NEW YORK (AP) — Edmonton Oilers forward Jeff Skinner has been fined $2,000 for embellishment during a recent game against the New York Rangers, the NHL said Monday. Skinner was issued a warning after a diving/embellishment incident in an Oct. 22 game against the Carolina Hurricanes, the league said. His second citation, which triggered the fine, came in the second period of a 6-2 victory over the Rangers on Nov. 23. Skinner was being followed by Rangers defenseman K’Andre Miller as he had the puck along the boards in the New York zone. Skinner lost his footing and the puck despite minimal contact from Miller. The Oilers forward looked toward the referee as he got up but no penalty call was made on the play. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund. ___ AP NHL: https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHLShai Gilgeous-Alexander overcame a slow start to score 41 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder powered to a 123-105 home win over the Washington Wizards on Monday. The Thunder extended their regular-season winning streak to eight, their longest winning streak since January 2018. Oklahoma City hasn’t had a longer streak since the 2013-14 season. Though the Monday game featured the Thunder, with the top record in the Western Conference, against the team with the worst record in the NBA, it was far from a cake walk. Gilgeous-Alexander had just two points in the first quarter, when he attempted just three shots. However, Gilgeous-Alexander got going in the second quarter, including kicking off a 15-0 Oklahoma City run with a 3-pointer. The surge turned the Wizards’ eight-point lead into a seven-point margin for the Thunder. It was a lead Oklahoma City would not relinquish, though Washington kept it close deep into the third quarter. The Wizards pulled within one with less than three minutes remaining in the third, but Gilgeous-Alexander attacked the basket at the other end, converting a three-point play to stretch the margin. The play wound up kickstarting a 22-2 run as Washington went more than eight minutes without a field goal. Gilgeous-Alexander finished 14 of 25 from the field and made all 10 of his free throws. Jalen Williams added 17 points for Oklahoma City, scoring 11 in the first quarter. Isaiah Hartenstein (16 points, 11 rebounds) and rookie Ajay Mitchell (16 points, 12 rebounds, both career highs) each had a double-double. It was Mitchell’s first career double-double and the 10th in 13 games this season for Hartenstein. Jordan Poole led Washington with 31 points and seven assists. Carlton Carrington scored 14 points, Jonas Valanciunas logged 12 points and 16 rebounds, Malcolm Brogdon also had 12 and Kyshawn George scored 11. Oklahoma City outscored the Wizards 66-36 in the paint. The Wizards have lost 21 of their last 23 and have dropped 12 consecutive road games. Oklahoma City has won three consecutive games since falling in the NBA Cup final to the Milwaukee Bucks. That loss did not count in the regular-season standings. Washington was without a couple of key pieces. Bilal Coulibaly, who has been surging of late, missed the game because of right groin soreness while rookie Alexandre Sarr was out due to lower back soreness. Related Story AFG College with University of Aberdeen holds alumni gala dinner Alfardan Medical with Northwestern Medicine provides outstanding healthcare in QatarThe Indianapolis Colts could show up to the stadium on Sunday with nothing to play for. Or the scenario may call for a victory so they can remain alive in the AFC playoffs. Either way, the Colts' postseason fate hangs on other teams as they enter Sunday's game against the lowly New York Giants at East Rutherford, N.J. Indianapolis (7-8) is mathematically alive in the playoff hunt but trails the Los Angeles Chargers and Denver Broncos by two games with two contests left. The Chargers and Broncos both have games on Saturday. If both nine-win clubs win, the Colts will be eliminated and miss the playoffs for the fourth straight season. Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson is well aware of the team's predicament and scenarios entering the game against the Giants (2-13), who have lost a franchise-record 10 straight games. "We still have an opportunity, with some help from other people," Richardson said. "But we just taking it one game at a time because it doesn't do us any good if everybody else does what they have to do to help us out and then we don't go out there and take advantage of it." Richardson (back/foot) sat out practice Thursday and the Colts remain confident his ailments will improve. If not, veteran Joe Flacco could be in line to start against New York. Flacco was just 1-3 as a starter when Richardson was sidelined or benched earlier this season. But Flacco (nine touchdowns, five interceptions) has a superior touchdown-to-interception ratio than Richardson (eight TDs, 12 interceptions) and has completed 66.5 percent of his passes compared to Richardson's 47.7 percent. No matter who starts, the game plan will revolve around star running back Jonathan Taylor, who rushed for 218 yards and