NBA playoffs: LeBron’s Lakers eliminated as Nuggets’ Murray hits late hoop
Jamal Murray hit a tiebreaking 14-footer with less than four seconds left to send the host Denver Nuggets to the Western Conference semifinals with a 108-106 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 of a first-round playoff series. The second-seeded Nuggets won the best-of-seven series 4-1 and will face the third-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference semifinals beginning on Saturday in Denver. “This series definitely got us ready for the next series,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said, “but that being said, we’re going to have to play much better if we want to beat Minnesota.” As he did in Game 2, Murray came alive in the fourth quarter and beat Los Angeles with a clutch jumper. He finished with a game-high 32 points, 12 in the fourth quarter, despite playing on a strained left calf. Murray said of the deja vu moment, “It’s amazing. Those are shots that you dream of as a little kid and practise in your back yard, at the playground.” Nikola Jokic had 25 points, 20 rebounds, nine assists and seven turnovers, Michael Porter Jr. scored 26 points and Aaron Gordon grabbed 13 rebounds for the Nuggets. LeBron James put up 30 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds for the seventh seeded Lakers. Anthony Davis had 17 points and 15 rebounds while playing through an injured left shoulder. The game was tight throughout the fourth quarter. Jokic hit a tiebreaking runner with 2:34 left before Austin Reaves drained a 3-pointer to give the Lakers a 102-101 lead with 2:12 to go. The teams traded baskets to keep Los Angeles in front, but Murray’s 3-pointer put the Nuggets ahead 106-104 with 1:07 remaining. James made two free throws with 26.3 seconds left to tie the score before Murray dribbled down the clock and hit a fadeaway. Los Angeles’ Taurean Prince missed a long 3-point attempt for the win at the buzzer. “It sucks to lose to the same team,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said, referring to his team’s sweep at the hands of Denver in the 2023 Western Conference finals. “Happy we broke that ice and was able to get one. Overall we won a battle and they won the war.” TALLY ‘EM UP #MileHighPlayoffs | #Road2Gold pic.twitter.com/ZovWpIL7wv — Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) April 30, 2024 LeBron James tight-lipped on future with Lakers Shortly after the game, James was asked if there was any thought he might have played his last game with the Lakers. James paused a long time before replying, “Uhhh, I’m not gonna answer that.” Asked about taking any confidence moving forward from the Lakers pushing the defending champion Nuggets, James said, “No, ‘cause we lost. … I’m not a ‘participation’ guy. We lost and you move on and see how you can get better. “Our season has been derailed all season with … injuries and guys in and out. I talked about it all year. … It’s hard to say who we are, what we can be ‘cause we have yet to be whole. I think we were only probably whole one or two times this year. I know one of them was during the in-season tournament, we got whole and we showed what we (are) capable of doing. “But we were just hit with injuries after injuries after injuries, and it’s just hard to come back from that.” If he decides to come back, James could decide whether to hit free agency or to pick up a $51.4m player option for the last year of his deal with the Lakers. James just completed his 21st NBA season, which included his 20th consecutive All-Star Game selection. He is a four-time NBA champion, a four-time NBA Finals MVP and a four-time regular-season MVP. Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) in the third quarter against the Denver Nuggets [Isaiah J Downing/USA Today Sports via Reuters] Oklahoma City Thunder sink New Orleans Pelicans, Boston Celtics beat Miami Heat Elsewhere, Jalen Williams put on a 24-point performance as the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the New Orleans Pelicans 97-89 night to complete a four-game sweep of their first-round playoff series. Top-seeded Thunder advance to face either the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers or the fifth-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference semifinals. In Miami, Derrick White scored a career-high 38 points on 15-for-26 shooting, including 8-for-15 success from 3-point range, and Boston Celtics cruised to a win over Miami Heat. Jayson Tatum added 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Celtics, who seized a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal series. However, Boston lost Kristaps Porzingis to a calf injury in the first half. ▪️ BOS takes a 3-1 lead▪️ OKC advances▪️ DEN advances The #NBAPlayoffs presented by Google Pixel continue Tuesday on TNT and NBA TV! pic.twitter.com/HnWiwVnezB — NBA (@NBA) April 30, 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
US, UK urge Hamas to accept Israeli truce proposal in war on Gaza
