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wow88 Molton Brown's festive bauble bath set is slashed to £18 from £40 and it's a perfect Christmas giftVancouver budget: Draft forecasts 5.5% property tax hikeTaylor Swift and Travis Kelce have taken the world by storm during their yearlong relationship, spawning Halloween costumes, two songs on Swift’s "The Tortured Poets Department," a multitude of fan accounts and an entire Jason Kelce expanded universe. The latest addition to the Tayvis multiverse? Two holiday movies based on their romance, releasing a week apart. The first, "Christmas in the Spotlight," is a Lifetime Christmas movie loosely inspired by Swift and Kelce’s story. The characters are not explicitly Travis and Taylor, but the movie makes numerous references to the couple, and they clearly resemble Swift and Kelce in both demeanor and appearance. It’s not quite a beat-for-beat representation of what we know of their public relationship, but it’s a close approximation. (The second, "Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story," airs on the Hallmark Channel on Saturday). Whether you don’t have time to watch it or want to know what to expect before hitting play, here’s what you need to know ... What is the plot of ‘Christmas in the Spotlight?’ Movie Taylor — named Bowyn, and played by Jessica Lord — and Movie Travis — named Drew, and played by Laith Wallschleger — meet backstage at one of Bowyn’s concerts. Drew takes a photo with the pop star, but does not successfully ask her out. He later posts it on social media inviting her to one of his games, a parallel to Travis asking Taylor to come to one of his games on the "New Heights" podcast after attending the Eras Tour . Bowyn initially agrees to go out with Drew so that her manager (played by Jeannie Mai) can sit in the box and ultimately meet Drew — since she’s a big fan of his team, the Bombers. They start dating privately, but soon go through a brief breakup after one of Drew’s teammates catches the two on a date and they disagree on whether or not to go public. After watching a pair of news anchors say they hope she never finds true love — ouch — Bowyn agrees to go public and shows up at a game with Drew’s mom, a clear reference to Donna Kelce, who has become a celebrity in her own right . Later, the couple attends a party together, where Bowyn gets recorded sarcastically telling an ex-boyfriend that she’s dating the football player for publicity. That clip gets released out of context, causing the movie’s main crisis — and another breakup. Ultimately, the real audio of Bowyn’s interaction with her ex-boyfriend is released and she gets back together with Drew just in time for Christmas. And all’s well in the Lifetime universe, as it should be. Are Jason and Kylie Kelce in it? What about Donna Kelce? No movie inspired by Travis Kelce would be complete without an in-universe Jason and Kylie, or in this movie, Rob and Nicole. But not everything is the same. Here are some key references to the Kelce family from "Christmas in the Spotlight" ... —Unlike in real life, the Jason and Travis characters in the movie play for the same team. And instead of playing center, Rob (Movie Jason, played by Dennis Andres) is the star quarterback of the team, despite being much shorter than his brother. —In the first scene, the brothers argue over who their mom’s favorite is. “On this planet, I’ve given her a grandchild and you’ve given her an ulcer,” Rob tells Drew. Ahead of the Super Bowl, Donna Kelce actually did say that Jason was currently her favorite “because of the grandchildren” — so Lifetime did its background research! —Rob also comes off as a bit sexist, judging Bowyn for writing songs about her string of exes, while being at his daughter’s birthday party themed in her honor. Drew, of course, calls him out, and rattles off a list of her many awards and achievements, which seem impossible given the quality of the song she sings at the beginning, but I’m giving them a pass for the music. —Bowyn’s not the only one with unrealistic accomplishments. Allegedly, Drew has won MVP nine times, which is virtually impossible for any player, especially a receiver. It also feels incongruent with his first scene, which he spends worried about whether or not he’ll be getting cut at the end of the year. He also is very concerned with living up to his brother, which seems