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LeBron James lauds Nikola Jokic’s basketball IQ after Nuggets sweep Lakers: “He sees plays before they happen”

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:56 GMT

LOS ANGELES — Add LeBron James to the list of generational players to praise Nikola Jokic in defeat this postseason.James credited Jokic’s series after the Nuggets completed a Western Conference Finals sweep of the Lakers on Monday, and the 38-year-old implored people to appreciate Jokic’s game beyond merely the statistics.“I know how great he is. I know how great Jokic is,” James said. “There are certain guys in this league that play the game a certain way, a certain way that I like to play the game as well, and he’s one of them where you are always off balance when you are guarding a player like that because of his ability to score, rebound, shoot. He sees plays before they happen. There’s not many guys in our league like that.”Jokic was named MVP of the Western Conference Finals after averaging 27.8 points, 14.5 rebounds and 11.8 assists. He ended the series with his eighth triple-double of the playoffs, breaking Wilt Chamberl...

Moscow to hold Russia-China security talks, RIA reports

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:56 GMT

The head of Russia’s Security Council Nikolai Patrushev, who is responsible for the police, legal affairs, and intelligence in China, was due to meet with Chen Wenqing on Monday (22 May), reported the Russian RIA news agency. Chen Wenqing is a member of the Chinese Communist Party’s Politburo, which oversees the Chinese Communist Party’s Police, Legal Affairs, and Intelligence.It was reported by RIA that this would be Patrushev’s first meeting Chen Wenqing. Chen Wenqing, China's highest security position, was appointed party Secretary to the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission in October. This is China's most important security position, which oversees the police, judges and spy agencies.Patrushev is a former head of the FSB's internal security service and widely regarded as being one of the most hawkish inner circle members of Russian president Vladimir Putin.Russia and China are redoubling their efforts to strengthen economic, political, and military ties, since Moscow ...

Deepening Energy Cooperation with Azerbaijan - Europe’s Reliable Partner for Energy Security.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:56 GMT

In the past 12 months, the EU’s energy partnership with Azerbaijan has become one of Europe’s topmost essential strategic relationships. An agreement reached last year recognised Azerbaijan’s crucial role as a reliable energy partner. Its gas exports to the EU will double and it has long been a major supplier of oil. In the future, clean electricity from Azerbaijan, produced using solar and wind generation will also become an important part of Europe’s energy mix. Essential to this is the Southern Gas Corridor supply line from Azerbaijan to Europe. Elnur Soltanov, Deputy Energy Minister of Azerbaijan and other guests discussed the challenges and opportunities ahead.Other guests were:Stoyan Novokov is an EU transport and logistics expert. He served as Deputy Minister for Transport and Communication in the Bulgarian Government and who knows, he may yet return to high office in Sofia.Doctor Maurizio Geri is an EU Marie Curie fellow and a former NATO analyst, with a special interest in ...

Detached house sells for $2.1 million in San Jose

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:56 GMT

1771 Barcelona Avenue – Google Street ViewA 1,848-square-foot house built in 1959 has changed hands. The property located in the 1700 block of Barcelona Avenue in San Jose was sold on April 28, 2023, for $2,120,000, or $1,147 per square foot. The property features three bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a garage. There’s also a pool in the backyard and two parking spaces. The unit sits on an 8,176-square-foot lot.These nearby houses have also recently changed hands:On Conrad Avenue, San Jose, in April 2023, a 2,330-square-foot home was sold for $1,700,000, a price per square foot of $730. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.In October 2022, a 2,330-square-foot home on Conrad Avenue in San Jose sold for $1,700,000, a price per square foot of $730. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.A 1,971-square-foot home on the 1700 block of Barcelona Avenue in San Jose sold in April 2023, for $2,100,500, a price per square foot of $1,066. The home has 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. 

