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LeBron James made his Christmas debut in 2003. Victor Wembanyama was born 10 days later. That’s right: James has been featured on the NBA’s big day for longer than Wembanyama has been alive. And on Wednesday — when the league celebrates Christmas with games for the 77th time — the league’s oldest player and brightest young star will be big parts of the holiday showcase. It’s another Christmas quintupleheader, with Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs visiting the New York Knicks, Minnesota going to Dallas for a Western Conference finals rematch, Philadelphia heading to Boston to renew a storied rivalry, James and the Los Angeles Lakers taking on Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, and Denver playing at Phoenix in the nightcap. “Very excited, of course,” Wembanyama said, the French star previewing his first Christmas game opportunity. “First of all, spending Christmas in New York, it’s going to be like the movies, I hope. Get a little snow.” His first Christmas wish came true: Light snow fell in Manhattan on Tuesday morning. James said he’s relishing another chance to share the holiday spotlight with Curry — someone he’s played against on Christmas three previous times. “Any time you get an opportunity to be on the court and compete against one of the greatest to ever play this game, you don’t take it for granted,” James — who turns 40 next week — said of facing his U.S. Olympic teammate. “I don’t know how many more opportunities we’ll get to go against each other.” The Christmas games have been looked at for decades as the time when more fans tend to start watching basketball. The NFL — which is going head-to-head against the NBA on Wednesday — is seeing its regular season winding down, and the five NBA games will all be shown nationally either on ABC or ESPN. The Spurs-Knicks game will also have a special alt-cast starring Mickey Mouse and some of his friends, the first animated presentation of an NBA game. It’ll be shown on ESPN2 and stream on Disney+ and ESPN+. “I wish there were more of our great players who had a chance to play on that stage on Christmas Day,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. “It’s been an interesting turnaround from certainly my earlier days in the league when we got a lot of complaints about playing on Christmas — and now it comes the other way, which is, ‘Why aren’t we playing on Christmas?’ I wish we could accommodate even more teams.” Knicks forward Josh Hart, like just about everyone in the basketball world, raves about Wembanyama. The Spurs star is averaging 24.8 points, 9.9 rebounds, 4.0 blocks, 3.9 assists and 3.3 3-pointers per game. “He’s an amazing player, man,” Hart said. “He does things offensively, defensively that no one that’s 7-whatever-the-heck-he-is should be doing. He’s the future of the league.” For the record, Wembanyama is officially just under 7-foot-4. The Knicks are playing their 57th Christmas game, extending their NBA record. The first Christmas game in league history was at Madison Square Garden in 1947. “Been fortunate to play on Christmas a lot of days,” Spurs guard Chris Paul said. “I’m excited.” Game time is 1:30 p.m. in Dallas, and that means it’ll be 8:30 p.m. in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Prime time, Christmas night in Luka Doncic’s homeland. The Mavericks star couldn’t be happier how that worked out. “It’s special,” said Doncic, who had a 50-point game on Christmas last year. “You have a lot of people from Europe want to watch the NBA. ... It’s a big thing. It’s going to be a special game.” Dallas beat Minnesota 4-1 in last year’s West finals. For Timberwolves guard Mike Conley, this is season No. 18 — and his second Christmas game. “It was 14 years before I got to play on it in Utah,” Conley said. “I looked forward to the opportunity. Not many people get the opportunity to play. When people are celebrating the holidays, they turn on the TV and are watching the NBA.” No teams have faced off against one another more in NBA history than defending champion Boston and Philadelphia. Same goes for Christmas rivalries: It’ll be Celtics-76ers for the 14th time on Dec. 25, by far the most in the league. Celtics guard Jrue Holiday says it’s tough to interrupt family time on Christmas — but also said it’s fun that his children can watch their father play that day. “It’s an honor to be able to play on Christmas Day,” Holiday said. “I know I was one of the kids that couldn’t wait for Christmas games to come on. So, it’s always an honor.” Curry and James have met on Christmas in 2015, 2016 and 2018, all immediately following seasons that ended with Cleveland vs. Golden State matchups in the NBA Finals. Lakers coach JJ Redick played on Christmas 11 times in his career. The significance of seeing another Steph vs. LeBron matchup on the holiday isn’t lost on him. “I think it was great to have two of the icons of this generation go head-to-head and have one, for sure, classic series and then just also some classic games and classic moments,” Redick said. “For those guys also being teammates on the Olympic stage, they just have the ultimate respect for each other.” James gets another chance to become the NBA’s all-time Christmas win leader: He’s played in 10 wins on Dec. 25, tying former teammate Dwyane Wade’s holiday record. This is James’ 19th Christmas game; Wade played in 13. Curry, if he starts, will be the seventh person in NBA history with at least 11 starts on Dec. 25, joining James, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Wade, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. “Christmas spirit hopefully can bring some gifts our way with a win,” Curry said. Durant will play on