KyKy Tandy scored a season-high 21 points that included a key 3-pointer in a late second-half surge as Florida Atlantic roared back to beat Oklahoma State 86-78 on Thursday in the opening round of the Charleston Classic in Charleston, S.C. Florida Atlantic (4-2) advances to play Drake in the semifinal round on Friday while the Cowboys square off against Miami in the consolation semifinal contest, also Friday. Oklahoma State led by as many as 10 points in the first half before securing a five-point advantage at halftime. The Owls surged back and moved in front with four and a half minutes to play. It was part of an 11-1 run, capped by a 3-pointer from Tandy that made it 75-68 with 2:41 remaining. Ken Evans added 14 points for Florida Atlantic, with Leland Walker hitting for 13 and Tre Carroll scoring 11. The Owls went 35-of-49 from the free throw line as the teams combined for 56 fouls in the game, 33 by Oklahoma State. Khalil Brantley led Oklahoma State (3-1) with 16 points while Robert Jennings added 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Cowboys, who hit one field goal over a 10-minute stretch of the second half while having three players foul out. The Owls were up by as many as seven points in the early minutes and by 13-10 after a layup by Carroll at the 11:32 mark of the first half. Oklahoma State leapfrogged to the front on Abou Ousmane's layup off a Brantley steal, fell behind again on a 3-pointer by Evans and then responded on a 3-pointer by Jennings to take a 17-16 lead. From there, the Cowboys stoked their advantage to double digits when Jamyron Keller canned a shot from beyond the arc with five minutes to play in the half. Florida Atlantic got a layup and a monster dunk from Matas Vokietaitis and a pair of free throws from Walker in a 6-2 run to end the half to pull within 39-34 at the break. Jennings and Ousmane tallied seven points apiece for Oklahoma State over the first 20 minutes, as the Cowboys led despite shooting just 33.3 percent from the floor in the half. Carroll and Vokietaitis scored seven points apiece to pace the Owls, who committed 11 turnovers that translated to seven points for Oklahoma State before halftime. --Field Level Media

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EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The game had suddenly gone sideways for the Minnesota Vikings , their 11-point lead on the Chicago Bears having evaporated in the closing seconds. They straightened it out in overtime, no sweat, because Sam Darnold simply hasn't been fazed. Save for his occasional rash of turnovers, in games the Vikings still managed to win, Darnold proved again on Sunday in defeating the Bears that he's directing a passing attack with the potential to be one of the NFL 's most potent. “I think he’s a mentally tough guy. I think he’s a physically tough guy. I think he’s confident in the guys around him, and I think he’s confident in our system,” coach Kevin O'Connell said after the 30-27 victory. “I think when he just continues to play quarterback at a high level, I think we’re a tough team.” After the defense forced the Bears to punt on the opening possession of overtime, Darnold led the Vikings on a 68-yard drive to set up the game-ending field goal while overcoming a 7-yard sack on the first play and two subsequent setbacks with a false start and a holding penalty. On third-and-10 from the 21, he hit Jordan Addison near the sideline for 13 yards. On first-and-15 from the 29, Darnold threaded a throw to Justin Jefferson for 20 yards after he'd muscled his way through Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson on a post route for the clutch catch after he'd been all but silenced all afternoon by a defense determined to constantly bracket him with double coverage. On second-and-11 from the 48, Darnold connected with a wide-open T.J. Hockenson underneath for 12 yards. Then two plays later off a second-and-8 play-action fake, he found Hockenson again on a deep corner route for 29 yards to put Parker Romo in prime position for the walk-off winner. “Just execute. It’s as simple as that. Just one play at a time," said Darnold, who went 22 for 34 for 330 yards and two touchdowns without a turnover. “I think I tell the guys that every single time in the huddle, but that’s my mindset every single time I’m out there on the field, especially in that situation.” Even when Jefferson continues to draw an extraordinary amount of coverage , the Vikings with Addison, Hockenson, Aaron Jones and the rest of their crew running O'Connell's system have proven they have an offense that can go win a game when it's required. That wouldn't be possible without Darnold, whose career rebirth has helped spark the Vikings (9-2) become one of the league's biggest surprises in what's now its most difficult division. “He’s cool, calm, collected,” Hockenson said. "That’s what you want as the leader of the huddle.” The Vikings' defense ranks ninth in the league on third downs, allowing a conversion rate of 34.5% after limiting the Bears to a 6-for-17 performance. The Vikings are tied for first on fourth downs with an allowance of 36.4% after the Bears went 2 for 3. Both conversions came in the fourth quarter during touchdown drives. The Vikings also rank fourth in the NFL in opponent