ridiculous if he’s already won nine MVP trophies. —Overall, Rob is not very supportive of Bowyn and Drew’s relationship, judging his brother for letting the relationship and growing fame impact his performance, which Drew denies by saying he’s playing better than ever. Rob is also is noticeably jealous of Drew’s fame at multiple points in the movie, and gets mad when Drew gets an offer to play in L.A. This movie’s version of Jason Kelce is pretty unlikable, to be honest. —Nicole (Movie Kylie, played by Haley Kalil) is barely in it, and the movie equivalents of the Kelce parents also have minimal roles. Drew does beg Movie Donna for her famous lasagna recipe to cook for Bowyn. How many Taylor Swift references are there? In addition to the references to Swift’s love life and Travis Kelce’s real-life family, there are plenty of references to other aspects of the couple’s lives ... —Movie Taylor’s fans are called “Arrowheads.” The in-universe justification for this is that her character’s name is Bowyn (or Bow) and so her fans are arrows — but of course it’s inspired by Arrowhead Stadium, where Travis Kelce’s Chiefs play. This also gives the Travis Kelce character an excuse to do the bow and arrow celebration, which references Swift’s song “The Archer.” —Bowyn’s manager makes a reference to Rob being in “basically every commercial,” which is definitely also true of real-life Jason. —The number of references to Swift’s lyrics in this movie is almost uncountable. At one point, Drew’s niece answers a call from Bowyn with a “can’t come to the phone right now, he’s dead!” from “Look What You Made Me Do.” There are references to ... “Ready For It?,” “The Alchemy” (which is notably about Travis), “Wonderland,” “Cassandra,” “You Belong With Me,” “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart,” “Mean,” “You’re Losing Me” and probably more that I missed. —Bowyn and Drew have their first date on her private jet. Swift is famous for her private jet travel, for good and for bad. Bowyn’s jet stays wheels down in the hangar throughout that date. —Bowyn having an out-of-context conversation released references Swift’s infamous battle with Kanye West over the “Famous” music video. Swift was “canceled” for getting angry at West for including a naked mannequin of hers in the video and using an offensive term toward her after West released footage that suggested he informed her of the video ahead of time. Swift later released a tape with the entire conversation. Is ‘Christmas in the Spotlight’ any good? The movie is pretty standard Hallmark-esque Christmas fare. The hook of the movie is the Kelce-Swift connection, but it’s probably a stronger movie without the explicit references constantly reminding you that you’re essentially watching fan-fiction put to screen. It’s clear enough what it’s mimicking just based on the premise and the plot points — do we really need to reference Swift directly in every scene? The lyrics are often clunkily inserted and there are way too many singing sequences in this movie, which is jarring considering the songs are extremely bad. I was not expecting a Lifetime movie to pull out Taylor Swift-quality lyrics, but the songs could just be cut, honestly. The actors are fairly charming. And aside from Bowyn looking suspiciously like Brittany Mahomes and the movie inexplicably using stock footage of Yankee Stadium for the establishing shots — were no football stadiums available? — it’s actually pretty enjoyable. That is, when it’s not beating you over the head with all those overt references. Then again, that’s kind of the point. ——— 'CHRISTMAS IN THE SPOTLIGHT' Rating: TV-PG How to watch: Lifetime ——— ©2024 The Philadelphia Inquirer. Visit inquirer.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The St. Petersburg City Council voted Thursday to spend more than $23 million to repair the hurricane-shredded roof of Tropicana Field , with the goal of having the home of the Tampa Bay Rays ready for the 2026 season. The vote followed a decision earlier this week by the Pinellas County Commission to delay until December a vote on revenue bonds needed to finance a new, $1.3 billion Rays ballpark, a project that is in serious jeopardy according to Rays executives. “I can't say I'm confident about anything,” Rays co-president Brian Auld told the council members, who were scheduled later Thursday to vote on their own bonds to pay their share of the new stadium. The Trop's translucent fiberglass roof was ripped to pieces on Oct. 9 when Hurricane Milton swept ashore just south of Tampa Bay. There was also significant water damage inside the ballpark, with a city estimate of the total repair costs pegged at $55.7 million. The extensive repairs cannot be finished before the 2026 season, city documents show. The Rays made a deal with the Yankees to play next season at 11,000-seat Steinbrenner Field, New York's spring training home across the bay in Tampa. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said MLB wants to give the Rays and Tampa-area politicians time to figure out a path forward given the disruption caused by the hurricane. Assuming Tropicana Field is repaired, the Rays are obligated to play there for three more seasons. “We’re committed to the fans in Tampa Bay,” Manfred said at an owners meeting. “Given all that’s happened in that market, we’re focused on our franchise in Tampa Bay right now.” The vote Thursday was to get moving on the roof portion of the repair. Once that's done, crews could begin working on laying down a new baseball field, fixing damaged seating and office areas and a variety of electronic systems — which would require another vote to approve money for the remaining restoration. The city previously voted to spend $6.5 million to prevent further damage to the unroofed Trop. Several council members said before the vote on the $23.7 million to fix the roof that the city is contractually obligated to do so. “I don’t see a way out of it. We have a contract that’s in place,” council member Gina Driscoll said. “We’re obligated to do it. We are going to fix the roof.” The council voted 4-3 to approve the roof repair. Members who opposed it said there wasn't enough clarify on numerous issues, including how much would be covered by the ballpark's insurance and what amount might be provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. They also noted that city residents who are struggling to repair their homes and businesses damaged by hurricanes Helene and Milton are dismayed when they see so many taxpayer dollars going to baseball. “Why are we looking to expend so much money right away when there is so much uncertainty?” council member Richie Floyd said. The new Rays ballpark — now likely to open in 2029, if at all — is part of a larger urban renovation project known as the Historic Gas Plant District, which refers to a predominantly Black neighborhood that was forced out to make way for construction of Tropicana Field and an interstate highway spur. The broader $6.5 billion project would transform an 86-acre (34-hectare) tract in the city’s downtown, with plans in the coming years for a Black history museum, affordable housing, a hotel, green space, entertainment venues, and office and retail space. There’s the promise of thousands of jobs as well. St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch, a prime mover behind the overall project, said it's not time to give up. “We believe there is a path forward to success,” the mayor said. AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb( MENAFN - IANS) Washington, Dec 3 (IANS) The US government has announced additional military assistance to Ukraine worth $725 million to meet the urgent need of the country at war with Russia. Weapons in the latest package include air defence capabilities, munitions for rocket systems and artillery, and anti-tank weapons, among others, according to a press statement on Monday from the Department of Defense. The provision followed President Joe Biden's announcement on September 26 that his administration would provide another significant package of urgently needed weapons and equipment to Ukraine. The weapons will be provided under previously exercised Presidential Drawdown Authority from Department of Defense stocks, the Department of State said in its version of the announcement. The assistance has been reported by news outlets based on anonymous sources prior to Monday's formal announcements from the Defence and State Departments, Xinhua news agency reported. It coincided with the Biden administration's reported request for Ukraine that it lower the recruitment age from 25 to 18 to make up for the loss of manpower on the battleground. MENAFN02122024000231011071ID1108948905 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.