Christmas for the 12th time, and only James, Bryant and Oscar Robertson have more points on Dec. 25 than he does. It’s a rematch of a 117-90 win by Denver on Monday night. “Looking forward to this next game,” Durant said. The Nuggets know the Suns will want to avenge losing by 27, plus that the holiday brings out the best in players. “Hopefully we can go into their spot on Christmas and get another win,” Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. said. “But I’m sure it’ll be a tougher game.” ___ AP Sports Writers Janie McCauley and Greg Beacham, and Associated Press Writers Dick Scanlon, Aaron Bracy, Bill Trocchi, Pat Pickens, Jeff Miller and Michael Kelly contributed to this story. ___ AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA Persistent high surf and flooding threats along California’s coast had What do Tom Brady, Taylor Swift and comedy have to LeBron James made his Christmas debut in 2003. Victor Wembanyama Two people were rescued when a California pier partially collapsedTikTok is challenging the federal government’s order to shut down its operations in Canada, claiming it will eliminate hundreds of jobs and potentially terminate a quarter of a million contracts that it has with Canadian advertising clients. The company filed documents in Federal Court in Vancouver on Dec. 5, seeking to set aside the order to wind-up and cease business in Canada. The government ordered the dissolution of TikTok’s Canadian business in November after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform. That means TikTok must close its operations in Canada, though the app will continue to be available to Canadians. TikTok wants the court to pause the order while it argues its case on why the government's decision should be overturned. It claims the minister's decision was "unreasonable" and "driven by improper purposes." "TikTok Canada provides hundreds of Canadians with well-paying jobs, and contributes millions of dollars annually to the Canadian economy," the application says. "Through the TikTok platform, Canadian businesses and content creators can reach a global audience of over one billion monthly users." The review was carried out through the Investment Canada Act, which allows the government to investigate any foreign investment with potential to harm national security. Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne said in a statement at the time that the government was taking action to address "specific national security risks," though it didn’t specify what those risks were. TikTok's court application says Champagne "failed to engage with TikTok Canada on the purported substance of the concerns that led to the (order.)" The company argues the government ordered "measures that bear no rational connection to the national security risks it identifies." It says the reasons for the order "are unintelligible, fail to reveal a rational chain of analysis and are rife with logical fallacies." TikTok Canada also claims it "participates in important Canadian public policy issues at the federal and provincial level, including those related to online safety, elections, and culture." The company's filing says TikTok Canada "worked with Elections Canada and the Privy Council Office on partnerships to support election integrity on the TikTok platform." TikTok claims the foreign investment review and economic security branch of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada "abruptly" finished the company's national security review at the end of October, and ordered the company to wind-up its Canadian operations a week later. The company's court application says there were "less onerous" options available than ordering the shut down, which it claims "will cause the destruction of significant economic opportunities and intangible benefits to Canadian creators, artists and businesses, and the Canadian cultural community more broadly." The company's law firm, Osler Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, declined to comment, while Champagne’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the order would "eliminate the jobs and livelihoods of our hundreds of dedicated local employees — who support the community of more than 14 million monthly Canadian users on TikTok, including businesses, advertisers, creators and initiatives developed especially for Canada." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 10, 2024. Darryl Greer and Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press
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Hyderabad: The Kalapather police arrested a couple who had stolen valuables and cash from a house at Ramanathapura under Kalapather police station limits. The arrested persons are identified as Zakiya Sultana, 46 years old and Mohd Abdul Saleem, 47 years old, both residents of Mailardevpally. ACP Falaknuma, Mohd Jaweed said on December 14, Sultana and Saleem came to Kalapather and observed the gate of a house open. Sultana went outside the house and on noticing no one was around in the building went inside, Saleem, went away and stood at a distance watching the movement of people. “Sultana went into a room in the house and opened the cupboard. She gave away gold ornaments that included bangles, necklace and gold chains and escaped,” said ACP Jaweed. The theft came to light later and the family lodged a complaint with Kalapather police. The crime team under the supervision of Kalapather Inspector Mohd Asif collected footage of the closed circuit and after examination identified the woman. The police arrested Sultana and Saleem. The property was recovered from them. They are previously involved in eight cases in Bhavaninagar, Madannapet, Santoshnagar and Kamatipura police station limits.
