Vancouver residents have begun to declare themselves “Team Otter” or “Team Koi” as an elusive otter feasting on expensive fish in a tranquil garden pond continues to evade capture.

The otter mysteriously made its way to the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden last week and has gobbled up seven decorative koi, many of which have been there for decades.

Tricky otter evades traps

A wildlife relocation expert started work Friday and set three new traps containing rainbow trout and an oil mixture, but staff are still waiting for the critter to jump into them, the city’s parks director said Saturday.

It’s hard to say whether the otter has found the traps or shown any interest in them, Howard Normann said.

“Not enough to get into them, that’s for sure.”

Garden staff were discussing options Saturday to remove the koi from the pond to keep them safe, but Normann said it’s not as easy as it sounds.

“They’re sensitive fish. It’s pretty tricky to do,” he said.

He declined to share the wildlife relocation’s expert’s name or where he’s from but Normann said staff are confident in his abilities.

“He’s an experienced otter trapper, so that’s about as confident as we can get,” he said.

It’s still unclear how the otter found the garden, which is surrounded by busy streets, but a resident recently contacted Normann to report the critter may have been living in a nearby park between the Sun Yat-Sen garden and False Creek.

The garden has remained closed since the otter set up shop and once it’s captured the plan is to relocate it to the Fraser Valley.

#Team Otter vs. #TeamKoi

In the meantime, the story has captivated people in Vancouver and beyond, with social media users joining #TeamOtter or #TeamKoi.

“This is bad for the otter, so removing him is in everyone’s best interest,” one #TeamKoi member said.

Local non-profit group Chinatown Today has even made a batch of buttons bearing adorable cartoon otters and koi and is selling the buttons for $2 each.

Initially, the group planned to donate all proceeds to the classical garden, but founder Louis Lapprend said the garden has asked that the money be given to a wildlife refuge instead.

Lapprend said people appear to be fascinated by the story in part because it’s a battle of wits similar to a Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner cartoon, in which the coyote can never quite catch his prey despite trying increasingly ridiculous schemes.

“I think there’s a comedy aspect to it, because every day the park board staff will set up new traps and every morning, they have to publicly announce the otter visited the traps, ate all the bait, and didn’t trigger anything,” he said.

“On a more philosophical level, I think it’s about the way that we live in a big city, we try to control the environment, and suddenly something completely unpredictable happens and it’s nature intruding. I think it does something to our brains. It triggers a reaction which is fascinating.”

He’s selling the buttons out of the group’s office and expects to have online sales ready on Sunday. The first small batch is already close to selling out and he’s placed a larger order that should come in soon, he said.

Lapprend isn’t sure whether “Team Koi” or “Team Otter” is prevailing because the buttons designed by artist Pearl Low are so cute that people are willing to betray their loyalty to buy one bearing the opposing team’s mascot, he said.

He adds that his allegiance is definitely with the clever otter — although he can see both sides.

“I completely understand why many people are upset that the koi are getting eaten. They’ve been part of the landscape for several decades and are defenceless compared to the predator,” he said.

“I’m rooting for the otter and I hope nothing too bad happens to it, but it does need to be captured at some point.”

COLUMBUS, Ga. – Top-ranked Texas-Tyler blanked the competition over 38 innings as it took home the 2016 NFCA Division III Leadoff Classic title in style. The Patriots (17-2) capped off their impressive showing by defeating Trine in the gold bracket title game, 5-0, which was preceded by a five-inning victory over No. 3-ranked Christopher Newport on Sunday at the South Commons Softball Complex.

Tournament Central | Final brackets

The Patriots outscored the competition, 41-0 over six games and extended its shutout streak to eight games and 49 innings. In the semifinal, Texas-Tyler launched three home runs and Kelsie Batten surrendered three hits and struck out two in an 8-0 victory over the Captains. Two more long balls and a five-hit shutout lifted the Patriots to the championship. Jade Green and Vanessa Carrizales catapulted UT-Tyler to a 3-0 lead with a solo and two-run home run, respectively. Both long balls came after Trine had two shots to get on the scoreboard. However, the Thunder (9-5) stranded a runner at third in the first and the bases loaded in the second. That was all Alaina Kissinger would need as she scattered five hits, struck out four and did not walk a batter.

