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AP Sports SummaryBrief at 12:12 a.m. ESTk rich 。

Burnley are unbeaten at Turf Moor this season and second in the Championship but Carrick says there were no Boro celebrations after Friday night's 1-1 draw, with his players instead disappointed they didn't pick up all three points. Boro led through Anfernee Dijksteel but were pegged back by Connor Roberts' equaliser eight minutes before the break. Burnley had been on top for much of the second half but Boro were excellent after the break and George Edmundson, Tommy Conway, Delano Burgzorg and substitute Emmanuel Latte Lath all had chances to win it for Boro. RECOMMENDED READING: Carrick was delighted with the way his side rose to the challenge and also dealt with the brutal weather, with Storm Darragh making conditions almost unplayable at times. Carrick said: "It was a tough night to play football. Both teams tried to make the most of it and both of us had spells in the game where we played some good stuff and looked dangerous. A point is a point. "The positive for us is playing against a team that have given next to nothing away at home this season, to be disappointed to just score one goal probably shows where we're at. "It's certainly not a celebration in there, it's a bit of disappointment and thinking we could have had more. Maybe they think similar. "To come away from home and do what we did, in the conditions as well, we'll take a lot of positives." Carrick added: "At times we had to dig in and defend well. It wasn't pretty at times. In moments we looked good and dangerous. "Maybe not that long ago we'd have lost a game like this. But we got stronger and at times in the second half I thought we were going to take all three points."This article was originally published on December 16, 2020, but the holidays haven’t gotten any less scary since then. We’ve updated the list to include subsequent films like Terrifier 3 . It’s that time of year again: The temperature is dropping, festive decorations are going up, e-commerce platforms have slashed prices for Cyber Monday — the holiday season has arrived. While the rest of the world seems to be gearing up for Christmas , there are those who might be less than enthused when it comes to snowflakes and string lights. If you’re not a fan of winter — or if you’re simply missing Spooky Season — don’t resign yourself to yuletide cheer quite yet. There are plenty of Christmas horror movies to watch when you’re craving more Krampus and less jolly old Saint Nick. Whether it’s watching mall Santas killing or being killed, elves engaging in neo-Nazi conspiracies, or the terror of family members turning on one another, you have options when it comes to holiday horrors. So throw a log on the fire, curl up in your favorite festive quilt, and hold onto your mittens — you’re in for all the thrills, chills, and kills this time of year has to offer. Based on Richard Matheson’s 1971 horror novel, Hell House , The Legend of Hell House kicks off a week before Christmas Eve when a group of researchers opt to spend the lead-up to the holiday in a haunted house. Specifically, this house belonged to an alleged murderer and “sadist” thought to have retained the spirits of his victims within the confines of his walls. A prior cohort of researchers “inexplicably” died during the last attempted investigation of the property — and the only survivor has opted to come back to solve the mystery. All of the tropes of the infamous slasher genre can be found in this seminal film — and it just so happens to be a holiday movie. Join a group of sorority sisters who, after receiving an ominous phone call consisting of disturbing voices and guttural animal sounds the night of their Christmas party, begin to disappear one by one. The alcoholic house mom and the psychotic pianist boyfriend make this one a fun tryst into Canadian horror. A remake of this classic came out in 2019, but there’s no topping the original. What happens when an impressionable child sees Santa Claus kissing his mom’s lower lips on Christmas Eve? He develops an unparalleled Christmas fetish that culminates in a murder spree to protect the sanctity of the holiday, of course. Join factory worker Harry as he decides to take the spirit of the holiday — and an ax — into his hands and kill everyone who doesn’t embrace the selflessness of the season. Plus, Christmas Evil features an identity parade of Santa Clauses that gives the police lineup in The Usual Suspects a run for its money. A remote all-girls school about to go on winter break? Check. A party thrown while the head of the school is gone for the holidays? Check. A group of boys crashes the party