BOSTON — The hours leading up to the Boston Bruins' game against the Utah Hockey Club on Thursday night had a different vibe for Joe Sacco. The longtime Bruins assistant was named the team's interim coach on Tuesday after Jim Montgomery was fired following a lackluster start to the season that featured 12 losses in 20 games. “Typically, I go home in between the morning skate and the game, but I stayed at (Boston’s practice facility),” Sacco said after the Bruins 1-0 win. “I was able to relax and get my thoughts together, but I also wanted to enjoy it. I knew it was the first one and wanted to make sure we won it.” The decision to turn to Sacco gives the Boston-area native another head coaching chance. He led the Colorado Avalanche from 2009 until 2013 and joined the Bruins' coaching staff in 2014. “Joe’s very direct and very simplistic in terms of how he’s going to explain things. He might not get into the weeds quite as much on a personal level, but he cares," Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said. "He’s been around here. He’s got established relationships with the players. He’s got trust with the players. At the end of the day, change is hard, but sometimes it’s necessary. And Joe will have to adapt to that.” Bruins captain Brad Marchand said after Thursday’s 1-0 win in which he had an assist that it’s all about moving forward despite losing a head coach in Montgomery who led the team to back-to-back 100-point seasons, including a record-setting debut, when its 65 wins and 135 points were both the most in NHL history. “Still hate the situation that had to arise for us to respond that way," he said. "It was a good game tonight, but it’s only one game. We have to continue to build and understand the importance of having the same effort every day. "It’s great for Joe to get his first win as a coach of this team. Very happy for him. Great guy. Definitely a nice night.” Despite the myriad of emotions that washed over him during his first game as interim coach, Sacco made sure to secure the puck from Thursday’s win. “The locker room had a good vibe. It was alive,” Sacco said. “It’s one game. We have a long way to go.”Returning All-Stars and swimmers to keep on your radar, 2024-25

Four-star tackle Rogers decommits from MissouriMUNICH (AP) — Manuel Neuer was sent off for the first time and Bayern Munich crashed out of the German Cup in the third round with a 1-0 loss at home to defending champion Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday. The 38-year-old Neuer was never before sent off over a long career including 124 games for Germany, but the Bayern captain was shown a straight red card in the 17th minute for taking out Jeremie Frimpong with a body check when the Dutch winger was almost through on goal after a long pass from Johnathan Tah. Bayern’s players protested but there had been no attempt from Neuer to play the ball. Leverkusen needed patience to take advantage against a riled-up Bayern team that created better chances in the first half. The home team was without Harry Kane, injured over the weekend against Borussia Dortmund. Bayern confirmed a right hamstring injury and said the England captain will be out “for the time being.” Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso sent on Patrik Schick for the second half, but the in-form Czech forward limped off with what looked like a left calf injury after less than 15 minutes. Nathan Tella replaced Schick in the 61st, then scored eight minutes later with a header to Álex Grimaldo’s perfectly positioned cross. “The first title of the season is gone, and that hurts,” Bayern midfielder Joshua Kimmich said. Alonso, a former Bayern midfielder, has never lost in five games against his former club while Leverkusen coach. Bayern was knocked out in the second round last season. Also, Werder Bremen defeated second-division side Darmstadt 1-0. Earlier, 2022 finalist Freiburg was knocked out in a 3-1 loss at third-division team Arminia Bielefeld, and Stuttgart won 3-0 at Jahn Regensburg. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerNone

Best stress management and tracking devices to help monitor your wellbeingWill Gustav Nyquist Score a Goal Against the Stars on December 12?WASHINGTON (AP) — A ninth U.S. telecoms firm has been confirmed to have been hacked as part of a sprawling Chinese espionage campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans, a top White House official said Friday. Biden administration officials said this month that at least eight telecommunications companies , as well as dozens of nations, had been affected by the Chinese hacking blitz known as Salt Typhoon. But Anne Neuberger, the deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technologies, told reporters Friday that a ninth victim had been identified after the administration released guidance to companies about how to hunt for Chinese culprits in their networks. The update from Neuberger is the latest development in a massive hacking operation that has alarmed national security officials, exposed cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the private sector and laid bare China's hacking sophistication. The hackers compromised the networks of telecommunications companies to obtain customer call records and gain access to the private communications of “a limited number of individuals." Though the FBI has not publicly identified any of the victims, officials believe senior U.S. government officials and prominent political figures are among those whose whose communications were accessed. Neuberger said officials did not yet have a precise sense how many Americans overall were affected by Salt Typhoon, in part because the Chinese were careful about their techniques, but a “large number" were in the Washington-Virginia area. Officials believe the goal of the hackers was to identify who owned the phones and, if they were “government targets of interest,” spy on their texts and phone calls, she said. The FBI said most of the people targeted by the hackers are "primarily involved in government or political activity.” Neuberger said the episode highlighted the need for required cybersecurity practices in the telecommunications industry, something the Federal Communications Commission is to take up at a meeting next month. “We know that voluntary cyber security practices are inadequate to protect against China, Russia and Iran hacking of our critical infrastructure,” she said. The Chinese government has denied responsibility for the hacking.

