes, there were very obvious structural forces at work," he said. "There is a radically polarized political scene in Korea. The opposition has been pursuing scorched-earth political obstruction tactics," he said. But he pointed to the quick, large-scale protests that erupted after Yoon's declaration as a sign of a vibrant civil society ready to defend democracy. "One certainly would hope that this would serve as a wake-up call to both the ruling conservative party and the progressive opposition that both sides have gone too far and that there needs to be some process of reconciliation, of dealing with legitimate differences and grievances." Yoon himself had earlier shown signs of authoritarianism. In a national address last year, Yoon raged against supposed communists who have "disguised themselves as democracy activists, human rights advocates or progressive activists." A prosecutor, Yoon narrowly won the 2022 election on a platform of economic reform and advocated close ties with the United States as well as historic rival Japan. But his popularity swiftly slid and the opposition won the National Assembly. Celeste Arrington, a Korea expert at George Washington University, noted that Yoon had never held elected office before and had become increasingly frustrated. "This is really an extreme move that may signal, I think, the president's lack of political experience," she said. She said that martial law showed "some cracks in democracy" but that the quick reversal "gives me hope in the health and strength and vibrancy of democracy in South Korea." Bruce Klingner, a senior research fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation, expected Yoon's career to be over after attempting martial law, which constitutionally can only be imposed for wars or other emergencies. "Yoon's action is a damning reversal to decades of South Korean efforts to put its authoritarian past behind it," he said. The number of democracies worldwide soared starting in the late 1980s as the Soviet Union collapsed and student-led uprisings brought reforms elsewhere. But globally, democracy has been in retreat for the last 18 straight years, according to the Washington-based group Freedom House, which promotes political liberty. Democratically elected leaders have taken increasingly authoritarian steps in countries as diverse as India, Turkey and Hungary. V-Dem, another closely watched democracy index, had most recently ranked South Korea third in Asia after Taiwan and Japan. In the United States, Trump has rejected long-held norms, refusing to accept he lost to Biden four years ago -- culminating in his supporters violently rampaging through the US Capitol. Trump's rejection of democracy ultimately worked out for him: campaigning on the rage of 2020, he won last month's election. But experts said Yoon's power play -- and its reversal -- could in fact show a victory for democratic values. "Yoon is a deeply unpopular and ineffectual leader, but there was nothing I saw of people being dissatisfied with the way government runs," Alan Yu, a senior vice president at the left-leaning Center for American Progress, said after a recent trip to Seoul. Darcie Draudt-Vejares of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said that with the swift response to Yoon, "this crisis may ultimately strengthen Korean democracy by reaffirming civilian control and demonstrating institutional resilience." sct/nro

THE FOOTBALL community is mourning the passing of Sal Rees, the women's football pioneer who died aged 58 on Monday. Rees, a longtime player and official at the Darebin Falcons, came to wider prominence in 1995, when she became the first woman to nominate for the men's AFL national draft. She was the first player to reach the 200-game milestone in the VFLW, where she was awarded life membership. The Falcons' club person of year award is also named in her honour. Rees was on hand to celebrate North Melbourne's win in last month's NAB AFLW Grand Final, posing for post-game photographs with Kangaroos premiership captain Emma Kearney, and fellow VFLW great Leesa Catto, who described her longtime friend as "an unheralded Australian warrior" in a heartfelt post to social media. Rees suffered a brain aneurysm on Saturday and died on Monday, surrounded by her loved ones, including her wife Barb. Rees' AFL draft bid almost 30 years ago, although unsuccessful, sparked a wider conversation about women's football and ultimately prompted the League to change the rules. In early 2021, Rees recalled the media storm that arose after her nomination was accepted. "Back then women’s football looked totally different to how it does now, we really struggled to get any kind of publicity," she told Darcy Vescio on AFL.com.au 's Cutting Oranges podcast. "There were a lot of articles in the media that were quite negative and generally people’s concept was that women shouldn’t be playing football. We loved playing, we worked hard on our skills and fitness, and with the draft coming up I thought I’m going to nominate for this just to put it out there. "I sent out the form by post then thought nothing was going to happen from it, until I got a phone call from Channel Seven and then it hit the media and it was crazy. "The message was that women do play football and we needed to be heard and taken seriously. It started a huge discussion around women and what their role is in football." Darcy Vescio chats to Sal Rees, the first woman to nominate for the AFL Draft back in 1995 AFL CEO Andrew Dillon hailed Rees' contribution to the growth of women's football in its formative years. "The AFLW competition today, which now has 540 paid female athletes representing all 18 clubs, would be impossible without the vision, determination and passion of trailblazers in women's football like Sal Rees," he said. "Our thoughts and condolences are with Sal's family, friends and the many women's whose football pathway was supported by Sal."

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