Emirati leaders invite Israel’s Netanyahu, Herzog, to join COP28 climate conference in Dubai

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:56 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Emirati leaders extended a long-sought invitation to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to attend the U.N climate conference, known as COP28, in November.The United Arab Emirates’ President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum also invited Israel’s figurehead President Isaac Herzog and dozens of other leaders including Syrian President Bashar Assad to COP28, in Dubai. The Israelis did not immediately accept the invitation, but Netanyahu thanked the Emiratis for the gesture.The invitation falls short of the high-profile bilateral visit Netanyahu has sought. But a trip to the Gulf Arab country would nonetheless give an important boost to the Israeli leader who has established official ties with the UAE as part of the 2020 Abraham Accords, normalizing relations between the two countries. Netanyahu has repeatedly called for closer ties with Arab countries across the region, but has yet to pay the ...

4 people arrested on suspicion of hanging Vinícius Junior effigy off bridge

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:56 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Four people suspected of hanging an effigy of Real Madrid player Vinícius Júnior off a highway bridge in Madrid in January have been arrested, Spanish police said Tuesday.The arrests come two days after the latest case of racial abuse against the Brazil forward in a Spanish league game against Valencia.The effigy was hanged by the neck the morning of a derby between Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey. Along with it was a banner with the words “Madrid hates Real.”Vinícius, who is Black, has been subjected to repeated racist taunts in Spain.___More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

Spanish police arrest 4 people on suspicion of hanging an effigy of Vinícius Junior off a highway bridge in January

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:56 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Spanish police arrest 4 people on suspicion of hanging an effigy of Vinícius Junior off a highway bridge in January.Source

Man accused of sexually assaulting transgender woman in Miami bar

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:56 GMT

A male was taken into custody after, police said, he sexually assaulted a transgender woman in a bathroom.Luigi Andre Cavani, 25, faces charges of sexual battery, according to an arrest report from the City of Miami Police Department.The 31-year-old victim stated that she entered the restroom alone at the Sweet Caroline Karaoke Bar, at 1111 SW 1st Ave., when Cavani allegedly grabbed her hand and forcibly pulled her into a single-stall bathroom, and proceeded to unbutton her pants.According to the report, the victim repeatedly told Cavani to stop and attempted to push him away. Later, the victim’s friends confronted Cavani, to which he reportedly responded, “I’m sorry, I thought it was cool.”Following the victim’s report of the sexual assault, Cavani voluntarily visited a police station and informed officers that he believed the encounter had been consensual. He also expressed his intention to clarify what had transpired on Friday night, emphasizing that...

Sunak’s former deputy Raab latest Tory to head for the hills as election looms

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:56 GMT

LONDON — Rishi Sunak’s former Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab is planning to stand down as an MP, as an exodus of big-name Conservatives quitting before the next election continues.According to the Daily Telegraph newspaper, Raab has informed his local Tory association that he doesn’t plan to stand in his Esher and Walton constituency at the next nationwide vote, expected next year.In a letter to the association, Raab — who quit government last month after a bruising inquiry into claims he bullied civil servants — wrote that he has “become increasingly concerned” about the impact of the job on his young family, the Telegraph reported.Raab is only the latest senior Tory figure to announce they won’t stand at the next election, as the Conservatives fret over polling that puts the opposition Labour Party well ahead. The former deputy PM’s Esher and Walton seat is particularly vulnerable, and he defeated his Liberal Democrat challenger by just 2,74...

OBF: For Celtics, more questions than answers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:56 GMT

Instead of raising Banner 18, the Celtics have opted to wave a white flag.Boston trails Miami 3-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals. Game 4 is in South Florida tonight.Miami’s airport abbreviation is MIA. The Celtics have been all that in more during this series. Boston was DOA 10 minutes into Game 3. By the start of the fourth quarter, it was RIP for this run to the NBA Finals. Afterward, the entire basketball universe asked “WTF?”In 2023, the DNA of the Celtics no longer includes winning championships. It’s been 15 years. This version lacks heart, hustle, and muscle. They are more 1998 than 2008. They’ve replaced “Ubuntu” with “Oh, not you, too?”The good news? According to ESPN Analytics, the Celtics still have a 114% chance to win this series.The motto of these Celtics has morphed from “Unfinished Business” to “Next Question.”There will be so many this offseason.Will the coach be fired? Will they offer Jaylen Brown a max contract? How much more Marcus Smart can anyone take? Has an...