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NeuroPace Completes Enrollment in Feasibility Study of RNS System for Lennox-Gastaut SyndromeWASHINGTON (AP) — A ninth U.S. telecoms firm has been confirmed to have been hacked as part of a sprawling Chinese espionage campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans, a top White House official said Friday. Biden administration officials said this month that at least eight telecommunications companies , as well as dozens of nations, had been affected by the Chinese hacking blitz known as Salt Typhoon. But Anne Neuberger, the deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technologies, told reporters Friday that a ninth victim had been identified after the administration released guidance to companies about how to hunt for Chinese culprits in their networks. The update from Neuberger is the latest development in a massive hacking operation that has alarmed national security officials, exposed cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the private sector and laid bare China's hacking sophistication. The hackers compromised the networks of telecommunications companies to obtain customer call records and gain access to the private communications of “a limited number of individuals." Though the FBI has not publicly identified any of the victims, officials believe senior U.S. government officials and prominent political figures are among those whose whose communications were accessed. Neuberger said officials did not yet have a precise sense how many Americans overall were affected by Salt Typhoon, in part because the Chinese were careful about their techniques, but a “large number" were in the Washington-Virginia area. Officials believe the goal of the hackers was to identify who owned the phones and, if they were “government targets of interest,” spy on their texts and phone calls, she said. The FBI said most of the people targeted by the hackers are "primarily involved in government or political activity.” Neuberger said the episode highlighted the need for required cybersecurity practices in the telecommunications industry, something the Federal Communications Commission is to take up at a meeting next month. “We know that voluntary cyber security practices are inadequate to protect against China, Russia and Iran hacking of our critical infrastructure,” she said. READ: The Chinese government has denied responsibility for the hacking. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said he will lift his martial law decree, giving in to the parliament’s opposition, just hours after his dramatic move imposing it Tuesday. Yoon said in a televised address early Wednesday that he will “accept the National Assembly’s demand and lift the martial law through a cabinet meeting,” which he said he had called but its members hadn’t yet arrived. He will immediately lift the martial law when they convene, he said. Yoon, 63, stunned the nation, lawmakers and investors earlier by declaring martial law in a high-stakes move he claimed would prevent the opposition from trying to paralyze his administration amid a political rift that is set to deepen markedly. The South Korean leader’s political future will be put to test after his daring move, which caught even his fellow party members and foreign allies like the U.S. by surprise. “I request the National Assembly to immediately stop the reckless acts of paralyzing the functions of the state through repeated impeachments, legislative manipulation, and budget manipulation,” Yoon said in his earlier televised address. After Yoon announced he would lift the decree, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said its troops that had been mobilized for the martial law declaration have returned to their original posts as of 4:22 a.m., Yonhap reported. No unusual activities have been spotted from North Korea, it added. The move was viewed by analysts as a risky political play that was likely to backfire rather than an attempt to return to military-led regimes of the past. With his own government and party kept in the dark alongside the U.S. and other friendly nations, Yoon created a chaotic moment that left him isolated and even further from controlling the political agenda going forward. Early Wednesday morning, 190 lawmakers in the 300-seat parliament unanimously voted to demand the lifting of martial law. The president had said his move was intended to protect freedom and constitutional order, that it wouldn’t have an impact on South Korea’s foreign policy, and that it would help eradicate the influence of North Korean supporters. A proclamation released after the address banned all political activities and strikes and said media would be subject to control of the Martial Law Command. Korean assets were battered during New York trading. The won suffered its sharpest drop since the global financial crisis to hit 1444.65 its lowest in over two years, before paring losses. Samsung Electronics’ London-listed shares fell as much as 7.2% then regained some ground. The finance minister and central bank