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Chandigarh: The collapse of a three-storey building in Punjab’s Mohali has claimed two lives, with rescuers pulling out the body of a man and a fatally injured woman from under the rubble during a multi-agency 23-hour rescue operation that concluded Sunday evening, officials said. A magisterial probe has been ordered into the incident which, according to a preliminary inquiry, occurred during alleged unauthorised digging in the adjacent plot belonging to one of the owners of the building. Drishti Verma, 20, from Himachal Pradesh, was rescued from the rubble in critical condition and was rushed to a hospital, where she succumbed to injuries on Saturday night, while the body of Abhishek Dhanwal, 29, was pulled out on Sunday. The two owners of the building and the contractor undertaking the digging work have been booked, the officials said, adding strict action will be taken against anyone found responsible. A short video clip circulating on social media purportedly of the incident shows the building, which housed a gym and paying guest accommodations, tilting to one side before collapsing. The building also had a basement. Some eyewitness claimed that an onlooker had raised an alarm as the building shook and a few occupants had safely come out before it came crashing down. They said that Abhishek, who visited the gym, went back inside to fetch his mobile phone and was trapped. Viraj S Tidke, officiating deputy commissioner of Mohali, said that Sub Divisional Magistrate of Mohali Damandeep Kaur has been entrusted with the probe and asked to submit the report within three weeks. He said that the debris had been checked by the NDRF thoroughly before declaring the operation complete.The whole operation was closely monitored by the district civil and police officials till its completion, the official said. “(Mohali) District administration completed the 23-hour-long constant rescue operation with the help of NDRF and Army as key players”, besides the police, municipal corporation and health department at Mohali (Sohana) building collapse site at 4:30 pm today, an official statement said. Initially, it was feared that at least five people were trapped under the rubble, prompting rescue efforts to continue overnight to find possible survivors. “The operation continued during the night also. As per the NDRF report, they have scanned the entire area” and ruled out the possibility of anyone else trapped under the debris, according to Tidke. Earlier in the day, Abhishek’s father told reporters at the site that his son, who used to visit a gym in the building, was missing and his phone was not reachable. Abhishek worked in the IT sector and used to live in a nearby area, his father said. “In addition to the three accused named in the building collapse incident, if during the inquiry role of more people comes up, whether in government or a private person, strict action as per law will be taken,” Tidke said. Mohali Senior Superintendent of Police Deepak Pareek told reporters at the site on Sunday that as per preliminary investigations an owner of the building, which collapsed, had a plot of land adjacent to it on which digging work to construct a basement was on. “However, no permission was taken and no agency concerned was informed about the unauthorised digging,” Pareek said. He said that the accused will be nabbed soon. Strict action will be taken so that a strong message goes and such incidents do not reoccur, the SSP said. Several excavators were pressed into service as part of the rescue operation. National Disaster Response Team (NDRF), Army, and state rescue teams worked since Saturday evening at the site. Briefing the media after the completion of the rescue operation, Tidke along with other officials said that about 140 NDRF team members, 167 from the Army’s 57 Engineers Regiment, over 300 from local police and the rest from allied departments were involved in the operation. Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa slammed the Mohali district administration over the incident. The senior Congress leader, who visited the site, told reporters that he has learnt that some structures have been built in the area in flagrant violation of rules. “Accountability should be fixed in the matter. As head of district administration, personally, I hold the Deputy Commissioner responsible. If proper measures are not taken, “after a few months another building will collapse and this will continue. So accountability has to be fixed”, Bajwa said. He asked the administration to take necessary precautions to ensure such incidents are not repeated in the future.WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday announced that he is commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row, converting their punishments to life imprisonment just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump , an outspoken proponent of expanding capital punishment, takes office. The move spares the lives of people convicted in killings , including the slayings of police and military officers, people on federal land and those involved in deadly bank robberies or drug deals, as well as the killings of guards or prisoners in federal facilities. The decision leaves three federal inmates to face execution. They are Dylann Roof, who carried out the 2015 racist slayings of nine Black members of Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina; 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. “I’ve dedicated my career to reducing violent crime and ensuring a fair and effective justice system,” Biden said in a statement . “Today, I am commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 individuals on federal death row to life sentences without the possibility of parole. These commutations are consistent with the moratorium my administration has imposed on federal executions, in cases other than terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder.” Reaction was strong, both for and against. A Trump spokesperson called the