Trine won five straight to get to the final. The Thunder (9-5) capped off a 4-2 showing by topping No. 6 Texas Lutheran, 7-2, ending the Bulldogs’ 14-game undefeated streak to start the season.

In the consolation of the gold bracket, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps defeated No. 8 Virginia Wesleyan and No. 10 Berry to put forth a 4-2 outing.

No. 7 East Texas Baptist won the silver bracket with a thrilling 5-4 victory over Birmingham-Southern. The Tigers trailed 4-3 with two outs and a runner on second in the bottom of the seventh. Following a walk and game-tying double, a liner deflected off the pitcher’s glove, allowing the game-winning run to score. The Panthers used a little last-inning magic to reach the final, as they hit a game-tying home run and pushed across the winning run in the top of the seventh to rally past No. 23 Linfield, 8-7, in the semifinals. ETBU earned its finals appearance after an 8-2 win over St. Thomas.

No. 22 Alma edged No 17 Central, 4-3 in the consolation final of the silver bracket. Prior to their matchup, the Scots topped Western Connecticut, 8-0, in five innings and the Dutch defeated Augustana 9-5.

No 13 Illinois Wesleyan trumped Ithaca, 6-3 in the bronze final. The Titans closed the tournament with three straight wins, which included an 8-2 victory over Eastern Connecticut State in the morning, while the Bombers concluded the weekend 3-3, including a 3-1 triumph over Piedmont in their first contest on Sunday. In the consolation final, No. 24 Kean blanked Methodist, 3-0, and also picked up its first win of the tournament prior to that by topping Fontbonne, 9-5. Methodist defeated SUNY Oneonta, 2-1, in eight innings for its first win of the weekend.

2016 NFCA Division III Leadoff Classic All-Tournament Team

MVP—Kaylee Prather, Jr., Texas-Tyler

P—Alaina Kissinger, Jr., Texas-Tyler

P—Justine Robles, Sr., Trine

C—Danielle Smith, Sr., Illinois Wesleyan

1B—Taylor Yancey, Sr., Texas Lutheran

2B—Emily Sabo, Jr., Kean

SS—Sarah Moore, Jr., Berry

3B—McKenzie Creed, Fr., Alma

OF—Amanda Ballew, Jr., Birmingham-Southern

OF—Courtney Bogan, Sr., Virginia Wesleyan

OF—Meagan Jones, Sr., Christopher Newport

DP—Erica Robles, So., Trine

UTIL—Jayme Perez, Jr., East Texas Baptist

Since Tetsuya Nomura hinted about the possibility years ago, fans have speculated about whether Kingdom Hearts 3 will have another playable character beyond Sora. Now, the sequel’s latest trailer has confirmed that is the case, and who this second character is.

Spoilers for Kingdom Hearts 3 follow! Turn back if you haven’t watched the latest trailer for the game and don’t want to know.

During the Kingdom Hearts 3 Final Battle trailer, viewable above, gameplay of Riku as a player-controlled character is shown (around the 1:06 mark).

This isn’t the first time Sora’s childhood friend has been playable in the series — notably, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, originally released for the GBA and then remade for the PS2, included a storyline featuring a playable Riku.

Nomura previously spoke with IGN in 2017 about the possibility of KH3 having a second, playable character.

The Final Battle trailer is also packed with brand new looks at KH3, including worlds we’ve seen before, like Forzen’s Arendelle and Big Hero 6’s San Fransokyo, as well as new locations clearly connected to the series lore. The second half of the trailer goes all-in on that lore, teasing many sequences and characters that seem to tie up the many disparate-yet-connected threads of the Kingdom Hearts franchise.

While this new, official look at the game is exciting for fans, unfortunately seemingly leaked copies of the game have led to spoiler-filled videos and posts online. Nomura addressed the leak in a statement, urging fans to be vigilant about potential spoilers, while also acknowledging that certain parts of the game have yet to be included.  Kingdom Hearts 3 finished development back in November, however.