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron says proposal includes a 40-day ceasefire and the release of captives. The United States and the United Kingdom have urged Hamas to accept an Israeli proposal for a truce in the Gaza war and the release of some hostages held in the besieged territory. British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said on Monday that the Israeli proposal delivered to Hamas includes a 40-day ceasefire in the Gaza war and the release of “potentially thousands” of Palestinian prisoners in return for the release of some Israeli hostages. Speaking on Monday at a World Economic Forum meeting in the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Cameron described the offer as “generous”. “I hope Hamas accepts the proposal in front of them,” he said, and stressed that the war would not end until all the captives are released. Earlier on Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he hoped that Hamas would accept the proposal. “They have to decide – and they have to decide quickly … I’m hopeful that they will make the right decision,” Blinken said. A woman and children flee following Israeli bombardment in Nuseirat in central Gaza [AFP] Egypt, Qatar and the US have been working to mediate an agreement between Israel and Hamas for months, but a flurry of diplomacy in recent days appeared to suggest a new push towards halting nearly seven months of hostilities. At least 34,488 people have been killed and 77,643 others wounded in the Israeli assault on Gaza since October 7, according to Palestinian authorities in the besieged territory. Israel launched its war on Gaza after Hamas fighters led an attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing at least 1,139 people, according to an Al Jazeera tally based on official Israeli statistics, and seizing around 250 others as hostages. Dozens of hostages were released by Palestinian groups in Gaza in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails during a previous weeklong truce in late November. Hamas delegation to Cairo The 40-day truce proposal comes as a senior Hamas delegation travels to Egypt for the latest round of negotiations aimed at pausing – if not stopping – Israel’s relentless war on Gaza. Led by Khalil al-Hayya, the deputy head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the delegation is expected to hand in the group’s response to the latest proposal. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he hoped that Hamas would accept the proposal [Evelyn Hockstein/Pool via AP Photo] Hamas has repeatedly said that it wants a permanent end to the fighting as part of any deal to release captives. Meanwhile, hardline Israeli ministers are warning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that his government will collapse if a truce is agreed with Hamas in exchange for captives. Reporting from occupied east Jerusalem, Al Jazeera’s Bernard Smith said the Israelis have a delegation ready to go to Cairo tomorrow, but that depends on the response from Hamas to Israel’s ceasefire proposal. “It’s understood that the Israelis are asking for fewer than 40 of the 130 or so captives being held by Hamas, and in return for that, they’ll release Palestinian prisoners, and they’ll move to a second phase of a truce, which will offer this period of sustained calm,” he said. Smith noted that Hamas has insisted in previous rounds of talks that it wants to secure a complete end to hostilities and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. “So the question is whether this offer of a period of ‘sustained calm’ will be enough for Hamas, considering they’ve been asking for this permanent ceasefire,” Smith said. Israel’s war on Gaza has driven around 80 percent of the territory’s population of 2.3 million from their homes, caused vast destruction in several towns and cities, and pushed northern Gaza to the brink of famine. Adblock test (Why?)
‘The encampment fills me with hope for a Palestinian future’
University protests are bringing people of all religions and races together in support of Palestinian rights and forcing a hard look at US support for the state of Israel, said University of Michigan demonstrator Ahmad Ibsais. Published On 29 Apr 202429 Apr 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Gerard Depardieu released after questioning over alleged sexual assaults
Depardieu released after questioning about allegations made by two women that he sexually assaulted them on film sets. French actor Gerard Depardieu has been released after police questioned him in connection with sexual assault allegations, his lawyer has said. French media had reported earlier on Monday that Depardieu was in police custody for questioning about allegations made by two women that he sexually assaulted them on film sets. Speaking to reporters as he was leaving the police station in the 14th district of Paris, the actor’s lawyer, Christian Saint-Palais, said: “The police custody is over. He is no longer held in the police station.” Depardieu, 75, one of France’s top movie stars, has been at the centre of a number of sexual assault allegations in recent years that have tarnished his legacy and exposed broader divisions about sexual conduct in France. BFMTV and Le Parisien reported that the police summons relates to accusations of sexual assault filed by two women who accuse him of groping during filming – one in 2014, the other in 2021. Alleged assaults The alleged 2014 assault was reported to police in January this year, Le Parisien reported. The other alleged assault involved a 53-year-old movie decorator. She alleged that Depardieu grabbed her and kneaded her waist, stomach and breasts during filming for the movie Les Volets Verts (The Green Shutters), according to the woman’s lawyer, Carine Durrieu-Diebolt, when she filed the complaint with the Paris prosecutor’s office in February. Depardieu already faces a rape charge, as well as claims of assault from more than a dozen women – all of which he has strongly denied. Adblock test (Why?)
