Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth was among the biggest of the Golden Joystick Awards 2024 winners today, taking home four of the seven awards it was nominated for - the most of any game at the fan-voted event. It's also tied with Astro Bot for the most-nominated game at The Game Awards this year. Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi believes this is vindication for Square Enix 's decision to turn the JRPG remake into a trilogy. "I think when we first announced that we were going to do the Final Fantasy 7 remake project not just as one game but as a series of games, which ultimately became a trilogy, there were a number of different reactions to that - mixed reactions, I think," Hamaguchi told GamesRadar+ backstage at The Golden Joysticks. "Obviously since then we've released the first game in the series, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and this game, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, and I think this has proven our concept now," Hamaguchi continued. "With us being the most-nominated game at today's Golden Joysticks, also the most-nominated game at The Game Awards later this year, I think people have finally come around to understand the reasons, the advantages, and why it's a good thing to have it as a trilogy. So hopefully people are a bit more convinced now." Of course, the one final bit of convincing fans are gonna need is to see how the third part of the remake trilogy turns out. Earlier this month, the devs reported that the plot for Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 is complete and they're now moving forward in development , and not long before that Hamaguchi said that the third entry will be "one of the most loved, most popular games in the whole history of video games once again." You can't accuse Square Enix of a lack of ambition, at the very least. Here are the best JRPGs for you to sink your teeth into today.HE HAS NOT PAID A CENT : MUTODI SUED BY EX WIFEShohei Ohtani wins 3rd AP Male Athlete of the Year award, tying Michael Jordan for 1 shy of record LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani has been named The Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year for the third time. That ties the two-way superstar with Michael Jordan, an athlete Ohtani followed while growing up in Japan. He trails only Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods and LeBron James, who each won the award four times. Ohtani received 48 votes in balloting by 74 sports journalists from the AP and its members. He earned his third National League Most Valuable Player award after helping the Dodgers win their eighth World Series title. Ohtani hit 54 home runs and stole 59 bases as the first player with a 50-50 season. His dog, Decoy, became a celebrity, too, helping Ohtani deliver a ceremonial first pitch at a game. Tennessee and Auburn remain 1-2 in AP Top 25 poll featuring 10 SEC teams Tennessee and Auburn remained Nos. 1-2 atop The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll. They were the headliners among the Southeastern Conference's haul of 10 ranked teams. Iowa State, Duke and Alabama rounded out the top five. Kentucky had the week's biggest fall, sliding six spots to No. 10 after a loss to Ohio State. Mississippi State, Arkansas, Illinois and Baylor rejoined the poll after stints in the rankings earlier this season. They replaced Memphis, Dayton, Michigan and Clemson. The Big 12 and Big Ten were tied for second with five teams each in the AP Top 25. USC up to No. 4 in women's AP Top 25 after win over UConn. UCLA, South Carolina, Notre Dame stay 1-3 Southern California jumped to No. 4 in The Associated Press women’s college basketball poll on Monday after edging UConn. The Trojans moved up three spots after beating the then-No. 4 Huskies 72-70 in a rematch of last season’s Elite Eight game that UConn won. UCLA, South Carolina and Notre Dame remained the top three teams. The Bruins received 30 of the 32 first-place votes from a national media panel. The Gamecocks and the Fighting Irish each got one first-place vote. UConn fell to seventh behind Texas and LSU. Maryland, Oklahoma and Ohio State rounded out the top 10 teams. Former NFL great Michael Vick introduced as Norfolk State’s football coach NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Michael Vick has been introduced as Norfolk State’s football coach, a homecoming for the former NFL star and a splashy, attention-grabbing hire for a program that has struggled in recent years. Vick donned a Norfolk State letterman’s jacket and cap in front of a crowd of supporters that included fellow Hampton Roads, Virginia, sports greats Allen Iverson and Bruce Smith. Vick led Virginia Tech to the national