Arizona State was projected to have a rough first season in the Big 12, while Arizona was expected to be one of the conference's top teams upon joining the league. However, the opposite has played out as the No. 16 Sun Devils get set to square off with the host Wildcats for Saturday's Territorial Cup clash in Tucson, Ariz. Arizona was coming off a 10-3 season in which it beat Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl, and new coach Brent Brennan and his staff managed to keep many of the top players -- including quarterback Noah Fifita and All-American receiver Tetairoa McMillan -- despite the departure of coach Jedd Fisch to Washington. Meanwhile, Arizona State went 3-9 last season in Kenny Dillingham's first year as a head coach. The Sun Devils were picked to finish last in the Big 12 media preseason rankings but have emerged as a playoff contender. Dillingham's team moved up five spots in the latest College Football Playoff rankings after last week's 28-23 win over then-No. 14 BYU at Tempe, Ariz. Arizona State (9-2, 6-2) is in position to play in the conference championship game next week, but the tiebreaking scenarios are complex with the Sun Devils atop the league standings with Colorado, Iowa State and BYU. Arizona (4-7, 2-6) is not bowl eligible amid a social media outcry of removing Brennan as head coach despite this being only his first year. Brennan was asked at his weekly press conference if the Wildcats are motivated to potentially spoil Arizona State's attempt to play in the Big 12 championship game and then possibly the CFP. "Not really," Brennan said. "I think it's more about the fact that we're playing ASU and what this game means to everybody here." Dillingham and Brennan experienced the rivalry from a young age. The former was raised in the Phoenix area and grew up an Arizona State fan before earning a degree at the school in 2012. Brennan was an avid Arizona supporter in the late 1990s when his brother Brad played against the Sun Devils as a receiver. Brent Brennan, who played at UCLA, is married to an Arizona graduate. "The mindset is this is the biggest game of the year, every year, and that doesn't change," Brennan said. "For us, whether we're bowl eligible or not, all that matters is we're playing the team from up north." Dillingham must guard against his team feeling the pressure to advance to the Big 12 championship game, while Arizona is playing with nothing to lose. Cam Skattebo, one of the nation's top running backs, said the Sun Devils will be ready because of the "brotherhood" they have built under Dillingham. "The culture has changed man and everybody loves each other," Skattebo said. "We've turned this thing around. But it's not finished yet because there's still a process. There is still work to do in the process." Skattebo will go against an Arizona defense depleted by injuries. Three of its best players -- linebacker Jacob Manu and safeties Treydan Stukes and Gunner Maldonado -- have been out most of the season with leg injuries. Skattebo has gained 1,221 yards on 226 carries with 14 touchdowns. Fifita and McMillan will test an Arizona State secondary that is 83th nationally, allowing 228.4 passing yards a game. McMillan became Arizona's career receiving yards leader with his 115-yard performance last week at TCU. He has 3,355 career receiving yards, passing his current position coach, Bobby Wade (3,351 yards, 1999-02). --Field Level Media
The Ducks climbed to No. 2 after beating Texas A&M and San Diego State, but Gonzaga held down the top spot. Subscribe to continue reading this article. Already subscribed? To login in, click here.
Duplicate Bridge: Dec. 28, 2024
Danny O'Brien has been announced as the new leader of the Victorian Nationals after Peter Walsh stepped down from the role. Mr O'Brien, who has been in parliament since March 2014, was elected to the position unopposed, a party statement on Tuesday said. The Gippsland South MP said it was "the greatest honour" to have been elected leader. "For over 100 years, The Nationals have served the interests of rural and regional Victoria. That will not change," Mr O'Brien said. "It remains our singular focus as the only party solely dedicated to serving the interests of the 25 per cent of the population who live outside the metropolitan area. "I entered politics because I have always believed rural and regional people get a raw deal. As leader of our great party, I will fight every day for country people to get a fair go." Mr O'Brien is the current shadow minister for casino, gaming and liquor regulation, and roads and road safety. Mr Walsh had been the Nationals leader for almost 10 years, after assuming the role in December 2014 following the Coalition's election defeat after one term in office. He "recently advised the party room he would step down", the party statement said. Lowan MP Emma Kealy will remain as deputy leader. "The Nationals have a formidable team of community champions in parliament and every day we stand side-by-side with our community to ensure their voice is heard," she said. "I look forward to continuing my role in leadership, working with Danny, our MPs and all our members and supporters who are fighting together for a fair deal for regional Victorians." The leadership changes at the mid point of the current parliamentary term, with the next state election to be held on November 28, 2026. Mr O'Brien will work alongside Liberal leader John Pesutto as part of the Victorian Coalition's leadership team.By Eva Levin A teen led police on a car chase that spanned three states on Monday, police said. Just after 7 a.m., police in Hinsdale, New Hampshire, contacted police in Brattleboro, Vermont, for help with a 14 year-old having a “mental health emergency,” Brattleboro police said. When law enforcement arrived at the teen’s house in Hindsdale, Brattleboro police said, the juvenile allegedly stole a family