and suddenly a maniac in ol’ Saint Nick garb starts slaughtering co-eds? Check and check. Another “guy in a Santa Claus costume goes on a killing spree,” To All a Goodnight is notable for being the worst “guy in a Santa Claus costume goes on a killing spree.” We have over-the-top acting, ridiculous kills, and a nuts final sequence that lacks some internal logic. Who knew bad could be such a good time? Who could forget the timeless story of a father gifting his son a mogwai — a cute creature that looks like a bipedal Pekinese — for Christmas, only to have the mogwai reproduce asexually and then dupe the son into letting them chow down after midnight, after which they transform into the infamous gremlins who terrorized pilots during World War II? Highlights include the gremlins holding a bartender captive to drink ad nauseum in a dive bar and that same bartender divulging the horrible truth about why she hates Christmas to Billy, who replies, “Oh.” Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2 is a notoriously bad movie, but bad has never been so festive. Don’t worry if you haven’t seen the first one — Part 2 revisits the events of the first movie in a series of flashbacks. This movie focuses on Ricky, the brother of the first film’s murderer. The sequel begins in a mental hospital where Ricky is being held after his own run of murders, years after his brother’s. After a brief recap of his and his brother’s exploits, Ricky escapes from the hospital, steals a Santa suit, and the real schlocky fun commences. As December rolls around, it’s time for anti-Christmas teenagers to hold pagan rituals in the woods and accidentally summon a demonic Christmas elf hell-bent on bringing Hitler’s vision to life — a vision that actually included a eugenic plot to create a half-human, half-elf master race. Luckily, Dan Haggerty (you may know him as Grizzly Adams ) plays a disgraced ex-cop turned department-store Santa and is ready to redeem himself by killing some Nazi elves. Not a great movie in the traditional sense, but a great Christmas movie that teaches the most important lesson of all: Nazis are always the enemy. If an overt holiday movie isn’t your idea of a good time, try the French movie Dead End . It combines everything that makes the holidays special: a dysfunctional family, romantic partners on vastly different pages about their relationship, and a brother who thinks any time is an appropriate time to masturbate. But the movie doesn’t feature Santa — or his elves. On a Christmas Eve road trip that never seems to end, two parents, their two adult children, and their daughter’s boyfriend encounter a mysterious woman in white, her unsettling baby, and a continuously reappearing hearse on a dark, abandoned road. Dead End will remind you that sheltering in place is sometimes the best holiday plan you can make. This Finnish film begins with a research team excavating a site in Finland that turns out to be an ancient burial ground — possibly housing the remnants of Santa Claus. When the excavation’s explosions begin disrupting the safety of nearby reindeer slaughterer Rauno’s herd, Rauno approaches the research team, only to find the site vacant, the earth scorched, and a giant pit at the center of it all. From there, Rare Exports gets weirder. After laying traps for the wolves that Rauno assumed the research team provoked, he finds the trap hasn’t ensnared a wolf at all but a thin, naked old man. Is it Santa Claus? In Rare Exports , the answer isn’t that simple. The same year Krampus had its debut, a second comedy-horror film revolving around the anti-Claus came out. This one features William Shatner as an out-of-touch DJ trying to spread non-politically correct holiday — scuse me, Christmas — cheer. With foul-mouthed zombie elves, murderous changelings, and more, these connected vignettes take place in the same town, with varying degrees of separation between characters. A Christmas Horror Story satirizes all of the overly saccharine ensemble holiday movies, which means if a family member broaches watching Love Actually , you can now say you have a similar suggestion. This Australian horror film boasts genre favorite Dee Wallace — whom you probably know from The Howling (1981), Cujo (1983), The Frighteners (1996), or many, many other outings — as the matriarch Diane and focuses on the truly most terrifying part of the holidays: family secrets. Diane’s past comes back to haunt her when a mysterious man appears at a family holiday gathering to exact revenge — and reveal his familial ties. Not for the faint of heart, the “red” in this movie’s title is rightly earned — you’ve never enjoyed watching an entire family be slaughtered this