three scores on 29 carries during last weekend's 38-30 home win over the Tennessee Titans. It was Taylor's second-most rushing yards in a game behind the club-record 253 he put up against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the 2020 season. The Giants are starting Drew Lock at quarterback for the fourth time in the past five games. Lock underwent an MRI exam on his passing shoulder Monday but no damage was found. He hurt it during Sunday's 34-7 road loss against the Atlanta Falcons. Lock is 0-3 as a starter this season and has completed just 52.7 percent of his passes. He has one touchdown and four interceptions in 129 attempts. "As a quarterback, the ball is in your hands every play and one or two bad plays can change a game," Lock said of his miscues. "You try to look at them individually, try to learn from each play individually and go onto the next week. Learn from what you did and just have a heavy emphasis on taking care of the ball." Giants coach Brian Daboll opted for Lock over Tommy DeVito, who is 0-2 as a starter this season. Daboll said he made the decision to continue the continuity from last week. Meanwhile, star rookie wideout Malik Nabers (toe) missed practice Thursday and called himself a game-day decision. Nabers has 97 receptions for 969 yards and four touchdown catches as one of the bright spots of the horrendous season. "It's tough on everybody. It's not just tough on me. It's tough on everybody," Nabers said of the team's troubles. "I'm continuing to keep my mental (attitude) strong, continue to move forward, continue to try to better the team, better myself. Lead by example. I feel like that's really all we can do in this state of mind that we're going through." In addition to Nabers, running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. (ankle), center John Michael Schmitz (ankle), linebacker Micah McFadden (neck), cornerbacks Greg Stroman (shoulder/shin) and Dee Williams (toe) and safety Raheem Layne (knee) sat out practice Thursday. Richardson was one of three Colts to miss practice. The others were tight end Mo Alie-Cox (toe) and linebacker E.J. Speed (knee). In the most recent meeting, the Giants routed the Colts 38-10 late in the 2022 season. --Field Level Media
What NBA games are on tonight? Schedule, times, and results for Thursday, December 26th
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo was available for the Milwaukee Bucks against the Washington Wizards Saturday night after missing one game with swelling in his left knee. Antetokounmpo sat out the Bucks' 106-103 NBA Cup victory at Miami on Tuesday. The two-time MVP had been listed as probable with tendinopathy in his right patellar tendon. “He's good,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said before the game. Antetokounmpo entered Saturday as the league's leading scorer at 32.4 points per game. He ranked fifth in rebounds (11.9) and 20th in assists (6.4). AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nbaPelicans' Zion Williamson (hamstring) to practice next week
UTAH TECH 68, DENVER 54Stock indexes drifted to a mixed finish on Wall Street as some heavyweight technology and communications sector stocks offset gains elsewhere in the market. The S&P 500 slipped less than 0.1% Thursday, its first loss after three straight gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.1%. Gains by retailers and health care stocks helped temper the losses. Trading volume was lighter than usual as U.S. markets reopened following the Christmas holiday. The Labor Department reported that U.S. applications for unemployment benefits held steady last week, though continuing claims rose to the highest level in three years. Treasury yields fell in the bond market. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.Seahawks' Kenneth Walker III Put on IR with Ankle Injury amid NFL Playoffs Push
Family of man killed in crash involving Uber suing company and former driverExiled Belarusian opposition leader has a message for the world: Stand up to dictatorsWASHINGTON (AP) — American Airlines briefly grounded flights nationwide Tuesday due to a technical issu e just as the Christmas travel season kicks into overdrive and winter weather is threatening more potential problems for those planning to fly or drive. American flights were cleared to fly by federal regulators about one hour after a national ground stop order was issued by the Federal Aviation Administration. There were 1,447 delays for flights entering or leaving the U.S. early in the day, with 28 cancellations. Snow was falling early in New York and Dallas-Fort Worth International, which is American Airlines' main hub, was getting hit with rain. Dallas-Fort Worth had the most delays, followed by Charlotte, North Carolina, Washington, New York, Chicago and Miami Because the holiday travel period lasts weeks, airports and airlines typically have smaller peak days than they do during the rush around Thanksgiving, but the grind of one hectic day followed by another takes a toll on flight crews. And any hiccups — a winter storm or a computer outage — can snowball into massive