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AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- After their Open Loot marketplace platform utility token ($OL) announcement, Big Time Studios is thrilled to announce that the crypto industry's most popular and successful NFT video game of 2024, Big Time , will release its Player vs. Player (PvP) mode on December 2. After a Preseason Phase (closed beta) with record-breaking engagement and marketplace volume, players will be able to experience thrilling and competitive PvP battles and showcase their dominance in the Big Time universe. New Gameplay Trailer : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXvjMRqmpa0 Big Time Overview " Big Time is a multiplayer action RPG for PC that combines fast-paced combat with the industry's most successful and proven open-game economy. Humanity teeters on the edge of extinction as the walls of spacetime crumble. Eras of history clash and dark forces surge through temporal rifts. At the universe's end, the player and their team are summoned for the greatest adventure in history. The fate of all time rests with them. Players can embark on a hero's quest to the farthest reaches of space and time. Dive into treacherous dungeons, craft and discover rare collectibles, and unlock mysterious boxes. Players must harness epic abilities, uncover hidden mysteries, and brave countless dangers. Face off against familiar foes and rival teams in the ultimate adventure to save humanity. Players can create and exchange game items, enjoying a seamless experience with unobtrusive web3 elements. Whether adventuring solo or with friends, they will battle monsters across various historical periods, gather digital collectibles and $BIGTIME tokens, and craft unique items. The adventure is limitless in Big Time." Early Access Success During its Early Access phase, Big Time achieved different milestones making it the most successful NFT game, outperforming all other 2024 released games: PvP in Big Time features thrilling PvEvP events where teams spend $BIGTIME to enter a PvP portal, march towards a central objective, battle both enemies and other teams to claim victory, and the winning team takes the $BIGTIME winning prize. Matches last between 30-45 minutes, offering intense and strategic gameplay. How to Start a PvP Portal Big Time Studios , founded by Ari Meilich, has a mission to revolutionize the NFT gaming experience. Big Time Studios integrates high-quality games with blockchain technology, offering players better gaming experiences. The curated Open Loot platform gives developers the opportunity to reach a wider audience and drive engagement through unique in-game rewards and events, while players can benefit from exclusive access to high-quality games, special NFT sales, in-game perks, and airdrops. Big Time Studios' Open Loot platform has facilitated nearly half a billion dollars in total transaction volume, underscoring its commitment to creating a dynamic and engaging ecosystem for gamers worldwide. For more information, users visit Big Time Studios' website . Contact CMO Michael Migliero Big Time Studios [email protected]
Peppers missed seven games since being placed on the list on Oct. 9 after he was arrested and charged with shoving his girlfriend’s head into a wall and choking her. The league said its review is ongoing and is not affected by the change in Peppers’ roster status. Braintree, Massachusetts, police said they were called to a home for an altercation between two people on Oct. 7, and a woman told them Peppers choked her. Police said they found at the home a clear plastic bag containing a white powder, which later tested positive for cocaine. Peppers, 29, pleaded not guilty in Quincy District Court to charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and possession of a Class “B” substance believed to be cocaine. At a court appearance last week a trial date was set for Jan. 22. “Any act of domestic violence is unacceptable for us,” Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said after the arrest. “With that being said, I do think that Jabrill has to go through the system, has to continue to go through due process. We’ll see how that works out.” A 2017 first-round draft choice by Cleveland, Peppers spent two seasons with the Browns and three with the New York Giants before coming to New England in 2022. He was signed to an extension this summer. He played in the first four games of the season and missed one with a shoulder injury before going on the exempt list, which allows NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to place a player on paid leave while reviewing his case. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Money can’t buy happiness or a presidential election. Democratic donors just learned that the hard way. After a candidate loses a high-profile, competitive race, the blame game begins. There are many places to point the finger when assessing Vice President Kamala Harris’ run. She entered the race late and only after President Joe Biden had a career-ending debate implosion. She didn’t run a primary gauntlet, which meant voters didn’t know her very well. Having to endure even a token primary may have helped her improve her interview skills. She struggled to separate herself from the failed policies of the Biden-Harris administration. She took a number of radical positions when running for president in 2019. The Trump campaign effectively used her own words to show voters that she was a radical leftist. But one common excuse for political failure, a lack of funding, doesn’t apply. Harris spent an astonishing $1.5 billion during her 15-week campaign. That works out to around $100 million a week. But even that understates her financial resources. When combined with Biden’s fundraising, the two Democratic campaigns had more than $2.1 billion, according to The New York Times. The Times reported the Trump campaign and Republican Party raised $1.2 billion. Money is certainly an important factor in political races. But the election results show its limits. “There is not a single expenditure in a different spot that would have changed the outcome of the race,” Bakari Sellers, a close ally of Harris, told the Times. Instead, “we had so much money it was hard to get it out the door.” Perhaps this explains why the Harris campaign spent millions on celebrity performances and social media influencers. It even paid $900,000 to advertise on the Las Vegas Sphere. All this is especially ironic given the progressive battle to limit free speech by restricting political expenditures. The far-left Brennan Center for Justice says it’s committed to a “long-term push to overturn Citizens United,” in which the Supreme Court affirmed that arbitrary limits on political spending ran afoul of the Bill of Rights. During oral arguments, the government admitted that the law in question would potentially allow federal regulators to ban books. Ouch. Despite the massive fundraising numbers, Axios reported recently that the Harris campaign is likely to conclude with “millions of dollars in debt.” There’s an old adage about politicians not being responsible with other people’s money. That’s certainly true when it comes to taxpayer dollars. In Harris’ case, it applied to her donors as well. They may have been costly, but the Harris campaign has provided the American public with valuable lessons. Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Trump says he will nominate former George Soros money manager Scott Bessent to lead the Treasury DepartmentMARKET REPORT: ITV shares surge as it's targeted for takeover By HUGO DUNCAN Updated: 22:01, 25 November 2024 e-mail View comments Shares in ITV jumped on reports it has become a takeover target. The stock rose 8.6 per cent, or 5.65p, to 71.15p though it remains down more than 70 per cent since its peak almost a decade ago. The business, which is home to shows including Coronation Street and Love Island, and whose production arm ITV Studios is behind recent hits such as Rivals for Disney+, is now valued at £2.5billion. Shares have been dragged down in recent years by worries over advertising spend and the profitability of its streaming service ITV X. This has prompted speculation that the company could be sold or broken up, with its Studios production arm split off from the broadcasting division. Over the weekend, Sky News said private equity giant CVC Capital Partners was interested in a deal. The report said CVC was planning to team up with a European broadcaster such as France’s Groupe TF1, and the pair would then split the company with CVC taking on Studios and the broadcasting arm going to TF1. Takeover target: ITV, whose production arm ITV Studios is behind recent hits such as Rivals for Disney+, is now valued at £2.5bn All3Media, owned by RedBird Capital, and Mediawan, backed by the private equity giant KKR, were also said to be interested in ITV Studios. Global stock markets edged higher and US borrowing costs fell as investors welcomed Donald Trump’s decision to pick fund manager Scott Bessent to be US Treasury Secretary when he returns to the White House. Jefferies economist Mohit Kumar described Bessent as ‘pro-growth but also fiscally conservative’, adding: ‘Trump’s pick supports our view that concerns of massive fiscal expansion under Trump are exaggerated.’ The FTSE 100 inched up 0.4 per cent, or 29.6p, to 8291.68 and the FTSE 250 advanced 0.8 per cent, or 167.57 points, to 20749.26. JD Sports shares surged 10 per cent, or 9.34p, to 102.8p after analysts at Deutsche Bank raised their rating on the self-styled ‘King of Trainers’ from ‘sell’ to ‘hold’ – a sign that they believe the stock has fallen far enough. RELATED ARTICLES Previous 1 Next The loss of ITV's independence would be a blow to creative... Backlash grows over failure on business rates as Kingfisher... Share this article Share HOW THIS IS MONEY CAN HELP How to choose the best (and cheapest) stocks and shares Isa and the right DIY investing account JD fell more than 15 per cent in a single session last week as it warned it may not hit the £1billion profit milestone this year due to weaker-than-expected trading. Even after yesterday’s mini-recovery, the shares are down nearly 40 per cent since mid-September. And while the Deutsche upgrade was welcome, UBS analysts cut their price target for the stock to 155p from 178p. Mining giant Anglo American has completed the first stage of its break-up with the £3billion sale of its Australian coal business to American firm Peabody Energy. The deal is part of a major restructuring plan launched after the London-listed firm fought off a £39billion takeover attempt from rival BHP (up 0.4 per cent, or 9p, to 2086p) earlier this year. Anglo shares added 1.4 per cent, or 32p, to 2391p Pest control group Rentokil Initial shares rose 1.5 per cent, or 6.2p, to 412.9p after the appointment former Flutter executive Paul Edgecliffe-Johnson as chief financial officer. Pharma giant AstraZeneca posted upbeat data from a trail of its cancer drug Truqap. Shares were flat at 10474p. Stock Watch - Benchmark Holdings Shares in Benchmark Holdings jumped 6.7 per cent, or 2.35p, to 37.7p after selling its genetics business for £260million. The company, which specialises in the breeding and harvesting of fish and shellfish, said Novo Holdings will pay £230million upfront plus £30million in future depending on performance. Novo Holdings is the controlling shareholder in Ozempic-maker Novo Nordisk. Benchmark plans to focus on its advanced nutrition and health interests. 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We do not write articles to promote products. We do not allow any commercial relationship to affect our editorial independence. More top storiesNCAA rule change already affecting junior hockey in Canada and U.S.
NEW YORK (AP) — Same iconic statue, very different race. With two-way star Travis Hunter of Colorado and Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty leading the field, these certainly aren't your typical Heisman Trophy contenders. Sure, veteran quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel from top-ranked Oregon and Cam Ward of No. 15 Miami are finalists for college football's most prestigious award as well, but the 90th annual ceremony coming up Saturday night at Lincoln Center in New York City offers a fresh flavor this year. To start with, none of the four are from the powerhouse Southeastern Conference, which has produced four of the past five Heisman winners — two each from Alabama and LSU. Jeanty, who played his home games for a Group of Five team on that peculiar blue turf in Idaho more than 2,100 miles from Manhattan, is the first running back even invited to the Heisman party since 2017. After leading the country with 2,497 yards rushing and 29 touchdowns, he joined quarterback Kellen Moore (2010) as the only Boise State players to be named a finalist. “The running back position has been overlooked for a while now," said Jeanty, who plans to enter the 2025 NFL draft. "There's been a lot of great running backs before me that should have been here in New York, so to kind of carry on the legacy of the running back position I think is great. ... I feel as if I'm representing the whole position.” With the votes already in, all four finalists spent Friday conducting interviews and sightseeing in the Big Apple. They were given custom, commemorative watches to mark their achievement. “I'm not a watch guy, but I like it,” said Hunter, flashing a smile. The players also took photos beneath the massive billboards in Times Square and later posed with the famous Heisman Trophy, handed out since 1935 to the nation's most outstanding performer. Hunter, the heavy favorite, made sure not to touch it yet. A dominant player on both offense and defense who rarely comes off the field, the wide receiver/cornerback is a throwback to generations gone by and the first full-time, true two-way star in decades. On offense, he had 92 catches for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns this season to help the 20th-ranked Buffaloes (9-3) earn their first bowl bid in four years. On defense, he made four interceptions, broke up 11 passes and forced a critical fumble that secured an overtime victory against Baylor. Hunter played 688 defensive snaps and 672 more on offense — the only Power Four conference player with 30-plus snaps on both sides of the ball, according to Colorado research. Call him college football’s answer to baseball unicorn Shohei Ohtani. “I think I laid the ground for more people to come in and go two ways,” Hunter said. “It starts with your mindset. If you believe you can do it, then you'll be able to do it. And also, I do a lot of treatment. I keep up with my body. I get a lot of recovery.” Hunter is Colorado's first Heisman finalist in 30 years. The junior from Suwanee, Georgia, followed flashy coach Deion Sanders from Jackson State, an HBCU that plays in the lower level FCS, to the Rocky