ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey gambling regulators have handed out $40,000 in fines to two sportsbooks and a tech company for violations that included taking bets on unauthorized events, and on games that had already ended. In information made public Monday, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement fined DraftKings $20,000. It also levied $10,000 fines on Rush Street Interactive NJ and the sports betting technology company Kambi. According to documents released by the state, Rush Street accepted 16 bets worth $1,523 in Nov. 2021 on a college basketball game between the University of North Carolina-Asheville and Tennessee Tech University after the game had already concluded with a UNC victory. Kambi told the enforcement division that a trader had failed to manually remove that game from its betting markets, saying it had stopped receiving messages from its own sports data provider due to a network connectivity error. Kambi said it has updated its guidelines and retrained its traders to prevent a recurrence. Kambi, which is based in Malta, did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Monday. Rush Street declined comment, and DraftKings had no immediate comment Monday. DraftKings stopped using Kambi in 2021. In March 2022 Rush Street took seven bets totaling just under $2,900 on three Magic City Jai Alai games after the results were already known. Kambi told the division it experienced a connectivity issue that allowed the bets to be accepted after the games were over. An explanation of what Kambi did to address the situation was blacked out in documents released by the division. A month earlier Rush Street took 13 wagers worth $8,150 with pre-match odds on a Professional Golf Association match after the event had already begun. In this case, Kambi told the division a newly hired trader failed to enter the correct closing time time for bets on the event. The trader and a supervisor underwent retraining. DraftKings was fined for taking bets on unapproved events including Russian basketball for nine months in 2020 and 2021. It eventually voided over $61,000 in bets and returned the money to customers after being directed to do so by the state. In this case, Kambi told the division it misidentified this particular Russian basketball league as one that was approved for wagering in New Jersey. DraftKings told the state it did not catch the error, either. In 2020, DraftKings accepted 484 wagers on unapproved table tennis matches. Kambi incorrectly enabled the events for wagering without conditions required by the state, the division said. In Feb. 2022, the division said DraftKings took pre-season NFL bets involving specific players but did not give the state specific information on what information was to be included in the bets, drawing 182 wagers worth nearly $7,000 that were later voided and refunded to customers. Follow Wayne Parry on X at www.twitter.com/WayneParryACrich9 com login register 。

GDIN Successfully Supports Establishment of 10 New Joint Ventures in 2024 AloneNo. 14 Arizona State and No. 17 Iowa State would play for the Big 12 title and likely College Football Playoff spot on Dec. 7 if they both win Saturday and there's a four-way tie for first place. There are seven other teams that begin this week with hopes, slim in most cases, of getting into the game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Last week it was No. 19 BYU and No. 23 Colorado that had the inside track to the championship game. Arizona State beat the Cougars and Kansas knocked off the Buffaloes, and here we are. "Everybody counted us out, I think, two weeks ago," Iowa State coach Matt Campbell said after his team beat Utah 31-28. "We didn't flinch. We didn't waver. And we just keep fighting." The Cyclones were national darlings the first half of the season as they won seven straight games to match the best start in program history. Back-to-back losses to Texas Tech and Kansas followed. Now they've won two straight heading into "Farmageddon," their rivalry game against Kansas State at home. "Right now they've got the pen and they continue to write the story," Campbell said of his players, "and I hope they will continue to write it the way they've got the ability to write it. Unwavering. Tough, mentally tough, physically tough. This group has stood for it every step of the way." Arizona State has been an even better story than the Cyclones. The Sun Devils have six more wins than they did last season, when they went 3-9. They were picked to finish last in their first year in the Big 12. They'll go for their fifth straight victory when they play at Arizona on Saturday. "These guys came off no momentum and everybody doubting them, and everybody is still doubting them. That's what makes this special," second-year