The stationary silver line train was struck just after midnight at the Metro Center station, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority said in a social media post.

The station is a major transfer point in the rail system. Metro said the injuries were not considered life-threatening, but it did not give details about the severity or types of injuries.

Metro warned riders on Wednesday morning to expect delays throughout the system while the collision was investigated. Some trains were using just one track in the area.

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WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� President Donald Trump鈥檚 nominee to chair the Federal Reserve said Tuesday that he never promised the White House that he would cut interest rates, even as the president renewed for the central bank to do so.

鈥淭he president never once asked me to commit to any particular interest rate decision, period,鈥� Kevin Warsh, a former top Fed official, said under questioning by the Senate Banking Committee. 鈥淣or would I ever agree to do so if he had. … I will be an independent actor if confirmed as chair of the Federal Reserve.鈥�

Warsh鈥檚 comments came just hours after Trump, in an interview on CNBC, was asked if he would be disappointed if Warsh didn鈥檛 immediately cut rates and responded, 鈥淚 would.鈥�

The comments underscore the challenge faced by Warsh, 56, a financier and former member of the Fed’s board of governors whom Trump to replace the current Fed chair, Jerome Powell. Democrats on the committee accused Warsh of flip-flopping on interest rates over the years, supporting higher interest rates under Democratic presidents and advocating rate cuts during Trump’s time in office. Investors are watching the hearing closely to see how Warsh balances Trump鈥檚 demands with worsening , as the war in Iran pushes up the price of gasoline.

Higher inflation typically leads the Fed to raise rates, or at least keep them unchanged, rather than cut them. When the Fed changes its key rate, it can affect mortgages, auto loans, and business borrowing.

Yet Warsh’s account was challenged by Sen. Ruben Gallego, an Arizona Democrat, who said that Wall Street Journal reporting last year found that Trump had urged Warsh to reduce borrowing costs.

鈥淲ho’s lying here? Is it you or the president?鈥� Gallego asked.

鈥淚 think those reporters need better sources,鈥� Warsh responded.

For all the back and forth, the hearing didn’t appear to advance Warsh’s nomination, which has been delayed by a Justice Department into the Fed and Powell, over brief testimony Powell gave last June before the same panel about a building renovation.

Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican on the committee, reiterated Tuesday he wouldn’t vote for Warsh until the investigation is dropped. With the committee closely divided and all Democrats opposed to his nomination, Tillis’ opposition is enough to bottle it up in committee.

鈥淲e have got to get rid of this investigation,鈥� Tillis said, 鈥渟o I can support your nomination.鈥�

Tillis has previously said that all seven Republicans on the committee have signed a letter stating that Powell did not commit a crime when he testified before the panel last June. Federal prosecutors, led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeannine Pirro, are investigating his testimony for potential perjury, though a judge said last month they offered to support the charge when he threw out subpoenas Pirro had issued.

Prosecutors from her office as recently as last week sought access to the Fed鈥檚 building project but , revealing that the Trump administration has not reversed course despite opposition from members of his own party that are essential to Warsh鈥檚 confirmation.

In his opening remarks, Warsh told the Senate Banking Committee that one of his top goals would be to fight inflation, which remains elevated at 3.3% annually.

鈥淐ongress tasked the Fed with the mission to ensure price stability, without excuse or equivocation, argument or anguish,鈥� Warsh said. 鈥淚nflation is a choice, and the Fed must take responsibility for it.鈥�

Warsh would be in a tough spot if confirmed. Inflation , making it much harder for the Fed to implement the interest rate cuts Trump so . The conflict could also slow the economy, as well as hiring. And if Warsh ultimately becomes chair, he may very well find his predecessor, Powell, still sitting on the Fed鈥檚 governing board, an uncomfortable arrangement that hasn鈥檛 occurred since the late 1940s.

Warsh said the Fed’s political independence is 鈥渆ssential,鈥� and that the central bank wasn’t threatened when 鈥渆lected officials 鈥� presidents, senators, or members of the House 鈥� state their views on interest rates.” Trump has repeatedly urged Powell to cut the Fed’s key rate from its current level of about 3.6% to as low as 1%, a view almost no economist shares.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, said that Trump has not just stated his opinions on rates, but has sought to and is .

鈥淭he Senate should not be aiding and abetting Donald Trump鈥檚 illegal takeover of the Fed by installing his chosen sock puppet as chair,鈥� she said Tuesday.

Warren also noted that Warsh has not , which include investments in start-ups and private companies, or the size of those financial stakes. For example, Warsh has said he has holdings in SpaceX and Polymarket, but has not said how large those investments are.

Warren charged that Warsh is not in compliance with ethics requirements. Warsh argued that the Office of Government Ethics has signed off on his plan to sell all his assets within 90 days of his confirmation.

The turmoil could make a potential transition from Powell to Warsh an unusually turbulent one for the world鈥檚 most pivotal central bank, which has historically experienced smooth transfers of power. Should the change in leadership prove particularly bumpy, it could unnerve markets and lift longer-term interest rates.

Powell’s term as chair ends May 15. He said last month that he would remain as chair until a successor is named. Powell also is serving a separate term as a member of the Fed’s governing board that lasts until January 2028. Fed chairs typically leave the board when their terms as chair end, but Powell said last month he would , even if a new chair is approved, until the investigation is dropped.

Trump said he would if he attempted to remain at the Fed. Yet Trump’s previous attempt to remove a Fed governor, Lisa Cook, has been tied up in court. During oral arguments in January, a majority of justices on the Supreme Court leaving Cook at the Fed.

