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NBA postpones Toronto at Chicago, Nets at Portland games

AFP

The NBA announced the postponement of two games on Wednesday because teams hit by Covid-19 could not field the league minimum of eight players to compete.

The league called-off Toronto’s game Wednesday at Chicago because the Raptors could not produce eight healthy players and also Brooklyn’s match Thursday at Portland.

In all, the NBA has postponed nine contests due to Covid-19 issues, with NBA commissioner Adam Silver saying no pause in the season is planned and teams would have to learn to live with the virus.

It was the third consecutive game wiped out for the Covid-hit Brooklyn Nets, whose scheduled games last Sunday against Denver and Tuesday against Washington were also postponed.

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Brooklyn has an NBA-high 10 players in Covid-19 health and safety protocols, including NBA scoring leader Kevin Durant and fellow stars James Harden and Kyrie Irving.

Durant, the 2014 NBA Most Valuable Player, is averaging 29.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and 5.9 assists a game for the Nets while Harden, the 2018 NBA MVP, ranks second in the league with 9.6 assists a game while also averaging 20.8 points and 7.9 rebounds a contest.

The Nets had just allowed Irving, who has not been vaccinated, back onto the roster, saying he would practice with the club and play in road games. New York Covid-19 safety rules would not allow him to play in home games while unvaccinated.

The next scheduled game for the Nets is on Saturday in a Christmas contest against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Silver has said the league is looking into rules that would make it easier for clubs to utilize players from developmental club rosters to fill out their lineups when numerous players are forced into Covid-19 isolation.

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Tehran engulfed in toxic cloud after strikes on fuel facilities

Tehran woke up under a sky that shifted from gray to black following strikes on fuel infrastructure, as the city has become engulfed in a toxic cloud that is turning daily life into a public health and environmental emergency.

Residents warn that what is falling from the sky is no longer just rain, but a mixture of oil and pollutants. Attacks on fuel depots have triggered prolonged fires, releasing thick plumes of smoke that continue to spread across the العاصمة.

For several days, facilities have remained ablaze, while a dark layer has settled over streets, homes, and even water reserves. Authorities have urged the population—more than nine million people—to remain indoors, especially vulnerable groups.

The extreme toxicity is linked to mazut, a dense petroleum byproduct with high sulfur content still used in Iran due to industrial limitations and sanctions. When burned, it releases hazardous particles that, when combined with moisture, result in contaminated rainfall.

The situation is worsened by Tehran’s geography. Surrounded by mountains, the city is affected by a temperature inversion phenomenon that traps pollutants near the ground, preventing their dispersion and creating a stagnant layer of toxic air over the population.

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Residents have reported symptoms such as eye and skin irritation, headaches, and respiratory difficulties. Emergency agencies have also warned of potential chemical burns caused by acid rain.

Long-term concerns are mounting, as prolonged exposure to fine particles and heavy metals could lead to serious health conditions, including lung damage and cancer.

Contamination is also spreading to water sources and agricultural land, threatening the food supply in a country already facing water scarcity.

At a regional level, the environmental impact is expanding, with oil spills reported in the Persian Gulf, affecting marine ecosystems and fishing communities.

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FBI Most Wanted Fugitive Arrested in Mexico and Deported to U.S.

Authorities in Mexico announced Thursday that Samuel Ramírez Jr., a U.S. citizen accused of murdering two women and listed among the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, was arrested in the northern state of Sinaloa.

Ramírez Jr., 33, was detained Tuesday in Culiacán just 1 hour and 13 minutes after being added to the Federal Bureau of Investigation Ten Most Wanted list, the agency said in a statement.

The suspect, who was born in California, has already been deported to the U.S. state of Washington, where he faces charges related to the fatal shooting of two women at a bar in Federal Way in May 2023.

A court issued an arrest warrant for Ramírez in November last year, and the FBI initially offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to his capture, later increasing the amount to up to $1 million.

“To protect individuals’ privacy and ensure continued cooperation from the public, the FBI does not confirm the identity of those who provide information,” the agency said in its statement.

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UN experts warn Nicaragua runs vast transnational network to monitor exiled dissidents

Nicaragua maintains an “extensive” transnational network to monitor and intimidate opposition figures living in exile, affecting “hundreds of thousands” of people, the United Nations Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua warned on Tuesday.

In a statement, the experts said their report “details an extensive transnational architecture of surveillance and intelligence used to monitor, intimidate and attack the hundreds of thousands of Nicaraguans living abroad.”

The report, which will be presented on March 16 to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, states that the structure maintained by the government of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo includes the army, the police, migration authorities and diplomatic missions.

According to the statement, “the government has arbitrarily stripped 452 Nicaraguans of their nationality, left thousands more exiled in a situation of de facto statelessness, and prevented many from returning to Nicaragua.”