coach Kenny Dillingham said. "Hopefully the expectations become higher. I don't know if there's a way we can exceed expectations more than we're exceeding them right now." Checking in on five of the Top 25: The Ducks were idle Saturday after clinching a spot in the Big Ten championship game with their win at Wisconsin on Nov. 16. Oregon can go 12-0 in the regular season for the first time since 2010 if it beats Washington at home this week. Oregon's only two losses last season came against the Huskies, both decided by three points. The first was a top-10 matchup in the regular season and the second was a top-five matchup in the Pac-12 championship game. The Ducks are 19 1/2-point favorites this time, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. The Buckeyes' showdown with upstart Indiana combined with Michigan's dropoff after winning the national championship have lowered the volume on this week's meeting with the Wolverines at the Horseshoe. If Michigan beats Ohio State a fourth straight time and it keeps the Buckeyes out of the Big Ten championship game and playoff ... well, there'll be lots of noise in Columbus then. The Lone Star Showdown returns to the gridiron for the first time since 2011, when Texas and Texas A&M were in the Big 12. The Longhorns head to No. 20 Texas A&M on a four-game win streak. The Aggies have lost two of three after Saturday's four-overtime loss at Auburn. The winner advances to the Southeastern Conference championship game against Georgia. The Broncos are tied with Notre Dame for the second-longest active win streak, at nine games, and they seem to have adopted a survive-and-advance mantra. They trailed 23-point underdog Wyoming in the fourth quarter before winning 17-13 and clinching a spot in the Mountain West championship game. They won their previous game, 42-21 against San Jose State, but didn't pull away until the fourth quarter. Two weeks ago they beat a three-win Nevada team 28-21. Just when you think Illinois is about to cash in for the season, they do what they did against Rutgers. The Illini were down 31-30 when they lined up for a 58-yard field goal with 14 seconds left. Ethan Moczulski missed. But wait. Rutgers called timeout before the snap, and Bret Bielema thought better of trying another kick and sent his offense back on the field. Luke Altmyer passed to Pat Bryant for the winning 40-yard touchdown. The Illini won't play for the Big Ten title, but they have a chance for nine wins and a nice bowl. Ohio State played in three of the five regular-season top-five matchups and won three of them. The Buckeyes lost to Oregon and beat Penn State and Indiana. ... Kansas' 37-21 win over Colorado made the Jayhawks the first FBS team with a losing record to beat three straight Top 25 opponents. The Jayhawks, who were 2-6 a month ago, will be bowl eligible if they win at Baylor. ... Nebraska ended the longest power conference bowl drought with its 44-25 win over Wisconsin. The Cornhuskers haven't played in a bowl since 2016.Muscat Nights Festival has entered a new era spreading over seven locations for the first time. Al Qurum Natural Park, a floral paradise with over a million blooms, has become a key highlight of this year’s celebrations. In an interview with Oman TV, Ahmed bin Mohammed al Humaidi, Chairman of Muscat Municipality, stated, “For the first time, the festival is being held in as many as seven locations, offering a variety of activities, including sports, entertainment and cultural events.” Muscat Nights Festival 2024 features numerous entertainment and tourism events spread across Amerat Park, Al Naseem Public Park, Oman Automobile Association, Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre, Al Hail Beach and Wadi al Khoud, besides Al Qurum Natural Park, several cultural centres and shopping malls. These locations were selected to ensure accessibility for residents and visitors throughout the capital. Humaidi informed that a global element has been incorporated in the festival to enhance its appeal. Amerat Park is hosting ‘Hybrid Show’, organised by an international company, features cutting-edge technology and creating a unique experience for visitors. The flower festival at Al Qurum Natural Park is being held of the first time at Muscat Nights Festival. Additionally, Sur al Hadeed Beach is hosting a range of sports activities, adding to the festival’s diverse offerings. Elaborating on the activities at Sur al Hadeed Beach, Humaidi said it includes a wide range of activities – beach soccer and volleyball competitions, fire performances, giant chess board matches, graffiti art, live music shows and service kiosks offering various amenities throughout the festival ground. “Spread over 4,000sqm, the Hybrid Show blends live performances with modern digital technologies, such as augmented