decision “abhorrent.” “These are among the worst killers in the world and this abhorrent decision by Joe Biden is a slap in the face to the victims, their families, and their loved ones." said Trump spokesman Steven Cheung. "President Trump stands for the rule of law, which will return when he is back in the White House after he was elected with a massive mandate from the American people.” Heather Turner, whose mother was killed during the 2017 robbery of a Conway, South Carolina, bank, blasted the decision in a social media post, saying Biden didn't consider the victims of these crimes. “The pain and trauma we have endured over the last 7 years has been indescribable,” Turner wrote on Facebook, describing weeks spent in court in search of justice as “now just a waste of time.” “Our judicial system is broken. Our government is a joke,” she said. "Joe Biden’s decision is a clear gross abuse of power. He, and his supporters, have blood on their hands.” Some of Roof's victims supported Biden's decision to leave him on death row. Michael Graham, whose sister Cynthia Hurd was killed by Roof, said Roof's lack of remorse and simmering white nationalism in the U.S. means Roof is the kind of dangerous and evil person the death penalty is intended for. “This was a crime against a race of people who were doing something all Americans do on a Wednesday night — go to Bible study,” Graham said. “It didn’t matter who was there, only that they were Black.” The Biden administration in 2021 announced a moratorium on federal capital punishment to study the protocols used, which suspended executions during Biden's term. But Biden actually had promised to go further on the issue in the past, pledging to end federal executions without the caveats for terrorism and hate-motivated, mass killings. While running for president in 2020, Biden's campaign website said he would “work to pass legislation to eliminate the death penalty at the federal level , and incentivize states to follow the federal government’s example.” Similar language didn't appear on Biden's reelection website before he left the presidential race in July. “Make no mistake: I condemn these murderers, grieve for the victims of their despicable acts, and ache for all the families who have suffered unimaginable and irreparable loss,” Biden's statement said. “But guided by my conscience and my experience as a public defender, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, vice president, and now president, I am more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level.” He took a political jab at Trump, saying, “In good conscience, I cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted.” Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, has spoken frequently of expanding executions. In a speech announcing his 2024 campaign , Trump called for those “caught selling drugs to receive the death penalty for their heinous acts.” He later promised to execute drug and human smugglers and even praised China's harsher treatment of drug peddlers. During his first term as president, Trump also advocated for the death penalty for drug dealers . There were 13 federal executions during Trump's first term, more than under any president in modern history, and some may have happened fast enough to have contributed to the spread of the coronavirus at the federal death row facility in Indiana. Those were the first federal executions since 2003. The final three occurred after Election Day in November 2020 but before Trump left office the following January, the first time federal prisoners were put to death by a lame-duck president since Grover Cleveland in 1889. Biden faced recent pressure from advocacy groups urging him to act to make it more difficult for Trump to increase the use of capital punishment for federal inmates. The president's announcement also comes less than two weeks after he commuted the sentences of roughly 1,500 people who were released from prison and placed on home confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic, and of 39 others convicted of nonviolent crimes, the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history. The announcement also followed the post-election pardon that Biden granted his son Hunter on federal gun and tax charges after long saying he would not issue one, sparking an uproar in Washington. The pardon also raised questions about whether he would issue sweeping preemptive pardons for administration officials and other allies who the White House worries could be unjustly targeted by Trump’s second administration. Speculation that Biden could commute federal death sentences intensified last week after the White House announced he plans to visit Italy on the final foreign trip of his presidency next month. Biden, a practicing Catholic, will meet with Pope Francis, who recently called for prayers for U.S. death row inmates in hopes their sentences will be commuted. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which has long called for an end to the death penalty, said Biden's decision is a “significant step in advancing the cause of human dignity in our nation” and moves the country “a step closer to building a culture of life.” Martin Luther King III, who publicly urged Biden to change the death sentences, said in a statement shared by the White House that the president "has done what no president before him was willing to do: take meaningful and lasting action not just to acknowledge the death penalty’s racist roots but also to remedy its persistent unfairness.” Madeline Cohen, an attorney for Norris Holder, who faced death for the 1997 fatal shooting of a guard during a bank robbery in St. Louis, said his case “exemplifies the racial bias and arbitrariness that led the President to commute federal death sentences,” Cohen said. Holder, who is Black, was sentenced by an all-white jury. Weissert reported from West Palm Beach, Florida. Associated Press writers Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina, and Jim Salter in O'Fallon, Missouri, contributed to this report.
