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'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.” Big Lots reaches deal to keep hundreds of US stores open The discount chain Big Lots has reached a deal that will keep hundreds of its stores open. Big Lots said it will be sold to Gordon Brothers Retail Partners, which specializes in distressed companies. Gordon Brothers will then transfer Big Lots’ stores to other retailers. Variety Wholesalers, which owns more than 400 U.S. discount stores, plans to acquire between 200 and 400 Big Lots stores and operate them under the Big Lots brand. Big Lots filed for bankruptcy protection in September, saying inflation and high interest rates had cut back on consumer demand for its furniture and other products. 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, the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers. Trump asks Supreme Court to delay TikTok ban so he can weigh in after he takes office President-elect Donald Trump has asked the Supreme Court to pause the potential TikTok ban from going into effect until his administration can pursue a “political resolution” to the issue. Trump's request Friday came as TikTok and the Biden administration filed opposing briefs to the court. Oral arguments are scheduled for Jan. 10 on whether the law, which requires TikTok to divest from its China-based parent company or face a ban, unlawfully restricts speech in violation of the First Amendment. The brief said Trump opposes banning TikTok at this junction and “seeks the ability to resolve the issues at hand through political means once he takes office.” Stock market today: Wall Street slips as the 'Magnificent 7' weighs down the market NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are closing lower as Wall Street ends a holiday-shortened week on a down note. The S&P 500 fell 1.1% Friday and the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 333 points, or 0.8%. The Nasdaq composite dropped 1.5%. The “Magnificent 7” stocks weighed on the market, led by declines in Nvidia, Tesla and Microsoft. Even with the loss, the S&P 500 had a modest gain for the week and is still headed for its second consecutive annual gain of more than 20%, the first time that has happened since 1997-1998. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.62%. 10 tips from experts to help you change your relationship with money in 2025 NEW YORK (AP) — As the calendar changes to 2025, you might be thinking about how to approach your relationship with money in the new year. Whether you’re saving to move out of your parents’ house or pay off student loan debt, financial resolutions can help you stay motivated. If you’re planning to make financial resolutions for the new year, experts recommend that you start by evaluating the state of your finances in 2024. Then, set specific goals and make sure they’re attainable for your lifestyle. Janet Yellen tells Congress US could hit debt limit in mid-January WASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says her agency will need to start taking “extraordinary measures,” or special accounting maneuvers intended to prevent the nation from hitting the debt ceiling, as early as January 14th, in a letter sent to congressional leaders Friday afternoon. The department has taken such action in the past. But once those measures run out the government risks defaulting on its debt unless lawmakers and the president agree to lift the limit on the U.S. government’s ability to borrow. An online debate over foreign workers in tech shows tensions in Trump's political coalition WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — An online spat between factions of Donald Trump’s supporters over immigration and the tech industry has thrown internal divisions in the president-elect’s political movement into public display. The argument previews fissures and contradictory views his coalition could bring to the White House. The rift laid bare tensions between the newest flank of Trump’s movement — that is, wealthy members of the tech world who want more highly skilled workers in their industry — and people in Trump’s Make America Great Again base who championed his hardline immigration policies. A 9th telecoms firm has been hit by a massive Chinese espionage campaign, the White House says WASHINGTON (AP) — A top White House official says 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. 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, a deputy national security adviser, said 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. Canadian Cabinet ministers meet with Trump's nominee for commerce secretary in bid to avoid tariffs TORONTO (AP) — Two top Canadian Cabinet ministers have met with President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for commerce secretary at Mar-a-Lago as Canada tries to avoid sweeping tariffs when Trump takes office. New Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly met with Howard Lutnick, Trump’s nominee for commerce secretary, as well as North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Trump’s pick to lead the Interior Department. The meeting was a follow up to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago last month. Trump has threatened to impose sweeping tariffs if Canada does not stem what he calls a flow of migrants and fentanyl into the United States.AP Trending SummaryBrief at 6:41 p.m. EST