The end of the year is almost in sight for traders, yet the last mile will be anything but slow. Central banks in the United States, Japan and Britain meet, while Germany holds a vote of no confidence in the government. Here’s all you need to know about the coming week in world markets from Lewis Krauskopf in New York, Kevin Buckland in Tokyo and Naomi Rovnick, Amanda Cooper and Dhara Ranasinghe in London. The U.S. Federal Reserve is expected to continue monetary easing with a 25 basis point (bps) rate cut on Wednesday, in what would be its third straight reduction, with the latest consumer price index rising in line with economists’ estimates. Investors have curtailed expectations for how much the Fed will cut next year. Traders expect rates to fall to about 3.7% by end-2025 from the current 4.5%-4.75% range, roughly 90 basis points higher than what was priced in September. That puts the focus on the Fed’s own rate projections and on any insight from Chair Jerome Powell about his expectations for future easing. Powell has said the economy is stronger now than the Fed had anticipated in September, and appeared to signal his support for a slower pace of rate cuts ahead. The pendulum of BOJ policy expectations has swung widely in the last two weeks, tying traders in knots. But as the Dec. 19 decision looms, the signal is becoming clearer – even if the outcome is still uncertain. Reuters reported on Thursday that policymakers are leaning towards a pause, waiting for further data on wages and clarity on Donald Trump’s policies before raising rates for a third time. A day earlier, Bloomberg reported that BOJ officials see “little cost” from delaying additional tightening. No doubt the BOJ decision is live, meaning market volatility could be high. One mooted risk is that the Fed surprises by not cutting rates on Dec. 18, triggering a jump in dollar/yen. But analysts note it would be very rare for the Fed to go against the grain when market conviction for a cut is so strong. Germany’s DAX index is this year’s best-performing European index, up 22%, hitting record high after record high. Defence, tech and construction stocks have more than made up for the performance of its out of favour auto sector. Corporate Germany appears to be weathering sluggish growth and political drama. A no-confidence vote in the government on Dec 16 should pave the way for a February snap election. But the devil is in the details. Goldman Sachs says just 18% of DAX sales come from Germany versus the 33% for companies on the mid-cap MDAX .MDAXI, which is down 1.1% this year. German corporate earnings shrank 5.4% on an annual basis in the third quarter, versus 8.2% growth for STOXX earnings .STOXX, based on LSEG data. German equities may start aligning a little more closely with the underlying economic and political reality. When it comes to rate cuts, the Bank of England has been driving in the slow lane. Traders expect the BoE to hold rates at 4.75% on Thursday, just 50 bps below a previous 16-year peak, and to resist a third 25 bp cut until February. Employer tax hikes in the Labour government’s October budget motivated big businesses to warn of price rises, fuelling inflation concerns and helping propel sterling to 2-1/2 year highs against the euro GBPEUR= as the ECB eases policy more rapidly than the BoE. But bond markets are querying this divergence, with two-year gilt yields GB10YT=RR, which move on rate forecasts, dropping to about 4.38% from more than 4.5% a month ago. UK employment growth is slowing as tax rises deter hiring plans and consumer confidence is weak. Sterling bulls should watch out for the BoE shifting gears. Once-robust services sectors across big economies are faltering, bringing a divergence with sluggish manufacturing activity to an end. That was the takeaway from November PMIs. December numbers, out across the globe next week, should show if the slowdown is getting deeper. The November euro zone composite PMI, seen as a good gauge of overall economic health, sank to 48.3 from October’s 50.0. Britain’s all-sector PMI fell to its lowest in a year at 50.9 – just above the marker that separates contraction from expansion. Even U.S. services sector activity slowed. U.S. tariff worries, and French and German political ructions have the potential to hurt business activity. For some observers, the PMI data paints too pessimistic a picture of underlying activity, with falling interest rates helping to bolster sentiment. Source: Reuters (Graphics by Prinz Magtulis, Pasit Kongkunakornkul, Vineet Sachdev ; Compiled by Dhara Ranasinghe, KIrsten Donovan)