and virtual reality, to create an unprecedented interactive experience for the audience.” Humaidi further added, “We have designated areas at the seven locations for visitors to take photos and enjoy the events.” Highlighting the involvement of small and medium enterprises and productive families, Humaidi said, “Over 900 SMEs and enterprising families are participating in the festival to present their products and services. The festival provides a significant platform for these businesses to showcase their offerings to nearly one million anticipated visitors.” On the organisational front, Muscat Municipality has deployed more than 700 personnel at the festival venues to manage the event. Humaidi emphasised the importance of engaging youth in the festival’s activities, stating, “We are keen to involve young people in an organised manner to ensure a unique and integrated experience for visitors. We also aim to engage students who need work experience, helping them transition into the labour market immediately after graduation.” According to Humaidi, to support this initiative Muscat Municipality will collaborate with educational institutions to provide certificates of experience to participating students, with plans to expand this programme in future festivals.The energy sector is quite volatile due to fluctuating prices of commodities such as oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids. So, investing in energy infrastructure companies might seem better than gaining exposure to traditional oil and gas upstream entities. First, infrastructure companies typically generate revenue from service fees and equipment sales, shielding them from direct exposure to commodity prices. Moreover, infrastructure companies often generate higher returns on invested capital since they don’t own depleting assets like oil reserves. One such is ( ). Valued at a of $2.25 billion, TerraVest stock went public in July 2004 and has since returned a monstrous 8,940% to shareholders in dividend-adjusted gains. Despite these market-thumping returns, the trades at a compelling valuation, making it an enticing pick in December 2024. Let’s see why TVK is the best energy stock to invest $2,000 in right now. TerraVest Industries manufactures residential and commercial heating products, propane and natural gas liquid storage and distribution equipment, and oil and gas processing equipment and services. Its product lines include home heating products, processing tanks, pressure vessels, and specialized transportation equipment for the energy sector. Over the years, TerraVest has grown through strategic acquisitions and operates multiple manufacturing facilities across Canada and the United States, serving both residential and industrial customers in the energy and heating sectors. As TerraVest serves multiple sectors, it provides investors with natural diversification. Moreover, it is better positioned to adapt to energy transition trends as the company’s expertise in pressure vessels and storage equipment can be applied to renewable natural gas or hydrogen infrastructure. In fiscal Q4 of 2024 (ended in September), TerraVest industries reported revenue of $238.1 million, up 58% year over year. TerraVest attributed top-line growth to strategic acquisitions and organic expansion, with base portfolio growth of 14%. While net income rose 50% to $14.4 million, adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization) more than doubled to $49 million in the September quarter. Its gross margins expanded from 22.2% to 29% over the past year, resulting in strong operating cash flow growth of 146%. Moreover, the cash available for distribution rose 141% to $32 million, allowing it to maintain a conservative dividend-payout ratio of 9%, down from 17% in the year-ago period. TerraVest’s strategic initiatives are centred on accretive acquisitions and operational improvements. Its acquisitions of AEPL, Highland Tank, and LV Energy Services over the last 12 months have allowed it to gain traction in multiple verticals, such as tank trailer manufacturing, water management, and storage tanks. TerraVest’s management remains optimistic about future growth, which should help it increase earnings, cash flow, and dividends over time. In the last 10 years, TerraVest has raised dividends from $0.4 per share to $0.7 per share. A low payout ratio and a growing cash flow base give TerraVest the flexibility to be aggressive with dividend hikes. Moreover, the company’s debt-free balance sheet shields it from elevated interest rates. Analysts tracking the TSX stock expect adjusted earnings to rise by $3.3 per share in fiscal 2024 to $5.2 per share in 2026. So, priced at 22 times , TVK stock trades at a reasonable valuation and is priced at a discount of 14% to consensus target estimates.