AP Sports SummaryBrief at 6:44 p.m. ESTThere are many unexpected places Tony Armstrong’s career has taken him since his stratospheric rise from News Breakfast sports host to double Logie winner (most popular new talent and most popular presenter) and then Gold Logie nominee in just four short years, but none so unexpected as Eat the Invaders . The six-part documentary finds him in the avant-garde surroundings of Tasmania’s Mona Museum, trying to eat his way out of Australia’s invasive species problem. It’s not so much “lions and tigers and bears ... oh my!” and more “rabbits, cane toads, carp, camels and cats and ... oh, deer.” Tony Armstrong, Kirsha Kaechele and Vince Trim. Credit: ABC TV “I ate camel testicle,” he says over Zoom from his holiday spot on the NSW North Coast. “I don’t know if that made the cut because we all went ‘blurrrrrgh’. So, with all due respect to camels, no thank you, but I can say I’ll try anything once. So I keep that unblemished record of fearlessness intact.” That fearlessness even extended to eating feral cats in the remote Indigenous community of Kiwirrkurra in Western Australia, where the felines are traditionally hunted – and then eaten – to protect the local bilby population. “I ate and loved it,” says Armstrong. “It was honestly so nice. I know I sound like a freak saying that, but It was the way that we hunted the cat as well, out with the ladies in the Western Desert. They were looking after their totems and they were protecting their lands. “We talk about ethical eating, and I don’t think it gets more ethical than that. And then we cooked it in the dirt – wrapped in foil – and it tasted like the yummiest rotisserie chicken I’ve ever had. Tony Armstrong filming Eat The Invaders. Credit: ABC TV “We’re not telling people to kill your cat and eat it. It’s more [making cat owners think], ‘I need to maybe change my habits as a cat owner.’ Don’t let your cat out. If they get out, they are a killing machine, and that’s what we want people to get.” As well as hunting with the women of Kiwirrkurra, Armstrong joins others on the front line of feral pest eradication, observing how rabbits, camels and deer are caught, as well as cane toads (the only animal he wasn’t allowed to eat) and carp, aka “dumpster dolphins”. He also consults invasion biologists professors Andrew Lowe and Phill Cassey about the ethical implications of creating a market for eating the animals before returning to Mona to dine with artist Kirsha Kaechele, whose surrealist art book Eat the Problem inspired the show, and high-profile guests to sample dishes featuring the pest created by Mona head chef Vince Trim. It’s a wild idea – quite literally – especially when you consider invasive species have a devastating effect on Australia’s biodiversity, damaging native soils, plants and animals. Feral cats, for example, are believed to kill more than 1.5 billion native mammals, birds, reptiles and frogs each year. Wild rabbits, meanwhile, which started as a population of just 13 when they were first introduced by grazier Thomas Austin in 1859 in Victoria, are now thought to number more than 200 million. Sounds fishy? Tony Armstrong in Eat The Invaders. Credit: ABC TV However, the idea that we simply eat our way out of the problem hasn’t come without criticism. When Kaechele’s book, with its complementary exhibition, was published in 2019, it was labelled “little more than an exquisitely designed elitist spectacle” that failed to “to take into consideration the complex realities this proposition entails”, by University of Tasmania lecturer Dr Svenja Kratz in a piece written for The Conversation. In December, the Invasive Species Council also criticised the documentary without having seen it, saying it was “well-intentioned” but a “fantasy” and “could make matters worse”. “The show, by showcasing these animals as food, risks making their presence more desirable – creating a dangerous paradox that could lead to the further spread of some species. We have particular concerns about the show promoting carp, camels and deer,” wrote Carol Booth, a policy analyst for the council, in an opinion piece for The Sydney Morning Herald. Armstrong, however, says Eat the Invaders isn’t as straightforward about promoting the consumption of invasive pests – it’s more about creatively tackling a challenging problem. Tony Armstrong with other 2024 Good Logie nominees. Credit: Jessica Hromas “Hopefully, when they [the Invasive Species Council] do watch it, if they do watch it, they can see that we’re not being flippant,” says Armstrong. “This isn’t necessarily in response to them; it’s just general, but the show isn’t actually a cooking show. “It’s a show about ways of thinking. We use this sort of punk rock, almost shocking title and shocking premise as a way to then get people to think about the ways in which they might own their cats, the ways in which the food [we eat on the show] impacts biodiversity. Eating our way out of the problem is just our way of being at the front of the jungle, cutting through the shrubs so that behind it, there are different ways of thinking.” In a weird way, Eat the Invaders dovetails neatly into Armstrong’s other Australiana projects on the ABC, particularly Great Australian Stuff and Tony Armstrong’s Extra-Ordinary Things . He also has another documentary in the works, End Game , about racism in Australian sport, which will air in 2025. It’s been quite the rise, considering