disruptions. That is how Southwest Airlines stranded 2 million travelers in December 2022, and Delta Air Lines suffered a smaller but significant meltdown after a worldwide technology outage in July caused by a faulty software update from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike. Many flights during the holidays are sold out, which makes cancellations even more disruptive than during slower periods. That is especially true for smaller budget airlines that have fewer flights and fewer options for rebooking passengers. Only the largest airlines, including American, Delta and United, have “interline agreements” that let them put stranded customers on another carrier’s flights. This will be the first holiday season since a Transportation Department rule took effect that requires airlines to give customers an automatic cash refund for a canceled or significantly delayed flight. Most air travelers were already eligible for refunds, but they often had to request them. Passengers still can ask to get rebooked, which is often a better option than a refund during peak travel periods. That’s because finding a last-minute flight on another airline yourself tends to be very expensive. Just before 7 a.m. Eastern time, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered all American Airlines flights grounded in the U.S. at the airline’s request. American had reported a technical issue affecting its entire system with millions traveling for the holiday. American said in an email that the problem Tuesday morning was caused by a vendor technology issue that “impacted systems needed to release flights.” The groundings couldn’t come at a worse time for the millions of travelers expected to fly over the next 10 days. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen 40 million passengers over the holidays and through January 2. Airlines expect to have their busiest days on Friday and Sunday, and on Dec. 26, Dec. 27 and Dec. 29. Many flights during the holidays are sold out, which makes cancellations more disruptive than during slower periods. Even with just a brief outage, the cancellations have a cascading effect that can take days to clear up. About 90% of Americans traveling far from home over the holidays will be in cars, according to AAA. “Airline travel is just really high right now, but most people do drive to their destinations, and that is true for every holiday,” AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz said. Gasoline prices are similar to last year. The nationwide average Thursday was $3.04 a gallon, down from $3.13 a year ago, according to AAA. Charging an electric vehicle averages just under 35 cents per per kilowatt hour, but varies by state. Transportation-data firm INRIX says travel times on the nation’s highways could be up to 30% longer than normal over the holidays, with Sunday expected to see the heaviest traffic. Boston, New York City, Seattle and Washington, D.C., are the metropolitan areas primed for the greatest delays, according to the company. —— AP Reporters David Koenig, Mae Anderson and Mike Pesoli contributed to this report.
Tyrese Hunter tossed in a game-high 26 points to lead Memphis to a 99-97 upset victory over No. 2 UConn on Monday in the first round of the Maui Invitational in Lahaina, Hawaii. Hunter, who played at Iowa State and Texas before transferring to Memphis, made eight field goals with 7-of-10 3-point shooting. The Tigers (5-0) connected on 12 of their 22 3-point attempts in the win. The loss ended a 17-game winning streak dating back to last season for UConn (4-1), the two-time defending national champions. UConn's Hassan Diarra made a free throw to cut the Memphis lead to 99-97 with 2.2 seconds left. He intentionally missed the second free throw and collected the loose ball, but his desperation shot was off the mark. It was 92-92 when UConn's Liam McNeeley was called for an offensive foul with 40.3 seconds left. UConn coach Dan Hurley received a technical for arguing the foul call, and PJ Carter made all four free throws to give the Tigers a four-point lead. Memphis, which squandered a 13-point lead with four minutes to play in regulation, received 22 points from PJ Haggerty, 19 from Colby Rogers and 14 from Dain Dainja. Memphis will play the winner of Monday night's game between Colorado and Michigan State in Tuesday's semifinals. UConn will face the loser of that contest. Tarris Reed Jr. had a team-high 22 points and a game-high 11 rebounds for UConn before he fouled out with 3:18 to play. He made 10 of his 13 field goal attempts. Alex Karaban added 19 points for the Huskies. Jaylin Stewart scored a career-high 16 points, Diarra had 12 and McNeeley added 10. UConn trailed 82-79 after Diarra made two free throws with 24.2 seconds to play in regulation. The Huskies then forced a turnover and tied the game on a 3-pointer by Solo Ball with 1.2 on the clock. Although Memphis shot 56.5 percent from the field (13 for 23) and 50 percent from 3-point territory (5 for 10) in the first half, the game was tied 40-40 after 20 minutes. Neither team led by more than six points in the half. UConn received 29 points from its bench in the first half. Reed scored 15 of those points and Stewart supplied the other 14. --Field Level Media