Israel launches new airstrikes on Lebanon as leaders draw closer to ceasefire with HezbollahUnlock Nvidia’s Secret: Huge Stock Moves Ahead! Discover What’s Next

Empire Global Entertainment CEO, McThomas Femi Announces European Tour

Act II PV Wraps Up The Season With Follies

Even with technology taking over much of our day-to-day lives, board games still offer quality entertainment that can’t be beaten. Of course, the popular board games of today are a far cry from the games your parents grew up playing. Board games are perfect for encouraging your family to work together or for bringing your group of friends around the table for an evening. If you’d like to start up a weekly game night, let this helpful list of the most popular board games be your guide. Utter Nonsense Ages 8+ This game will have every player rolling in stitches with each ridiculous phrase that’s uttered. Combine crazy accents and hilarious phrases to impress the Nonsense Judge and win the round. The player with the highest number of wins ultimately wins the game, but the true fun of this card game is listening to your fellow players trying to say some of the most entertaining phrases of all time. This game is perfect for game nights or parties. Speak Out Ages 8+ This hilarious game is perfect if you have teenagers or are hosting a party with all adults. To play, you insert a mouthpiece that alters the sound of your speech, making every word sound silly. Set the timer and read one of the phrases on the cards and try to help your teammate guess what you’re saying. Speak Out easily provides hours of fun that even grandparents will love. Escape Room in a Box Ages 13+ What’s the next best thing to trying to break out of a room? Escape Room in a Box, of course. This thrilling, immersive game involves solving 2D and 3D puzzles in order to prevent a mad scientist from turning you and your friends or family into werewolves. Work together to escape your fate and use Amazon Alexa to enhance the experience. Codenames Ages 14+ This fun strategy game is perfect for anyone with teenagers. Form two teams and select a spymaster on each team. Using clues, spymasters try to help their teammates find all 25 of the agents they’re in contact with, hopefully without selecting the other team’s agents or running into the deadly assassin. This innovative game offers a challenging and rewarding time working together. ​​​​​​​Harry Potter Clue Ages 9+ Excite your kids on game night with this modern twist on a classic. Play as six recognizable Hogwarts characters — Harry, Hermione, Ron, Luna, Ginny or Neville — to solve the mystery behind a fellow student’s disappearance. It’s up to you to figure out who attacked the student, what bewitching spell they used and where it occurred. Watch out for the Dark Mark, moving staircases and secret passages as you travel along in this magical family game. ​​​​​​​Pandemic Ages 8+ If you’ve ever wanted to save humanity from a deadly outbreak, you’ll love spending an hour playing Pandemic. You and your teammates must fight to contain four deadly diseases threatening the human race. Players must learn to work with their teammates to control outbreak hotspots and treat diseases. Win the game by curing all diseases without wiping out humanity first. ​​​​​​​ Catan Ages 10+ This tactical 60-minute game will push your imagination to its limits as you embark on a journey across Catan. Acquire crucial resources as you travel, build roads, buildings, and cities, and be wary of the ruthless robber and other players halting you on your own road. Through careful trading and clever decisions, you can lead your travelers to victory in this role-playing game of limitless possibilities. Play again and again. Every game is different. Ticket to Ride Ages 8+ Train lovers will enjoy this innovative board game which has won numerous awards. This cross-country train adventure game mimics the concept of traveling around the world in 80 days. Collect train cars and claim railways across the country. Players earn the most points by establishing long train routes and connecting distant cities. Each game takes roughly 30 to 40 minutes to complete, and every adventure is different. ​​​​​​​5 Second Rule Ages 10+ This quick-paced game gives each player five seconds to name items on a certain topic. Although the topics are objectively easy —“Name 3 Mountains,” “Name 3 Types of Hats” or “Name 3 Super Heroes,” the pressure of the time crunch is likely to put you on edge. Race the clock and remain composed to win this game. You can even make up your own topics if you prefer. Half the fun is just hearing what other people blurt out, whether it’s relevant to the topic or not. Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change. Check out our Daily Deals for the best products at the best prices and sign up here to receive the BestReviews weekly newsletter full of shopping inspo and sales. BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers. BestReviews and its newspaper partners may earn a commission if you purchase a product through one of our links.Cross-border shopping has become increasingly popular as more Hongkongers head north for better value for money. While the lower price tags for many goods and services on the mainland appeal to consumers, there is every reason to resist when it comes to fresh produce and uncooked food. During the first eight months of this year, the number of illegal imports of food items at land border checkpoints had already reached 1,324, surpassing the total of 1,019 cases for the whole of last year. The majority involved raw meat, up from 467 cases last year to 817 cases by August this year. There were 374 caught with uncertified eggs, more than triple the 118 intercepted over the whole of last year, according to the Customs and Excise Department. There is arguably nothing wrong with consumers opting for cheaper prices elsewhere. But to do so at the expense of the law is unacceptable. There are reasons why the import of raw food is under strict control. Some countries are known for their zero tolerance and stiff penalties against unauthorised import of fresh produce and food products. The tough regime serves to protect food safety and avoid spreading plant pests and animal diseases. In Hong Kong, anyone importing “game, meat, poultry and eggs” must have a health certificate from the place of origin or written consent from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department. Failing to do so can lead to a fine of up to HK$50,000 and up to six months in jail.Prominent figure from Canada's trucker protests against COVID-19 restrictions found guilty