much. If you’ve ever wondered what a mash-up of Shaun of the Dead and High School Musical would be like, wonder no more. (And if musical numbers sound unappealing, don’t worry, most of the singers die gruesomely.) Join Anna Shepherd and her ragtag crew of classmates as they try to make it back to the school where their families have taken shelter after a zombie outbreak occurs the night of the high school Christmas show. With high production values, some snappy songs, and plenty of nods to classic zombie and slasher flicks, Anna and the Apocalypse straddles its genres amazingly well. Let’s just call it like it is: Kids can be freaky. They’re especially freaky when they’re your newly minted stepkids who hate you since their father (Richard Armitage) left their mother (Alicia Silverstone) for you and then she died by suicide. Also, you’re trapped in a remote locale during a snowed-in holiday, and your husband must leave you all on short notice to attend to a work emergency. The premise alone will leave you uneasy, and it only intensifies with the revelation of the stepmom’s (played by Riley Keough) horrific past and cultish father. But also, these kids are little shits. In the same vein as the 1960 television show the Alfred Hitchcock Hour , Netflix’s new anthology series tells tales of horror, often featuring great creature design, hosted by the master of creatures himself, Guillermo del Toro. Though “The Outside” is technically a television episode, we’re going to consider this hour-long entry directed by Ana Lily Amirpour ( A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night , The Bad Batch ) as a short movie for the sake of this list. This particular story centers around a co-worker holiday party gone wrong. Kate Micucci, from the folk-rock-comedy duo Garfunkel and Oats , stars as Stacey, a quirky woman who loves taxidermy. Her boyfriend, Keith (Martin Starr), not-so-secretly wishes she could join the ranks of the other bank tellers — gregarious and gossipy women ultra-focused on outward appearances. An invitation to the clique leader’s Secret Santa party, plus the gift of a mysterious lotion, sends Stacey on a downward spiral too bonkers to believe. In typical horror fashion, be careful what you wish for. Technically an action-comedy, Violent Night qualifies for this list by the sheer number of graphic kills that take place during its 107-minute run time. From the producers of John Wick , which should surprise no one, Violent Night stars David Harbour as a particularly murderous Santa Claus defending an estate against a team of thieving mercenaries who break in, take the family hostage, and slay the house staff on Christmas Eve. With weapons including an icicle, sledgehammer, and chimney, Santa uses all the accoutrements of the season to prove he is, indeed, real — real deadly. Starring Cassandra Naud, whom you may know from Shudder’s 2022 horror film Influencer , as well as genre favorites Justin Long, Katharine Isabelle, and Yellowjackets ’ Jane Widdop, It’s a Wonderful Knife answers the question, “Would the world be better off if I had never been born?” with “No, a lot of people would have died at the hands of a serial killer, actually.” Definitely leaning more comedic than scary, It’s a Wonderful Knife still serves several seasonal slashings that’ll make you reconsider if all angels deserve their wings. In this wintry offering, two strangers break into a house to escape a Christmas blizzard and encounter an overprotective mother and otherworldly daughter who give Stephen King’s Carrie and her zealot mom a run for their money. The mother is a nurse who keeps her daughter locked in her room and lethargic on methadone to keep her mystery “illness” at bay. Naturally, there’s more to the daughter’s ailment — and the mother — than meets the eye. From the director of The Cleansing Hour , Damien LeVeck, this one promises more twists than a defective candy cane. True-crime podcaster Lola returns to her hometown for the holidays. She’s apprehensive for a few reasons: The town is deeply conservative, it’s her first visit since transitioning, and there’s been a slew of murders that seem to follow the modus operandi of a Yuletide-themed urban legend from days of yore. Known as “The Toymaker,” this killer commits his crimes sporting a Santa mask. Lucky for everyone, Lola is on the case. This Australian comedy-horror came out in May of 2024 to coincide with down-under wintertime. If you missed it then, now’s the time to catch up. With a runtime of an hour and 10 minutes, Carnage for Christmas is the perfect quick-fix for generating holiday spirit(s) in a time crunch. After Art the Clown’s Halloween festivities in Terrifier 2 , we’re