Spoilers ahead for Wicked , the Broadway musical, film adaptation, and original novel. If somehow you’ve remained unaware that the movie version of Wicked tells only half a story, you’re forgiven — the trailers have done a decent job of hiding that the film ends with a cliffhanger. The two-hour-and-40-minute film is an adaptation of the first act of Wicked the stage musical, with Wicked: Part Two — based on the second act — hitting theaters November 21, 2025. That may qualify the next 12 months as the longest intermission in history. Not since the conclusion of Kevin Costner’s Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1 have audiences been left in such suspense. To its credit, Wicked manages to feel like a complete movie, even with so much story left to be told. And we’re not exactly in the dark about what’s coming next, thanks to the long-running Broadway musical and Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , on which the show is based. To help you get through the long year ahead, we’ve broken down the ending of the first movie, and what you can expect to see in the next one. In the song “The Wizard and I,” Elphaba, played by Cynthia Erivo, lets us know that she’s been waiting to meet the Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum) since birth, but shortly after she and her roommate, Glinda, played by Ariana Grande, arrive in the Emerald City, they discover that he’s just a guy. The Wizard and Shiz University headmistress Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) convince Elphaba to read from the Grimmerie, the ancient book of spells, and her incantation inadvertently creates an army of flying-monkey spies. She realizes that she’s been used — and that the Wizard is a fraud without any real power. Elphaba refuses to join forces with the Wizard and Madame Morrible, who are leading the persecution of animals to manipulate the masses and gain power. Elphaba runs off with the Grimmerie, and the Wizard sends the palace guards to capture her. Meanwhile, Morrible announces to all of Oz that Elphaba is a dangerous enemy who must be stopped and brands her a Wicked Witch. Glinda catches up with Elphaba and tries to convince her to apologize to the Wizard and join him. Elphaba has seen too much and no longer wants that. Something has changed within her! Something is not the same! Elphaba casts a spell to try to give herself wings, succeeding only in enchanting a broomstick to fly — good enough to make her escape. She nearly convinces Glinda to join her, but Glinda can’t do it, instead giving her former friend a very fetching cape. As the palace guards arrive, Elphaba flies out the window (well, falls, then flies), evading the flying monkeys, performing “Defying Gravity,” and promising that “no Wizard that there is or was is ever gonna bring me down.” Madame Morrible’s words have a profound effect on the Ozians, who now see Elphaba as a terrifying threat. Elphaba’s sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode) is horrified, but not as much as their father (Andy Nyman), who seems to drop dead in shock. Back at the Wizard’s palace, Morrible tells the palace guards to let Glinda go — and despite everything Glinda has seen, she and Morrible embrace. High above them, Elphaba sounds her battle cry and flies off into the distance. No. Thank goodness. We can probably assume Wicked: Part Two will follow the second act of the musical closely. The first film, while drawn out considerably with some character additions, is a very faithful adaptation of the source material. The second movie may add more material: Act Two is shorter and likely needs more beefing up, which may explain why composer Stephen Schwartz previously revealed that there will be at least two new songs . Plot-wise, however, the musical can give us a clear picture of what we’ll be seeing a year from now. Assuming there aren’t any major deviations, Wicked: Part Two should pick up with Glinda now rebranded Glinda the Good and promoting positive vibes among Ozians, even as the Wizard and his press secretary, Madame Morrible, continue to spread lies about the Wicked Witch of the West. Glinda has willed herself into an engagement to Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey), who serves as captain of the guard for the Wizard despite still being loyal to Elphaba. He’s not exactly thrilled to learn he’s marrying Glinda, and runs off to find the witch he really loves. Elphaba’s sister Nessa needs to make something of an abrupt heel turn for her transformation into the Wicked Witch of the East — and here’s hoping Wicked: Part Two adds a little bit of nuance. In the musical, she’s now governor of Munchkinland following her father’s death, and has prevented any Munchkins from leaving so she can keep Boq (Ethan Slater) at her side as a servant. Elphaba arrives with the Grimmerie in tow, and magics Nessa’s shoes so she can walk (the