Mountains and has already racked up a staggering combination of accolades this week, including The Associated Press player of the year. Hunter also won the Walter Camp Award as national player of the year, along with the Chuck Bednarik Award as the top defensive player and the Biletnikoff Award for best wide receiver. “It just goes to show that I did what I had to do,” Hunter said. Next, he'd like to polish off his impressive hardware collection by becoming the second Heisman Trophy recipient in Buffaloes history, after late running back Rashaan Salaam in 1994. “I worked so hard for this moment, so securing the Heisman definitely would set my legacy in college football,” Hunter said. “Being here now is like a dream come true.” Jeanty carried No. 8 Boise State (12-1) to a Mountain West Conference championship that landed the Broncos the third seed in this year's College Football Playoff. They have a first-round bye before facing the SMU-Penn State winner in the Fiesta Bowl quarterfinal on New Year’s Eve. The 5-foot-9, 215-pound junior from Jacksonville, Florida, won the Maxwell Award as college football’s top player and the Doak Walker Award for best running back. Jeanty has five touchdown runs of at least 70 yards and has rushed for the fourth-most yards in a season in FBS history — topping the total of 115 teams this year. He needs 132 yards to break the FBS record set by Heisman Trophy winner Barry Sanders at Oklahoma State in 1988. In a pass-happy era, however, Jeanty is trying to become the first running back to win the Heisman Trophy since Derrick Henry for Alabama nine years ago. In fact, quarterbacks have snagged the prize all but four times this century. Gabriel, an Oklahoma transfer, led Oregon (13-0) to a Big Ten title in its first season in the league and the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff. The steady senior from Hawaii passed for 3,558 yards and 28 touchdowns with six interceptions. His 73.2% completion rate ranks second in the nation, and he's attempting to join quarterback Marcus Mariota (2014) as Ducks players to win the Heisman Trophy. “I think all the memories start to roll back in your mind,” Gabriel said. Ward threw for 4,123 yards and led the nation with a school-record 36 touchdown passes for the high-scoring Hurricanes (10-2) after transferring from Washington State. The senior from West Columbia, Texas, won the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback of the Year award and is looking to join QBs Vinny Testaverde (1986) and Gino Torretta (1992) as Miami players to go home with the Heisman. “I just think there's a recklessness that you have to play with at the quarterback position,” Ward said. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-footballTrump’s lawyers rebuff DA's idea for upholding his hush money conviction, calling it 'absurd'
Tibbetts: It's time to crown some Buffalo Bills midseason MVPsQ&A: Mina Kimes' 'Christmas gift' is talking NFL all day on Netflix — and hopefully no glitchingCommerce Department to reduce Intel's funding on semiconductorsWeird and wacky things happened in Northeast Pennsylvania in 2024. Here are a few examples: Girl Scout cookie lawsuits Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania filed lawsuits in Lackawanna and Luzerne counties against parents who agreed to have their daughters sell hundreds of boxes of Girl Scout cookies, but never turned in the money. Once a parent signs an agreement form, ordering boxes of cookies to be sold and agreeing to remit the proceeds, the boxes cannot be returned as unsold and the parent is obligated to pay for the cookies, according to the complaints. A complaint filed against a Wilkes-Barre mother who ordered 452 boxes totaling $1,285, sought that amount plus collection fees incurred of $385.50, for a total of $1,670.50. Wrong brother released from LCCF Luzerne County Correctional Facility inmate Billy Partington was mistakenly released instead of his half-brother and fellow inmate Drake Partington in January, following a paperwork mixup that led to a case of mistaken identity. Billy Partington did not correct the mistake over his identity, signed his brother’s name and collected his brother’s personal effects, prosecutors alleged. Billy Partington was captured soon after his mistaken release and charged with a felony count of escape. Peanut butter suit A Plains Twp. man claimed Jif peanut butter contaminated with salmonella sickened him so badly two years ago that he felt the effects weeks later. Wayne Hinkin and his wife, Molly, sued the J.M. Smucker Co., which makes Jif, and Walmart Stores Inc., whose Sam’s Clubs sell it, in U.S. District Court in Scranton. Wayne Hinkin sought at least $75,000 in damages for negligence and liability for a defective product. Last January, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said testing at J.M. Smucker’s Lexington, Kentucky, plant showed the presence of salmonella in the months leading up to the company’s May 20, 2022, recall of infected