Source

Pakistan had planned to host a second round of talks, but the White House suspended Vice President JD Vance鈥檚 planned trip to Islamabad as Iran rebuffed efforts to restart negotiations. Iran acknowledged the ceasefire extension but didn’t say Tehran was ready to attend a new round of talks to end the war, state television reported Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Iran鈥檚 semiofficial news agencies are reporting that the paramilitary , throwing into question efforts to end the war. Nour 91欧美激情, Fars and Mehr all reported the attack by the Guard on a vessel called the Euphoria. They said the vessel had become 鈥渟tranded鈥� on the Iranian coast, without elaborating. The Guard has seized the other two ships that were attacked, Iranian state television separately reported.

Here is the latest:

The Iran war could drive up costs for petroleum-derived products like clothes and crayons

It might be hard to imagine the weighing on stuffed toys with names like Snuggle Glove, Bizzikins and Wobblies, but even plush playthings aren鈥檛 immune when oil shipments from are constrained.

Like many , the creatures developed by a manufacturer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, are made with polyester and acrylic, synthetic fibers derived from petroleum. Three weeks after the war started, suppliers in China notified Aleni Brands that getting the materials already was costing them 10% to 15% more, CEO Ricardo Venegas said.

鈥淚 think this situation demonstrates how much oil permeates throughout our system, and we can鈥檛 get away from it,鈥� said Venegas, who founded Aleni Brands last year and is in the process of adding product lines. 鈥淲ho would have thought that the price of a toy would have a direct relationship with oil?鈥�

It鈥檚 not just toys. Petrochemicals derived from oil and natural gas go into making more than 6,000 consumer products, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Lebanon鈥檚 president says contacts ongoing to extend ceasefire

President Joseph Aoun鈥檚 comments on Wednesday came a day before a second meeting is scheduled to take place in Washington between the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors.

Aoun said in comments released by his office that preparations are ongoing for negotiations between Lebanon and Israel.

He said the aim of the future talks is to 鈥渇ully鈥� stop Israeli attacks, withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon, release of Lebanese prisoners in Israel, deployment of Lebanese troops along the border and beginning the reconstruction process.

Aoun said the support to Lebanon that was promised by U.S. President Donald Trump and other countries 鈥減rovided us with an opportunity that we must not miss, as it may not come again.鈥�

The latest Israel-Hezbollah war was halted by a 10-day ceasefire that went into effect Friday.

Iranian news agency suggests undersea cables vulnerable in Strait of Hormuz

A semiofficial news agency close to Iran鈥檚 paramilitary Revolutionary Guard again raised the idea Wednesday that Gulf Arab states remained vulnerable to having their undersea data cables being cut in the Strait of Hormuz.

The report by the Tasnim news agency suggested that 鈥渟imultaneous damage to several major cables 鈥� whether through accidents or deliberate action 鈥� could trigger severe outages across the Persian Gulf.鈥�

Multiple cables run through the strait. Already, the region has faced outages after undersea cables were cut multiple times in the Red Sea. Yemen鈥檚 Iranian-backed Houthi rebels had threatened cables in the past.

Iranians waited tensely overnight to learn if ceasefire would continue

With uncertainty over whether the ceasefire lasts, residents of Tehran say they are anxious about what comes next.

鈥淟ast night my family all stayed awake, waiting for the clock to show 3:30 a.m. and see who really has the upper hand,鈥� said Reza Tehrani, a 34-year-old resident of Tehran.

Tehrani said Trump is making a series of false claims, including that Iran will give up its enriched uranium. 鈥淚t鈥檚 obvious that he will eventually take his warships back and nothing will happen. We will win, rest assured,鈥� he said.

One resident voiced frustration with the uncertainty.

鈥淲e should know where we stand. Is it going to be a ceasefire, peace or the war is going to continue?鈥� said Tehran resident Mashallah Mohammad Sadegh, 59. 鈥淭he way things currently are, one doesn鈥檛 know what to do.鈥�

EU energy chief warns war could hit prices for years to come

The European Union鈥檚 top energy official is warning that the massive energy crisis sparked by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran is set to hit prices for months, even years, to come.

EU Energy Commissioner Dan J酶rgensen said Wednesday that 鈥渢his is not a short-term, small increase in prices. This is a crisis that is probably as serious as the 1973 and the 2022 crises combined.鈥�

J酶rgensen says the war is costing Europe around 500 million euros ($600 million) each day and that 鈥渨e are looking into some very difficult months, or maybe even years鈥� ahead. 鈥淓ven in a best-case scenario, it鈥檚 still bad,鈥� he told reporters.

Iran acknowledges ceasefire extension

Iran鈥檚 Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei acknowledged the ceasefire extension in comments reported Wednesday by Iranian state television.

Baghaei did not specifically say Tehran was ready to attend a new round of talks with the United States in Islamabad.

鈥淒iplomacy is a tool for securing national interests and security, and whenever we reach the conclusion that the necessary and reasonable conditions exist to use this tool to achieve national interests and to consolidate the achievements of the Iranian nation in thwarting the enemies鈥� malicious objectives, we will take action,鈥� he reportedly said.

2 of 8 Iranian women whose release Donald Trump called for are already out on bail, rights center says

The Oslo-based Iran Human Rights said an emergency doctor, Golnar Naraqi, and an Iranian citizen of the Bahai faith, Venus Hossein Nejad, have been out on bail since late March.

The two women were arrested separately during the January anti-government protests. The protests across Iran were met with a bloody crackdown that left thousands killed and arrested.

In a social media post Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump reposted a photo of six women and two teen girls that a conservative activist said are facing prosecution by the Iranian government.