he has only been on the ABC since 2020, when he joined as a sports producer and presenter, before being elevated to the N ews Breakfast sports presenting role in 2021. It’s also something Armstrong is still getting his head around. He left News Breakfast in October to recalibrate after three years of brutally early starts. “It’s like, ‘What the f--- is going on,’” he says, laughing, of his rapid rise. “I’ve definitely got impostor syndrome, that’s for sure. But, I guess, timing is everything. People got a decade’s worth of News Breakfast in like 18 months [during COVID], so they saw way more of me than they would have. So I think that’s got a lot to do with it [his popularity and visibility]; everyone was stuck at home watching the ABC, and I was the part of the news that wasn’t COVID. I was kind of like, ‘Oh my god, yes, we could talk about sport. We don’t have to talk about [case] numbers.’ So I put a lot of what’s happened down to timing and taking the opportunity when it came.” Does he have any advice for News Breakfast ’s new full-time host, James Glenday, and new full-time sports presenter, Catherine Murphy? “They know this because I say it to anyone who asks,” says Armstrong. “Care heaps about it. Care heaps about your effort, and then as soon as you’ve done it, you can’t worry about what anyone else thinks. Because you don’t get to choose how people react to what you’re doing and if you make a mistake on it, honestly, it’s not the end of the world. Guess what? You’ll be on air tomorrow, and everyone will have forgotten. “I think that’s the thing. It’s the most daunting when you’re going in, you’re like, ‘Shit. This is a huge audience. What if I say a name wrong?’ And then you realise, if you’re trying your best, you’re allowed to make mistakes, right?” Eat the Invaders premieres on Tuesday, January 7, at 8.30pm on the ABC. Find the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees. Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday .End of mobile tower! Smartphone to now directly connect with satellite, big challenge for Mukesh Ambani, Sunil Mittal from...
Industry 5.0 Market: Poised for $470.43B by 2031, 31.5% CAGRA supporters of imprisoned former premier Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party ISLAMABAD: Thousands of protesters demanding the release of former prime minister Imran Khan arrived at the heart of Pakistan’s heavily fortified capital, Islamabad, on Tuesday amid intense teargas shelling and use of rubber bullets by security forces, even as the govt invoked Article 245 of the constitution, which allows a civilian govt to call in the army to help it implement law and order. At least four security personnel and two civilians were killed in overnight clashes between security forces and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters. Interior minister Mohsin Naqvi said three Rangers (paramilitary force) personnel and one police constable were killed by miscreants. The Imran-Khan-led PTI denied the allegations, saying security officials were crushed by police and Rangers’ vehicles speeding away from protesters. “Under Article 245, the Pakistan army has been called in, and orders have been issued to deal with the miscreants with an iron hand,” the state-run Radio Pakistan reported. “Clear orders have also been issued to shoot miscreants and troublemakers on sight,” it added. On Tuesday, PTI workers, many of them brandishing slingshots and sticks, engaged security personnel in combat as they attempted to make their way to D-Chowk (Democracy Chowk), a central square in front of parliament. Imran’s wife, Bushra Bibi, was leading the protest with Ali Amin Gandapur, CM of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where PTI is in govt, accompanying her. Upon reaching Islamabad, Bibi vowed from atop a container truck: “I promise that I will be the last woman here, I will not leave D-Chowk without him (Imran). You also promise me that you will not leave until Khan comes out. If anyone tells you otherwise, it is a lie.” Gandapur urged protesters to camp at D-Chowk and not advance further into the Red Zone, housing important places, including the diplomatic enclave. Convoys of protesters had started making their way to Islamabad on Sunday from different parts of the country. Khan’s wife was leading the main convoy from the party’s stronghold of Peshawar. Islamabad has been in security lockdown since Sunday, with authorities closing all schools in the capital and the adjacent garrison city of Rawalpindi. Mobile and internet services have also been partially suspended in the twin cities. All roads and highways from nearby cities to the federal capital, as well as all routes that connect Islamabad and Rawalpindi, have been shut since last weekend. The PTI has been protesting for the release of political prisoners, including Khan. Its second demand is the reversal of the 26th Constitutional Amendment passed by parliament in Oct. The legislation has radically altered the judiciary by setting a fixed term of three years for the Supreme Court’s chief justice, who will now be selected by a parliamentary committee. It has also weakened the powers of the apex court, with constitutional cases and those involving fundamental rights to be heard by constitutional benches that will be constituted by panels dominated by govt representatives. The PTI’s last demand is for the return of its allegedly stolen Feb 8 general election mandate.