For more on Kingdom Hearts 3, check out every world confirmed for the game so far, the key art used for the game’s box, and check out the limited edition Kingdom Hearts 3 PS4 Pro bundle (and let us know if you were able to buy one in the comments below!)

And for a lighter take on Kingdom Hearts, check out as IGN’s Jonathon Dornbush quizzes the panelists on Beyond!, our weekly PlayStation show, about their Kingdom Hearts trophy knowledge below.

Jonathon Dornbush is IGN”s Kingdom Hearts expert, Beyond! host, News Editor, and PlayStation lead. Talk to him about the latest trailer on Twitter @jmdornbush.

Unless you’re living in a very comfortable cave, under a rock in the middle of nowhere, you probably know Christmas is fast approaching. And if you’re like most of us, you probably have a ton of Christmas planning you’ve been putting off.

But procrastinate no more, because we’re here to help you with all the info you need to have fun, easy, and organized holiday celebrations. Whether you’re hosting Christmas dinner or having a party, here are all the links you need to get ready for Christmas.

Planning for an organized Christmas

Sometimes holiday planning can seem like a big looming anvil hanging over your head. But there are lots of ways for you avoid stress and host confidently. You got this.

A Holiday Dinner Checklist You Can Start Now For A Stress-Free Party

If you follow this calendar, you and your guests will all be merry and bright during the most wonderful time of the year.

Tips For Being The Perfect Party Host

Whether you’re throwing an intimate dinner party or a big holiday bash, here are a few helpful hints to help you host your next get-together with style and ease.

Holiday Hosting Checklist

There are lots of things that can be easy to forget when you’re in the planning stages — where is everyone going to put their coats? Do you have enough soap in your bathroom? What’s the right music level? Luckily, here’s a checklist to make sure everything goes according to plan.

Easy decorating ideas

DIY Holiday Centrepiece Ideas

This is one use for pomegranates you never saw coming.

20 Christmas Decorating Ideas You Can Create Without A Tree

Even if you don’t have room for a tree, there are a ton of creative ways to decorate for Christmas. (Snowflake mobile, anyone?)

Keeping your kids busy

Let’s be honest — for parents, this is a pretty big concern.

Tips To Help Stressed Parents Actually Enjoy The Christmas Season

For many parents — and often moms in particular — Christmas is the most stressful time of the year. Here are some tips to help squelch the holiday stressors.

10 Ways To Entertain The Kids Over Christmas That Won’t Cost You A Dime

Many parents might be getting increasingly anxious about what to do with the kids with all the extra time on their hands. Here are some free family activities — and, as a bonus, none of them involve a screen.

Making food for vegetarians and people with allergies

Pro tip: make sure you find out everyone’s food preferences well advance of the big day.

How To Accommodate A Variety Of Dietary Needs This Holiday Season

Deciding what dishes to make when you have guests that are vegan, ketogenic, paleo and/or gluten-free might seem impossible. But the good news is there are a number of ingredients that accommodate everyone.

30 Meatless Mains To Serve At Christmas

Turkey and ham are far from your only Christmas dinner options. From squash galette to vegan moussaka, to mushroom Wellington, here are a ton of vegetarian-friendly recipes.

The best Christmas dinner side dishes and appetizers

Turkey is only one part of the equation. There are lots of appetizers, sides and salads that you can prep in advance, and here are some of our favourite suggestions.

35 Appetizers That Are Perfect For Holiday Parties

From goat cheese balls to vegan walnut pâté, and even bacon-covered dates, these canapés will satisfy everyone’s cravings.

Impress Your Guests With This Delicious Christmas Eve Menu

Polenta crostini with roasted red peppers and olives? Tomato soup with parmesan dumplings? Cranberry martini? Yes, yes, and yes. If you’re not intimidated by a slightly more upscale menu, try these winning recipes.

Tackling the turkey

Yes, turkeys are terrifying if you’re a first-timer. But it can be done.

Ultimate Turkey Hacks

Here’s a video to show you everything you need to know in order to not give your guests food poisoning.

Wait, what if I eat meat, but don’t want turkey?

Don’t worry, non-turkey meat eater, we’re here for you too.