Iran鈥檚 judiciary swiftly responded, saying some of the women have already been released without naming them. It said none of them face the death sentence. Internet restrictions have limited the flow of information out of Iran.

Rights groups say at least two of the other women still in detention are facing charges that carry the death sentence. There have been multiple executions during the war against alleged spies and protesters, mostly accused of links to Israel.

Revolutionary Guard attacks a third ship in the Strait of Hormuz

Iran鈥檚 paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has attacked a third ship Wednesday in the Strait of Hormuz, semiofficial Iranian news agencies reported.

Nour 91欧美激情, Fars and Mehr all reported the attack by the Guard on a vessel called the Euphoria. They said the vessel had become 鈥渟tranded鈥� on the Iranian coast, without elaborating.

The Guard has seized the other two ships that were attacked, Iranian state television separately reported.

Iranian state TV says 2 vessels attacked by Revolutionary Guard are in the force鈥檚 custody

Two ships earlier attacked Wednesday by Iran鈥檚 paramilitary Revolutionary Guard now are in the force鈥檚 custody and are being taken to Iran, Iranian state television reported.

It identified the vessels as the MSC Francesca and the Epaminondas. The ship鈥檚 owners could not be immediately reached for comment.

The seizures represent an Iranian escalation after the U.S. earlier seized two Iranian vessels as ceasefire talks were due to take place in Islamabad.

The Guard said in a statement the ships 鈥渁llegedly operated without authorization, repeatedly violated regulations, manipulated navigational aid systems and sought to covertly exit the Strait of Hormuz, endangering maritime security.鈥�

The strait had been considered an international waterway open to all before the war, even though it sits in Iranian and Omani territorial waters.

Israel urges Lebanon to cooperate in order to dismantle Iran-backed Hezbollah

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called on Lebanon to work with Israel to disarm the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah ahead of negotiations in Washington on Thursday.

The meeting follows a similar gathering last week in Washington, and is the first time in decades the two countries are speaking directly.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 have any serious disagreements with Lebanon. There are a few minor border disputes that can be solved,鈥� Saar said during Independence Day remarks to Israel鈥檚 diplomatic corps.

鈥淭he obstacle to peace and normalization between the countries is one: Hezbollah,鈥� he said, adding that Lebanon could have 鈥渁 future of sovereignty, independence and freedom from the Iranian occupation.鈥�

Israel鈥檚 military has currently established a buffer zone stretching around 10 kilometers (6 miles) into southern Lebanon to remove the threat of short-range rockets and anti-tank missiles toward northern Israel.

Pakistani analyst says Trump likely views Iran port blockade as more effective than force

An independent Islamabad-based analyst, Syed Mohammad Ali, says U.S. President Donald Trump has apparently concluded that a blockade of Iranian ports is a more effective way to pressure Iran鈥檚 already fragile economy than the continued use of force.

鈥淎s far as Trump鈥檚 war strategy is concerned, this blockade appears to be less expensive and more effective,鈥� he said Wednesday.

Ali said prospects for a second round of talks between the United States and Iran have not faded, as Pakistan, with support from regional countries, continues efforts to prevent the collapse of negotiations.

He said securing an extension of the ceasefire for an indefinite period from Trump is an achievement for Pakistan.

China says it鈥檚 鈥榠mperative鈥� to prevent conflict from reigniting

China said after the announcement of an extension of the ceasefire that it is 鈥渋mperative鈥� to keep the conflict from reigniting.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Wednesday that the current situation in the Middle East is at 鈥渁 critical stage.鈥� He said China 鈥渋s ready鈥� to work with the international community to maintain peace, following four principles President Xi Jinping proposed a few days earlier, including peaceful coexistence and adherence to international law.

鈥淚t鈥檚 imperative to prevent the recurrence of the conflict with utmost efforts,鈥� he said.

Iranian diplomat says country 鈥榳on鈥檛 negotiate under threat鈥�

The United States must end its blockade on Iran as a prerequisite for any further ceasefire talks in Islamabad, an Iranian diplomat said Wednesday.

Mojtaba Ferdousi Pour, the head of the Iranian mission in Egypt, told The Associated Press that communications with Pakistani mediators are underway 鈥渢o implement Iran鈥檚 conditions.鈥�

鈥淲e won鈥檛 negotiate under threat,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e won鈥檛 go to Islamabad before the lifting of the blockade.鈥�

He accused the U.S. of using the ceasefire to build up more forces for a possible resumption of military action against the Islamic Republic.

鈥淏ehind the scenes, they say something, but in public, they say and do something else,鈥� he said.

Pakistan focuses on keeping talks alive

Pakistan鈥檚 top political and military leadership has worked to prevent talks from collapsing and to persuade the U.S. to extend the ceasefire over the past 24 hours, officials said Wednesday.

Two Pakistani officials told The Associated Press that authorities will keep security arrangements in place in Islamabad in case U.S. and Iranian delegations ultimately arrive.

Pakistan is also still waiting to hear from Tehran on when it will send a delegation for a second round, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

In Islamabad, police and troops remained on alert along key roads, manning checkpoints.

Residents were forced to take longer routes as authorities restricted access to parts of the city.

鈥淲e have not received any instructions to remove these barricades,鈥� said police officer Mohammad Aslam as he directed commuters to turn back and use alternative routes.

鈥� By Munir Ahmed

Pakistan鈥檚 top diplomat meets British high commissioner in Islamabad

Pakistan鈥檚 Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met British High Commissioner Jane Marriott on Wednesday in the capital, Islamabad, to discuss the evolving regional situation.

