Sin categoría

Clippers star Leonard says he’s ready to play Tokyo Olympics

AFP/Editor

Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard says he’s eager to make his Olympic debut at the rescheduled Tokyo Games in July even if it means flying halfway around the world on tight timeline.

If the Clippers make a long run through the NBA post-season and reach the Finals, it might mean Leonard and some of his teammates would have little or no break between the end of the season and the start of the Olympic men’s basketball tournament.

“Right now my plan is to go,” Leonard told reporters yesterday in a virtual press conference before the NBA All-Star Game in Atlanta. “It doesn’t really matter on the success that we have. If I feel up to it and feel ready to go around that time then I’m going to play.”

The Clippers are one of the top contenders and the playoffs are scheduled to end July 22 if the Finals go a full seven games. The Tokyo Opening ceremony is on July 23, and the United States play their first basketball game on July 25 against France.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

Leonard, who was named a finalist for Team USA last year, has never represented the United States in an Olympics. In Tokyo, he would also be reunited with his former San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. His Clippers teammate Paul George, who won a gold medal for the US at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, was also picked for the team.

USA Basketball sent invitations out two months ago to around 60 players regarding their inclusion in the pool from which the team will be selected.

Sin categoría

Trump: ‘We Think It’s True’ Amid Claims Iran’s Supreme Leader Was Killed

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he believes multiple reports claiming the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during the U.S. and Israeli offensive against the Islamic Republic are likely true, though he stopped short of confirming the news.

“We have a feeling that the information is correct,” he said, according to NBC News. “I don’t want to say anything definitive until I see it, but we think that’s the case. And many of their leaders have disappeared,” he added.

Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there were “many indications” that Khamenei had died in an attack on his residential compound.

Sin categoría

Former South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol Sentenced to Life for Insurrection

A South Korean court on Thursday sentenced former president Yoon Suk-yeol to life imprisonment after finding him guilty of leading an insurrection by declaring martial law in late 2024.

“The declaration of martial law resulted in enormous social costs, and it is difficult to find any indication that the defendant has shown remorse,” said Judge Ji Gwi-yeon of the Seoul Central District Court. “We sentence him to life in prison,” the judge stated.

Yoon declared martial law in a nationally televised address in December 2024, arguing that drastic measures were necessary to eliminate what he described as “anti-state forces.”

The 65-year-old conservative former leader was removed from office, arrested, and charged with multiple offenses, including insurrection and obstruction of justice.

Judge Ji noted that Yoon ordered military forces to the National Assembly in an attempt to silence political opponents.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

“The court determined that the intention was to paralyze the assembly for a considerable period of time,” the judge said.

Former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun was also sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role in the crisis.

Sin categoría

Eight Killed in Series of Armed Attacks in Ecuador’s Manabí Province

At least eight people were killed in four separate armed attacks reported Sunday night in the cities of Manta and Montecristi, in Ecuador’s coastal province of Manabí, one of the areas hardest hit by the country’s escalating wave of criminal violence, local media reported on Monday.

The shootings occurred between 7:50 p.m. and 10:50 p.m. local time and affected several neighborhoods, as well as a family gathering, according to press reports. Police are investigating the incidents.

The first attack took place in the Los Artesanos sector of Montecristi, where a couple was shot dead in a public street.

Minutes later, in Manta’s 12 de Octubre neighborhood, a man was killed while sitting down. Police arrested a suspect at the scene and seized a 9mm magazine, authorities said.

A third incident occurred in the Bellavista area of Manta, when an armed assailant entered a home and shot a man during a family celebration. The attacker was captured by neighbors and sustained injuries.

20260224_estafa_mh_728x90

The deadliest attack was reported at 10:50 p.m. in the Leonidas Proaño parish of Montecristi, where gunmen opened fire from two vehicles on a group of people, leaving four dead and five wounded.

According to Jaime Salgado, acting chief of the Manta Police District, officers recovered seven 7.62mm shell casings, consistent with rifle ammunition, and 14 .40-caliber casings at the scene.

With these killings, the Manta police district, a port and tourist area on Ecuador’s Pacific coast, has recorded 51 violent deaths so far in January 2026, according to official figures.

The attacks occurred amid a state of emergency declared by the government in December due to serious internal unrest in Manabí, where military operations have been intensified this month, particularly in high-conflict zones.