31 Scrumptious Christmas Dinner Recipes

Roast beef, shrimp, even chicken can be worthy of the Christmas treatment if you do it properly.

Recipe: Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder With Pear Mostarda

Mark McEwan’s excessively delicious recipe — and it even comes with a wine pairing.

What should I do with those leftovers?

So glad you asked.

13 Brilliant (And Delicious) Recipes To Use Leftover Turkey After Thanksgiving

Turkey sandwiches are just the beginning.

Alternative Uses For Leftover Holiday Food

Did you know that ham makes great stock? Or that champagne can be used in salad dressings?

Festive Christmas drinks

Because eating, drinking and being merry is what the holidays are all about — with an emphasis on drinking for many celebrations.

20 Amazing Recipes To Help Get Your Christmas Drink On

Hot chocolate is great. But have you tried bourbon hot chocolate?

Troubleshooting

Let’s be honest: it’s not impossible that something will go wrong. No matter your level of experience, this is bound to happen.

Kitchen Hacks To Fix The Most Common Holiday Cooking Disasters

With these tips, you can deal with the kitchen nightmares that come your way, whether you don’t have enough oven space, you’ve burned your cookies, or your gravy just isn’t cooperating.

Delectable desserts

28 Christmas Desserts That Aren’t Cookies

We all love cookies, of course! But what about mince pies? Adorably decorated cupcakes? Rich chocolate cakes with festive icing? The world of non-cookie holiday desserts, both traditional and modern, is too rich to ignore.

Rice Krispie Snowballs Are Here To Save Your Christmas Potluck

Kids will love these — and some adults probably will, too. (Ahem.)

Self-care

Through your cooking and decorating and shopping and wrapping and drinking, it’s important that you remember to take care of yourself.

How To Stay Healthy During The Holidays

Remember that scene in “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark” where Indiana is trying not to get run down by the giant boulder? That’s what the holidays can feel like due to the avalanche of food attacking you from every direction.

How To Spend The Holidays With Difficult Relatives

According to one expert, toxic behaviour can ramp up during the holidays because it’s a time of year when difficult folks have their largest audiences and “when they can gain manipulative control over their family members.” But there are ways around this.

OTTAWA — The federal government and the provinces must examine “monstrous” allegations of modern-day forced sterilizations of Indigenous women, NDP reconciliation critic Romeo Saganash said Monday before he pressed for answers in the House of Commons.

Coerced sterilization clearly breaches human-rights standards that Canada must fight to uphold, Saganash in an interview Monday, and said that authorities should very carefully read Article 2 of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide adopted by the UN in 1948.

That international agreement says that “genocide” includes any acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, such as by “imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group.”

‘They have to take this seriously’

Canadians should not tolerate allegations of forced sterilization in their country, Saganash said, and Ottawa must address the issue as victims share their stories.

“I think they have to take this seriously,” said the Cree lawyer and MP from northern Quebec. “Just the fact that it is happening and people are coming out makes it serious enough to look for a solution.”

The issue of forced sterilizations will also be raised at the UN Committee Against Torture this week, when Amnesty International Canada and a national law firm call for accountability for the practice.

Class-action lawsuit proposed

Maurice Law is leading a proposed class-action lawsuit against the federal government, the government of Saskatchewan, all its health authorities, and individual medical professionals.

The lawsuit was launched in 2017 by two affected women in the Saskatoon Health Region who each claimed $7 million in damages. Now about 60 women are part of the lawsuit.

An additional 32 women have come forward to report they were sterilized without consent since The Canadian Press first published a story last Sunday, associate Alisa Lombard said Monday, noting the women are mostly from Saskatchewan but elsewhere as well.

Earlier: Romeo Saganash says Trudeau doesn’t give ‘f–k’ about Indigenous rights

In its submission to the UN committee, Maurice Law said there has been no effort at a comprehensive review to understand the scale of the problem or the conditions that make forced sterilizations possible.

It also listed a number of solutions, including a proposal to specifically criminalize forced sterilization as the “single most effective, immediate and enduring measure that could be taken” to protect women from this practice.

The Liberal government has not indicated it is looking at this step.