According to the Foreign Ministry, Dar underscored Pakistan鈥檚 ongoing efforts to facilitate diplomatic engagement and stressed the importance of dialogue and diplomacy in the peaceful resolution of disputes.

Marriott appreciated Pakistan鈥檚 facilitative role in bringing the United States and Iran to the negotiating table, the ministry said.

Second ship comes under attack in Strait of Hormuz

A second ship came under attack Wednesday in the Strait of Hormuz, the British military said, just a short time after Iran鈥檚 paramilitary Revolutionary Guard opened fire on a container ship.

The British military鈥檚 United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center did not immediately identify who shot at the second ship.

However, suspicion immediately fell on Iran, whose paramilitary Revolutionary Guard earlier opened fire on the container ship.

In the second attack, the cargo ship said it had been fired upon and was stopped in the water.

It said there was no reported damage to the vessel.

The attacks come days after the U.S. seized an Iranian container ship after shooting it this past weekend, and boarded an oil tanker associated with Iran鈥檚 oil trade Tuesday in the Indian Ocean.

Iranian missile rallies seen across country

Hard-line supporters of Iran鈥檚 government held rallies across the country late Tuesday that included the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard bringing missiles and their launchers into public places for the first time since the ceasefire in the war with Israel and the United States.

The scale of the demonstrations served as a sign of defiance to Israel and the U.S., which devoted a lot of their airstrike campaign to decimating Iran鈥檚 ballistic missile arsenal.

Iranian state media showed pictures, videos and wrote about missile demonstrations in Ahvaz, Arak, Bandar Abbas, Bushehr, Kerman, Tabriz, Tehran, Qom and Zanjan.

The missiles included the Faheh, the Kheibar Shekan, the Khorramshahr-4 and the Qadr.

Some of those include the cluster munitions used repeatedly against Israel during the war as a means to get around the country鈥檚 air defenses.

Drone strike on eastern Lebanon kills 1

Lebanon鈥檚 state-run National 91欧美激情 Agency said the drone strike on the village of Jabbour early Wednesday also wounded two people.

The Israeli military denied that it had struck in that area.

Since a 10-day ceasefire went into effect Friday, there have been several Israeli strikes while Hezbollah claimed its first attack Tuesday.

Military planners meet on Hormuz mission

Britain and France are gathering military planners from about 30 countries to flesh out details of a mission to provide security in the Strait of Hormuz 鈥� if and when the key shipping route reopens.

Britain鈥檚 Defense Ministry said the two-day meeting at a U.K. command-and-control center in London aims to 鈥渢urn diplomatic consensus into a detailed military plan.鈥�

The plan is for an international mission to protect merchant vessels, clear mines and provide reassurance, and is dependent on a 鈥渟ustainable鈥� ceasefire being reached in the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.

Countries, including France and the U.K., have pledged to send ships and mine-clearing drones.

Despite skepticism that the plan will ever be put into action, British Defense Secretary John Healey said Wednesday he is 鈥渃onfident that, over the next two days, real progress can be made.鈥�

Iran hangs another man over alleged ties to Mossad

Iran hanged another man Wednesday over alleged ties to Israel鈥檚 Mossad intelligence agency as Tehran continues a series of executions during the war, and after nationwide protests in January.

The Mizan news agency of Iran鈥檚 judiciary announced the execution of Mehdi Farid.

It described Farid as working for a 鈥渟ensitive state organization鈥� and passing information to the Israeli spy agency.

It said Farid was convicted in Iran鈥檚 Qom province.

Human rights activists have long said Iran convicts people in closed-door trials without allowing defendants to properly defend themselves.

There have been multiple executions of alleged spies recently, as well as protesters and those affiliated with an Iranian exiled opposition group.

Container ship in strait 鈥榠gnored the warnings鈥� before attack, Iranian website says

Nour 91欧美激情, a website affiliated with Iran鈥檚 Supreme National Security Council, said the Guard opened fire on the container ship after it had 鈥渋gnored the warnings of the Iranian armed forces.鈥�

Nour 91欧美激情 added the ship sustained 鈥渆xtensive damage鈥� in the attack.

Although the U.S. focused much of its fire in the war on Iran鈥檚 navy, sinking and heavily damaging dozens of vessels, the Guard operates a fleet of small attack boats, some of which apparently survived the war.

Those vessels typically carry mounted machine guns, and can be used for mining operations.

The Guard earlier Wednesday had vowed to 鈥渄eliver crushing blows beyond the enemy鈥檚 imagination to its remaining assets in the region.鈥�

The Guard 鈥渞emains at peak readiness and determination to continue the fight, prepared for a decisive, certain and immediate response to any threat or renewed aggression,鈥� the statement added.

Iran鈥檚 Revolution

ary Guard opens fire on ship in Strait of Hormuz

Iran鈥檚 paramilitary Revolutionary Guard opened fire Wednesday on a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz, damaging the ship and further raising the stakes as planned ceasefire talks in Pakistan failed to materialize.

The British military鈥檚 United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said the attack happened around 7:55 a.m. in the strait and targeted a container ship.

The UKMTO said a Guard gunboat did not hail the ship before firing.

It said no one was hurt and there was no environmental impact from the attack.

Iran鈥檚 semiofficial Fars and Tasnim news agencies, believed to be close to the Guard, both reported on the attack, citing the UKMTO.

Fars went further to describe Iran as 鈥渓awfully enforcing鈥� its control over the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of the world鈥檚 crude oil and natural gas traded once passed.