Fast fashion is everywhere – in just about every mall, in the feeds of influencers on social media promoting overconsumption, and in ads constantly popping up online. Its focus on the continual production of new clothing is marked by speedy fashion cycles that give it its name. Fast fashion is intended to quickly copy high-end designs, but with low-quality materials, resulting in poorly made clothing intended to be worn once or twice before being thrown away. One of fast fashion's leading companies, Zara, has a mission to put clothes in stores 15 days after the initial design. Another, Shein, adds up to 2,000 new items to its website daily. While others in the fashion industry are working toward more sustainable clothing, fast fashion is focused on profit. The market's value was estimated at about US$100 billion in 2022 and growing quickly. It's a large part of the reason global clothing production doubled from 2000 to 2014. The big winners in this game are the corporations. The industry has a reputation for exploiting workers and for excessive pollution and extraordinary waste. Consumers are pulled into an unhealthy, spiraling pressure to buy more as cheap clothes fall apart fast. Fast fashion also has a growing impact on the global climate. It is responsible for an estimated 8% to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and its emissions are projected to grow quickly as the industry expands. I teach courses that explore fast fashion and sustainability. The industry's growth seems unstoppable – but a combination of legislation and willpower might just rein it in. Understanding the harm About 60% of fast-fashion items are made from synthetic textiles derived from plastics and chemicals that start their life as fossil fuels. When this synthetic clothing is laundered or thrown in landfills to decompose, it can release microplastics into the environment. Microplastics contain chemicals including phthalates and bisphenol A that can affect the health of humans and animals. Natural fibers have their own impacts on the environment. Growing cotton requires large quantities of water, and pesticides can run off from farmlands into streams, rivers and bays. Water is also used in chemically treating and dyeing textiles. A 2005 United Nations-led report on cotton's water use estimated that, on average, a single cotton T-shirt requires about 700 gallons of water from crop to clothing rack, with about 300 gallons of that water used for irrigation. The chemicals used to process textiles for clothing for the fashion industry also contaminate wastewater with heavy metals, such as cadmium and lead, and toxic dyes. And that wastewater ends up in waterways in many countries, affecting the environment and wildlife. Fast fashion's high output also creates literally mountains of waste. More than 90 million tons of textile waste ends up in landfills globally each year, by one estimate, adding to greenhouse gases as it slowly decomposes. Only a small percentage of discarded clothing is recycled. From fashionista to environmental guardian In many cultures, people's self-perception is intimately connected to fashion choices, reflecting culture and alliances. The allure of buying new items comes from many sources. Influencers on social media play into FOMO – the fear of missing out. Cheap items can also lead to impulse buys. Research shows that shopping can also create a euphoric sense of happiness. However, fast fashion's speed and marketing can also train consumers into "psychological obsolescence," causing them to dislike purchases they previously enjoyed, so they quickly replace them with new purchases. Famous personalities may be helping to push back on this trend. Social media explodes when a first lady or Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, wears an outfit more than once. The movement #30wearschallenge is starting with small steps, by urging consumers to plan to wear every piece of clothing they buy at least 30 times. Upcycling – turning old clothing into new clothing items – and buying sustainable and high-quality clothes that can last for years is being promoted by the United Nations and other organizations, including alliances in the fashion industry. Some influencers are also promoting more sustainable fashion brands. Research has shown that peer influence can be a powerful driver for making more sustainable choices. The largest market for fast fashion is Gen Z, ages 12 to 27, many of whom are also concerned about climate change and might reconsider their fast-fashion buys if they recognized the connections between fast fashion and environmental harm. Some governments are also taking steps to reduce waste from fashion and other consumer products. The European Union is developing requirements for clothing to last longer and prohibiting companies from throwing out unsold textiles and footwear. France has pending legislation that, if passed, would ban publicity for fast-fashion companies and their products, require them to post the environmental impact of their products, and levy fines for violations. Changes in consumer habits, new technologies and legislation can each help reduce demand for unsustainable fashion. The cost of cheap clothes worn a few times also adds up. Next time you buy clothing, think about the long-term value to you and the planet. (The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

What's open and closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 2024?