During question period on Monday, Indigenous Services Minister Jane Philpott said the Liberal government knows coerced sterilization is a gross violation of human rights and of reproductive rights.

The federal government is actively working with provinces and faculties of medicine to ensure safe and culturally appropriate health care is available across the country, she added.

“This is not something that any one order of government can address alone,” Philpott said. “All Canadians have a responsibility to ensure that these practices never happen again.”

For its part, Amnesty International Canada has recommended the federal government appoint a special representative to examine the prevalence of the practice.

Yvonne Boyer, a Metis senator for Ontario, has welcomed this recommendation. She’s said that tubal ligations carried out on unwilling Indigenous women constitute one of the “most heinous” practices in health care in Canada.

Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde also wants to see the scope of forced sterilization examined and called the practice wrong, immoral and a gross human-rights violation.

SURREY, CANADA — The World Baseball Softball Confederation announced that a record 31 nations will be competing at the 15th WBSC Women’s Softball World Championship in Surrey, Canada, from July 15-24.

The 15th Women’s Softball World Championship in Surrey will bring together the world’s top softball athletes from all five regions, representing the largest global footprint in the event’s history, as eleven nations will be making their women’s world championship debuts.

Stepping onto the women’s softball world stage for the first time are: Brazil, Ecuador, India, Ireland, Israel, Kenya, Pakistan, Peru, Serbia, Switzerland, and Uganda.

• Africa (2): Kenya, Uganda
• Americas (10): Brazil, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Peru, United States, Venezuela, and host Canada;
• Asia (6): China, Chinese Taipei, India, Japan, Pakistan, Philippines;
• Europe (11): Austria, Czech Republic, France, Great Britain, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Serbia, Switzerland;
• Oceania (2): Australia, New Zealand.

WBSC Softball President, Dale McMann said: “The worldwide interest and development of our sport globally is reflected in the widest field of nations participating in the pinnacle women’s softball event, while new nations continue to enrich and emerge upon our sport’s global stage.”

Round Robin sections announced

The 31 nations of the 2016 WBSC Women’s Softball World Championship have been delegated to their respective sections and will open the event with a group round robin:

• Section 1: Japan, Venezuela, France;
• Section 2: USA, Brazil, Austria, Israel;
• Section 3: Australia, Mexico, Switzerland, Serbia;
• Section 4: Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, Uganda;
• Section 5: Chinese Taipei, Puerto Rico, India, Ecuador;
• Section 6: Netherlands, Czech Republic, Philippines, Pakistan;
• Section 7: China, Cuba, Guatemala, Greece;
• Section 8: New Zealand, Italy, Kenya, Peru.

The Women’s National Team of Japan will head to Surrey as the two-time defending world champions, capturing gold medals in Haarlem (NED) in 2014 and Whitehorse (CAN) in 2012.

The United States — the Eagles — have won nine total women’s world championships and took home the silver medal in 2012 and 2014. Oceania’s Australia — the Aussie Spirit — claimed the bronze medal in Whitehorse and Haarlem. Host Canada is expected to perform well after their gold-medal win at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto.

International selection of Umpires

WBSC has appointed 30 umpires from 18 countries from all corners of the world to officiate in the 15th WBSC Women’s Softball World Championship 2016.

Officials uniting in Surry will be arriving from Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, Cuba, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Spain, USA, and Venezuela.

For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit www.surrey2016.com.

— Courtesy of the World Baseball Softball Confederation

Netflix has released the official trailer for Season 2 of Marvel’s The Punisher.

In Season 2, Jon Bernthal returns as Frank Castle, who up until now has been living a quiet life out on the road. He ends up becoming involved in an attempted murder of a young girl, played by Giorgia Whigham.

New and old enemies come into his life and he is pressured to make the decision on whether or not to fully accept himself as the Punisher.

Netflix revealed the premiere date for Season 2 of Jan. 18 in a teaser trailer last week, which featured Jigsaw – Castle’s old best friend, Billy Russo, who is now embracing his villainous self.

The Punisher is one of only two Marvel shows left on Netflix, as Iron Fist, Luke Cage, and most recently, Daredevil were all canceled.