The strait had been considered an international waterway for the world鈥檚 shippers despite being in the territorial waters of both Iran and Oman.

The attack comes after the U.S. military seized an Iranian container ship after shooting it this past weekend, and after it boarded an oil tanker associated with Iran鈥檚 oil trade in the Indian Ocean.

Source

And at 41, LeBron James just keeps rolling.

James and the Los Angeles Lakers are up 2-0 over Houston after another victory on Tuesday night, the capper of a tripleheader day in the

features two games: Orlando at Detroit and Phoenix at Oklahoma City.

Tuesday recaps

鈥� to tie series 1-1.

鈥� to tie series 1-1.

鈥� for a 2-0 series lead.

Stories of note

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Awards watch

The first two awards of the season were handed out Monday and Tuesday, without any debate on whether the voters got things right.

On Monday, San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama 鈥� just 22 years old 鈥� became the youngest and the first to win the award in a unanimous vote.

On Tuesday, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander nearly became the first unanimous winner of the award. He got 96 of a possible 100 first-place votes.

led by the top three in the MVP voting 鈥� the reigning winner in Gilgeous-Alexander, three-time winner Nikola Jokic of Denver and Wembanyama, a first-time finalist.

The schedule for upcoming announcements:

鈥� Wednesday, Sixth Man (6 p.m. EDT, ESPN). Finalists: Tim Hardaway Jr., Denver; Jaime Jaquez Jr., Miami; Keldon Johnson, San Antonio.

鈥� Thursday, Sportsmanship Award (Noon EDT, .

鈥� Friday, Most Improved Player (6:30 p.m. EDT, Prime). Finalists: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Atlanta; Deni Avdija, Portland; Jalen Duren, Detroit.

And the announcements that won鈥檛 be until next week, at the earliest:

鈥� MVP: Gilgeous-Alexander; Jokic; Wembanyama.

鈥� Coach of the Year: J.B. Bickerstaff, Detroit; Mitch Johnson, San Antonio; Joe Mazzulla, Boston.

鈥� Rookie of the Year: VJ Edgecombe, Philadelphia; Cooper Flagg, Dallas; Kon Knueppel, Charlotte.

Wednesday’s games

7 p.m. EDT 鈥� Game 2, Orlando at Detroit (ESPN)

9:30 p.m. EDT 鈥� Game 2, Phoenix at Oklahoma City (ESPN)

Thursday’s games

7 p.m. EDT 鈥� Game 3, New York at Atlanta (Prime Video)

8 p.m. EDT 鈥� Game 3, Cleveland at Toronto (Prime Video)

9:30 p.m. EDT 鈥� Game 3, Denver at Minnesota (Prime Video)

Friday’s games

7 p.m. EDT 鈥� Game 3, Boston at Philadelphia (Prime Video)

8 p.m. EDT 鈥� Game 3, LA Lakers at Houston (Prime Video)

10:30 p.m. EDT 鈥� Game 3, San Antonio at Portland (Prime Video)

Betting odds

The defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder (-120) are bigger favorites to win the NBA title than they鈥檝e been since the postseason began, according to oddsmakers.

The Thunder went below the even-money line after San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama left Game 2 of the Spurs’ series against Portland with a concussion, leaving his status 鈥� at least for Game 3 on Friday 鈥� a bit uncertain.

The Thunder are followed by San Antonio (+550), Boston (+650), Cleveland (+1300), Denver (+1500), Detroit (+2200) and New York (+2200). The Los Angeles Lakers 鈥� who were among the favorites before Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves got hurt, then saw their odds soar to as much as +30000 鈥� are now back to +4000.

Key dates

鈥� May 2, 3 or 4: Conference semifinals begin.

鈥� May 10: NBA draft lottery.

鈥� May 10-17: NBA draft combine.

鈥� May 17 or 19: Eastern Conference finals begin on ESPN and ABC.

鈥� May 18 or 20: Western Conference finals begin on NBC and Peacock.

鈥� June 3: Game 1, NBA Finals on ABC. (Other finals dates: June 5, June 8, June 10, June 13, June 16 and June 19).

鈥� June 23: Round 1, NBA draft

鈥� June 24: Round 2, NBA draft

Quote of the day

鈥� 鈥淚t鈥檚 still a tall challenge 鈥� 7-foot-tall, too. I know he don鈥檛 like it. He hates it. He might be mad at me. He wants to be 6-10 or 6-9 so bad, but he’s 7-foot for sure.鈥� 鈥� the Lakers’ LeBron James, on facing Houston’s Kevin Durant, who insists he’s not a 7-footer (despite years of opponents suggesting otherwise).

Stats of the day

鈥� LeBron James now has 70 playoff games with at least 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. That’s two more than the next three players on that list 鈥� Michael Jordan (24), Nikola Jokic (23) and Larry Bird (21) 鈥� have combined.

鈥� The Spurs had won 76 consecutive playoff games when leading by 14 or more points at any time in the fourth quarter before Tuesday night’s loss to Portland. The most recent such loss, before now, was May 19, 2003 against Dallas. (Spoiler alert: The Spurs still went on to win that season’s NBA title.)

鈥� Philadelphia became the first team since Dallas in 2016 to lose Game 1 of its opening round series by at least 32 points 鈥� but recover to win Game 2.

___

AP NBA:

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En un pa铆s con altos niveles de violencia que se reflejan en homicidios y otros delitos delitos 鈥攎uchos de ellos asociados al crimen organizado鈥�, el episodio resulta in茅dito para M茅xico porque sucedi贸 en un concurrido destino arqueol贸gico y tur铆stico, remarcan tanto las autoridades mexicanas como especialistas. Adem谩s, ocurre pocas semanas antes de que comience Mundial de F煤tbol en el que M茅xico ser谩 coanfitri贸n junto con Estados Unidos y Canad谩.