points per drive (1.52). The Vikings had seven possessions that crossed the 20-yard line in Chicago, but only three of them yielded touchdowns. Their lone turnover was the type of game-altering giveaways they've struggled to eliminate this month, a fumble by Aaron Jones at the 1-yard line that ruined a promising first drive. The Vikings are tied for 20th in the league in red zone touchdown rate (53.9%) and are 17th in goal-to-go touchdowns (72%). Addison had eight catches for 162 yards, both career highs, and a touchdown on nine throws from Darnold. The second-year wide receiver has had a quieter season than his rookie year, but he stepped up in a significant way on an afternoon when Jefferson was as smothered by the opposing secondary as ever. TE Johnny Mundt had the onside kick glance off his shin as he charged toward the coverage, and the first kicking team recovery in the NFL this season helped the Bears extend the game. Mundt also had the false start on the overtime drive. His lone catch was a 7-yard gain when he was stopped short of the goal line, one play before the lost fumble. Mundt played 33 of 71 snaps and Hockenson took 48 snaps with Oliver out. The Vikings lost LT Cam Robinson (foot) and LB Ivan Pace (hamstring) to injuries in the first quarter against the Bears, and O'Connell said on Monday those players were still in "evaluation mode." Oliver (ankle) will have an opportunity to return after being sidelined last week. 101.7 — Darnold's passer rating, which ranks ninth in the NFL. Darnold has posted a 100-plus passer rating in nine of 11 games this season. He had only 12 such performances in 56 career starts before joining the Vikings. The Vikings have four of their next five games at home, starting with Arizona (6-5) this week, Atlanta (6-5) on Dec. 8 and a rematch with Chicago (4-7) in a Monday night game on Dec. 16.The New York Jets are turning to one of their former general managers to help them find their next GM and head coach. The franchise announced Monday that The 33rd Team, a football media, analytics and consulting group founded by former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum, will assist team owner Woody Johnson in the searches. Tannenbaum and Rick Spielman, former GM of the Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings, will be The 33rd Team's primary representatives in helping find replacements for former coach Robert Saleh and GM Joe Douglas. The 33rd Team was founded in 2019 by Tannenbaum as a media and technology company. In their announcement, the Jets said The 33rd Team will help identify and vet GM and coach candidates and coordinate interviews. Douglas was fired last Tuesday , the latest shakeup for a franchise that had Super Bowl aspirations with a healthy Aaron Rodgers at quarterback but has limped to a 3-8 start and appears likely to miss the playoffs for a 14th consecutive year. Phil Savage, a senior football adviser with the Jets since 2019, will serve as the interim general manager for the rest of the season. The firing of Douglas came exactly six weeks after Johnson fired Saleh as coach on Oct. 8 after the Jets were 2-3 to open the season. New York has since gone 1-5 under defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, who was tabbed as the interim coach. The Jets are coming off their bye-week break and will host the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. The franchise has plenty of questions to answer over the next several months, including decisions on their next general manager and coach — and the future of Rodgers. The four-time NFL MVP turns 41 next week, has dealt with leg issues all season and is off to the worst statistical start of his career. Tannenbaum and Spielman will help the Jets find the people to help Johnson and brother Christopher make those key decisions. Johnson took a similar approach in 2015, the last time the Jets hired a general manager and coach in the offseason. Former NFL GMs Charley Casserly and Ron Wolf worked as consultants for the team, which hired Mike Maccagnan as GM and Todd Bowles as coach. Tannenbaum, currently an analyst for ESPN, has first-hand familiarity with Johnson and the franchise. He worked in the Jets' front office for nine years before being promoted to general manager and serving in that role from 2006 to 2012. Tannenbaum helped build the 2009 and 2010 Jets teams that went to the AFC championship game in consecutive seasons under coach Rex Ryan. Ryan, who last coached the Jets in 2014 and also is currently an analyst for ESPN, recently has been lobbying on air for a return to New York's sideline. Tannenbaum also was Miami’s executive vice president of football operations from 2015 to 2018. Spielman served as the Vikings’ general manager from 2012 to 2021 after working as the team’s vice president of player personnel for six years. He was also the Dolphins’ GM in 2004 and served as an adviser last year for the Washington Commanders in their GM and coaching searches. ___ This story has been corrected to show that Spielman was formerly GM of the Minnesota Vikings instead of the Detroit Lions. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL Dennis Waszak Jr., The Associated PressNone