Tornado kills five, causes widespread destruction in China’s Guangzhou
The tornado struck China’s southern city at the weekend, devastating several communities. People are cleaning up in China’s southern city of Guangzhou after a tornado struck at the weekend killing at least five people and injuring dozens more. Aerial photos published by state media showed the scale of the devastation after the tornado tore through several communities in Guangzhou’s Baiyun district on Saturday afternoon during a thunderstorm. The images showed block upon block of devastation in the hardest-hit areas with a few clusters of buildings standing amid the destruction, a truck overturned on its side and cars crushed by rubble. The sheet metal roofs on some buildings had been torn off. The tornado emerged during a major storm that brought strong winds and hail [Douyin@Antique via AP Photo] The extreme weather was the latest to hit China’s industrial heartland after torrential rain last week caused serious flooding and killed four people in Guangdong, China’s most populous province. The area is home to 127 million people and thousands of factories that power the country’s export sector. At least 33 people were injured and some 141 factories damaged in Saturday’s tornado, Xinhua reported. Such weather systems are not unusual in China. In September, 10 people were killed after a tornado struck Suqian, Jiangsu Province, in the country’s east. In 2021, two tornadoes struck the country in one day, killing 12, including eight in the central city of Wuhan. Adblock test (Why?)
At least four dead in US after dozens of tornadoes rip through Oklahoma
Hospitals across the state reported about 100 injuries, including people apparently struck by debris. At least four people were killed and dozens more injured after multiple tornadoes wreaked havoc in the central state of Oklahoma in the United States. The tornadoes caused extensive damage in the town of Sulphur, home to about 5,000 people, flattened buildings, threw vehicles into the air and ripped the roofs from houses. “You just can’t believe the destruction,” Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt said during a visit to the hard-hit town on Sunday afternoon. “It seems like every business downtown has been destroyed.” A four-month-old baby was among the dead, Hughes County Emergency Management Director Mike Dockrey told Oklahoma television station KOCO. A car lies on its side after a tornado tossed it into the air [Ken Miller/AP] Stitt said about 30 people were injured, including some who were in a bar when the tornado struck. Hospitals across the state reported about 100 injuries, including people apparently cut or struck by debris, and more than 20,000 residents were still without electricity on Sunday evening. Stitt issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency in 12 counties due to the severe weather, while in a call with the Oklahoma governor, President Joe Biden offered the federal government’s full support with recovery efforts, the White House said in a statement. The National Weather Service (NWS) reported that 38 possible tornadoes hit the area and that the worst of the storms rolled through Central Oklahoma on Saturday into early Sunday morning, spreading into northwest Texas, western Missouri and Kansas. Adblock test (Why?)