Por estos factores, el tiroteo en Teotihuac谩n aumenta las dudas sobre M茅xico, un pa铆s que tendr谩 tres ciudades sede a partir del 11 de junio y que ya sobre su capacidad para brindar seguridad p煤blica a millones de visitantes.

Desde el Gobierno de Sheinbaum, tanto la mandataria como su Gabinete dan muestras de ser conscientes de que existe esta desconfianza y continuamente buscan atajarla con llamados a la calma.

La seguridad del Mundial 鈥渆st谩 garantizada鈥�, dijo este martes el secretario de Seguridad y Protecci贸n Ciudadana, Omar Garc铆a Harfuch, quien argument贸 que los operativos en la materia se revisan a diario y que lo ocurrido en Teotihuac谩n se trat贸 de un hecho sin ning煤n antecedente similar.

鈥淓ste hecho tan lamentable nunca hab铆a ocurrido en una zona arqueol贸gica de nuestro pa铆s鈥�, , que remarc贸 que son millones los visitantes que cada a帽o llegan a estos sitios arqueol贸gicos y que 鈥渏am谩s hab铆a habido un solo incidente鈥�.

El ataque hizo que las autoridades anunciaran horas despu茅s el reforzamiento de la seguridad en zonas arqueol贸gicas en coordinaci贸n con la Secretar铆a de Cultura y otras autoridades que est谩n relacionadas a los operativos para el Mundial. 鈥淭odos estos protocolos de seguridad ya est谩n, ya se han estado trabajando desde hace m谩s de un a帽o鈥�, dijo el secretario.

A principios de marzo, el Gobierno de M茅xico anunci贸 que en las tareas de seguridad por el Mundial, entre fuerzas estatales y guardias de seguridad privada.

Ubicado a unos 48 kil贸metros al noreste de Ciudad de M茅xico, Teotihuac谩n es un importante sitio arqueol贸gico y destino tur铆stico, declarado Patrimonio de la Humanidad por la UNESCO. Tiene entre sus monumentos dos grandes pir谩mides: la Pir谩mide de la Luna y la Pir谩mide del Sol.

El agresor, quien , dispar贸 desde la Pir谩mide de la Luna, precis贸 este martes el coronel Crist贸bal Casta帽eda Camarillo, secretario de Seguridad del Estado de M茅xico. Pasadas las 11:00 de la ma帽ana del lunes, hora local, el hombre de 27 a帽os mat贸 a una persona e hiri贸 a otras que se encuentran fuera de peligro.

Seg煤n las autoridades, el atacante al verse rodeado por oficiales de la Guardia Nacional.

El secretario de Seguridad de M茅xico que, tras lo ocurrido, orden贸 fortalecer la seguridad en zonas arqueol贸gicas y en los principales destinos tur铆sticos del pa铆s, adem谩s de incrementar la presencia de la Guardia Nacional y reforzar las revisiones, los controles de acceso y los sistemas de vigilancia en estos espacios p煤blicos.

Mediante el patrullaje f铆sico y cibern茅tico, a cargo de la Guardia Nacional y del Centro Nacional de Inteligencia, las autoridades buscar谩n prevenir potenciales amenazas, agreg贸 Garc铆a Harfuch.

Despu茅s del tiroteo en Teotihuac谩n, algunos especialistas eval煤an lo sucedido y las implicaciones que puede tener en el contexto del Mundial.

鈥淓s un hecho poco com煤n en nuestro pa铆s, se trata de una situaci贸n aislada que no corresponde a la vida natural de M茅xico鈥�, dice a CNN Francisco Rivas, director del , una organizaci贸n que monitorea pol铆ticas p煤blicas, incidencia delictiva y acceso a la legalidad en M茅xico.

Rivas dice que M茅xico es un pa铆s violento, pero explica que la violencia la sufren los ciudadanos y 鈥渞ara vez鈥� los turistas, por lo que en principio no ve que lo ocurrido vaya a tener impacto en el Mundial. En cambio, s铆 cree que esta es una oportunidad para que el Gobierno de M茅xico refuerce, sobre todo, la prevenci贸n para que los turistas extremen precauciones sobre ciertas zonas o situaciones que puedan ser problem谩ticas.

Antes del ataque, el Gobierno de Sheinbaum ya hab铆a reiterado en varias oportunidades que la seguridad para el evento est谩 garantizada. 鈥淓s seguro que vengan a nuestro pa铆s, a cualquiera de las tres ciudades donde se van a desarrollar los partidos o a las otras ciudades que est谩n incorporadas por FIFA o a cualquier ciudad del pa铆s. Pueden venir con seguridad y certeza. La van a pasar muy bien鈥�,.

Las dudas sobre la capacidad para garantizar la seguridad para millones de turistas y jugadores crecieron luego de la ola de violencia que se desat贸 en febrero en distintas regiones tras , l铆der del Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generaci贸n. Veh铆culos incendiados, bloqueos de rutas y enfrentamientos fueron algunas de las im谩genes de esa incertidumbre.

Para Rodrigo Pe帽a, especialista en seguridad, investigador y profesor del Instituto Tecnol贸gico de Monterrey, el ataque armado en Teotihuac谩n tiene al menos dos implicaciones: la primera en t茅rminos de proyecci贸n e imagen, que impacta directamente en las expectativas del recibimiento de turismo de cara a la Copa del Mundo. 鈥淗ay una consecuencia directa y se suma a las consecuencias anteriores, derivadas del caso del 鈥楳encho鈥�, que puso en el radar la seguridad en M茅xico y el Mundial鈥�, dice.