treated to a five-year time jump and a seasonal shift for Terrifier 3 . The final girl of the previous Terrifier entry, Sienna Shaw, has just been released from a mental-health center to stay with her aunt and uncle over the holidays. It just so happens Art the Clown and his possessed sidekick, Victoria, simultaneously emerge — and they’re ready for festivities. Art greets the season by literally snatching the beard off a Santa Claus impersonator’s face, donning his costume, and delivering his version of Christmas cheer to all the boys and girls. If you’ve ever wanted to see Santa Claus kill children, this one’s for you — but beware: This film is a splatterfest from beginning to end. Definitely a permanent entry on the naughty list.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Two days before recording another milestone, resume-building sack on Sunday at Cincinnati, Myles Garrett delivered a jarring hit — on the Browns. In this case, any roughness could be deemed necessary. Garrett piled on to what has been a painful and puzzling season in Cleveland by saying he doesn't have any interest in going through another rebuild and wants to know exactly what the organization's offseason plans are to fix things. If that wasn't enough, Garrett indicated for the first time that he would consider leaving the Browns if his vision doesn't mesh with the team's ambitions. “It’s a possibility,” he said of playing elsewhere. "But I want to be a Cleveland Brown. I want to play my career here.” It's unclear how Garrett's comments were received by owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam, who have plenty to consider as the Browns (3-12) head into the final two weeks of a season that began with playoff expectations and could be followed by upheaval. The Browns haven't been this bad since going 0-16 in 2017. Garrett, who reached 100 career sacks by taking down Cincinnati's Joe Burrow late in the first half of Sunday's 24-6 loss , may have either added to the Haslams' long list of concerns — the Deshaun Watson contract situation is a priority — or brought them clarity. There's no denying that Garrett's remarks carry substantial weight, which is partly why he spoke up. He's the Browns' best player, a franchise cornerstone, a future Hall of Famer and arguably the most disruptive defensive force in the game today. He's also leading with actions. Garrett showed extraordinary effort in chasing down and tackling Burrow before tumbling out of bounds and crashing into Cleveland's bench and some portable heaters. He might be frustrated, but he's not giving up. “A testament of who he is as a player and who he is as a person,” linebacker Jordan Hicks said. What the reigning Defensive Player of the Year says matters. It will be interesting to see if the Haslams listen. At this point, there are indications the Browns intend to stick with coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry, whose major misses in recent drafts have become more magnified with each loss. There will be changes; it's just a matter of how drastic and if they'll be enough to satisfy Garrett's wishes. He turns 29 on Dec. 29 and has two years left on a $125 million contract extension. The All-Pro is in his prime and doesn't want to waste another season in a pointless pursuit of a Super Bowl title. His goal is to win a championship with Cleveland — or someone. Garrett's serious. He's asking the Browns to show him they are, too. What's working Cleveland's defense is doing its part. For the second week in a row, the Browns contained one of the NFL's most talented offenses, holding the Bengals and their top-ranked passing game below most of their season averages. Burrow did throw three TD passes — for the seventh game in a row — but Cincinnati scored fewer than 27 points for the first time in seven games. What needs help The Browns continue to beat themselves with costly turnovers, some more costly than others. They drove to the Cincinnati 1-yard line in the opening minutes only to have D'Onta Foreman fumble as he neared the goal line. The Bengals capitalized by driving 99 yards to take a 7-0 lead that could have been Cleveland's. Stock up Running back Jerome Ford is making the most of a heavier workload and finishing strong. He ripped off a 66-yard run on the game's first play and finished with 131 all-purpose yards, including 92 on 11 carries and scored Cleveland's only TD. Ford's emergence as a potential No. 1 back — Nick Chubb's injuries have clouded his future — gives the team one less thing to worry about as it retools the roster. Stock down Kicker Dustin Hopkins hasn't shaken a startling slump. After being benched for a week to work through his struggles, Hopkins