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. Norwegian chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen quits a tournament in a dispute over jeans NEW YORK (AP) — The International Chess Federation says top ranked player Magnus Carlsen has left the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships after refusing to change out of the jeans he wore to the competition. The federation said Friday that its regulations include a dress code that bars participants from wearing jeans at the event. The Norwegian chess grandmaster says he accepted a $200 fine but refused to change his pants out of principle before leaving the competition in New York. The federation said the dress code is designed to ensure professionalism and fairness for all participants.Napier man killed in fall from car remembered as loving father and beloved teammateISTANBUL Bayern Munich defeated Barcelona 100-78 and jumped to third place Friday in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. Andreas Obst led the German club with 34 points and Carsen Edwards added 25 at Sap Garden. Obst broke the record for 3-pointers in a single game with 36 seconds left to play in the fourth quarter, having made 10 three-pointers at the end of the third, which had him tied with Shane Larkin (twice), Andrew Goudelock and Marcus Eriksson "Somebody told me that I was near the record, so I was aware of it, so it was a great night also because of the team’s win," Obst said after the game. Nick Weiler-Babb had 14 points and five boards for Bayern. For the Spanish club, Jabari Parker finished with 26 points and Willy Hernangomez had 10 points in the loss. Bayern Munich have an 8 - 3 record while Barcelona are in eighth place at 7 - 3. In another Friday game, Zalgiris Kaunas defeated reigning champ Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens 84-77 to end a four-game skid in the EuroLeague at Zalgirio Arena.
The watchmaking prodigy has drawn scepticism because of his young age, but his passion and talent have already earned him recognition in the horological world Stepping into 16-year-old watchmaker Ricky Hong’s workshop/bedroom reveals a huge contrast between his youthful age and his chosen after-school activities. Exposed watch movements tick loudly atop his standing desk while more typical preoccupations of a teenager – an Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 – sit discreetly underneath. “People see someone who’s 50 or 60 and just assume they’re capable, but if they see a teenager, they’ll think he’s too young,” Hong says of the way he has been received in the watch community. “I’ve been called a cheeky brat, jokingly. I have to accept the fact that I’m still young and may not get that respect yet.” Despite his youth, Hong, who has been featured by local media for his ambitious forays into watchmaking, has a CV that would make a grown horology insider envious. After seeing his first Lemania movement at the age of 13 and asking where the battery was, Hong started modifying Casio G-Shock “Casioaks” for paying clients, going on to learn to assemble watches from factory-produced parts, then designing those parts and now polishing his own movements. Such are his skills that, in 2023, he was appointed to the celebrated Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève Academy, which requires referrals from two existing members. These days, Hong prefers to spend his time on proprietary designs. “Before I got into watches, I wore a Daniel Wellington, but when I played sports the crown snapped. I wanted to make a watch I could wear to school that is dressy but durable,” Hong recalls. Inspired by H. Moser & Cie’s Vantablack pieces, Hong ordered cases from various factories in bulk from Taobao to finally assemble the piece. His second and third pieces added complexity – a tourbillon fitted to a gold case that is even more akin to the H. Moser & Cie Venturer Concept Vantablack; then a piece powered by a Sellita SW200 movement with a custom case designed with a crown guard, as well as dials and hands he was able to have customised by a factory. Hong’s most recent piece, with an openworked tourbillon, is an expression of his ultimate desire to build his own brand. Calligraphy of his Chinese surname fills the 3 o’clock area of the dial. Hong also used a jewellery saw to cut away parts of the stock movement plate to build a barrel bridge at 10 o’clock, painstaking work where even fractions of a millimetre difference caused earlier versions to snap. Through working on these four pieces, Hong has gone from assembling pre-existing parts to flexing more of his watchmaking and design chops, but he still feels it’s tough to pin down if what he is doing makes him a watchmaker. “I always say I’m not [a watchmaker] but I’m very lucky to know a few young watchmakers who tell people, ‘Don’t listen to him, he’s a watchmaker.’ After a while, I don’t want to deny what they’re saying, so I compromise and have added ‘part-time watchmaker’ to my Instagram,” he says.
The decision comes as a result of mounting pressure and internal strife within the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, especially after the controversial appointment of Yoon Suk-yeol as the Prosecutor General. The tensions escalated further as Yoon began a series of investigations targeting high-profile figures including current and former government officials.Outside, the students and teachers of Maple Leaf High looked on, their hearts touched by the poignant scene unfolding before them. Here was a young man who had overcome obstacles and challenges with the help of a dedicated teacher, returning to express his gratitude and show her the fruits of her labor. It was a reminder of the power of mentorship, of the lasting impact that a caring teacher can have on a student's life.