Japan’s yen plunges to lowest level against the dollar since 1990
Japanese currency sinks to 160.17 per dollar, the lowest since April 1990. The Japanese yen has slumped to a 34-year low against the United States dollar. The yen on Monday sank to 160.17 per dollar, the lowest since April 1990, prompting speculation that Japanese authorities would intervene to prop up the currency for the first time since late 2022. The yen has been on a continual slide since early 2021 as the Bank of Japan (BOJ) has maintained ultra-low interest rates, while the US Federal Reserve and other central banks have hiked borrowing costs. The downward spiral has continued in recent weeks despite the BOJ raising interest rates last month for the first time in 17 years, as expectations of interest rate cuts in the US fade amid above-target inflation. While the weak yen has helped Japanese exporters boost profits and put more cash in the pockets of tourists visiting Japan, it has put pressure on household budgets by raising the prices of imported goods. Japanese officials have repeatedly stated that they are prepared to step in to prevent sharp movements in the exchange rate, though authorities have refrained from intervening during the currency’s year-long slide. On Friday, the Japanese central bank kept its benchmark rate unchanged at 0-0.1 percent. BOJ Governor Kazuo Ueda said in a news conference that exchange-rate volatility would only affect monetary policy if there was a significant impact on the economy. “If yen moves have an effect on the economy and prices that is hard to ignore, it could be a reason to adjust policy,” Ueda said. Adblock test (Why?)
Hinglaj Yatra Hindu festival brings mountainous region in Pakistan to life
The dramatic surroundings of Hingol National Park in Balochistan province are the setting for Pakistan’s largest Hindu celebration, Hinglaj Yatra, which started on Friday and ends on Sunday. Muslim-majority Pakistan is home to 4.4 million Hindus, just 2.14 percent of the population, and the ancient cave temple of Hinglaj Mata is one of the few Hindu sites in the country that continues to draw large numbers of pilgrims every year. The journeys begin hundreds of kilometres away, mostly from neighbouring Sindh province. Hundreds of packed buses set off from cities like Hyderabad and Karachi, travelling along the Makran Coastal Highway that hugs Pakistan’s south and southwest. But there is scant parking and vehicular access to the holy sites, so many pilgrims disembark and complete their travel by walking over parched and rocky terrain, sometimes barefoot and carrying children or luggage. It’s a few kilometres from the main road to the mud volcano and then, from there, almost 45km (28 miles) to Hinglaj Mata. Kanwal Kumar, 28, was visiting the temple for the first time with her husband. “We have yet to conceive a child after six years of marriage, so we are hopeful for help from the goddess,” she said. “We believe that no one returns empty-handed. All wishes are granted by Hinglaj Mata.” While there is no ban on Hindu worship in Pakistan, openly practising the faith is not routine, as ties between Pakistan and Hindu-majority India are riddled with animosity and suspicion. Versimal Divani, the general-secretary of Hinglaj Mata, lamented that only Hindus in Pakistan can attend the festival. “We can visit this temple in our beloved country whenever our heart desires,” said Divani. “But this is not the case for the rest of the world’s Hindus. I would like the Pakistani government to issue them visas so they can come here and take blessings with them. It’s good for people-to-people contact and it’s good for the economy, too.” Adblock test (Why?)
Palestinian President Abbas says only US can halt Israel’s attack on Rafah
More than a million Palestinians are sheltering in the southern Gaza city after being displaced by Israeli attacks. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas says only the United States could stop Israel from attacking the border city of Rafah in Gaza, adding that the assault, which he expects within days, could force much of the Palestinian population to flee the enclave. “We call on the United States of America to ask Israel to not carry on the Rafah attack. America is the only country able to prevent Israel from committing this crime,” Abbas told a special meeting of the World Economic Forum in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Sunday. Israel, which has threatened for weeks to launch an all-out assault on the city, saying its goal is to destroy Hamas’s remaining battalions there, stepped up air attacks on Rafah last week. Western countries, including Israel’s closest ally the US, have pleaded with it to hold back from attacking the southern city, which abuts the Egyptian border and is sheltering more than a million Palestinians who fled Israel’s seven-month-long assault on much of the rest of Gaza. Abbas said that even a “small strike” on Rafah would force the Palestinian population to flee Gaza. “The biggest catastrophe in the Palestinian people’s history would then happen,” he said. Abbas reiterated that he rejects the displacement of Palestinians into Jordan and Egypt and said he is concerned that once Israel completes its operations in Gaza, it will then attempt to force the Palestinian population out of the occupied West Bank and into Jordan. Al Jazeera’s Zein Basravi, reporting from Ramallah, said that Abbas’s remarks were significant as it was the first time a senior leader in the PA made such a statement, but added that the Palestinians expect more from the leader of the PA. “Abbas is simply echoing the things that the Palestinians we have been speaking to said for the last six months,” he said. “The reaction to Abbas’s remarks on the Palestinian streets is likely to mirror a broader political response. The people we have been speaking to say that what they see is a speech from their leader, far too late and far too weak.” Israel launched its offensive in Gaza after Hamas led an attack on southern Israel on October 7 in which Israel said 1,139 people were killed and 253 taken captive. More than 34,400 Palestinians have since been killed, according to the Gaza health ministry, and most of the population is displaced. Hundreds of thousands of people sheltering in Rafah have nowhere to flee in the face of Israel’s offensive that has levelled large swaths of the urban landscape in the rest of the territory. United Nations officials and human rights groups warn that an attack on Rafah will be catastrophic. Adblock test (Why?)