The cancellations are speculated to be due to Disney launching their own streaming service, Disney+ in late 2019.

For more on the newest season of The Punisher, check out everything we learned on our set visit for Season 2 and read our review of Season 1 where we said, “The Punisher sets itself apart from the rest of the Marvel Netflix series with a great first season.”

Jessie Wade is a news writer at IGN and will probably be bingeing Season 2 the day it comes out. Chat with her on Twitter @jessieannwade if you so please.

When we talk about royal fashion — which we do pretty often — the conversation is generally centred around Meghan Markle or Kate Middleton. And for good reason: the two duchesses are known for being impeccably fashion-forward. (We still have trouble not taking Kate’s gorgeous coat collection as a personal insult. How is it fair that she has so many custom-made Catherine Walker originals and we don’t?!)

But there’s one figure who’s rarely included in these discussions, even though she absolutely deserves to be: Queen Elizabeth herself. It can’t be easy being stylish at age 92, but she pulls it off.

Everyone knows her fashion sense as clean, elegant and monochromatic: she almost always wears one solid colour, often with a matching hat, pearl necklaces, and clean white gloves. And she’s carried the same black leather handbag by Launer for more than 50 years, as Today reported. (She even uses it to send messages to her staff, apparently: royal historian Hugo Vickers once told People that the Queen’s handlers will come rescue her from a boring conversation if she places her bag on the floor.)

Maybe some of the more critical onlookers out there would call the Queen’s style boring, but as it turns out, she has been experimental —in her own, very narrowly-defined context, of course.

After she was crowned in the early 1950s, Queen Elizabeth generally wore modest and elegant versions of clothing that was popular at the time, which often included full and high-waisted skirts.

But you might be shocked to learn that in the ’60s, she sometimes wore sleeveless dresses. Scandalous!

She always liked hats, but the accessory really took off in the 1970s. Several were turban-like, as was the fashion at the time, but she also likes Bretons, pillbox hats, and wide-brimmed top hats. Beyond their aesthetic purpose, hats were attention-getting for a reason, fashion curator Caroline de Guitaut told The New York Times two years ago, when she and her colleagues at the Royal Collection Trust organized a restrospective on royal fashion at Buckingham Palace.

Hats “enable people who want to catch a glimpse of her to spot her immediately,” de Guitaut told the paper. “Almost every hat she wears is strategic, ensuring her face is fully visible but also framed in a range of styles over the years that were often considered very avant-garde for their day.”

She continued to wear royalty-appropriate fashionable clothes through the 1970s and ’80s, such as a caftan dress when she met Pierre Trudeau in 1977 and shoulder pads during a trip to Australia in 1986, Insider points out.

(Quick refresher in the Canadian history of admirably petty photobombing: that was the same year when then-prime minister Trudeau did a pirouette in a photo behind the Queen to “show his disdain for the monarchy.”)

Of course, her choices often have diplomatic codes — just like Meghan Markle wore a “Fiji blue” gown while in the islands during last fall’s royal tour, Queen Elizabeth often connects her wardrobe to the conditions of the place where she’s visiting. For instance, on her delicate first post-WWII visit to Germany, the Queen wore a turquoise organza silk gown by another frequently collaborator of hers, the tailor Hardy Amies. According to the New York Times, Amies used silver thread and beading on the gown, meant to evoke to interiors of the palaces she visited.

And that same year, the Queen wore a green dress with the insignia of the Order of Ethiopia when she visited the east African country.

But her monochromatic coat-and-hat look is without a doubt the Queen’s most iconic at this point in her life — it’s largely all she’s been seen wearing since the 1990s. The looks are tasteful and simple, often with details that add a dash of whimsy.

And it’s not a brand-new look, either: the Queen, practical as she is, has long embraced the simple look.

Despite this impressive display, the Queen was never overly concerned with fashion, according to her longtime collaborator, the British couturier Sir Norman Hartnell, who designed many state gowns for her (including her coronation dress.)

“The queen and queen mother do not want to be fashion setters,” Hartnell once said. “That’s left to other people with less important work to do.”

Could have fooled us.