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ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 22nd Dec, 2024) Under the patronage of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, the Ministry of Defence, in strategic partnership with ADNEC Group, will be organising the International Defence Exhibition (IDEX) and the Naval Defence Exhibition (NAVDEX) 2025 on 17-21. The globally renowned and highly anticipated events in the defence sector will also include the International Defence Conference. The IDEX and NAVDEX 2025 serve as significant global platforms, bringing together leading officials, executives, and experts the defence and security sectors worldwide. The two events provide a significant opportunity to network with investors, build new partnerships, and engage with leaders. The Ministry of Defence and ADNEC Group are committed to supporting the defence and security industries as a national priority, contributing to the development of a vital sector that strengthens and enhances the 's national economy. Staff Major General Pilot Faris Khalaf Al Mazrouei, Chairman of the Higher Organising Committee for IDEX and NAVDEX , and the accompanying International Defence Conference, stated: “Hosting and organising major exhibitions such as IDEX & NAVDEX has reinforced 's position as a leading global destination for the defence and military industries. We are confident that these events will continue to achieve remarkable success, reflecting our commitment to building a more prosperous and secure future for the by advancing a shared vision of maintaining global stability and security.” Staff Major General Mubarak Saeed Ghafan Al Jabri, Deputy Chairman of the Higher Organising Committee for the exhibitions, stated: “The national defence and security industries sector enjoys unlimited support the leadership who seeks to enhance the capabilities of national defence industries as a vital field aligned with the 's aspirations for leadership and excellence.” He added that organising IDEX & NAVDEX 2025 reflects the country's position as a leading global that brings together the largest specialised companies in this sector. “These exhibitions serve as a platform to strengthen cooperation and strategic partnerships with major global companies, contributing to attracting more investments that form a key pillar in supporting the national economy, achieving sustainable development, and building competitive industrial capabilities in accordance with the highest international standards.” Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, the Managing Director & Group CEO of ADNEC Group, said: “We anticipate that the upcoming editions of IDEX and NAVDEX will be the largest and most significant in the history of the two events. They will contribute to promoting innovation, building new partnerships, and shaping a vision for a more secure and stable future, thanks to the distinguished global presence of defence and security sector leaders.” "ADNEC Group is committed to organising the largest and most successful editions of the exhibitions to . And we look forward to providing an exceptional, high-value experience for international and local exhibitors, as well as visitors around the ,” he added. IDEX returns as a global platform to showcase the latest defence technologies and enhance cooperation between international defence entities, with the participation of leading figures in the defense and security sectors. NAVDEX continues its role as the largest maritime defence and security exhibition in the East and North , focusing on maritime security and advancing efforts toward a safer future. The will take place on the waterfront at ADNEC Marina, hosting the latest technologies, equipment, and vessels related to coastal and maritime security. The 16th edition of IDEX 2023 and the 7th edition of NAVDEX 2023 achieved significant success, attracting 132,507 participants at ADNEC . The exhibitions featured 41 international pavilions and included 1,353 exhibitors 65 countries. Notable new initiatives included the IDEX NEXT_GEN a dedicated space that brought together over 100 startups around the , and the IDEX Think_Tank which organised a series of sessions under the supervision of private partners and resulted in the publication of impactful strategic reports.