En segundo lugar, el acad茅mico ve surgir una 鈥渘ueva dimensi贸n de inseguridad鈥�, que tiene que ver con c贸mo se entrecruzan los discursos de odio con acciones de violencia concretas en espacios p煤blicos.

Es un tipo de violencia al que Pe帽a vincula a tiroteos masivos como los que ocurren en Estados Unidos, que s铆 ser铆an algo novedoso en M茅xico. 鈥淓s una alerta de un tipo de violencia viejo, pero con nueva identidad en el contexto mexicano鈥�, dice.

Seg煤n las primeras investigaciones de las autoridades mexicanas, el atacante llevaba una mochila con m谩s de 50 cartuchos 煤tiles, un arma punzocortante y material 鈥減resuntamente relacionado鈥� con hechos violentos que 鈥減udieron haber sucedido en Estados Unidos en abril de 1999鈥�, dijo el fiscal del Estado de M茅xico, Jos茅 Luis Cervantes Mart铆nez. El 20 de abril de 1999, ocurri贸 el en la escuela , en la que 13 personas fueron asesinadas.

Si bien las autoridades se帽alan que el tiroteo en Teotihuac谩n puede verse como un hecho aislado sin vinculaciones con la delincuencia, es suficiente para que algunos especialistas planteen cuestionamientos, tanto antes como despu茅s de los eventos del Mundial.

La pregunta es si las autoridades 鈥渢ienen las capacidades de despliegue, contenci贸n y de generaci贸n de inteligencia para evitar este tipo de eventos鈥�, dice Pe帽a, del libro 鈥淢etodolog铆a(s) para la seguridad y la paz social鈥�.

Arcos de seguridad con rayos X y mayor presencia de la Guardia Nacional en grandes puntos tur铆sticos del pa铆s son algunas de las medidas anunciadas por la presidenta Sheinbaum este martes, quien aclar贸 que estos ajustes no se dar谩n 鈥渄e un d铆a para otro鈥�.

Frente a la cercan铆a del Mundial y los cuestionamientos sobre M茅xico por hechos recientes, Pe帽a considera que para el torneo existe una estrategia 鈥渞azonablemente bien desplegada鈥� en torno a los centros de las ciudades sede 鈥擥uadalajara, Ciudad de M茅xico y Monterrey鈥�, donde probablemente se concentrar铆a la mayor afluencia de gente.

La gran pregunta, advierte el acad茅mico, es qu茅 pasar谩 con otros grandes espacios que no necesariamente est谩n cerca de los estadios. 鈥淭eotihuac谩n est谩 en el centro de las miradas ahora, pero hay muchos otros que tambi茅n podr铆an correr ese nivel de riesgo鈥�.

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At Caja Magica

Madrid

Purse: 鈧�8,235,540

Surface: Red clay

MADRID (AP) _ Results Wednesday from Mutua Madrid Open at Caja Magica (seedings in parentheses):

Men’s Singles

Round of 128

Vit Kopriva, Czechia, def. Zhang Zhizhen, China, 6-2, 6-0.

Emilio Nava, United States, def. Jenson Brooksby, United States, 6-3, 7-5.

Marin Cilic, Croatia, def. Zizou Bergs, Belgium, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

Ignacio Buse, Peru, def. Adrian Mannarino, France, 6-4, 6-2.

Damir Dzumhur, Bosnia-Herzegovina, def. Mattia Bellucci, Italy, 6-2, 6-4.

Women’s Singles

Round of 128

Zhang Shuai, China, def. Eva Lys, Germany, 6-4, 6-3.

Zeynep Sonmez, Turkiye, def. Carlota Martinez Cirez, Spain, 7-5, 6-2.

Panna Udvardy, Hungary, def. Kimberly Birrell, Australia, 6-4, 1-6, 6-1.

Elena-Gabriela Ruse, Romania, def. Antonia Ruzic, Croatia, 6-3, 4-6, 6-0.

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Nico Hoerner hit a solo homer and Seiya Suzuki followed with two-run drive to the back of the left-field bleachers in the seventh inning. Chicago has outscored opponents 51-18 during its winning streak, the team’s longest since an eight-game run in July 2023.

Imanaga allowed his only run on Kyle Schwarber鈥檚 eighth homer, a solo shot in the sixth. Bryce Harper added a deep two-run drive off reliever Riley Martin in the eighth as the Phillies dropped a seventh consecutive game for the first time since June 2019.

The Phillies scored an unearned run off Jacob Webb in the ninth before Caleb Thielbar got the final two outs with two runners on for his second save. Philadelphia has been outscored 49-14 during its slide.

Michael Busch, who entered batting .169, drove in two runs with a bloop single in the sixth off reliever Tanner Banks (0-1) to break a 1-all tie and put Chicago ahead for good.

Imanaga (2-1) issued his only walk to the game鈥檚 first batter, Trea Turner, then retired 11 straight before Felix Reyes lined a single with two outs in the fourth for the Phillies’ first hit. Following a rough season debut against Washington, the Japanese left-hander has yielded just three runs and nine hits in 24 innings, lowering his ERA to 2.17.

Philadelphia starter Jesus Luzardo was charged with one run over 4 2/3 innings, allowing five hits and walking four.

Chicago got its first run when reliever Orion Kerkering walked pinch-hitter Moises Ballesteros with the bases loaded in the fifth.