championship game as a redshirt freshman and was selected No. 1 overall in the 2001 NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons. His career was derailed by his conviction in 2007 for his involvement in a dogfighting ring. On Football: Falcons and Buccaneers flip spots atop the NFC South and playoff races tighten up The 49ers, Cowboys and Cardinals are out of the playoff race. The Falcons took control of their hopes and the Colts, Dolphins and Bengals kept slim chances alive. The NFL’s playoff picture became clearer Sunday. With two weeks remaining, three of eight division titles are secured, eight teams have wrapped up playoff berths and 11 more are competing for the six remaining spots. The biggest change in the standings occurred in the NFC South with Atlanta reclaiming the top spot from Tampa Bay. The Chiefs have the inside track for the AFC's No. 1 seed and the NFC's top spot could likely come down to the Vikings-Lions matchup in Week 18. No. 1 Oregon and No. 8 Ohio State gear up for rematch of thriller won by Ducks Oregon and Ohio State have already produced one heck of a game this season. Now, the top-seeded Ducks and eighth-seeded Buckeyes are gearing up for a rematch more than 10 weeks later in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal game at the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day. Of course, both teams have had ample time for evolution since that 32-31 Oregon win on Oct. 12. But they also have that game and players’ familiarity with each other, not to mention common opponents in the Big Ten. Texas, Arizona State to meet in CFP clash of old vs. new Big 12 champs AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas won the Big 12 title in 2023 on its way out the door to the Southeastern Conference. It was still swinging open when Arizona State waltzed in and won the league title in its debut season. And now last season’s Big 12 champs meet the new Big 12 champs on the path toward a potential national title. The fifth-seeded Longhorns and fourth-seeded Sun Devils play News Years Day in the Peach Bowl in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff. Penn State preparing for hard-charging Jeanty and Boise State in CFP quarterfinals STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Penn State players have watched Ashton Jeanty make opponents look silly all season. They don’t want to be the next defenders Boise State’s star posterizes with jukes, spin moves, stiff arms and heavy shoulders. But they also know that slowing down Jeanty, who finished second in Heisman Trophy voting, will be their toughest task yet when the two teams meet in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31. Texas sues NCAA in latest push to block transgender athletes in women's sports AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued the NCAA to block the participation of transgender athletes in women’s sports, arguing that it tricks and misleads fans. The lawsuit filed in state district court argues the NCAA violates the Texas Trade Practices Act. The law is designed to protect consumers from deceptive business practices. The lawsuit is the latest attempt by conservative politicians to target transgender athletes and push the NCAA into banning them from competition. NCAA President Charlie Baker recently told Congress he was aware of fewer than 10 active transgender athletes. Sabrina Ionescu is joining Unrivaled as the new 3-on-3 league's final player Sabrina Ionescu is joining Unrivaled as the new league’s final player for this season. The Liberty star guard who helped New York win the first championship in franchise history earlier this year signed a historic agreement on Monday. She’ll join the Phantom BC that made a trade Saturday night to acquire Natasha Cloud. Ionescu will also be playing with Brittney Griner, Marina Mabrey, Satou Sabally and Katie Lou Samuelson. The 27-year-old Ionescu is recovering from a procedure she had earlier this month on her right thumb to stabilize the ulnar collateral ligament.
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The starts may not look like locks at first, but they should come through in Week 13. Conversely, I’ve included some players who might otherwise seem like safe plays to avoid as well. Start: Sam Darnold, Vikings vs Cardinals Darnold had a rough patch a few weeks ago, but he’s back in good form, putting up five combined TDs in his past two games. Even against the Bears top-notch pass defense last week, Darnold threw for a season-high 330 yards to go along with his two scores. His opponent this week, the Cardinals, have a decent secondary, but they pale in comparison to Chicago’s. Other locks: —Jalen Hurts at Ravens —Baker Mayfield at Panthers —CJ Stroud at Jaguars —Justin Herbert at Falcons Avoid: Jared Goff, Lions vs Bears Goff doesn’t force the ball through the air if he doesn’t have to and he would be remiss to do so against a top rated Bears secondary that will be looking to vindicate themselves after giving up some big plays to Sam Darnold last week. He’s also got the best 1 and 2 punch in football in his backfield. Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery are a force and they’ll likely have a much easier time finding holes in Chicago’s run defense than Goff will in the passing game. Start: Chuba Hubbard, Panthers vs Buccaneers Hubbard fantasy owners were anxious last week, upon hearing the news that rookie running back Jonathon Brooks would be seeing his first game action this season. Fears were assuaged when Brooks only got two carries the entire game for 7 yards. Brooks’ carries could increase as he gets more comfortable in the offense, but Hubbard should have at least one more week as the starter in Carolina. It will come against a Buccaneers run defense that is a top-10 matchup for opposing runners in Week 13. Other locks: —Bucky Irving at Panthers —Jonathan Taylor at Patriots —Josh Jacobs vs Dolphins —Tyrone Tracy Jr., at Cowboys Avoid: James Conner, Cardinals at Vikings The Week 11 bye didn’t do Conner any favors as he only ran for 8 yards on seven carries in his Week 12 return. He was able to salvage his day through the air, catching five passes for 41 yards, but it was an underwhelming game from a fantasy perspective against the Seattle run defense. He’ll face a Vikings defense that ranks as a top-two run stopper going into Week 13 — Conner only gained 25 combined yards against Detroit’s top-three run defense in Week 2. Trey Benson is also gaining steam in the Arizona offense. It’s best to fade Conner this week, if you have that luxury. Start: DJ Moore, Bears at Lions Moore is finally starting to make waves again in fantasy, after slumping from Weeks 6 to 10. He’s had his best two-game stint of the season thus far in Weeks 11 and 12 though, going for a season-high 119 combined yards and a score in the latter game. New offensive coordinator Thomas Jones has sparked the offense and Moore has been a prime beneficiary. The Bears will have fits trying to run at the Lions’ stout run defense, so they could attack them through the air. Moore is a prime contender to keep up his recent run in Week 13. Other locks: —Ladd McConkey at Falcons —Puka Nacua at Saints —Jaxon Smith-Njigba at Jets —Jakobi Meyers at Chiefs Avoid: Quentin Johnston, Chargers vs Ravens Johnston is the definition of boom or bust, either scoring double-digit fantasy points or gaining fewer than 25 yards in nearly every game he’s appeared in this season. On "Monday Night Football," he had zero catches on five targets. Johnston has a great matchup this week, but there’s no guarantee he’ll capitalize on it. Johnston is anything but a lock this week. Start: Luke Schoonmaker, Cowboys vs Giants Schoonmaker had three catches for 55 yards and a score against Washington in a thrilling game. Schoonmaker provided another dependable option to QB Cooper Rush. Jake Ferguson is still in concussion protocol and it’s a short week as Dallas is playing on Thanksgiving, so Schoonmaker is likely to start once again. With CeeDee Lamb nursing nagging injuries as well, look for Rush to lean heavily on Schoonmaker this week. Other locks: —Jonnu Smith at Packers —Trey McBride at Vikings —Taysom Hill vs Rams —Dallas Goedert at Ravens Avoid: Sam LaPorta, Lions vs Bears LaPorta just can’t find any consistency in the Detroit offense, going weeks between decent fantasy outings at times. He had just three catches for 19 yards in Week 12 after missing Week 11 with a shoulder injury and things aren’t looking up for him this week as the Lions are playing a stalwart Chicago defense on short rest. Look for the Lions to go run heavy this week, taking the onus off LaPorta and the rest of the Lions receiving group. This column was provided to The Associated Press by RosterWatch, www.rosterwatch.com .Select Medical Holdings Stock Sees RS Rating Jump To 81