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It’s Friday, December 13, and the Brooklyn Nets (10-14) and Memphis Grizzlies (17-8) are all set to square off from FedExForum in Memphis. The Nets are currently 5-8 on the road with a point differential of -4, while the Grizzlies have a 9-1 record in their last ten games at home. We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts. Listen to the Rotoworld Basketball Show for the latest fantasy player news, waiver claims, roster advice and more from our experts all season long. Click here or download it wherever you get your podcasts. Game details & how to watch Nets vs. Grizzlies live today Date: Friday, December 13, 2024 Time: 8 pm EST Site: FedExForum City: Memphis, TN Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day NBA schedule page , along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out. Game odds for Nets vs. Grizzlies The latest odds as of Friday: Odds: Brooklyn Nets (+410), Memphis Grizzlies (-559) Spread: Grizzlies -10.5 Over/Under: 228.5 points That gives the Nets an implied team point total of 113.22, and the Grizzlies 118.7. Want to know which sportsbook is offering the best lines for every game on the NBA calendar? Check out the NBC Sports’ Live Odds tool to get all the latest updated info from DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM & more! Expert picks & predictions for Friday Nets vs. Grizzlies game Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700. NBC Sports Bet Best Bet Brad Thomas’ (@MrBradThomas) Top Play: Nic Claxton OVER 8.5 rebounds (-110) “Griz give up the 9th most boards to centers this season. They will likely be without big man Edey, which is a huge boost to Claxton’s offensive rebounding potential. He snatched 8 in 25 minutes with Edey basically keeping him off the offensive glass.” Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals. Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager. Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s Nets & Grizzlies game: Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play on the Memphis Grizzlies on the Moneyline. Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Brooklyn Nets at -10.5. Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the UNDER on the Game Total of 228.5. Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions page from NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar! Important stats, trends & insights to know ahead of Nets vs. Grizzlies on Friday The Nets’ average winning margin in 2 wins against the Grizzlies this season is +7.5 The OVER is 16-9 in Grizzlies’ games this season The Nets have gone 10-3 on the road against the spread this season If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports! Bet the Edge is your source for all things sports betting. Get all of Jay Croucher and Drew Dinsick’s insight weekdays at 6AM ET right here or wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff: - Jay Croucher (@croucherJD) - Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper) - Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) - Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)Biden will decide on US Steel acquisition after influential panel fails to reach consensusNo. 16 Cincinnati tests efficient offense vs. Alabama State
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President-elect Donald Trump's team is discussing pursuing direct talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, hoping a fresh diplomatic push can lower the risks of armed conflict, according to two people familiar with the matter. Several in Trump's team now see a direct approach from Trump, to build on a relationship that already exists, as most likely to break the ice with Kim, years after the two traded insults and what Trump called "beautiful" letters in an unprecedented diplomatic effort during his first term in office, the people said. The policy discussions are fluid and no final decisions have been made by the president-elect, the sources said. Trump's transition team did not respond to a request for comment. What reciprocation Kim will offer Trump is unclear. The North Koreans ignored four years of outreach by President Joe Biden to start talks with no pre-conditions, and Kim is emboldened by an expanded missile arsenal and a much closer relationship with Russia. "We have already gone as far as we can on negotiating with the United States," Kim said last week in a speech at a Pyongyang military exhibition, according to state media. During his 2017-2021 presidency, Trump held three meetings with Kim, in Singapore, Hanoi, and at the Korean border, the first time a sitting U.S. president had set foot in the country. Their diplomacy yielded no concrete results, even as Trump described their talks as falling "in love." The U.S. called for North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons, while Kim demanded full sanctions relief, then issued new threats. It was not clear what result a new diplomatic effort would yield. An initial Trump goal would be to reestablish basic engagement but further policy aims or a precise timetable have not been set, the people said. And the issue may take a backseat to more pressing foreign policy concerns in the Middle East and Ukraine, according to one person briefed on the transition's thinking. North Korean state media have not yet publicly mentioned the reelection of Trump, and Kim said this month that the United States was ramping up tension and provocations, raising the risks of nuclear war. Trump and some of his allies left office with the impression that the direct approach was Washington's best shot at influencing behavior north of the demilitarized zone, which has divided the Korean Peninsula for seven decades. The countries' war was never technically ended even as the guns fell silent. On Friday, Trump named one of the people who implemented that initial North Korea strategy, former