Christy Whitley

Kawhi Leonard, Paul George Shake the Very Fabric of the NBA by Joining Clippers

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The entire landscape of the NBA has shifted and coincidentally has nothing to do with the 7.1 magnitude earthquake in California that postponed the conclusion of the summer-league game in Las Vegas in which Zion Williamson made his professional debut Friday.

In a league-shattering move, Kawhi Leonard and Paul Georgewill join the Los Angeles Clippers and forge a new…

Turkey sacks central bank chief amid economic slump

The Turkish economy shrank sharply for the second straight quarter in early 2019 [Umut Uras/Al Jazeera]

Turkey has fired its central bank governor without giving an official reason, as policy differences between the government and the bank deepened in the face of an economic slump.

Murat Cetinkaya, who had been serving as the governor since April 2016, was removed from the role and was…

How Fake News Could Lead to Real War

AP Photo/ISNA

Who really bombed the oil tankers in the Persian Gulf two weeks ago? Was it Iran, as the Trump administration assured us? Or was it Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates or Israel—or some combination of the three?

Here’s a confession from two former senior government officials: For days after the attacks, we weren’t sure. Both of us believed in…

Bop Shop: Songs From Alex Cameron, Comethazine, Ava Max, And More

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The search for the ever-elusive “bop” is difficult. Playlists and streaming-service recommendations can only do so much. They often leave a lingering question: Are these songs really good, or are they just new?

Enter Bop Shop, a hand-picked selection of songs from the MTV News team. This weekly collection doesn’t discriminate by genre…

Lionel Messi, Argentina Out of 2019 Copa America After Semifinal Loss vs. Brazil

Eugenio Savio/Associated Press

Brazil has earned a spot in the Copa America final after a 2-0 win over Argentina in Tuesday’s semifinal.

Gabriel Jesus and Roberto Firmino each had a goal and an assist in the win, while Alisson kept his fifth straight clean sheet of the tournament.

The loss not only eliminates Argentina but also keeps Lionel Messiwithout a trophy in his international career.…

‘Spectacular progress,’ Taliban says as US talks enter fifth day

The ongoing seventh round of negotiations between Taliban representatives and US officials in Qatar has made “spectacular progress” on a draft agreement aimed at ending the 18-year-long conflict in Afghanistan, a spokesperson for the armed group has said.

Speaking to Al Jazeera on Wednesday, Suhail Shaheen, the Taliban’s political spokesman in Doha, said that “80-90 percent work on the peace…

UN expert urges world powers to reconsider G20 Riyadh summit

A United Nations expert who investigated the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has called on world powers to reconsider holding the next G20 summit in Saudi Arabia.

Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, in a report last month found “credible evidence” that linked Saudi Arabia’s powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) to the…

Pakistan lauds US branding of Baloch fighters as ‘terrorists’

Pakistan has welcomed a decision by the United States to designate an armed separatist group in the country’s southwestern province of Balochistan as “global terrorists”.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) was on Tuesday listed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) by the US State Department, which also imposed economic sanctions on the group and anyone affiliated with it.

“BLA is an…

5’7″ Marcus Stroman Is the Swag-Filled Ace Prize of MLB Trade Season

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For a guy who’s listed at a scant 5’7″, Marcus Stroman is standing tall on the 2019 MLB trade market. 

The Toronto Blue Jays are more than 20 games under .500 and buried in fourth place in the American League East. Only the woeful Baltimore Orioles cushion them from the division basement.

It’s past time for a rebuild north of the border, and Stroman is the Jays’…

D’Angelo Russell Signals New Era of Risk and Uncertainty for Warriors

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D’Angelo Russell will start alongside Stephen Curry when the Golden State Warriors open Chase Center in San Francisco this October.

Which…what?

Maybe the Warriors’ acquisition of Russell, reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, shouldn’t have been the biggest shock of free agency’s chaotic first day. We’d heard rumblingsof Golden State considering a sign-and-trade…

US Navy SEAL acquitted of murder in war crimes trial

A decorated US Navy SEAL was found not guilty on Tuesday of murdering a captive teenage fighter in Iraq, the most serious of the charges brought against him during a two-week war crimes trial in San Diego in the United States.

Edward Gallagher, 49, was likewise acquitted of two counts of attempted murder against Iraqi civilians but was convicted of posing for a photograph beside the corpse of…

The Most Overlooked Additions of the 2019 NFL Offseason

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Not every NFL offseason move is a splash. Most only cause a few ripples; some are like Olympic-style dives. 

And some moves that are originally perceived as unsplashy wind up creating tidal waves. 

Every year, there are high-quality offseason acquisitions who were somewhat or entirely overlooked—some because of other moves within the organization, others…

5 Blockbuster Trade Ideas Early in NBA Free Agency

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Free agency may be the most exciting part of the NBA summer, but the trade market can send shockwaves throughout the league, as well.

Some deals, like Kawhi Leonard’s trade from the San Antonio Spurs to the Toronto Raptors last year, can result in a championship.

While not every swap will lead to a title, there could be enough stars on the move after the…

Deadly strike hits Tripoli migrant detention centre: Official

An air attack late on Tuesday hit a detention centre for mainly African migrants in the Tajoura suburb of the Libya‘s capital Tripoli, killing dozens, according to health and emergency officials.

“Health officials said they have picked up at least 35 bodies so far, and more bodies could be under the rubble,” said Al Jazeera’s Mahmoud Abdel Wahed, reporting from Tripoli.

Wahed said that the…

Report: Ben Simmons, 76ers Nearing Agreement on 5-Year, $170M Contract Extension

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The Philadelphia 76ers and star point guard Ben Simmons are nearing a max contract extension.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Philly has “offered a five-year, $168M maximum contract extension to Ben Simmons, and the Sixers and agent Rich Paul are expected to work through the details toward an eventual agreement.”

Wojnarowski later notedthe contract will be…

EU leaders agree on choices for top jobs after days of disputes

European Union leaders have agreed on Tuesday on who should fill the top jobs for its main institutions for the next five years after a marathon summit marred by disagreement.

German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen was nominated to become the new president of the bloc’s powerful executive arm, the European Commission, one of two women named to top EU posts for the first time.

France‘s…

Who Has the Most to Lose in Kawhi Leonard Sweepstakes?

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All is appropriately quiet on the Kawhi Leonard front as three teams—the Toronto Raptors, Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers—await word from the last superstar free agent on the market.

Contrary to popular belief, the waitingwill not be the hardest part of this ordeal. The real pain will come after Leonard’s decision, when two of those three teams, with…