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Attorney General Austin Knudsen won’t be facing a contempt order from court in a wrongful discharge lawsuit. A former Montana Highway Patrol chief who is suing Knudsen and the state argued that the attorney general should be found in contempt for allowing the Department of Justice to disseminate confidential personnel information — an allegation the DOJ denied. A district court judge denied the motion to set a contempt hearing last month. Lawyers for the state called the motion “unorthodox” and “a red herring.” In the lawsuit, former Highway Patrol Col. Steve Lavin alleged he was wrongfully terminated after he launched a management review and workplace climate survey. As part of that lawsuit, lawyers for Lavin alleged the DOJ shared private information about Lavin with political consultant Jake Eaton and The Political Company, and Eaton more widely released it in an email to clients. The Political Company provided fundraising consulting to Knudsen, a Republican re-elected as attorney general in November. In the email, Eaton criticized Lavin as “an inept leader” albeit “super nice guy.” The court filing from Lavin’s lawyers didn’t specify which part of the email it considered private personnel information. Eaton is not party to the lawsuit, but he earlier told the Daily Montana the criticisms in his email came from social media and gossip circles, not the DOJ. In its response to the motion, Brown Law Firm lawyers representing Knudsen argued the state shouldn’t have to argue for Eaton, a third party, who acted as a private individual “with no official judicial or ministerial duties.” Regardless, they also said Eaton’s explanation to the Daily Montanan that his sources did not include the DOJ make the contempt motion moot. Plus, they said, the timing didn’t add up for such a motion. They said the lawsuit was still “in its infancy,” their deadline to answer hadn’t even passed before the contempt motion came up, and it could “only be classified as a poorly masked attempt to force defendants to appear prior to their statutorily prescribed deadline.” The lawyers argued that when contempt isn’t committed in open court or within the purview of the presiding judge, an affidavit outlining the facts constituting contempt needs to be presented, and one was not. So they said the judge should deny the motion. In the order last month, Lewis and Clark County District Court Judge Michael McMahon agreed with the state’s argument about the need for an affidavit outlining “a statement of the facts.” The order denied the plaintiff’s request that the court set a hearing “to allow defendants to answer why they should not be held indirect civil contempt.” The order said the contempt motion was not supported by an affidavit, required when contempt is alleged outside the view of the court. It also said the Montana Supreme Court had found procedures must be followed in such cases. In a phone call, lawyer Ben Reed, representing Lavin, said the team’s interest in raising concerns about the email was to ensure the dispute remained focused on the allegations of wrongful termination — and stayed between the parties in the case without interference from outsiders. “We simply wanted to bring these issues to the attention of the court and make it clear that the case is about what’s in front of the court, and not about what’s not (in front of the court), and to try and keep third parties from joining into the chorus,” Reed said. Reed, of the Delli Bovi, Martin and Reed firm, also said the plaintiffs will carry on with the lawsuit. “We’re confident that we can move on in good order and according to the rule of law,” Reed said. Spokespeople from the DOJ did not respond to requests for comment. In response to the allegations in the lawsuit, the DOJ earlier said Lavin agreed to retire after the Highway Patrol “lost confidence” in him. In their court filing about the motion for contempt, they said the lawsuit is only about employment. “Defendants view this as an employment matter — one where the plaintiff signed a release as part of a negotiated severance agreement, which is a complete defense to plaintiff’s claims in this matter,” said the lawyers for Knudsen. “Plaintiff is merely trying to distract from that fact with a red herring motion.” Get any of our free daily email newsletters — news headlines, opinion, e-edition, obituaries and more.COLUMBIA, South Carolina (AP) — Victims' families and others affected by crimes that resulted in federal death row convictions shared a range of emotions on Monday, from relief to anger, after President Joe Biden commuted dozens of the sentences . Biden converted the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The inmates include people who were convicted in the slayings of police, military officers and federal prisoners and guards. Others were involved in deadly robberies and drug deals. Three inmates will remain on federal death row: Dylann Roof , convicted of the 2015 racist slayings of nine Black members of Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina; the 2013 Boston Marathon Bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev , and Robert Bowers, who fatally shot 11 congregants at Pittsburgh’s Tree of life Synagogue in 2018 , the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S history. Opponents of the death penalty lauded Biden for a