State Department official Alex Wong, as his deputy national security adviser. "As Deputy Special Representative for North Korea, he helped negotiate my Summit with North Korean Leader, Kim Jong Un," Trump said in a statement. Trump inherits an increasingly tense situation with Kim when he returns to the White House in January, as he did in 2017, an atmosphere allies expect the incoming president to confront head-on. "My experience with President Trump is he's much more likely to be open to direct engagement," said Sen. Bill Hagerty, a Trump ally, in an interview with Reuters earlier this year. "I'm optimistic that we can see an improvement in the relationship and perhaps a different posture adopted by Kim Jong Un if that dialog were reopened again." Washington has a dossier of concerns over the country's expanding nuclear weapons and missile program, its increasingly hostile rhetoric to South Korea and its close collaboration with Russian President Vladimir Putin. These topics are expected to feature in Biden administration transition briefings for Trump aides, according to a U.S. official. The Trump team has yet to sign transition agreements, which could limit the scope of some of these briefings. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. Particularly concerning to Washington are the prospects of increased sharing of nuclear or missile technology between Russia and North Korea and the deployment of thousands of North Korean troops to Russia to help in the war with Ukraine. Reuters reported on Monday that North Korea is expanding a key weapons manufacturing complex that assembles a type of short-range missile used by Russia in Ukraine, citing researchers at a U.S.-based think tank who examined satellite images. U.S. officials said those factors raise the risk of a conflict between multiple nuclear armed nations in Europe or Asia, including the United States and its allies, which include South Korea and Japan. American troops are deployed throughout the region to deter North Korea, and Trump has insisted that U.S. allies share more of the cost for those deployments. In his final meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier this month in Peru, Biden asked for Beijing to use its leverage to reel in North Korea. Opportunity for China and the U.S. to work together may be limited as Trump vows vast tariffs on Chinese goods and stacks his inner circle with China hardliners, such as Marco Rubio as secretary of state and Representative Mike Waltz as national security adviser. Trump said last month the two countries would have had "a nuclear war with millions of people killed," but that he had stopped it, thanks to his ties with the North's leader.Canada's financial intelligence agency aiming to provide crucial info in real time
United States shares higher at close of trade; Dow Jones Industrial Average up 1.06%What: NBA Cup semifinals When: Saturday Where: T-Mobile Arena Matchups: Atlanta Hawks vs. Milwaukee Bucks (1:30 p.m., TNT/truTV); Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (5:30 p.m., ABC) Line : Bucks -31⁄2, total 229; Thunder -51⁄2, total 2121⁄2 Atlanta-Milwaukee The first semifinal features two teams that have started the season slow. Milwaukee (13-11) has come on of late, winning eight of its last 10 games. Its offense has looked far better than when the team was 2-8. Its defense, terrible early on, has also improved. Forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is playing some of the best ball of his career. Coach Doc Rivers has experimented with different lineups, trying to find the right mix of players to get his team on track. It’s still a formidable side when things are going right, mostly because of Antetokounmpo’s brilliance. The Bucks are the lone unbeaten team in the Cup bracket. They also advanced to last year’s semifinals in Las Vegas. The Hawks (14-12) advanced with a 108-100 win at New York on Wednesday. Star guard Trae Young rankled some Knicks fans afterward by kneeling down on the midcourt logo at Madison Square Garden and pretending to roll dice. On to Southern Nevada. Young leads the NBA in assists with 304. The Hawks have also been getting contributions from the likes of 19-year-old forward Zaccharie Risacher, the first pick in June’s draft, as well as forward Jalen Johnson. Guard Dyson Daniels is playing great defense. Houston-Oklahoma City The youthful Rockets (17-8) are playing much better defense this year, which is one of the reasons they are 4-1 in Cup games. Houston ranks last in the NBA in assists, but its transition offense often leads to second-chance points. The team has seven players averaging at least 11.2 points per game, led by guard Jalen Green (19.2). Guard Fred VanVleet chips in with 15.6 points and a team-leading 5.9 assists per game. The Thunder (19-5) have been the Western Conference’s best team since the season tipped off. They feature one the world’s best players in point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who is averaging 30.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game. Forward Jalen Williams is a strong sidekick and is averaging 21.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. Guard Luguentz Dort could challenge for defensive player of the year. Ed Graney/Review-Journal