Perhaps the best news for Prime Video's ratings is that the numbers have gotten so good that a bad night stands out. This week's Rams-49ers game attracted only 12.29 million viewers. Below the year-to-date average of 13.51 million — and well below last week's 18.48 million for Packers-Lions — it was still a 54-percent jump over last year's comparable game. Two contests remain (Broncos-Chargers and Seahawks-Bears), followed by a Prime Video playoff game. Last night's game carried interest on paper, but the game itself was boring; it was the first game of the season with neither team scoring a touchdown. Many who tuned in out of curiosity likely tuned out. Regardless, streaming is here to stay. If anything, the NFL will be doing more and more of it, as more people cut the cord and rely on apps.
Tech Triumph! Here’s Why HPE is SurgingPatriots' coaches enter bye week confident Drake Maye can be a franchise quarterbackHello and welcome to Yahoo's live news blog this Tuesday. says a deal over an ongoing pay dispute with workers at distribution centres is no closer to being resolved as more and more shelves are stripped bare. The supermarket says the strike has so far cost them $50 million. The White House has defended Joe Biden's decision to pardon his son Hunter Biden, sparing him a possible prison sentence for federal felony gun and tax convictions. The outgoing president previously stressed he would not make such a move. A factory at the centre of the methanol poisoning investigations in Laos has been shut down. Follow along as we bring you regular updates throughout the day. In a rare move away from Labor's careful approach to China matters, Senator Raff Ciccone has called on other countries to take a stand against China, while hailing former US House speaker Nancy Pelosi's controversial 2022 Taiwan visit. Senator Ciccone, who is head of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, was speaking at a Melbourne event with Douglas Hsu, Taiwan's top diplomat in Australia where he was reassured there are plenty of people who reject China's advances to reunite the sovereign island with the mainland. "I genuinely believe that if there are enough of us to provide a deterrent to countries like China then I think Taiwan and its people can rest assured and sleep very well at night," Senator Ciccone said, according to the ABC. "With the growing support of like-minded countries including Australia, Taiwan is well positioned to write its own success story." He praised Pelosi for defying China's warnings not to visit Taipei, a move which Foreign Minister Penny Wong carefully navigated and declined to endorse. "The Chinese went berserk about it but, you know, quite frankly good on [Nancy Pelosi] for actually standing up [for] what she believes in. It's good to see America ... making a stance." China has long warned countries like Australia to stay out of what it describes as "internal matters". Woolworths says ongoing strikes at distribution centres has cost the supermarket giant $50 million in sales. And that number is expected to grow without an agreement being struck with workers seeing better conditions and pay. “Until the industrial action is resolved, a further impact to sales is expected. The full financial impact at this stage is unknown. It will be dependent on the duration and extent of the ongoing industrial action across the affected sites and the time taken to rebuild inventory ahead of the Christmas trading period,” Woolworths said in a statement to the ASX. While the cost is significant, it is worth remembering just months ago Woolworths announced a $1.7bn profit and a special dividend of 40 cents per share for shareholders. How's this for a way to celebrate 50 years married. A Logan couple has scooped $2.3 million from the Keno 10 Spot jackpot last night on their golden jubilee wedding anniversary. “We went [to the hotel] to treat ourselves to a celebratory lunch and a game of Keno. We always play the same numbers, which are our birthdates," the winning wife told lottery officials. “I’m absolutely speechless. We’re over the moon!” Well summer has just started and temperatures are already surging. The Pilbara community of Paraburdoo is set to reach 46C in the coming days, very close to its December record. It comes the same year the town set its highest ever temperature, recording 48.1C in January. With summer temperatures consistently nearing 50C, Shire of Ashburton president Audra Smith told the ABC it "is a concern because with what's happening with global warming". Read more about the sweltering conditions . Parents are being urged to keep an eye on their car keys after the NRMA revealed the majority of its callouts for help came from keys being locked inside vehicles with their keys. NRMA patrols received 1846 calls about children or pets being locked in a car in the past 12 months. NRMA Road Safety Expert Dimitra Vlahomitros said the temperature inside a hot car could almost double the temperature outside and it would not take long for children or pets to be in serious danger. “Whether you’re packing the car