Harbour Healthcare, which manages 23 care homes throughout England - including Parr Care Home - 18 of which provide specialised dementia care, was recently named ‘Dementia Care Provider of the Year’ by ElderCare Review Europe, in recognition of how it “skilfully blends innovative approaches with personalised care to deliver top-quality services to residents.” These “innovative approaches” include its sector-leading Harbour Community Hub Programme which transforms care homes into dynamic, engaging spaces where residents can continue to enjoy their lifelong passions together with others with shared interests. CQC inspectors said Harbour was “exceptional at maximising the effectiveness of people’s care and treatment.” The report said: “Staff and management understood the importance of supporting people to have stimulating activities that they enjoyed and were delivered to meet their needs and preferences.” Paul Courtney, director of development at Harbour Healthcare said: “The personalisation of care is key to our values and ethos. We believe that residents should not simply leave their lives at the front door when they enter one of our homes. “Our lifestyle activities teams organise events and activities which not only foster interpersonal relationships and connections, but also help to tackle boredom, isolation and depression. The outcomes of these are evidenced in the well-being and satisfaction of our residents and that's truly the most rewarding part of our work." The company follows guidance from Stirling University’s Dementia Services Development Centre (DSDC) in creating supportive care environments. It aims to achieve DSDC accreditation for all its homes to align with these ambitious standards. Inspectors praised the group for involving people in planning their own care and support, with each resident completing an “About Me” record. A former musician was supported to attend live music sessions thanks to specialised equipment purchased by the team, while staff also sang with them individually. Harbour has embraced the "Think Local, Act Personal" initiative as the central tenet of its dementia care programme. This approach emphasises the importance of individualised care, recognising that each resident has unique needs and preferences. In addition, Harbour has also adopted the UK's "Making It Real" programme, further reinforcing its commitment to individualised care through the "I Statements" framework. This framework encourages residents to express their needs and desires, enabling staff to provide tailored support that truly reflects each person's identity and experiences. Paul said: “As a company, we actively look for and implement evidence-based research, global best practices and the latest technologies to ensure meaningful and positive outcomes for residents, their families and our staff members. “These initiatives, endorsed by the CQC, highlight our dedication to providing responsive and compassionate care across our dementia homes. By placing the individual at the heart of our care philosophy, we continuously strive to create a meaningful and fulfilling life for every resident.” For more information about Harbour Healthcare, please visit www.harbourhealthcare.co.uk, email info@harbourhealthcare.co.uk or call 0161 429 0307.
The AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here . CONWAY, S.C. (AP) — Kobe Knox’s 13 points helped South Florida defeat Portland 74-68 on Thursday. Knox also had six rebounds for the Bulls (3-2). Brandon Stroud added 11 points while shooting 4 for 12 (1 for 3 from 3-point range) and 2 of 4 from the free-throw line while he also had six rebounds. Jamille Reynolds shot 3 of 6 from the field and 4 of 5 from the free-throw line to finish with 10 points. The Pilots (2-3) were led in scoring by Max Mackinnon, who finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Vincent Delano added 14 points for Portland. A.Rapp also had 11 points and eight rebounds. South Florida went into the half ahead of Portland 38-33. Knox scored eight second-half points. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
Kyle Dubas reportedly open to trading any prospect in desperate move to get David JiricekVANCOUVER — A Federal Court judge has dismissed an appeal by a "deeply religious" British Columbia health executive who said he was wrongfully denied employment insurance after being fired three years ago for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Darold Sturgeon was fired as executive director of medical affairs for Interior Health in November 2021 after refusing to get the vaccine based on his Christian beliefs. He applied for employment insurance benefits but was denied due to being fired for "misconduct," with appeals to two levels of the Social Security Tribunal also failing, leading him to seek a judicial review in Federal Court in August 2023. The ruling says Sturgeon believed the tribunal should have examined his assertion under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms that the term "misconduct" did not apply to his case "because he was exercising his freedom of religion." Justice William Pentney says "recent, abundant and unanimous case law" defined a specific and narrow role for the tribunal's appeal divisions, focusing on an employee's conduct, and not justification for and employer’s policies or compliance with the Charter. The ruling says Sturgeon's appeal fell "outside the mandate" of the tribunal and he could have challenged Interior Health's mandatory vaccine police "through other avenues." These included advancing a Charter claim, lodging a wrongful dismissal suit or labour grievance, or complaining to the British Columbia Human Rights Commission. "The point is, there were other avenues available to pursue the Charter question; this decision does not cut off the only avenue of relief," the ruling says. It added of Sturgeon, who represented himself, that "no one has doubted that he acted based on his understanding of his religious obligations," and that he had "ably advanced his arguments." "However, despite his sincere and thoughtful arguments, the binding jurisprudence requires that I find against him," the ruling says. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 26, 2024. Darryl Greer, The Canadian Press