Biden is scrambling to change the war in Ukraine before Trump takes over

Amid limited availability of di-ammonium phosphate (DAP), a traditionally popular fertiliser for rabi crops, Punjab has achieved 87% of the targeted 35 lakh hectares under wheat for the 2024-25 rabi season even as the recommended time to complete sowing passed 10 days ago. Experts at the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) said delayed sowing is not a cause for concern as the temperature at the onset of the winter season was comparatively warmer, and the current climatic conditions are becoming conducive for sowing. The wheat sowing trends suggest that the burning of paddy biomass is nearing culmination, the agricultural experts said. Official sources in the Punjab mandi board said that out of 2,980 mandis operational to procure key kharif crop of rice more than 950 have already been winded up operations. “Presently, about 2,000 mandis across the state are functional and most will be closed this month end as paddy season is almost over. Mandis will be operational in December to facilitate the purchase of basmati rice crop,” said a senior functionary of the board. Wheat sowing began on time from November 1 and wheat experts at PAU and field officials of the state agriculture department say this year the sowing of the main rabi crop was slower than the last season. The experts attribute the ongoing sluggish sowing trend to the delay in paddy harvesting due to tardy procurement and lifting of the rice crop. State agriculture secretary Ajit Balaji Joshi said that till November 25, wheat sowing has been completed on 30.24 lakh hectares. “We are expecting a good rabi season. There is sufficient availability of DAP in the state,” said Joshi while evading the query to furnish the latest data on stock available with Punjab. With 2.39 lakh hectares area under wheat, Bathinda district is leading among the 23 districts of the state till November 25 followed by Ludhiana (2.28 lakh hectares), Patiala (2.23 lakh hectares), Sangrur (2.22 lakh hectares) and Muktsar (1.96 lakh hectares). PAU wheat expert Virinder Singh Sohu said the climatic conditions during winters would determine yield and sowing is in the final stage. “In the last two rabi seasons, climatic conditions had also affected the sowing trend. Delayed sowing will solely not affect yield as favourable weather can compensate the six-month crop in the later stage,” said Sohu, head of the plant breeding and genetics department on Monday. DAP pangs persist District administrations and field officials of the state agriculture confirmed the shortage of DAP but added that recommended alternatives are available. DAP is used at the time of sowing of the crop. It cannot be used afterwards. Bathinda deputy commissioner Showkat Ahmad Parray said farmers should not panic and follow the instructions of the experts to use organic fertilisers to maintain soil productivity. Muktsar chief agriculture officer Gurnam Singh said farmers are being encouraged to consider alternative fertilisers like NPK (which contains 12% nitrogen, 32% phosphorus, and 16% potassium), Triple Super Phosphate (TSP) and Single Super Phosphate (SSP), which provides phosphorus, sulphur, calcium and traces of other micronutrients.Israel 's military launched airstrikes across Lebanon on Monday, unleashing explosions throughout the country and killing at least 12 while Israeli leaders appeared to be closing in on a negotiated ceasefire with the Hezbollah militant group. Israeli strikes hit commercial and residential buildings in Beirut as well as in the port city of Tyre. Military officials said they targeted areas known as Hezbollah strongholds. They issued evacuation orders for Beirut's southern suburbs, and strikes landed across the city, including meters from a Lebanese police base and the city's largest public park. The barrage came as officials indicated they were nearing agreement on a ceasefire, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 's Security Cabinet prepared to discuss an offer on the table. Airstrikes kill at least 12 Massive explosions lit up Lebanon's skies with flashes of orange, sending towering plumes of smoke into the air as Israeli airstrikes pounded Beirut’s southern suburbs Monday. The blasts damaged buildings and left shattered glass and debris scattered across nearby streets. No casualties were reported after many residents fled the targeted sites. Some of the strikes landed close to central Beirut and near Christian neighborhoods and other targets where Israel had issued evacuation warnings, including in Tyre and Nabatieh province. Israeli airstrikes also hit the northeast Baalbek-Hermel region without warning. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Monday that at least 12 people were killed in the strikes in the Tyre province, adding to the more than 3,700 people in Lebanon who have been killed since Israel launched its invasion two months ago. Many of those killed since the start of the war between Israel and Hezbollah have been civilians, and health officials said some of the recovered bodies were so severely damaged that DNA testing would be required to confirm their identities. Israel says it has killed more than 2,000 Hezbollah members. Lebanon's Health Ministry says the war has displaced 1.2 million people. The latest round of airstrikes came weeks after Israeli ground forces invaded southern Lebanon in early October, meeting heavy resistance in a narrow strip of land along the border. The military had previously exchanged attacks across the border with Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group that began firing rockets into Israel the day after the war in Gaza began last year. Lebanese politicians have decried the ongoing airstrikes and said they are impeding U.S.-led ceasefire negotiations. The country's deputy parliament speaker accused Israel of ramping up its bombardment in order to pressure Lebanon to make concessions in indirect ceasefire negotiations with Hezbollah. Elias Bousaab, an ally of the militant group, said Monday that the pressure has increased because “we are close to the hour that is decisive regarding reaching a ceasefire.” Hopes grow for a ceasefire Israeli officials voiced similar optimism Monday about prospects for a ceasefire. Mike Herzog, the country's ambassador to Washington, earlier in the day told Israeli Army Radio that several points had yet to be finalized. Though any deal would require agreement from the government, Herzog said Israel and Hezbollah were “close to a deal." “It can happen within days,” he said. Israeli officials have said the sides are close to an agreement that would include withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and a pullback of Hezbollah fighters from the Israeli border. But several sticking points remain. Two Israeli officials told The Associated Press that Netanyahu’s security Cabinet had scheduled a meeting for Tuesday, but they said it remained unclear whether the Cabinet would vote to approve the deal. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing internal deliberations. Danny Danon, Israel’s U.N. ambassador, told reporters Monday that he expected a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah to have stages and to be discussed by leaders Monday or Tuesday. Still, he warned, “it’s not going to happen overnight.” After previous hopes for a ceasefire were dashed, U.S. officials cautioned that negotiations were not yet complete and noted that there could be last-minute hitches that either delay or destroy an agreement. "Nothing is done until everything is done," White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Monday. The proposal under discussion to end the fighting calls for an initial two-month ceasefire during which Israeli forces would withdraw from Lebanon and Hezbollah would end its armed presence along the southern border south of the Litani River. The withdrawals would be accompanied by an influx of thousands more Lebanese army troops, who have been largely sidelined in the war, to patrol the border area along with an existing U.N. peacekeeping force. Western diplomats and Israeli officials said Israel is demanding the right to strike in Lebanon if it believes Hezbollah is violating the terms. The Lebanese government has said that such an arrangement would authorize violations of the country's sovereignty. A ceasefire could mark a step toward ending the regionwide war that ballooned after Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting another 250. The lack of a ceasefire has emerged as a political liability for Israeli leaders including Netanyahu, particularly while 60,000 Israelis remain away from their homes in the country's north after more than a year of cross-border violence. Hezbollah rockets have reached as far south into Israel as Tel Aviv. At least 75 people have been killed, more than half of them civilians. More than 50 Israeli soldiers died fighting in the ground offensive in Lebanon. The Israeli military said about 250 projectiles were fired Sunday, with some intercepted. A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, the strongest of Iran’s armed proxies, is expected to significantly calm regional tensions that have led to fears of a direct, all-out war between Israel and Iran. It’s not clear how the ceasefire will affect the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Hezbollah had long insisted that it would not agree to a ceasefire until the war in Gaza ends, but it dropped that condition. While the proposal is expected to be approved if Netanyahu brings it to a vote in his security