missed his only kick, pushing an extra point to the right. Hopkins felt confident going in, but he's back to trying to identify issues that could be equally mechanical and mental. He's just 16 of 25 on field goals, 16 of 19 on PATs and the Browns' decision to sign him to a three-year, $15.9 million extension this summer looks worse every week. Injuries QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson injured his calf early in Sunday's game, leaving his status in doubt for a second straight start this week. If Thompson-Robinson can't go, the Browns could go back to Jameis Winston, but he's dealing with a sore right shoulder. ... Tight end David Njoku is dealing with yet another injury after hurting his knee. The team is awaiting results on an MRI, perhaps a sign of the severity. Njoku has missed time with injuries all season. He finished with eight catches for 66 yards. Key number 20 — Interceptions for the Browns this season. Thompson-Robinson's two picks on Sunday gave the team 10 in the last four games. What's next Probably a half-empty stadium for a final home game on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, who are still in the hunt for a wild-card spot. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl Tom Withers, The Associated PressIntersection Of Religions And Education In India

As the Indian retail industry strides cautiously into 2025, expectations are high for technology-driven transformation. New-age tech like AI and automation is anticipated to enhance efficiency and personalization, indicating a shift driven by the evolving demands of Gen Z and retail technology enthusiasts. Boosted by increasing disposable income and urbanization, and buoyed by the aspirations of an expanding middle class, the organized retail sector seems poised for substantial growth. Supply chain optimization, logistics, and employment generation in quick commerce are expected to flourish amid these favorable conditions. Challenges such as inflation may continue to pose threats, yet the sector remains hopeful. Innovations in data analytics are set to offer more personalized shopping experiences, aligning with a growing emphasis on sustainability and transparency—factors vital for meeting modern consumer expectations. (With inputs from agencies.)QB Josh Allen and coach Sean McDermott deserve credit in Bills latest AFC East-clinching season ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. John Wawrow, The Associated Press Dec 2, 2024 3:22 PM Dec 2, 2024 3:35 PM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, bottom right, dives toward the end zone to score past San Francisco 49ers defensive end Robert Beal Jr. (51) and linebacker Dee Winters during the second half of an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus) ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — In a season that began with many questions and lowered expectations , it was apt watching Bills quarterback Josh Allen join coach Sean McDermott lay on the cold, wet sideline to make snow angels in celebrating Buffalo’s earliest clinching of a division title in team history. That Allen took part was no surprise. The newly engaged 28-year-old has maintained the happy-go-lucky approach he brought with him to Buffalo as a raw-talented athlete in 2018, while gradually blossoming into one of the NFL’s elite quarterbacks. For McDermott, it was a pleasant surprise to see the usually reserved eight-year coach finally let his hair down — figuratively, because the few jokes he does make are usually about being bald. With his latest do-it-all three-TD outing — one rushing, one receiving and, the coup de grace, being credited with receiving his own pass for a score off a lateral from Amari Cooper — in a 35-10 win over San Francisco on Sunday night , Allen continued making his strongest NFL MVP case. What’s also becoming apparent is how much McDermott deserves consideration for coach of the year honors. Without the two, the Bills (10-2) wouldn’t be in this position in becoming just the eighth NFL team — and first since Indianapolis in 2009 — to clinch a division title with at least five games remaining in their schedule. It’s reflective of how the two have grown together in what, on the outside, could be perceived as an odd couple relationship between an offensive-minded, swashbuckling quarterback and a defensive-minded coach, too often knocked for being too conservative. Perhaps, it’s Allen’s boyish nature that has brought out the risk-taker in McDermott, who has carried over the aggressive approach he takes to defense by placing trust in his quarterback. It’s become apparent in everything the Bills have accomplished so far in having at least 10 