Two Russian journalists arrested over alleged work for Navalny group
Konstantin Gabov and Sergey Karelin deny ‘extremism’ charges related to group founded by late anti-Putin dissident. Two Russian journalists have been arrested by their government on “extremism” charges and ordered by courts to remain in custody pending investigation and trial on accusations of working for a group founded by the late Russian opposition politician Alexey Navalny. Konstantin Gabov and Sergey Karelin both denied the charges for which they will be detained for a minimum of two months before any trials begin. Each faces a minimum of two years in prison and a maximum of six years for alleged “participation in an extremist organisation”, according to Russian courts. They are just the latest journalists arrested amid a Russian crackdown on dissent and independent media that intensified after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago. The Russian government passed laws criminalising what it deems false information about the military, or statements seen as discrediting the military, effectively outlawing any criticism of the war in Ukraine or speech that deviates from the official narrative. A journalist for the Russian edition of Forbes magazine, Sergei Mingazov, was detained on charges of spreading false information about the Russian military, his lawyer said on Friday. Gabov and Karelin are accused of preparing materials for a YouTube channel run by Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, which has been outlawed by Russian authorities. Navalny, President Vladimir Putin’s most prominent critic, died under murky circumstances in an Arctic penal colony in February. Gabov, who was detained in Moscow on Saturday, is a freelance producer who has worked for multiple organisations, including the Reuters news agency, the court press service said. Karelin, who has dual citizenship with Israel, was detained on Friday night in Russia’s northern Murmansk region. Karelin, 41, has worked for a number of outlets, including for The Associated Press. He was a cameraman for German media outlet Deutsche Welle until the Kremlin banned the outlet from operating in Russia in February 2022. “The Associated Press is very concerned by the detention of Russian video journalist Sergey Karelin,” the AP said in a statement. “We are seeking additional information.” Russia’s crackdown on dissent is aimed at opposition figures, journalists, activists, members of the LGBTQ community, and Russians critical of the Kremlin. A number of journalists have been jailed in relation to their coverage of Navalny, including Antonina Favorskaya, who remains in pre-trial detention at least until May 28 following a hearing last month. Favorskaya was detained and accused by Russian authorities of taking part in an “extremist organisation” by posting on the social media platforms of Navalny’s foundation. She covered Navalny’s court hearings for years and filmed the last video of Navalny before he died in the penal colony. Kira Yarmysh, Navalny’s spokeswoman, said that Favorskaya did not publish anything on the foundation’s platforms and suggested that Russian authorities have targeted her because she was doing her job as a journalist. Evan Gershkovich, a 32-year-old American reporter for The Wall Street Journal, is awaiting trial on espionage charges at Moscow’s notorious Lefortovo Prison. Both Gershkovich and his employer have vehemently denied the charges. Gershkovich was detained in March 2023 while on a reporting trip and has spent over a year in jail; authorities have not detailed what, if any, evidence they have to support the espionage charges. The United States government has declared Gershkovich wrongfully detained, with officials accusing Moscow of using the journalist as a pawn for political ends. The Russian government has also cracked down on opposition figures. One prominent activist, Vladimir Kara-Murza, was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Adblock test (Why?)