Cabinet, one hard-line member, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, said he would oppose it. He said on X that a deal with Lebanon would be a “big mistake” and a “missed historic opportunity to eradicate Hezbollah.” If the ceasefire talks fail, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said, “it will mean more destruction and more and more animosity and more dehumanization and more hatred and more bitterness.” Speaking at a G7 meeting in Fiuggi, Italy, the last summit of its kind before U.S. President Joe Biden leaves office, Safadi said such a failure "will doom the future of the region to more conflict and more killing and more destruction.” ___ Federman reported from Jerusalem and Metz from Rabat, Morocco. Associated Press writers Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations, Nicole Winfield in Fiuggi, Italy, and Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed to this report. ___ Find more of AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

WASHINGTON (AP) — The chair of the Democratic National Committee informed party leaders on Monday that the DNC will choose his successor in February, an election that will speak volumes about how the party wants to present itself during four more years of Donald Trump in the White House. Jaime Harrison, in a letter to members of the party’s powerful Rules & Bylaws Committee, outlined the process of how the party will elect its new chair. Harrison said in the letter that the committee will host four candidate forums — some in person and some virtually — in January, with the final election on Feb. 1 during the party’s winter meeting in National Harbor, Maryland. The race to become the next chair of the Democratic National Committee, while an insular party affair, will come days after Trump is inaugurated for a second term. Democrats' selection of a leader after Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2024 loss will be a key starting point as the party starts to move forward, including addressing any structural problems and determining how to oppose Trump. Members of the Rules & Bylaws Committee will meet on Dec. 12 to establish the rules for these elections, which beyond the chair position will include top party roles like vice chairs, treasurer, secretary and national finance chair. The committee will also use that meeting to decide the requirements for gaining access to the ballot for those top party roles. In 2021, candidates were required to submit a nominating statement that included signatures from 40 DNC members and that will likely be the same standard for the 2025 campaigns. “The DNC is committed to running a transparent, equitable, and impartial election for the next generation of leadership to guide the party forward,” Harrison said in a statement. “Electing the Chair and DNC officers is one of the most important responsibilities of the DNC Membership, and our staff will run an inclusive and transparent process that gives members the opportunity to get to know the candidates as they prepare to cast their votes.” Two Democrats have announced campaigns for chair: Ken Martin, chair of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and a vice chair of the national party, and Martin O’Malley, the former Maryland governor and current commissioner of the Social Security Administration. Other top Democrats are either considering a run to succeed Harrison or are being pushed by party insiders, including former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke; Michael Blake, a former vice chair of the party; Ben Wikler, chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin; Rahm Emanuel, the U.S. ambassador to Japan and a former Chicago mayor; Sen. Mallory McMorrow, majority whip of the Michigan Senate, and Chuck Rocha, a longtime Democratic strategist. The next chair of the committee will be tasked with rebuilding a party demoralized by a second Trump victory. They will also oversee the party’s 2028 nominating process, a complex and contentious exercise that will make the chair central to the next presidential election. Harrison, of South Carolina, made clear in his letter to the rules committee that the four forums hosted by the party would be live streamed and the party would give grassroots Democrats across the country the ability to engage with the process through those events. He also said he intends to remain neutral during the chair election. ___ This story has been corrected to show that McMorrow is a senator, not a representative. Dan Merica, The Associated Press

After a week of absolutely insane headlines, Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update hosts Colin Jost and Michael Che had no shortage of material to dig into. Leading the charge was the massive social media frenzy over the shooting of... Chance Townsend