member’s vehicle and drove off. Police set up road blocks along Route 119 at the state line in an attempt to stop the suspect, according to Brattleboro police. However, Brattleboro police said, the teen allegedly drove through a road block, eventually hitting a police car and “nearly striking” two officers. Brattleboro police said they continued to follow the teen, who was driving south on Canal Street. Police in Bernardston, Massachusetts were notified of the incident and deployed spike strips on the vehicle, the department said in a separate social media post. Brattleboro police said the spike strips successfully impaired the car. The suspect intentionally caused “significant property damage” while in a parking lot, Bernardston police said. “The juvenile ended up colliding with several pieces of private property in a Bernardston parking lot, before colliding with a second Brattleboro Police cruiser in that same lot before being boxed in,” Brattleboro police said. Photos from the chase posted by Bernardston police show tire tracks through grass and a destroyed light fixture. Bernandston police took the teen into custody, the department said. Brattleboro police said five different police departments were involved in the chase, including the Hinsdale, Brattleboro, Bernardston, Gill, and Greenfield departments. An investigation into the pursuit is ongoing, Brattleboro police said. Eva Levin Eva Levin is a general assignment co-op for Boston.com. She covers breaking and local news in Boston and beyond. Boston.com Today Sign up to receive the latest headlines in your inbox each morning. Be civil. Be kind.
JERUSALEM — Israel approved a United States-brokered ceasefire agreement with Lebanon's Hezbollah on Tuesday, setting the stage for an end to nearly 14 months of fighting linked to the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. In the hours leading up to the Cabinet meeting, Israel carried out its most intense wave of strikes in Beirut and its southern suburbs and issued a record number of evacuation warnings. At least 24 people were killed in strikes across the country, according to local authorities, as Israel signaled it aims to keep pummeling Hezbollah in the final hours before any ceasefire takes hold. Israel's security Cabinet approved the ceasefire agreement late Tuesday after it was presented by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his office said. U.S. President Joe Biden, speaking in Washington, called the agreement “good news” and said his administration would make a renewed push for a ceasefire in Gaza. An Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire would mark the first major step toward ending the regionwide unrest triggered by Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. But it does not address the devastating war in Gaza. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to bring peace to the Middle East, but neither he nor Netanyahu have proposed a postwar solution for the Palestinian territory, where Hamas is still holding dozens of hostages and the conflict is more intractable. Still, any halt to the fighting in Lebanon is expected to reduce the likelihood of war between Israel and Iran, which backs both Hezbollah and Hamas and exchanged direct fire with Israel on two occasions earlier this year. Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. Netanyahu presented the ceasefire proposal to Cabinet ministers after a televised address in which he listed a series of accomplishments against Israel’s enemies across the region. He said a ceasefire with Hezbollah would further isolate Hamas in Gaza and allow Israel to focus on its main enemy, Iran, which backs both groups. “If Hezbollah breaks the agreement and tries to rearm, we will attack,” he said. “For every violation, we will attack with might.” Netanyahu's office later said Israel appreciated the U.S. efforts in securing the deal but "reserves the right to act against every threat to its security.” It was not immediately clear when the ceasefire would go into effect, and the exact terms of the deal were not released. The deal calls for a two-month initial halt in fighting and would require Hezbollah to end its armed presence in a broad swath of southern Lebanon, while Israeli troops would return to their side of the border. Thousands of additional Lebanese troops and U.N. peacekeepers would deploy in the south, and an international panel headed by the United States would monitor all sides’ compliance. But implementation remains a major question mark. Israel has demanded the right to act should Hezbollah violate its obligations. Lebanese officials have rejected writing that into the proposal. Biden said Israel reserved the right to quickly resume operations in Lebanon if Hezbollah breaks the terms of the truce, but that the deal "was designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities.” Hezbollah has said it accepts the proposal, but a senior official with the group said Tuesday that it had not seen the agreement in its final form. “After reviewing the agreement signed by the enemy government, we will see if there is a match between what we stated and what was agreed upon by the Lebanese officials,” Mahmoud Qamati, deputy chair of Hezbollah’s political council, told the Al Jazeera news network. “We want an end to the aggression, of course, but not at the expense of the sovereignty of the state” of Lebanon, he said. “Any violation of sovereignty is refused.” Even as Israeli, U.S, Lebanese and international officials have expressed growing optimism over a ceasefire, Israel has continued its campaign in Lebanon, which it says aims to cripple Hezbollah’s military capabilities. An Israeli strike on Tuesday leveled a residential building in the central Beirut district of Basta — the second time in recent days warplanes have hit the crowded area near the city’s downtown. At least seven people were killed