peanut butter. Robot tows the line at Hanover Area In March, the Hanover Area School District purchased a small mobile robot for $19,940 to paint lines on outdoor athletic fields. The school board voted to approve the purchase from Denmark-based TinyMobileRobots, which is touted as the global leader in fully autonomous GPS line-marking robots. The company website says its robot for athletic fields weighs 55 pounds. It has three wheels and can be transported in the back of a car or minivan. “What it does is it goes by GPS coordinates,” Hanover Area Superintendent Nathan Barrett said. “It uses 50% less of the paint, and it reduces your personnel hours by 80%.” Dead squirrel shuts down store A dead squirrel, killed via electrocution outside the Laurel Mall in June, shut down Boscov’s department store until authorities determined the cause of smoke and flickering lights in the store. Hazle Twp. Fire Chief Scott Kostician said the squirrel got zapped near the old Ground Round Restaurant across the parking lot from Boscov’s. A transformer near the squirrel’s body emitted low voltage in one of its three phases, workers from PPL Electric found. Then electricians for Boscov’s detected an air handler’s motor had heated to 130 degrees and generated smoke. Low voltage also caused the store’s escalators and the backup generator to start and stop while computers and cash registered acted balky. Salt, not meth A Wilkes-Barre woman sold sea salt that she claimed to be methamphetamine, according to Scranton police who arrested her on Dec. 5. Chelsea Lehman, 34, was charged with drug-related offenses after police pulled her over because of a non-functioning front headlight on her vehicle. As Lehman was getting out of the vehicle, she asked to take her purse with her, a criminal complaint states. When officers searched it, they found a plastic bag that contained a white crystal-like substance. Lehman described the substance as “ice,” and then said it was only sea salt. An officer asked Lehman if she was ripping people off who thought they were buying crystal meth. She first admitted she was, then changed her story and said it was her husband’s friend who had been selling the sea salt as meth, according to the complaint. Poconos’ beloved heart-shaped hot tubs on sale The iconic pink and red heart-shaped hot tubs that have come to represent a historic slice of the Poconos were on sale in October on Facebook. A selection of classic “Garden of Eden” style pink and deep crimson hot tubs, as well as circular beds and other fixtures that lived in for decades at Pocono Palace, a couples-only resort near East Stroudsburg that changed owners in May just before closing its doors to undergo a rebranding, were up for grabs on the social media website. The asking price? A cool $800. Carbondalien festival celebrates ‘alien landing’ Those curious of life outside our world were able to participate in the Carbondalien Festival in November. The festival celebrated the 50th anniversary of the infamous incident near Russell Park in Carbondale that many believe was a UFO crash landing on Nov. 9, 1974. The event was hosted by the Carbondale Arts Alliance and will have vendors, food trucks, speakers, art and live music. Nicole Curtis, the Carbondalien Festival’s organizer, “Carbondalien-in-Chief” and co-owner of the City Line Shop Cafe in Carbondale, was inspired to start the festival as an alien art walk after seeing how art helped save other nearby small towns. “Office” themed 5K draws more than 1,500 participants The love for the television show “The Office” runs deep in NEPA. So deep that more than 1,500 people participated in a 5K dedicated to the Scranton-based show that aired from March 2005 through May 2013. The race, which also included a 1-mile walk, spoofed the “Michael Scott’s Dunder Mifflin Scranton Meredith Palmer Memorial Celebrity Rabies Awareness Pro-Am Fun Run Race For The Cure” featured in an episode of the popular NBC sitcom set in Scranton at the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Co. David Bosley of Scranton, board president of Valley In Motion, turned heads as Meredith Palmer in a slinky dress that included pixilated areas covering private parts. The outfit was inspired by an episode in which Meredith showed up for casual Friday in the “barely there” outfit. Bosley said he was humbled by the turnout for the event, which grew from about 300 participants in 2022, its inaugural year, to over 1,500 as of early Saturday. Reporter wins tractor pull Not many can claim to have won a tractor-pulling contest during their first-ever experience at the wheel of a tractor. But that’s what happened July 31, 2024, at the Schuylkill County Fair, when Pottsville Republican Herald reporter Hyun Soo Lee entered and won the celebrity tractor pull at the Curtis N. Luckenbill Memorial Track, Summit Station. As usual, the tractor pull — an annual fair tradition — saw an impressive pool of about a dozen celebrity contestants, including the county commissioners, state