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An individual reported missing in the backcountry near Princeton hunkered down overnight before being found safe on Sunday, Nov. 24. The Penticton and District Search and Rescue team was called to provide mutual aid for the Princeton team after Princeton SAR spent Saturday night searching for the missing person. The conditions were reported to be dangerously cool overnight. As PenSAR's team members readied to deploy to the search in the air and on the ground, the missing person was found safe and uninjured. "Thanks to the hard work of Princeton SAR who searched all night, and the smart actions of the subject for remaining in their vehicle given the frigid temps, the search had a happy conclusion this morning," PenSAR wrote in a post to social media. The search and rescue team is warning that snow and winter conditions are now present, particularly in backcountry areas. PenSAR urges any backcountry explorers to ensure they are adequately prepared with emergency and recovery supplies, including extra food, water, warm layers and an SOS device, as well as items like tracks and chains for vehicles.Cooper Rush injury update: Cowboys report surprising issue with QB
OTTAWA — CBC President Catherine Tait accused MPs who summoned her to Ottawa on Monday of hurling “insults” her way to try to discredit the public broadcaster. That day marked the fifth time she had appeared before the parliamentary committee on Canadian Heritage within the past 12 months. What began as a cross-partisan summoning of Tait to answer for job cuts announced last year while at the same time CBC/Radio-Canada’s board of directors approved paying out millions in bonuses, including to executives, had by Monday devolved into a testy confrontation. “Would you categorize your term at the CBC as a success?” Opposition house leader Andrew Scheer asked the outgoing CBC president. “Yes,” Tait replied. “So you believe that you’ve left it in a better place than how you found it?” Scheer asked. “Absolutely,” came the swift response. “You must have quite the echo chamber there if you believe that,” Scheer said, as he accused her of being “out of touch,” saying the corporation paid out executive bonuses during an affordability crisis while laying off staff. He also said other metrics were down, including trust in the institution. “Based on all of that, Ms. Tait, I just want to say on behalf of the Conservative party, I want to thank you for your efforts in helping us promote the campaign to defund the CBC.” Tait responded by saying: “I must say that it really does shock me, the extent to which certain members of this committee ... seem to make me the target and throw insults to my tenure at CBC/Radio-Canada in order to discredit the organization.” While it may be insulting to hear the dollar amounts about executive bonuses, Scheer said, “I’ll tell you who is really insulted: the front-line workers that were laid off when the CBC was claiming it didn’t have enough money to keep that entire workforce.” Tait said that of the 800 jobs the CBC had forecast to cut, it used the extra $42 million the Liberals gave the corporation in its latest budget to save many of them. It ultimately cut around 141 jobs and eliminated another 200 vacant positions. She delivered an impassioned defence of the corporation’s services during what was her fifth such appearance before the Commons committee on Canadian Heritage within the past year. Following her appearance, Opposition Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s office circulated a statement pointing out how Tait had once refused to rule out accepting a bonus herself, which has been the subject of previous committee meetings. Tait told MPs she has not received one for the past two fiscal years, saying the decision to award her one lies with the federal government. The Liberals rely on a recommendation from the corporation’s board of directors. CBC/Radio-Canada has declined to say whether it has, citing privacy. Poilievre has long promised to “defund” the roughly $1 billion in funding the corporation receives annually from Parliament, criticizing it as a waste of taxpayer dollars and accusing the broadcaster of operating with a “bias” toward the governing Liberals. Tait in past testimony has pointed out the corporation operates independently from government and its editorial independence is enshrined in laws. Despite his vocal criticisms, Poilievre has pledged to keep Francophone news services. How exactly he plans to do that remains unclear, given how on Monday Tait outlined to MPs how CBC and Radio-Canada “are not two separate companies.” The committee heard how the corporation divides its annual funding from Parliament between its English and French services, with its English services receiving around 56 per cent and French services some 44 per cent. “That’s where the division stops,” said Tait. “These are not two separate companies. They are one with obviously very profound