chief met and promised to provide unlimited liquidity to markets if needed. The Bank of Korea will meet early Wednesday, just a week after a surprise rate cut partly triggered by heightened uncertainty generated by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory. Adding to the sense of chaos, the nation’s largest union federation called a general strike in defiance of Yoon’s order. The shock announcement to impose martial law for the first time since the democratization of South Korea in 1987 caught even Yoon’s own party off guard. Han Dong-hoon, leader of Yoon’s People Power Party, condemned the move and vowed to stop it, in a sign of the president’s increasing isolation and his lack of consultation. The move also surprised the White House, prompting Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell to say that the Biden administration was watching the developments with “grave concern.” Yoon’s abrupt decision came after months of wrangling and deadlock in parliament between the president’s minority government and the main opposition Democratic Party, but with little expectation that the president would take such a drastic step. The opposition has been trying to force its budget proposal through parliament and has submitted an impeachment motion against the chief prosecutor after months of also trying to get Yoon’s wife prosecuted. Adding to the fractious political rift, the DP’s leader has faced multiple court cases and was convicted last month of election-law violations, barring him from running for president if it is finalized. Amid the political standoff, Yoon had vetoed a string of bills passed by parliament and at times angering his own party. His latest act ramped up tensions considerably domestically, while also creating high uncertainty abroad for the outlook of one of the world’s key suppliers of semiconductors and a stalwart U.S. ally in an increasingly complex security environment in Asia. Even though the martial law order lasted less than a day, the political instability it will generate is set to last two or three years, according to Lee Won-Jae, a sociology professor at at Kaist Graduate School of Culture Technology in Daejeon. “Martial law has lost its effect, so from this moment on, all state institutions exercising physical force, including the military and police of the Republic of Korea, are obligated not to follow unlawful or unfair instructions,” Han, the leader of Yoon’s party, said in a Facebook post. Yoon’s moves came at a time of high uncertainty for the nation as its trade-dependent economy faces potential tariffs from Trump’s incoming U.S. administration. Bloomberg Economics estimates that full imposition of tariffs on China, South Korea and other U.S. trading partners could reduce Seoul’s exports to the U.S. by as much as 55%. Meanwhile, North Korea continues to present a security concern as it deepens its ties with Russia, having sent thousands of troops there to help in Moscow’s war against Ukraine. Russia’s defense minister visited Pyongyang last week in the latest sign of talks between the two countries. Russia may help provide North Korea key technology for its weapons programs including its intercontinental ballistic missiles. “We shouldn’t be fooled — this has nothing at all to do with North Korea and all to do with domestic politics,” said Defense Priorities Fellow Daniel DePetris. China suggested its citizens residing in South Korea keep calm and try to avoid going outdoors for anything non-essential, the country’s embassy said in a post on social media Tuesday night. The embassy also asked Chinese citizens to comply with official orders from the Korean government and “use caution” over sharing political opinions. “The domestic uncertainty adds to the external pressures in recent weeks as the market is starting to price in the rise of higher U.S. tariffs under the new Trump administration,” said Aroop Chatterjee, a strategist at Wells Fargo. “Korea is an open economy sensitive to shifts in global export demand and spillovers from a weaker China.” While it remains to be seen if the short-lived declaration of martial law will have a lasting impact on markets and the economy, Yoon’s high-stakes move is certain to knock confidence in his leadership and his reliability as a bullwark of democracy in a nation with many authoritarian neighbors. “U.S. officials look to South Korea now as a beacon of democracy so for a president to pull a fast one like this is certainly shocking and unprecedented,” said DePetris. Bank of Korea’s monetary board, which unexpectedly cut the key rate last week, will also hold an extraordinary meeting Wednesday morning to discuss steps to shield the economy and markets. “From a near-term policy standpoint, apart from the market disruptions, uncertainty could also arise in the event of cabinet changes,” Goldman Sachs Group Inc. analysts Goohoon Kwon and Kamakshya Trivedi wrote in a note Tuesday. (With assistance from Maria Elena Vizcaino.) ©2024 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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