It took a long time, but Victorian MP Georgie Purcell speaks openly about her past. As a former stripper, and now an advocate for sex workers’ rights in Victoria and nationwide, she knows firsthand just how harmful stigmas and stereotypes around sex work can be. Purcell also knows firsthand the power of normalising the conversation about sex work. And since recent legislation in Belgium granting sex workers greater labour rights came into effect, she hopes it will make a difference in Australia. “I was absolutely stoked to see the news coming out of Belgium,” Purcell told . “I think it’s a really good example of how, when we normalise sex work and treat is as any other job, we can make progress.” Legal experts and advocates for sex work say that Belgium has set a strong standard for other countries to follow in terms of employment rights. But what is holding progress back the most around the world – especially in Australia – is discrimination against sex workers. While sex work has been decriminalised in most states and territories in Australia, the “hangover” of criminalisation means sex workers continue to be discriminated against and treated differently to any other worker in any other industry. “We don’t criticise other people who use their bodies for labour, such as construction workers or tradies, and that’s exactly what sex workers are doing,” Purcell says. “And they deserve to have the same rights as any other worker around the country.” What happened in Belgium? On Sunday, new laws came into effect that will grant sex workers in Belgium a raft of labour rights they previously were not entitled to. Sex work in Belgium has been legal since it was decriminalised in 2022, but employees in the industry lacked several labour rights that other industries have access to. Under the new legislation, sex workers will be eligible to sign formal employment contracts, which will give them access to benefits such as health insurance, paid leave, maternity benefits, unemployment support and pensions. There will also be stricter rules for employers in the industry to follow, including working hours, pay and implementing safety measures like clean linens, condoms, hygiene products and emergency buttons in workspaces. Isabelle Jaramillo is the coordinator of Espace P and was heavily involved in the advocacy and drafting of the laws. Speaking to the , she described the legislation as an “incredible step forward”. “It means their profession can finally be recognised as legitimate by the Belgian state,” Jaramillo said. “From the employer’s perspective, this will also be a revolution. They’ll have to apply for a state authorisation to hire sex workers. “Under the previous legislation, hiring someone for sex work automatically made you a pimp, even if the arrangement was consensual. Now, they’ll have to apply for state authorisation to hire employees.” Emily Smith is a Senior Lawyer at Southside Justice, a free legal service for people on low incomes in Melbourne’s south. As far as she knows, the legislation in Belgium confers “unprecedented workplace and social protections to sex workers”. But how effective this legislation will be in breaking down stigmas and stereotypes depends on how the law is socialised and enforced. “Though, Belgium is setting a great example of sex work being treated like any other industry when it comes to worker entitlements and protections,” Smith says. What about in Australia? Sex work has been decriminalised in NSW, the Northern Territory, Victoria and Queensland. In the ACT, sex work is legal but regulated, while in Western Australia and Tasmania, it is partially criminalised. Sex work is fully criminalised in South Australia. Most sex workers in Australia work as sole traders or as independent contractors – similar to professions like GPs and personal trainers. As Mish Pony, the CEO of Scarlet Alliance (the Australian Sex Workers Association) explains, legislation mirroring Belgium’s new laws wouldn’t necessarily translate to the Australian sex work context. “Independent contractors in Australia generally don’t have access to sick leave, annual leave, maternity leave, unfair dismissal,” Pony says, “but they generally still have access to work health and safety protections and some industrial protections. “There have been recent reforms that allow independent contractors to take unfair contract terms to the Fair Work Commission which is a good step to improving the rights of independent contractors.” But these steps, while important and progressive, don’t mark the end of the line for progress. Emily Smith from Southside Justice said there is still an “imbalance of power” between sex service premises owners/operators/managers and individual sex workers. “Sex workers are rarely employees, and instead told they are independent contractors for which no employee entitlements or protections are afforded,” Smith said. “Sham contracting can be challenged in a federal court, but sex workers need access to timely legal assistance in order to do so.” Meanwhile, Georgie Purcell MP in the Victorian parliament, alongside other crossbenchers and independents, is still fighting for better rights and working conditions for sex workers. Despite Victoria decriminalising sex work in 2022, Purcell says the rollout of this has been limited, with many sex workers finding themselves with “no where to turn” if they