decision they'd long sought. Supporters of Donald Trump , a vocal advocate of expanding capital punishment, criticized the move as an assault to common decency just weeks before the president-elect takes office. Donnie Oliverio, a retired Ohio police officer whose partner was killed by an inmate whose death sentence was commuted, said the execution of “the person who killed my police partner and best friend would have brought me no peace.” “The president has done what is right here,” Oliverio said in a statement also issued by the White House, “and what is consistent with the faith he and I share.” Heather Turner, whose mother, Donna Major, was killed in a bank robbery in South Carolina in 2017, called Biden's commutation of the killer's sentence a “clear gross abuse of power” in a Facebook post, adding that the weeks she spent in court with the hope of justice were now “just a waste of time.” “At no point did the president consider the victims,” Turner wrote. “He, and his supporters, have blood on their hands.” There has always been a broad range of opinions on what punishment Roof should face from the families of the nine people killed and the survivors of the massacre at the Mother Emanuel AME Church. Many forgave him, but some say they can’t forget and their forgiveness doesn’t mean they don’t want to see him put to death for what he did. Felicia Sanders survived the shooting shielding her granddaughter while watching Roof kill her son, Tywanza, and her aunt, Susie Jackson. Sanders brought her bullet-torn bloodstained Bible to his sentencing and said then she can’t even close her eyes to pray because Roof started firing during the closing prayer of Bible study that night. In a text message to her lawyer, Andy Savage, Sanders called Biden’s decision to not spare Roof’s life a wonderful Christmas gift. Michael Graham, whose sister, Cynthia Hurd, was killed, told The Associated Press that Roof’s lack of remorse and simmering white nationalism in the country means he is the kind of dangerous and evil person the death penalty is intended for. “This was a crime against a race of people," Graham said. “It didn’t matter who was there, only that they were Black.” But the Rev. Sharon Richer, who was Tywanza Sanders’ cousin and whose mother, Ethel Lance, was killed, criticized Biden for not sparing Roof and clearing out all of death row. She said every time Roof’s case comes up through numerous appeals it is like reliving the massacre all over again. “I need the President to understand that when you put a killer on death row, you also put their victims' families in limbo with the false promise that we must wait until there is an execution before we can begin to heal,” Richer said in a statement. Richer, a board member of Death Penalty Action, which seeks to abolish capital punishment, was driven to tears by conflicting emotions during a Zoom news conference Monday. “The families are left to be hostages for the years and years of appeals that are to come,” Richer said. “I’ve got to stay away from the news today. I’ve got to turn the TV off — because whose face am I going to see?” Biden is giving more attention to the three inmates he chose not to spare, something they all wanted as a part of what drove them to kill, said Abraham Bonowitz, Death Penalty Action’s executive director. “These three racists and terrorists who have been left on death row came to their crimes from political motivations. When Donald Trump gets to execute them what will really be happening is they will be given a global platform for their agenda of hatred,” Bonowitz said. Biden had faced pressure from advocacy organizations to commute federal death sentences, and several praised him for taking action in his final month in office. Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the ACLU, said in a statement that Biden “has shown our country — and the rest of the world — that the brutal and inhumane policies of our past do not belong in our future.” Republicans, including Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, on the other hand, criticized the move — and argued its moral ground was shaky given the three exceptions. “Once again, Democrats side with depraved criminals over their victims, public order, and common decency,” Cotton wrote on X. “Democrats can’t even defend Biden’s outrageous decision as some kind of principled, across-the-board opposition to the death penalty since he didn’t commute the three most politically toxic cases.” Liz Murrill, Louisiana's Republican attorney general, criticized the commuted sentence of Len Davis, a former New Orleans policeman convicted of orchestrating the killing of a woman who had filed a complaint against him. “We can’t trust the Feds to get justice for victims