full of groceries or packing the car for a holiday, make sure you know where your keys are and don’t leave your keys with children to play with while loading up the car,” Ms Vlahomitros said. “Many people believe cars with modern technology don’t allow you to lock the keys inside the car, but that’s just not the case, particularly if there’s a young child using the keys as a toy. “We know life gets busy in the lead up to Christmas but it’s important to be extra vigilant when getting in and out of the car with young children.” Woolworths appears to be losing patience over a near two-week strike at several distribution centres and have reached out to the Fair Work Commission in the hope they can intervene. The supermarket giant wants to ban United Workers Union members blocking entrances to a distribution centre in suburban Melbourne and three other sites, with workers striking for better conditions and pay. Plans to bring in staff on Monday never eventuated, but picketers at the Dandenong South site turned away logistics trucks trying to enter. Woolworths Group has filed an urgent application with the Fair Work Commission on Tuesday. "The application comes after the UWU refused to give any assurance of safe passage for team members seeking to return to work at our Melbourne South Regional Distribution Centre (MSRDC) yesterday and this morning," Woolworths said in a statement on Tuesday morning. The application to Fair Work alleges a breach of the Good Faith Bargaining requirements in the Fair Work Act. Woolworth says the majority of staff at the Dandenong South site are not members of the union, and want to return to work and get paid. - With AAP While most likely elated, a man in Victoria is probably thinking what could have been after he was one number away from winning a truly mammoth lottery jackpot. While the 28-year-old won close to A$1 million on Saturday's USA Mega Lotto draw, he was one number away from scooping the top prize of A$789 million. I'm sure he'll be doing just fine with his A$950,000 though. The factory that produces the vodka at the centre of the Laos methanol poisoning investigations has been shut down. Six tourists, including Australian women Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones, died after they drank spirits in the backpacker town of Vang Vieng last month. It comes as the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade updates its travel warning advice to urge Australians not to drink Tiger vodka or whisky saying its sale had been banned in the Southeast Asian country. The ABC understands the owner of the factory has been arrested, while three more people connected to the Nana Backpackers Hostel, where the deceased stayed, have been arrested, taking the tally up to 11 from the hostel. No charges have been laid. The RSPCA in South Australia says its had a difficult start to its busiest period of the year. Fifty kelpies were surrender from a single property last week with extensive resources were used to treat the dogs and find them homes. RSPCA says an investigation into the dogs is ongoing. It marks the start of the busy festive period where the RSPCA expects 2,000 animals from the state to come into their care over the summer. US President-elect Donald Trump says there will be "hell to pay" in the Middle East if hostages held in the Gaza Strip are not released prior to his January 20 inauguration. During their deadly 2023 attack on Israel, Hamas-led militants captured more than 250 people, according to Israeli tallies, including dual Israeli-American nationals. Around half of the 101 foreign and Israeli hostages still held incommunicado in Gaza are believed to be alive. Making his most explicit comments on the fate of the hostages since his election in November, Trump said on social media: "(If) the hostages are not released prior to January 20, 2025, the date that I proudly assume Office as President of the United States, there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East, and for those in charge who perpetrated these atrocities against Humanity." Trump added: "Those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America." Hamas has called for an end to the war and total Israeli withdrawal from Gaza as part of any deal to release remaining hostages. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the war will go on until Hamas is eradicated and poses no more threat to Israel. A manhunt continues in Victoria after a man and woman were found with fatal gunshot wounds at a home on the Mornington Peninsula early Monday morning. Police said yesterday they were "very concerned" about the gunman responsible and urged the public not to approach the man if identified. Police believe a man and a woman arrived at the Rye home and became involved in an altercation with those inside. Emergency services found a 29-year-old occupant of the home seriously injured, while the woman who is believed to have arrived at the home also suffering gunshot wounds. They both died at the scene. Police believe the other man to arrive at the property fled the scene. They believe the shooting was "targeted". The White House has moved to defend Joe Biden's bombshell decision to pardon his son Hunter Biden and possibly spare him a prison sentence for federal felony gun and tax convictions. The outgoing president previously stressed he would not make such a move. There was a wave of criticism after the decision, led by President-elect Donald Trump who called such a move an "abuse and miscarriage of justice". Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has now addressed reporters to explain the decision. She said Biden had deliberated over the decision over the weekend during a family Thanksgiving break. "He believes in the justice system, but he also believes that the raw politics infected the process and led to a miscarriage of justice," she said, adding Biden felt his son had been "singled out". A deal between striking Woolworths workers and the supermarket giant is no closer, with defiant employees at several distribution continuing to down tools as more and more shelves sit bare in stores. “As long as they continue to block access to our site, our customers will continue to face shortages on shelves in Victoria," Woolworths said as part of their latest statement. “We call on the union to do the right thing and let us re-open this site.” Workers are protesting against "unrealistic performance expectations" which they claim lead to frequent injuries, demanding better wages, and an agreement that workers at different sites are paid the same amount. A unionist on the picket line said the industrial action would “intensify” unless their demands were met. - With wires
From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has said that the weakness of the opposition political parties is a threat to the country’s democracy and the welfare of citizens. The ADC National Chairman, Okey Nwosu, stated this on Thursday at the launch of the Digital Political Academy at ADC Global Campus, Abuja. Nwosu urged the opposition to brace up in the interest of citizens, who are going through different kinds of hardship in the country. According to him, “The state of the nation, worsening economy, and security situation under the APC should challenge all opposition parties. The signals from the Edo and Ondo elections and the human rights abuses show the weakness of the opposition. “The weakness of the opposition threatens our democracy, the nation, and exposes our citizens to great harm. For the many families who cannot feed and are poverty-ravaged, for our unemployed graduates, the opposition must stand up to be counted. “Our party, ADC, and the PRP are committed to building a virile opposition and are standing firm together on justice. We must not allow the chaos to override our stellar character as a transformative, innovative, and value-driven political party.” The ADC chairman, while condemning the arrest of rights activist Dele Farotimi, called for his immediate release. “I am sure you are aware of the arrest of Dele Farotimi. I call on the federal authorities to ensure the safety and well-being of this honourable gentleman. We call for his immediate release and also ask the authorities to call their operatives to order. Institutions are being desecrated; citizens’ rights are being trampled upon. All this must stop,” Nwosu stated.‘I’d love to stand again’ - Jacob Rees-Mogg hints at dramatic return to politics on back of reality TV seriesCelebrity lookalike contests are taking over the internet. But they aren't newThe 2024 NCAA Division I Men's College Cup kicks off Friday at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina. No. 3 Denver takes on Vermont in one single-elimination semifinal, followed by a matchup between top-ranked Ohio State and No. 13 Marshall on the other side of the bracket. Ohio State is the first team to end the regular season ranked No. 1 after being unranked in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll since Wake Forest in 2015. The Buckeyes face a Marshall squad that won it all in 2020. Vermont is set to make its first appearance in the College Cup, while Denver is making its second. The Pioneers lost to Wake Forest in the semifinals in 2016. Here are key facts about the 2024 NCAA Division I Men's College Cup: How can fans watch? *All times Eastern Friday Semifinal: Vermont vs. No. 3 Denver - 5 p.m. on ESPNU/ESPN+ Semifinal: No. 13 Marshall vs. No. 1 Ohio State - 7:30 p.m. on ESPNU/ESPN+ Monday National championship game - 8 p.m. on ESPN2/ESPN+ Fans can catch all the action in the NCAA men's soccer streaming hub . Who has won the past 10 NCAA Division I men's soccer championships? 2023: Clemson def. Notre Dame 2022: Syracuse def. Indiana 2021: Clemson def. Washington 2020: Marshall def. Indiana 2019: Georgetown def. Virginia 2018: Maryland def. Akron 2017: Stanford def. Indiana 2016: Stanford def. Wake Forest 2015: Stanford def. Clemson 2014: Virginia def. UCLA How can fans access more ESPN content on the 2024 NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament? Check out the ESPN college sports hub page for the latest news , scores , rankings and more.