wins through 12 games for just the fifth time in team history, and first since 1991, when Buffalo was led by eventual Hall of Famers in coach Marv Levy and quarterback Jim Kelly. Buffalo has won seven straight since consecutive losses to Baltimore and Houston. And the Bills have scored 30 or more points in six straight outings, matching the team record set in 2004. Allen is doing more with less on an offense that was supposed to be hampered following the offseason departures of receivers Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis and center Mitch Morse. The Bills are more balanced in leaning on their running attack, while Allen has also curtailed his turnover-prone ways. He's lost two fumbles and thrown just five interceptions after being picked off a career-worst 18 times last season. Meantime, McDermott has taken a different approach to fourth down situations. The Bills have converted 13 of 15 fourth down attempts after going 9 of 16 last season and 7 of 13 in 2022. The most fourth down attempts during McDermott’s tenure came in 2021, when Buffalo converted just 11 of 22. This is but an example of the bond the quarterback and coach have built in a shared objective of overcoming past playoff failures. Clinching a division title is but one step, with the Bills now focused on catching the Kansas City Chiefs (11-1), whom they’ve beaten already , for the AFC’s top seed. In calling it the team’s next goal, McDermott went off script from his usual game-at-a-time message by noting the importance of celebrating a division-clinching win, if only for one day. “Being 50 years old and 20-plus years in this league, I’ve learned to try and enjoy the moments,” McDermott said. “And this is a moment, right?” It certainly was. What’s working Turnover differential. Buffalo’s defense forced three fumbles, including one at its goal line, while the offense didn’t commit a giveaway. The Bills upped their league-leading turnover differential entering Monday to plus-17. What needs help Run defense. Though the conditions were snowy and slick, the Bills allowed 119 yards rushing in the first half before the 49ers were forced to start passing the ball once the score became lopsided. Buffalo particularly struggled in stopping Christian McCaffrey, who had 53 yards on seven carries before leaving the game with a potential season-ending knee injury . Stock up LB Matt Milano was in on five tackles while playing 37 of 48 defensive snaps in his first outing in nearly 14 months after being sidelined by a broken right leg and torn left biceps. Stock down CB Kaiir Elam, the 2022 first-round pick was a healthy inactive for a second straight outing, and still having difficulty finding a regular role. Injuries None reported. Key number 9-0 — The Bills' home record going back to last season, marking their second-longest run in team history. Next steps Hit the road for two outings, starting with a trip to face the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl John Wawrow, The Associated Press See a typo/mistake? Have a story/tip? This has been shared 0 times 0 Shares Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message Get your daily Victoria news briefing Email Sign Up More Football (NFL) NFL Inactive Report Dec 2, 2024 3:52 PM Rams finally ran the ball well in New Orleans, and it kept them in the playoff race Dec 2, 2024 3:37 PM Justin Tucker's erratic season isn't getting any better, and it's hurting Baltimore's outlook Dec 2, 2024 3:32 PMA butterfly collector in Africa with more than 4.2 million seeks to share them for the future NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — What began as a childhood hobby more than six decades ago has led to what might be Africa’s largest butterfly collection in a suburb of Kenya’s capital. Steve Collins has a collection of 4.2 million butterflies representing hundreds of species. Now, running out of space and time, he hopes to hand it over to the next generation. One expert familiar with Collins and his work suggests that the collection should be digitized for global access. Chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen returns to a tournament after a dispute over jeans is resolved NEW YORK (AP) — Top ranked chess player Magnus Carlsen is headed back to the World Blitz Championship on Monday. That's after its governing body agreed to loosen a dress code that got him fined and denied a late-round game in another tournament for refusing to change out of jeans. The International Chess Federation president said in a statement Sunday that he’d let World Blitz Championship tournament officials consider allowing “appropriate jeans” with a jacket, as well as other "minor deviations” from the dress code. Carlsen quit the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships on Friday. He said Sunday he would play — and wear jeans — in the World Blitz Championship. 