representatives and the state’s top conservation official. Also competing were the newly crowned fair royalty and the winners of the 2024 Greater Pottsville Winter Carnival. Lee took first place in the competition with a distance of 350.88 feet. ‘Magnet Man’ from New Philadelphia touches many lives with random acts of kindness Not only does Michael Bogish fashion heart-shaped refrigerator magnets, he gives them away to people he doesn’t even know. Though numerous people have offered, 79-year-old Bogish has steadfastly turned down offers to be paid for the magnets or the materials from which they’re made. “He believes it would take away from what he does,” Elaine Klimas Bogish said of her husband of 47 years. A retired industrial worker, Bogish insists that making refrigerator magnets is just a hobby. His daughter says giving away his magnets allows him to break the ice with people. The number of refrigerator magnets he’s given away over three decades, Bogish said, is impossible to estimate. Nazi banner removed from a display at the Schuylkill County Fair SUMMIT STATION – An original Nazi banner, stained with the blood of an American soldier who recovered it during World War II, was to be the centerpiece of a historical display at the 2024 Schuylkill County Fair in August. While the display was well-received by judges, who gave it first-place and Best of Show honors in the heirloom category, fair officials took down the banner ahead of the proceedings — a move that has saddened David and Linda Wolfe, who submitted it as a tribute to Linda’s late father. The Wolfes, who live near Auburn, said the display was meant to be a show of patriotism highlighting an important part of American history. While the fair allowed the entry to be judged as presented, the flag was folded and concealed from the public because of its potentially “objectionable” imagery, per fair guidelines. It was shown alongside other heirloom exhibits in the fairgrounds’ Arts and Crafts Building. The display honors late Army Cpl. William C. Green, wounded while recovering the flag during the Liberation of Paris in August 1944. Green’s blood stains can be seen on the white part of the swastika on the banner. David Wolfe said the display honors the nation’s veterans and is not a glorification of Nazism.
HIMS Stock Soars to All-Time High, Reaching $30.45San Francisco 49ers linebacker De'Vondre Campbell is done with the team after refusing to enter the game on Thursday night. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said the split was necessary based on Campbell's actions. A starter in 12 of the first 13 games, Campbell went to the bench with the return of previous starter Dre Greenlaw. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Cardlytics reports that card-linked cash-back offers represent a strategic stocking stuffer for smart shoppers navigating the expensive holiday landscape. Click for more. Holiday spending hacks: How to unwrap savings without sacrificing festive cheer
Global Launch Of “Chinese Visual Key Input Method” Successfully Held In DubaiNone
Trump’s wish to control Greenland and Panama Canal: not a joke this time
Pope Francis kicks off a yearlong Jubilee that will test his stamina and Rome's patience VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has opened the great Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica. The ceremony kicks off the 2025 Holy Year. It's a celebration of the Catholic Church that is expected to draw some 32 million pilgrims to Rome. And it will test the pope’s stamina and the ability of the Eternal City to welcome them. This begins the Christmas Eve Mass. The ceremony inaugurates the once-every-25-year tradition of a Jubilee. Francis has dedicated the 2025 Jubilee to the theme of hope. Bethlehem marks a second subdued Christmas Eve during the war in Gaza BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Bethlehem is marking another somber Christmas Eve under the shadow of war in Gaza. Manger Square lacked its usual festive lights and crowds of tourists on Tuesday. Instead, the area outside the Nativity Church was quiet. The church was built atop the spot where Jesus is believed to have been born. The war, the violence in the occupied West Bank it has spurred and the lack of festivities has deeply hurt Bethlehem's economy. The town relies heavily on Christmas tourism. The economy in the West Bank was already reeling because of restrictions placed on laborers preventing them from entering Israel during the war. Heavy travel day starts with brief grounding of all American Airlines flights WASHINGTON (AP) — American Airlines briefly grounded flights nationwide due to a technical problem just as the Christmas travel season kicked into overdrive and winter weather threatened more potential problems for those planning to fly or drive. Government regulators cleared American flights to get airborne Tuesday about one hour after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a national ground