and 37 wounded, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry. Strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs killed at least one person and wounded 13, it said. Three people were killed in a separate strike in Beirut and three in a strike on a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon. Lebanese state media said another 10 people were killed in the eastern Baalbek province. Israel says it targets Hezbollah fighters and their infrastructure. Israel also struck a building in Beirut's bustling commercial district of Hamra for the first time, hitting a site that is around 400 meters (yards) from Lebanon’s Central Bank. There were no reports of casualties. The Israeli military said it struck targets in Beirut and other areas linked to Hezbollah's financial arm. The evacuation warnings covered many areas, including parts of Beirut that previously have not been targeted. The warnings, coupled with fear that Israel was ratcheting up attacks before a ceasefire, sent residents fleeing. Traffic was gridlocked, and some cars had mattresses tied to them. Dozens of people, some wearing their pajamas, gathered in a central square, huddling under blankets or standing around fires as Israeli drones buzzed loudly overhead. Hezbollah, meanwhile, kept up its rocket fire, triggering air raid sirens across northern Israel. Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee issued evacuation warnings for 20 buildings in Beirut's southern suburbs, where Hezbollah has a major presence, as well as a warning for the southern town of Naqoura where the U.N. peacekeeping mission, UNIFIL, is headquartered. UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti told The Associated Press that peacekeepers will not evacuate. A police bomb squad officer inspects the site where a rocket fired from Lebanon landed in a backyard in Kiryat Shmona, northern Israel, Tuesday Nov. 26, 2024. The Israeli military also said its ground troops clashed with Hezbollah forces and destroyed rocket launchers in the Slouqi area on the eastern end of the Litani River, a few kilometers (miles) from the Israeli border. Under the ceasefire deal, Hezbollah would be required to move its forces north of the Litani, which in some places is about 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the border. Hezbollah began firing into northern Israel, saying it was showing support for the Palestinians, a day after Hamas carried out its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, triggering the Gaza war. Israel returned fire on Hezbollah, and the two sides have been exchanging barrages ever since. Israel escalated its campaign of bombardment in mid-September and later sent troops into Lebanon, vowing to put an end to Hezbollah fire so tens of thousands of evacuated Israelis could return to their homes. More than 3,760 people have been killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon the past 13 months, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The bombardment has driven 1.2 million people from their homes. Israel says it has killed more than 2,000 Hezbollah members. Hezbollah fire has forced some 50,000 Israelis to evacuate in the country’s north, and its rockets have reached as far south in Israel as Tel Aviv. At least 75 people have been killed, more than half of them civilians. More than 50 Israeli soldiers have died in the ground offensive in Lebanon. Chehayeb and Mroue reported from Beirut. Associated Press reporters Lujain Jo and Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut contributed. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.JERUSALEM — Israel approved a ceasefire agreement with Lebanon's Hezbollah militants on Tuesday that would end nearly 14 months of fighting linked to the war in the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire, starting at 4 a.m. local time Wednesday, would mark the first major step toward ending the regionwide unrest triggered by Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. But it does not address the devastating war in Gaza , where Hamas is still holding dozens of hostages and the conflict is more intractable. Hours before the ceasefire with Hezbollah was to take effect, Israel carried out the most intense wave of strikes in Beirut and its southern suburbs since the start of the conflict and issued a record number of evacuation warnings. At least 42 people were killed in strikes across the country, according to local authorities. Another huge airstrike shook Beirut shortly after the ceasefire was announced. Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on Dahiyeh, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. Bilal Hussein - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS There appeared to be lingering disagreement over whether Israel would have the right to strike Hezbollah if it believed the militants had violated the agreement, something Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted was part of the deal but which Lebanese and Hezbollah officials have rejected. Israel's security Cabinet approved the U.S.