'Sonic 3' and 'Mufasa' battle for No. 1 at the holiday box office Two family films are dominating the holiday box office, with “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” winning the three-day weekend over “Mufasa” by a blue hair. According to studio estimates Sunday, the Sonic movie earned $38 million, while “Mufasa” brought in $37.1 million from theaters in the U.S. and Canada. The R-rated horror “Nosferatu” placed third with an unexpectedly strong $21.2 million. Thanksgiving release holdovers “Wicked” and “Moana 2” rounded out the top five. Christmas Day had several big film openings, including the Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown,” the Nicole Kidman erotic drama “Babygirl” and the boxing drama “The Fire Inside.” Charles Shyer, ‘Father of the Bride’ and ‘Baby Boom’ filmmaker, dies at 83 An Oscar-nominated writer and filmmaker known for classic comedies like “Private Benjamin,” “Baby Boom” and “Father of the Bride," Charles Shyer has died. He was 83. On Sunday his daughter Hallie Meyers-Shyer told The Associated Press that he died Friday in Los Angeles. No cause was disclosed. Born in Los Angeles in 1941 to a filmmaker father, Shyer's big breakthrough came with co-writing “Private Benjamin” for which he and Nancy Meyers received an Oscar nomination. He and Nancy Meyers were frequent collaborators through their nearly 20-year marriage, including on the remake of “The Parent Trap," starring Lindsay Lohan. LeBron James at 40: A milestone birthday arrives Monday for the NBA's all-time scoring leader When LeBron James broke another NBA record earlier this month, the one for most regular-season minutes played in a career, his Los Angeles Lakers teammates handled the moment in typical locker room fashion. They made fun of him. Dubbed The Kid from Akron, with a limitless future, James is now the 40-year-old from Los Angeles with wisps of gray in his beard, his milestone birthday coming Monday, one that will make him the first player in NBA history to play in his teens, 20s, 30s and 40s. He has stood and excelled in the spotlight his entire career. Belgium will ban sales of disposable e-cigarettes in a first for the EU BRUSSELS (AP) — Belgium will ban the sale of disposable electronic cigarettes as of Jan. 1 on health and environmental grounds in a groundbreaking move for European Union nations. Health minister Frank Vandenbroucke tells The Associated Press that the inexpensive e-cigarettes have turned into a health threat since they are an easy way for teenagers to be drawn into smoking and get hooked on nicotine. Australia outlawed the sale of “vapes” outside pharmacies earlier this year in some of the world’s toughest restrictions on electronic cigarettes. Now Belgium is leading the EU drive. Belgium's minister wants tougher tobacco measures in the 27-nation bloc. Charles Dolan, HBO and Cablevision founder, dies at 98 Charles F. Dolan, who founded some of the most prominent U.S. media companies including Home Box Office Inc. and Cablevision Systems Corp., has died at age 98. Newsday reports that a statement issued Saturday by his family says Dolan died of natural causes. Dolan’s legacy in cable broadcasting includes founding HBO in 1972, Cablevision in 1973 and the American Movie Classics television station in 1984. He also launched News 12 in New York City, the first U.S. 24-hour cable channel for local news. Dolan also held controlling stakes in companies that owned Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and the New York Knicks and New York Rangers sports franchises. Snoop's game: Snoop Dogg thrills the crowd in the bowl that bears his name TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Miami of Ohio beat Colorado State in the Arizona Bowl, but Snoop Dogg was the main attraction. The Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl presented by Gin & Juice by Dre and Snoop was much a spectacle as a football game. Snoop Dogg seemed to be everywhere all at once, from a pregame tailgate to the postgame trophy presentation. Snoop Dog donned a headset on Colorado State's sideline, spent some time in the broadcast and even led both marching bands as conductor during their halftime performance. Snoop Dogg saved the best for last, rolling out in a light green, lowrider Chevy Impala with gold rims and accents, the shiny Arizona Bowl trophy in his hand as fans screamed his name. Mavs star Luka Doncic is latest pro athlete whose home was burglarized, business manager says DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks is the latest professional athlete whose home has been burglarized. The star guard’s business manager tells multiple media outlets there was a break-in at Doncic’s home Friday night. Lara Beth Seager says nobody was home, and Doncic filed a police report. The Dallas Morning News reports that jewelry valued at about $30,000 was stolen. Doncic is the sixth known pro athlete in the U.S. whose home was burglarized since October. Star NFL quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes of Kansas City and Joe Burrow of Cincinnati are among them. The NFL and NBA have issued security alerts to players over the break-ins. Victor Wembanyama plays 1-on-1 chess with fans in New York Victor Wembanyama went to a park in New York City and played 1-on-1 with fans on Saturday. He even lost a couple of games. Not in basketball, though. Wemby was playing chess. Before the San Antonio Spurs left New York for a flight to Minnesota, Wembanyama put out the call on social media: “Who wants to meet me at the SW corner of Washington Square park to play chess? Im there,” Wembanyama wrote. It was 9:36 a.m. And people began showing up almost immediately.

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Radhika Gupta , the CEO of Edelweiss Mutual Funds, recently offered a candid reality check to aspiring entrepreneurs, urging them to be cautious of the 'startup romance' that often surrounds the business world. According to Gupta, there has been a growing trend in the country where the startup culture is portrayed in an overly idealistic light, with its challenges and hardships often ignored. ET Year-end Special Reads It's all Gucci for Indians' luxury craving even as economy shows wrinkles Investing in 2025: Will domestic funds continue to counter FPI sell-offs amid rising valuations? 2024 exposed the underbelly of India's Silicon Valley The Illusion of Startup Life Speaking about this phenomenon, Gupta said, "There is now an increased air of 'startup romance' that paints startup life as working in chiller attire out of a fancy co-working space, talking ideas all day, raising funding rounds, giving gyaan on social media, hosting Fri Eve drinks for colleagues. Don't fall for it." Gupta emphasized that while this image might seem alluring, the reality of running a startup is far more demanding and less glamorous. The CEO went on to highlight the stark contrast between the glossy startup image and the harsh truths of entrepreneurship. "Startup reality hits soon when entrepreneurs have to face painful execution, limited budgets, and even more limited working conditions, constant rejection, challenges in hiring and retention, pressure for revenue at any cost, and uncertainty for a very long period of time," Gupta added. She stressed that the road to success is fraught with obstacles that many founders are not prepared for when they first embark on their journey. Dhruv Suyamprakasam’s Struggles This perspective was echoed by Dhruv Suyamprakasam, the co-founder and CEO of iCliniq, a telemedicine startup. In a conversation with Business Insider, Dhruv shared his own struggles and the biases he faced when starting his company. Originally from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, Dhruv moved to Bengaluru in 2010, drawn by the city's reputation as the hub of India's startup ecosystem. However, he soon realized that the pressures of Bengaluru's startup culture did not align with the needs of his healthcare business. Describing his experience, Dhruv said, "I had read about the city being the center of the mainstream startup ecosystem. In 2010, moving to Bengaluru felt like the best decision for me as a founder. But it wasn’t the best place for us. It’s a place that expects companies to grow fast and fail fast. I didn’t think it was the right pressure to put on a healthcare startup, which has no margin for errors and requires a lot of trust from people." Dhruv also spoke about the bias he encountered from investors, which only added to the challenges he faced. "We met investors who had expectations like getting 100 paid consultations in a day," he recalled. "I felt excluded because I didn’t speak Hindi, which is the most spoken language in India, and I did not go to college at the Indian Institute of Technology, the most coveted engineering school in the country. I also got some judgment for being from a small town many people had not heard of." Gupta and Suyamprakasam's experiences highlight the often-overlooked realities of startup life. While the media may celebrate the success stories of startups, the struggles of entrepreneurs—such as limited resources, bias, and the pressure to scale quickly—are less frequently discussed.