movie may want to tweak this plot point as well). When Boq announces he’s leaving to confess his love to Glinda, Nessa tries to do a spell of her own and ends up destroying his heart, so Elphaba is forced to turn him into a tin man. (The first movie gives Boq the last name “Woodsman,” making this development not much of a surprise.) Elphaba and Fiyero finally get together, but their very sexy duet is interrupted when Elphaba realizes a flying house has put Nessa in danger. Madame Morrible wants to use Nessa’s death to force Elphaba out of hiding, so she’s created a cyclone to bring Dorothy Gale to Oz and — well, if you’ve seen The Wizard of Oz , you know how that turns out for the Wicked Witch of the East. When Elphaba arrives at the site of her house-crushed sister, she and Glinda finally cross paths again. The two fight over Fiyero and the fact that Glinda has handed over Nessa’s enchanted shoes to Dorothy before sending the girl off down the yellow brick road. As we know, the whole thing is a trap, and Elphaba is nearly captured until Fiyero reveals himself as a double agent and helps her escape. He’s taken away, and Elphaba does a spell to protect him while singing “No Good Deed,” a bitter “breaking bad” showstopper that’s one of the major selling points of Act Two. At the same time, an angry mob of Ozians is very much ready for the Wicked Witch of the West to be destroyed. Dorothy’s friends have personal vendettas against her. The Tin Woodman formerly known as Boq wants revenge against Elphaba for what she turned him into — even if it was to save his life — and the Cowardly Lion somehow blames Elphaba for him being cowardly, since he’s a grown-up version of the Lion that Elphaba and Fiyero rescue in Wicked. Elphaba and Glinda do make peace in the end, with Glinda offering to tell everyone the truth about the so-called Wicked Witch of the West. Elphaba urges her not to, saying it would just make the Ozians turn on Glinda, too. The onetime besties sing “For Good,” which is the other major selling point of Act Two, assuming you’re someone who appreciates impeccable harmonizing and crying about friendship. Glinda watches in horror as Dorothy throws water on Elphaba, which seems to melt her — but Wicked has a happier ending, and we should expect the same from the movie. After Glinda has Morrible arrested, she delivers Elphaba’s green glass bottle to the Wizard, who finally understands that he’s orchestrated the death of his biological daughter. Of course, Elphaba has only faked her death for a life of freedom with Fiyero, transformed by her spell into the Scarecrow — with Glinda never knowing their true fates. If the second Wicked movie wants to expand on material from Act Two of the musical, there are certainly plenty of opportunities for extra context, added scenes, and new characters. They have to fit the two new songs in somewhere! One possible source for these additions is Maguire’s original novel, which served as a loose inspiration for the musical. (Winnie Holzman, who wrote the book of Wicked the musical, collaborated on the screenplay for the films with Dana Fox.) The challenge here is that Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West is a much darker and more complex version of the story, with more intricate politics, brutal violence, and kinky sex that could ever be included in a family-friendly musical — or a PG-rated film. Aside from its content appropriateness, Wicked: Part Two would have to veer far from the musical to pull from the novel. It’s unlikely, for example, that Fiyero will end up in an arranged marriage (not with Glinda) and having an affair with Elphaba. With that in mind, we probably won’t get to meet Elphaba’s son, Liir — unless the filmmakers are eager to adapt more of Maguire’s novels. Liir is the protagonist of his first Wicked sequel, the incredibly titled Son of a Witch . Much of the novel Wicked takes place in Fiyero’s castle of Kiamo Ko, where Elphaba and Liir live with Fiyero’s widow, Sarima. (While book Elphaba fantasizes about the Scarecrow secretly being Fiyero in disguise, he’s actually dead.) Sarima is a fascinating character, but one we likely won’t see in Part Two . Assuming the film wants to maintain the PG rating of the first movie — and keep Elphaba less morally gray than she is in the book — we also probably won’t get her inadvertent assassination of a chef with bees (don’t ask) or her bludgeoning of an already dead Madame Morrible. The one area where Part Two seems most likely to draw from Maguire’s novel is in scenes featuring Elphaba and Dorothy. Dorothy is only really alluded to in the musical (she’s either just off-stage or seen in shadow), but she plays a larger role in the book — including a pivotal scene where she reveals she only wants Elphaba’s forgiveness for killing Nessarose. The first Wicked movie borrowed heavily from The Wizard of Oz with multiple Easter eggs and allusions to the 1939 film, so the second part may want to do a little more with Dorothy and her friends. Incorporating a bit of Maguire’s Dorothy scenes could help deepen one of Wicked ’s most important themes: good and evil being a matter of perspective.

Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, will undertake a two-day official visit to Iran on Dec. 2-3 to attend the 28th meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Council of Ministers, the Pakistani foreign office said on Friday. Pakistan and Iran have had a history of rocky relations despite a number of commercial pacts. In 2004, both countries signed the $7 billion Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project agreement but 20 years on, the project remains incomplete. Tehran has completed the gas pipeline’s construction on its side of the border while Pakistan is seeking a United States (US) waiver to go ahead with it due to international sanctions targeting Iran. In his address with the ECO meeting in Mashhad, Dar would highlight the potential of greater connectivity in the ECO region, according to Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch. “Deputy PM will reiterate Pakistan’s commitment to the ECO charter and highlight the potential of greater connectivity in the ECO region to development of road and rail networks, liberalization of visa regimes, simplification of border procedures and to maintain sustainable growth and enhance geo-economic potential of the ECO region,” Baloch said at a weekly press briefing in Islamabad. “Deputy PM will sign the charter for ECO clean energy center and hold bilateral meetings with participating ministers and other dignitaries on the sidelines.” Dar would also reiterate Pakistan’s concerns over hostilities in the Middle East endangering peace and security. The development comes weeks after Iranian FM Seyed Abbas Araghchi’s two-day visit to Islamabad to hold consultations with the Pakistani leadership on the Middle East situation following Israel’s invasion of Gaza and Lebanon, and to discuss bilateral ties with Pakistan. Despite several agreements between them, Pakistan and Iran have often been at odds over instability along their shared, porous border and routinely trade blame for not rooting out militancy. Tensions surged in January when Pakistan and Iran exchanged airstrikes, both claiming to target alleged militant hideouts in each other’s territory. Late Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi had later traveled to Pakistan on a three-day visit in April to ease tensions and strengthen bilateral relations. The two sides had also signed memorandums of understanding in the fields of trade, science technology, agriculture, health, culture, and judicial matters.