-France-brokered ceasefire agreement after Netanyahu presented it, his office said. U.S. President Joe Biden, speaking in Washington, called the agreement “good news” and said his administration would make a renewed push for a ceasefire in Gaza. The Biden administration spent much of this year trying to broker a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza but the talks repeatedly sputtered to a halt . President-elect Donald Trump vowed to bring peace to the Middle East without saying how. Still, any halt to the fighting in Lebanon is expected to reduce the likelihood of war between Israel and Iran, which backs both Hezbollah and Hamas and exchanged direct fire with Israel on two occasions earlier this year. Netanyahu presented the ceasefire proposal to Cabinet ministers after a televised address in which he listed accomplishments against Israel’s enemies across the region. He said a ceasefire with Hezbollah would further isolate Hamas in Gaza and allow Israel to focus on its main enemy, Iran. “If Hezbollah breaks the agreement and tries to rearm, we will attack,” he said. “For every violation, we will attack with might.” The ceasefire deal calls for a two-month initial halt in fighting and would require Hezbollah to end its armed presence in a broad swath of southern Lebanon, while Israeli troops would return to their side of the border. Thousands of additional Lebanese troops and U.N. peacekeepers would deploy in the south, and an international panel headed by the United States would monitor compliance. Biden said Israel reserved the right to quickly resume operations in Lebanon if Hezbollah breaks the terms of the truce, but that the deal "was designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities.” A police bomb squad officer inspects the site where a rocket fired from Lebanon landed in a backyard in Kiryat Shmona, northern Israel, Tuesday Nov. 26, 2024. Leo Correa - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS Netanyahu’s office said Israel appreciated the U.S. efforts in securing the deal but “reserves the right to act against every threat to its security.” Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati welcomed the ceasefire and described it as a crucial step toward stability and the return of displaced people. Hezbollah has said it accepts the proposal, but a senior official with the group said Tuesday it had not seen the agreement in its final form. “After reviewing the agreement signed by the enemy government, we will see if there is a match between what we stated and what was agreed upon by the Lebanese officials,” Mahmoud Qamati, deputy chair of Hezbollah’s political council, told the Al Jazeera news network. Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed | SoundStack | All Of Our Podcasts “We want an end to the aggression, of course, but not at the expense of the sovereignty of the state," he said, referring to Israel's demand for freedom of action. “Any violation of sovereignty is refused.” Rescuers and residents search for victims Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a building in Beirut, Lebanon. Hassan Ammar, Associated Press Even as ceasefire efforts gained momentum in recent days, Israel continued to strike what it called Hezbollah targets across Lebanon while the militants fired rockets, missiles and drones across the border. An Israeli strike on Tuesday leveled a residential building in central Beirut — the second time in recent days warplanes have hit the crowded area near downtown. At least seven people were killed and 37 wounded, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry. Israel also struck a building in Beirut's bustling commercial district of Hamra for the first time, hitting a site around 400 meters (yards) from Lebanon’s Central Bank. There were no reports of casualties. The Israeli military said it struck targets linked to Hezbollah's financial arm. The evacuation warnings covered many areas, including parts of Beirut that previously were not targeted. The warnings sent residents fleeing. Traffic was gridlocked, with mattresses tied to some cars. Dozens of people, some wearing pajamas, gathered in a central square, huddling under blankets or standing around fires as Israeli drones buzzed overhead. Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee issued evacuation warnings for 20 buildings in Beirut's southern suburbs, where Hezbollah has a major presence, as well as a warning for the southern town of Naqoura where the U.N. peacekeeping mission, UNIFIL, is headquartered. UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said peacekeepers will not evacuate. Israeli soldiers inspect the site Tuesday Nov. 26, 2024, where a rocket fired from Lebanon landed in a backyard in Kiryat Shmona, northern Israel. Leo Correa, Associated Press The Israeli military also said its ground troops clashed with Hezbollah forces and destroyed rocket launchers in the Slouqi area on the eastern end of the Litani River, a few miles from the Israeli border. Under the ceasefire deal, Hezbollah would be required to move its forces north of the Litani, which in some places is about 20 miles north of the border. Hezbollah began firing into northern Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, saying it was showing support for the Palestinians, a day after Hamas carried out its attack on southern Israel, triggering the Gaza war. Israel returned fire on Hezbollah, and the two sides have exchanged barrages ever since. Israeli security officers and army soldiers inspect the site Tuesday Nov. 26, 2024, where a rocket fired from Lebanon landed in a backyard in Kiryat Shmona, northern Israel. Leo Correa, Associated Press Israel escalated its bombardment in mid-September and later sent troops into Lebanon, vowing to put an end to Hezbollah fire so tens of thousands of evacuated Israelis could return to their homes. More than 3,760 people have been killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon the past 13 months, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The bombardment has driven 1.2 million people from their homes. Israel says it has killed more than 2,000 Hezbollah members. Hezbollah fire has forced some 50,000 Israelis to evacuate in the country’s north, and its rockets have reached as far south in Israel as Tel Aviv. At least 75 people have been killed, more than half of them civilians. More than 50 Israeli soldiers have died in the ground offensive in Lebanon. Chehayeb and Mroue reported from Beirut and Federman from Jerusalem. Associated Press reporters Lujain Jo and Sally Abou AlJoud in Beirut and Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed.
Bank of Nova Scotia stock falls Thursday, underperforms market