editorial independence, but with a shared infrastructure.” Luc Berthold, the Conservatives’ deputy house leader in Parliament, suggested to Tait that its English programming was dragging down the French service, Radio-Canada, because it was spending more money on CBC, saying in French that Radio-Canada was “really exemplary in being a public broadcaster in our region.” Responding in French, Tait suggested his proposal would mean the broadcaster only deliver services to a minority of Canadians. “Are we going to ask all Canadians to support an organization for only 20 per cent of the population?” she asked. Under questioning by Liberals, Tait outlined the possible impacts of losing CBC’s English services, saying it would deprive most Canadians of access to local news, including in many rural areas. Not only would it also mean losing upwards of 3,500 employees, it would hurt the “thousands” of musicians, authors and others in the fields of arts and production, who rely on the corporation to help promote their work, Tait testified. Cutting CBC English would also result in taking away the ability for Indigenous people living in the North to “hear their news in their languages,” given how it broadcasts in different Indigenous languages. “There is no common sense for eliminating CBC,” Tait said. “We do not see defunding the CBC as a solution, we see it as making Canada worse, not better.” Poilievre himself often wields the term “common sense” as a slogan to describe his plans to restore the country back to what he says was a better time, before Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals were elected in 2015, saying the PM has taken Canada down a “radical” path.” Tait at times acknowledged that not all Canadians like CBC, but defended the corporation as trying to listen to those voices by deciding to give more resources to newsrooms in Western Canada to create more content like local podcasts. Tait is soon set to step down as CBC/Radio-Canada president after six years. Quebec television executive Marie-Philippe Bouchard has been appointed as her replacement, effective January 2025. National Post staylor@postmedia.com Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what’s really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers. Sign up here . Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our politics newsletter, First Reading, here .
Trump, Cop29 and why Chinese eco-warrior Ma Jun sees green shoots of hopeNoneLeicester could be snubbed by Graham Potter for a THIRD time as they begin search to replace sacked Steve Cooper, with two former Man United managers on their radar Steve Cooper was sacked on Sunday after managing just 15 games for Leicester Three managers have been earmarked to succeed the Welshman at the helm Liverpool correspondent LEWIS STEELE tells all on bombshell chat with Mo Salah - LISTEN NOW to It's All Kicking Off! New episodes every Monday and Thursday By TOM COLLOMOSSE and SAMI MOKBEL Published: 23:08, 25 November 2024 | Updated: 23:13, 25 November 2024 e-mail View comments Leicester have begun sounding out potential replacements for Steve Cooper with the club still hopeful they will have his successor in charge for Saturday’s match at Brentford . The Foxes are expected to make progress in their search on Tuesday, with the players due to resume training after 48 hours off. Coach Ben Dawson was due to lead the session as director of football Jon Rudkin attempts to appoint a permanent boss. David Moyes is thought to be among the names Leicester were keen to sound out, although it is unclear whether the former Everton and West Ham boss would want the job, given he would surely be a contender to return to Goodison Park if Sean Dyche fails to improve results. Mail Sport understands Leicester put out feelers to Graham Potter on Sunday night though yet again, Potter is thought to have been unconvinced. Potter was approached by Leicester after they sacked Brendan Rodgers 18 months ago, and after Enzo Maresca left for Chelsea at the end of last season. Steve Cooper was sacked after a 2-1 loss to Chelsea, amid a run of four games without a win David Moyes left West Ham in May after declining to enter negotiations over a new contract Graham Potter has not managed a club since April 2023, when he was sacked by Chelsea Ruud van Nistelrooy has been a manager since 2021 and has permanently managed two clubs Potter was reluctant to commit himself on both occasions and the signs are that he may swerve it a third time. That would leave former Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy, who put himself forward for the job last summer. Van Nistelrooy impressed during his brief period in charge of United, between the sacking of Erik ten Hag and the appointment of Ruben Amorim. But it would be a gamble to appoint a coach who has such little Premier League experience. Leicester Ruud van Nistelrooy Graham Potter Share or comment on this article: Leicester could be snubbed by Graham Potter for a THIRD time as they begin search to replace sacked Steve Cooper, with two former Man United managers on their radar e-mail Add comment