feel unsafe at work, or unsure of their working rights. “Decriminalisation is simply not enough,” Purcell says. “It’s a good starting point, and we’ve done that here in Victoria, but for the most part, it can still be an insecure job, and it can be an unsafe job. “I think any change in legislation in the space of sex work that improves their safety and their right to work is a really good thing, because it not only protects them, but it introduces a conversation into the pubic domain, and we know that the more this is spoken about, the more normalised it is. “I’m really frustrated by the conversation in the Victorian parliament, because it seems for many politicians, this conversation either makes them uncomfortable or they’re opposed to it.” Emily Smith from Southside Justice describes this opposition and discomfort around the sex work industry as a “hangover” from criminalisation, which was overturned in Victoria only in the last couple of years. “Sex workers in Victoria continue to experience a hangover from criminalisation of stigma, prejudice and discrimination in the community and in public services preventing full and safe accessibility,” Smith said. ‘Sex workers are ordinary people’ In October this year, a sex worker in Melbourne was from her home after a flyer alerting neighbours of her line of work resulted in a complaint to the council, a subsequent investigation, and a termination of her rental agreement with her landlord. It’s not just housing insecurity sex workers face – in many cases, their lives are at risk. Yet stigma and stereotypes result in serious injustice for women killed in the sex work industry. Last month, 24-year-old Xiaozheng Lin to plead guilty to two charges of manslaughter, just one month before he was supposed to face a double-murder trial. He is charged with the deaths of Yuqi Luo, 31, and Hyun Sook Jeon, 51 – two sex workers he killed within days of one another. Purcell says cases like these serve not just as a “warning sign” about the dangers of stigmas, but as “an indication that we can and must do better”. “By introducing regular working rights and regular working conditions that most other workers already have access to, it helps to show sex work for what it really is – it’s like any other job,” Purcell says. “Sex workers are just ordinary people. Someone you know and someone you love is or was a sex worker.”KyKy Tandy, FAU close out Oklahoma State in Charleston

These board, video and card games will bring cozy vibes to your holiday gamingAll People’s Party (APP) presidential candidate Ambrosius Kumbwa has warned that an abuse of power undermines democracy and hinders national progress.Speaking at a rally in the M ... If you are an active subscriber and the article is not showing, please log out and back in. Free access to articles from 12:00.

By Chris Prentice and Amanda Cooper NEW YORK/LONDON (Reuters) – Global shares turned lower on Monday as traders focused on U.S. inflation data and chip stocks fell, while Beijing’s promise of stimulus and the sudden collapse of the Syrian government boosted oil and gold prices more than 1%. U.S. inflation data this week could cement a December interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve at its meeting next week. China’s decision on Monday to alter the wording of its stance toward monetary policy for the first time since 2010 helped global sentiment. Beijing pledged to introduce stimulus to encourage economic growth next year. The rapid collapse over the weekend of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s 24-year rule complicates an already fraught situation in the Middle East. Friday’s U.S. monthly employment data was strong enough to soothe any concerns about the resilience of the economy, but not so robust as to rule out a rate cut from the Federal Reserve next week. MSCI’s gauge of stocks across the globe fell 2.05 points, or 0.23%, to 871.68. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 240.59 points, or 0.54%, to 44,401.93, the S&P 500 fell 37.42 points, or 0.61%, to 6,052.85 and the Nasdaq Composite fell 123.08 points, or 0.62%, to 19,736.69. Shares of chip maker Nvidia fell 2.5% after China’s market regulator said it had opened an investigation into the company over suspected violation of the country’s antimonopoly law. “In addition to being reminded that December is positive ‘close to three-fourths of the time,’ we have seen record equity inflows, full positioning from asset managers and the highest ever reading from the Conference Board’s survey of retail investor expectations,” Morgan Stanley’s chief investment officer, Lisa Shalett, said in a note. “Complacency indicators are flashing, however, and while we appreciate technicals’ short-term validity, we encourage long-term investors to be measured in their enthusiasm,” she said. European shares closed at their highest levels in six weeks on Monday, led by mining and luxury stocks, after China’s promise of renewed stimulus. The STOXX 600 index edged up 0.1%, and notched its eighth consecutive session of gains. COULD EXPECTED FED RATE CUT BE DERAILED? Last week’s U.S. November payrolls report showed 227,000 jobs were created, compared with expectations for a rise of 200,000, while October’s hurricane-distorted number was revised up. Markets now imply an 85% chance of a quarter-point cut at the Fed’s Dec. 17-18 meeting, up from 68% ahead of the jobs figures, and markets have a further three cuts priced in for next year. The next test is Wednesday’s U.S. inflation report. The dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies including the yen and the euro,rose 0.2% to 106.16, with the euro down 0.15% at $1.0552. U.S. Treasury yields rose as traders waited to see whether stubbornly high price pressures could derail expectations for a Fed rate cut next week. The yield on benchmark U.S. 10-year notes rose 5 basis points to 4.203%, from 4.153% late on Friday..