Freezing fog hits in -6C chill with SNOW to fall just before Christmas as Britain reels from Storm Darragh’s carnage

How Is The Market Feeling About Brinker International?With nearly all of the votes counted, left-leaning Mr Milanovic won 49% while his main challenger Dragan Primorac, a candidate of the ruling conservative HDZ party, trailed far behind with 19%. Pre-election polls had predicted that the two would face off in the second round on January 12, as none of the eight presidential election contenders were projected to get more than 50% of the vote. Mr Milanovic thanked his supporters but warned that “this was just a first run”. “Let’s not be triumphant, let’s be realistic, firmly on the ground,” he said. “We must fight all over again. It’s not over till it’s over.” Mr Milanovic, the most popular politician in Croatia, has served as prime minister in the past. Populist in style, the 58-year-old has been a fierce critic of current Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and continuous sparring between the two has been a recent hallmark of Croatia’s political scene. Mr Plenkovic has sought to portray the vote as one about Croatia’s future in the EU and Nato. He has labelled Mr Milanovic “pro-Russian” and a threat to Croatia’s international standing. “The difference between him (Mr Primorac) and Milanovic is quite simple: Milanovic is leading us East, Primorac is leading us West,” he said. Though the presidency is largely ceremonial in Croatia, an elected president holds political authority and acts as the supreme commander of the military. Mr Milanovic has criticised the Nato and European Union support for Ukraine and has often insisted that Croatia should not take sides. He has said Croatia should stay away from global disputes, thought it is a member of both Nato and the EU. Mr Milanovic has also blocked Croatia’s participation in a Nato-led training mission for Ukraine, declaring that “no Croatian soldier will take part in somebody else’s war”. His main rival in the election, Mr Primorac, has stated that “Croatia’s place is in the West, not the East”. However, his bid for the presidency has been marred by a high-level corruption case that landed Croatia’s health minister in jail last month and which featured prominently in pre-election debates. Trailing a distant third in the pre-election polls is Marija Selak Raspudic, a conservative independent candidate. She has focused her election campaign on the economic troubles of ordinary citizens, corruption and issues such as population decline in the country of some 3.8 million. Sunday’s presidential election is Croatia’s third vote this year, following a snap parliamentary election in April and the European Parliament balloting in June.

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Acquires 7,015 Shares of Smith Douglas Homes Corp. (NYSE:SDHC)

Trump's lawyers rebuff DA's idea for upholding his hush money conviction

Sabien Technology Group Plc ( LON:SNT – Get Free Report ) shares traded up 10% during trading on Thursday after an insider bought additional shares in the company. The stock traded as high as GBX 11 ($0.14) and last traded at GBX 11 ($0.14). 217,631 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 207% from the average session volume of 70,864 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 10 ($0.13). Specifically, insider Richard Parris bought 200,000 shares of Sabien Technology Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was bought at an average cost of GBX 10 ($0.13) per share, for a total transaction of £20,000 ($25,474.46). Sabien Technology Group Stock Performance The company has a market cap of £2.78 million, a P/E ratio of -391.67 and a beta of 0.50. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of GBX 10.99 and a two-hundred day moving average price of GBX 10.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.54, a current ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 40.44. Sabien Technology Group Company Profile Sabien Technology Group Plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the provision of energy reduction and cloud-connected carbon management technologies serving the commercial heating sector in the United Kingdom and internationally. It offers M2G intelligent boiler load control solution and cloud-connected carbon management service optimize boilers' energy use. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Sabien Technology Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Sabien Technology Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Percentages: FG .383, FT .667. 3-Point Goals: 8-27, .296 (Pelote 2-6, Emery 2-8, Hyland 1-1, Kama.Jones 1-2, Livingston 1-2, Stansberry 1-7, Morgan 0-1). Team Rebounds: 5. Team Turnovers: 3. Blocked Shots: 2 (Pelote, Stansberry). Turnovers: 18 (Morgan 4, Pelote 3, Stansberry 3, Emery 2, Hyland 2, Lemon 2, F.Brown, Kell). Steals: 7 (Morgan 2, Emery, Hyland, Kell, Pelote, Stansberry). Technical Fouls: None. Percentages: FG .514, FT .600. 3-Point Goals: 14-40, .350 (Mitchell 2-3, Kam.Jones 2-4, Lowery 2-4, Joplin 2-6, Gold 2-7, Parham 2-7, Owens 1-1, Ross 1-2, Ciardo 0-2, Hamilton 0-2, Norman 0-2). Team Rebounds: 4. Team Turnovers: None. Blocked Shots: 5 (Joplin 2, Gold, Hamilton, Kam.Jones). Turnovers: 13 (Joplin 3, Norman 3, Owens 3, Gold, Hamilton, Kam.Jones, Lowery). Steals: 15 (Mitchell 3, Joplin 2, Norman 2, Owens 2, Parham 2, Gold, Kam.Jones, Lowery, O'Malley). Technical Fouls: None. .

Thousands of travelers expected to pass through Colorado Springs Airport for the holidays