of heinous crimes, so it’s long past time for the state to get it done,” the tough-on-crime Republican said in a written statement to the AP. Two men whose sentences were commuted were Norris Holder and Billie Jerome Allen, on death row for opening fire with assault rifles during a 1997 bank robbery in St. Louis, killing a guard, 46-year-old Richard Heflin. Holder’s attorney, Madeline Cohen, said in an email that Holder, who is Black, was sentenced to death by an all-white jury. She said his case “reflects many of the system’s flaws,” and thanked Biden for commuting his sentence. “Norris’ case exemplifies the racial bias and arbitrariness that led the President to commute federal death sentences,” Cohen said. “Norris has always been deeply remorseful for the pain his actions caused, and we hope this decision brings some measure of closure to Richard Heflin’s family.” Swenson reported from Seattle. Associated Press writers Jim Salter in O'Fallon, Missouri, and Sara Cline in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, contributed to this report.
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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — There's more than just school pride and bragging rights to all that bellyaching over who might be in and who might be out of college football 's first 12-team playoff. Try the more than $115 million that will be spread across the conferences at the end of the season, all depending on who gets in and which teams go the farthest. According to the College Football Playoff website , the 12 teams simply making the bracket earn their conferences $4 million each. Another $4 million goes to conferences whose teams get into the quarterfinals. Then, there's $6 million more for teams that make the semifinals and another $6 million for those who play for the title. Most of this bonanza comes courtesy of ESPN, which is forking over $1.3 billion a year to televise the new postseason. A lot of that money is already earmarked — more goes to the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference than the Big 12 or Atlantic Coast — but a lot is up for grabs in the 11 games that will play out between the opening round on Dec. 20 and the final on Jan. 20. In all, the teams that make the title game will bring $20 million to their conferences, all of which distribute that money, along with billions in TV revenue and other sources, in different ways. In fiscal 2022-23, the Big Ten, for instance, reported revenue of nearly $880 million and distributed about $60.5 million to most of its members. The massive stakes might help explain the unabashed lobbying coming from some corners of the football world, as the tension grows in advance of Sunday's final rankings, which will set the bracket. Earlier this week, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark lit into the selection committee, which doesn't have a single team higher than 15 in the rankings. That does two things: It positions the Big 12 as a one-bid league, and also threatens to makes its champion — either Arizona State or Iowa State — the fifth-best among conference titlists that get automatic bids. Only the top four of those get byes, which could cost the Big 12 a spot in the quarterfinals — or $4 million. “The committee continues to show time and time again that they are paying attention to logos versus resumes,” Yormark said this week, while slamming the idea of teams with two losses in his conference being ranked worse than teams with three in the SEC. The ACC is also staring at a one-bid season with only No. 8 SMU inside the cut line of this week's projected bracket. Miami's loss last week all but bumped the Hurricanes out of the playoffs, a snub that ACC commissioner Jim Phillips said left him “incredibly shocked and disappointed." “As we look ahead to the final rankings, we hope the committee will reconsider and put a deserving Miami in the field," Phillips said in a statement. The lobbying and bickering filters down to the campuses that feel the impact. And, of course, to social media. One of the most entertaining episodes came earlier this week when athletic directors at Iowa State and SMU went back and forth about whose team was more deserving. There are a few stray millions that the selection committee cannot really influence, including a $3 million payment to conferences that make the playoff. In a reminder that all these kids are going to school, after all, the conferences get $300,000 per football team that meets academic requirements to participate in the postseason. (That's basically everyone). Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-footballIndia not pursuing shared BRICS currency, analysts say
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