[US/] The European Central Bank is widely expected to deliver a quarter-point cut on Thursday. In Asian markets, Chinese stocks and bonds rallied after China’s Politburo was quoted as saying that the country will adopt an “appropriately loose” monetary policy next year, rather than a “prudent” one, marking the first time it has changed the wording of its stance in around 14 years. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan closed higher by 0.88%. South Korean stocks slid 2.8%, while the won currency weakened, even as authorities pledged all-out efforts to stabilise financial markets amid uncertainty over the fate of President Yoon Suk Yeol. This week is full of central bank meetings, aside from the ECB’s. The Swiss National Bank could cut rates by as much as half a point given slowing inflation, as could Canada’s central bank when it meets on Wednesday. The Reserve Bank of Australia meets on Tuesday and is one of the central banks expected to hold fire, while Brazil’s central bank is set to hike again to contain inflation. “With geopolitical uncertainty high and conflicting signals from hard and soft data, monetary policy remains the only game in town to support economic activity, especially in the absence of strong political leadership in Paris and Berlin,” said Barclays economist Christian Keller. In France, President Emmanuel Macron had yet to name a new prime minister after Michel Barnier’s minority government collapsed last week over his austere budget. Geopolitical concerns lifted both oil and gold. Spot gold gained 1.1% to $2,662.98 per ounce, and U.S. gold futures settled 1% higher at $2,685.50.Oil prices rose over 1%, with Brent futures settling up 1.4% at $72.14 per barrel. U.S. crude finished up 1.7% at $68.37. “Events in Syria over the weekend could impact the crude market and increase the geopolitical risk premium on oil prices in the weeks and months to come amid yet more instability in the Middle East region,” said Jorge Leon, Rystad Energy’s head of geopolitical analysis. (Additional reporting by Wayne Cole in Sydney; Editing by Leslie Adler and Stephen Coates) Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. 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Californians who try to withdraw money but don’t have enough in their bank accounts won’t fall deeper into a financial hole from having to pay a fine, thanks to a new state law. The law covers instances in which banks charge customers when their withdrawals are declined instantaneously, such as at ATMs, because of insufficient funds. It takes effect Jan. 1. Assembly Bill 2017 applies to banks and credit unions that are regulated by the state; Gov. Gavin Newsom signed it in September. The bill was backed by several consumer advocacy groups, including the California Low-Income Consumer Coalition and East Bay Community Law Center, which called penalties for insufficient funds “ junk fees ” and said getting rid of them will protect financially vulnerable consumers. Tim Grayson, the bill’s author, said when he introduced it in May that it would “help prevent fee creep in the banking industry.” Grayson, a Democrat from Concord, is an incoming senator who was in the Assembly through the end of the 2024 legislative session. The Consumer Federation of America, a sponsor of the bill, said common charges for insufficient funds are $30 or more. The California Credit Union League, which at first opposed the bill and said credit unions “do not charge these types of fees,” eventually took a neutral position. But the state Department of Financial Protection & Innovation has found that many credit unions do have income from insufficient-fund charges; a 2022 state law tasked the agency with collecting data from banks and credit unions about their fees. The law by Grayson is similar to a rule by the Consumer Protection Financial Bureau — the federal watchdog agency that’s in President-elect Donald Trump’s crosshairs — that applies to federally chartered banks. In line with the growing nationwide push to eliminate junk fees , Newsom also signed another bill addressing overdraft fees: Senate Bill 1075 will limit credit-union fees for insufficient funds to $14 unless a lower federal limit is set. That becomes law in 2026. And he signed Assembly Bill 2863 , which will make it easier for consumers to cancel subscriptions and requires companies to get consent from their customers before charging them to renew or when a free trial ends. It goes into effect July 1.Games to snuggle up with this holiday season

Gunman Wounds Two Children at California School, Then Kills Self

What is the Federal Reserve for, exactly, besides bailouts?