stop, which prevented planes from taking off. American said in an email that the problem was caused by an issue with a vendor technology that maintains its flight operating system. Aviation analytics company Cirium said flights were delayed across American’s major hubs, with only 37% leaving on time. Nineteen flights were cancelled. Middle East latest: Israel expels patients from a hospital in Gaza TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Palestinian Health Ministry says Israeli soldiers raided a hospital in isolated northern Gaza after forcing all the patients and most of the doctors to leave. The Israeli military confirmed its troops had entered the Indonesian Hospital in the town of Jabaliya on Tuesday, as part of an operation searching for Hamas fighters. Winter is hitting the Gaza Strip and many of the nearly 2 million Palestinians displaced by the devastating 15-month war are struggling to protect themselves from the wind, cold and rain. In the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian city of Bethlehem was marking a somber Christmas Eve under the shadow of war in Gaza, with most festivities cancelled and crowds of tourists absent. Caitlin Clark honored as AP Female Athlete of the Year following her impact on women's sports Caitlin Clark has been named the AP Female Athlete of the Year after raising the profile of women’s basketball to unprecedented levels in both college and the WNBA. She led Iowa to the national championship game, was the top pick in the WNBA draft and captured rookie of the year honors in the league. Fans packed sold-out arenas and millions of television viewers followed her journey on and off the court. Clark's exploits also put other women's sports leagues in the spotlight. A group of 74 sports journalists from AP and its members voted on the award. Other athletes who received votes included Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles and boxer Imane Khelif. Clark’s only the fourth women’s basketball player to win the award since it was first given in 1931. Major storm pounds California's central coast, blamed for man's death and partially collapsing pier SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (AP) — A major storm has pounded California’s central coast bringing flooding and high surf that was blamed for fatally trapping a man beneath debris on a beach and later partially collapsing a pier, tossing three people into the Pacific Ocean. The storm was expected to bring hurricane-force winds and waves up to 60 feet Monday as it gained strength from California to the Pacific Northwest. Some California cities have ordered beachfront homes and hotels to evacuate early Monday afternoon. Forecasters have warned that storm swells would continue to increase throughout the day. Medellin Cartel victims demand truth and justice as cartel boss Fabio Ochoa walks free in Colombia BOGOTÁ, Colombia (AP) — The return of the notorious drug trafficker Fabio Ochoa to Colombia, following his deportation from the United States, has reopened old wounds among the victims of the Medellin cartel, with some expressing their dismay at the decision of Colombian authorities to let the former mafia boss walk free.Some of the cartel victims said on Tuesday that they are hoping the former drug lord will at least cooperate with ongoing efforts by human rights groups to investigate one of the most violent periods of Colombia’s history, and demanded that Colombian prosecutors also take Ochoa in for questioning. Man arraigned on murder charges in NYC subway death fanned flames with a shirt, prosecutors say NEW YORK (AP) — Prosecutors say a man accused of burning a woman to death inside a New York City subway train used a shirt to fan the flames, causing her to become engulfed. The suspect, identified by police as Sebastian Zapeta, was arraigned in Brooklyn criminal court on Tuesday. He faces murder charges that could put him in prison for life. Federal immigration officials say 33-year-old Zapeta is a Guatemalan citizen who entered the U.S. illegally after being deported in 2018. The apparently random attack occurred Sunday morning on a stationary F train at the Coney Island station in Brooklyn. Amsterdam court sentences 5 men over violence linked to Ajax-Maccabi soccer game THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — An Amsterdam District Court has issued sentences of up to six months in jail against 5 men who were involved in violent disorder after a soccer match between the Dutch club Ajax and Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv in November. The riots caused an international outcry and accusations of deliberate anti-Semitic attacks. The violence following a UEFA Europa League match left 5 people in hospital. More than 60 suspects were detained. The court on Tuesday sentenced one man to 6 months in prison, another to 2 1/2 months, two to 1 month and one to 100 hours of community service.Man City problems ‘not about one player’ – Pep Guardiola defends Erling Haaland