Up next

Cubs LHP Matthew Boyd (1-1, 6.75 ERA) is expected to come off the IL for his third start of the season on Wednesday. The Phillies had not named a starter.

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Now a , she was identified at birth as a boy in San Pedro Jicay谩n, an in southern Mexico where men are largely barred from .

Merino was expected to tend cattle or work in the fields. Yet her grandmother defied those rigid gender norms, passing on to her the of the backstrap loom 鈥� an ancient, portable device operated using a strap secured around the weaver鈥檚 waist.

鈥淪he began sharing her knowledge with me in secret,鈥� said Merino, who used to hide in her grandmother鈥檚 adobe home to weave at age 13. 鈥淪he taught me how to make the thread from scratch, to feel the textures and respect nature.鈥�

Merino鈥檚 maternal lineage comes from the Mixtec people, where origin stories trace the birth of gods and dynasties to sacred landscapes. Her paternal ancestry is Zapotec, where religious life remains woven into everyday moments, from harvest to marriage and death.

Giving back to the land

One of her grandmother鈥檚 most cherished lessons was to give back to the land whatever you take from it. Weavers in her community, Merino said, make the rods that they use to control thread tension out of branches from tamarind trees and find ways to restore what they borrow.

鈥淭o care for nature is part of our worldview,鈥� Merino said. 鈥淏ecause it provides us with what we need to walk this world.鈥�

Both her ancestral legacy and her gender identity now play a decisive role in her life. In addition to being a trans woman, Merino identifies as a 鈥渕uxe.鈥� The term is rooted in Zapotec culture and refers to Indigenous people identified at birth as male who take on women鈥檚 roles. It can also be regarded as a third gender.

Merino makes a living as a weaver and instructor, hosting workshops on how the backstrap loom can serve as a craft and an act of resistance.

鈥淓veryone is capable of learning how to weave, and it鈥檚 not just about creating a piece,鈥� she said during a recent class she led in Mexico City for LGBTQ+ people. 鈥淚t鈥檚 also about weaving our own stories, as we can come to know ourselves through the loom.鈥�

Defiance bears a cost

Merino was once punished for weaving. She was around 15 when neighbors spotted her kneeling, threads in her hands, on their way to a patron saint feast.

That afternoon went by without incident. Parishioners prayed, laughed and shared a meal. But the following morning, through loudspeakers across the community, a voice called on all men to gather and discuss an urgent matter: There was a boy who dared to weave.

The men sat in a circle while Merino was commanded to stand in the middle, next to her mother and her grandmother.

As Merino recalls, one of the men asked her grandmother, 鈥淲hy would you allow him to weave, if it鈥檚 not something boys are supposed to do? Do you realize what kind of example you鈥檙e setting for other children?鈥�

Merino said that her grandmother鈥檚 answer was simple: She was merely teaching a child how to be creative, to find a path to keep her culture alive through clothing.

A punishment that lingered

Merino鈥檚 punishment for her defiance was sweeping the local church. She occasionally wove in hiding after that. But the experience cast a shadow over her craft and she practically abandoned her loom.

鈥淚 developed a deep resentment toward textiles and the customs around them,鈥� Merino said. 鈥淗aving the ability to create and not being allowed to use it was like having eyes and having them taken away 鈥� I could no longer see.鈥�

Reconciliation came a few years later, when she moved from her hometown to Mexico City for college. She majored in communications; her coursework included cultural management, textile studies and postcolonial perspectives on Indigenous resistance.

鈥淭hat made me see how I could use my reality for a greater good,鈥� she said. 鈥淢y loom became a means to healing.鈥�

A space to be seen

During her latest workshop, one of Merino鈥檚 students who had previously taken another course with her told her classmates that a loom mirrors oneself. The joy and the calmness 鈥� as much as the anger and stress, she said 鈥� are passed on to the threads.

鈥淚 love Xan鈥檚 way of teaching because she is very human and patient,鈥� Emilia Freire, a trans woman like Merino, told The Associated Press. 鈥淪he made me realize that once I had my weaving set up and began to work, everything I carried with me through the week would come out.鈥�

Another student, Kristhian Cravioto, said that this was his first backstrap loom workshop. He celebrated finding a safe space for LGBTQ+ people interested in crafts, and also Merino鈥檚 defiance against the preconception that men shouldn’t weave.

鈥淭his is very important for us dissidents,鈥� said Cravioto, a designer and enthusiast of Mexico鈥檚 Indigenous crafts. 鈥淭o know that no matter whether you are a man or a woman, what you do matters.鈥�

Threads that endure

A traditional backstrap loom is made up of cords, threads and wooden rods assembled into a portable frame. Women often work seated on the ground, with one end of the loom tied to a tree or post and the other secured around their waist. Leaning back and forward, they control the tension of the threads with their bodies, turning movement into a steady rhythm of weaving.

Crafting each piece takes time. Merino often weaves for about a month, eight hours a day, to finish a short 鈥渉uipil,鈥� a tunic traditionally worn by Indigenous women in Mexico.

Weavers who migrated from their hometowns often employ threads and wood available in the cities where they relocate. But Merino travels back home to procure her raw materials. Among them is a purple dye drawn from a sea snail found along the coast, a resource that has become increasingly difficult to gather as the species declines.

The nostalgia for her hometown never leaves her, but Merino takes comfort in the fact that younger LGBTQ+ people in her community have followed her example and become weavers in San Pedro Jicay谩n.

鈥淎t least five trans women and two men are weaving,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e have gained visibility through the loom and that鈥檚 what this fight has been about.鈥�

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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

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Futures for the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average each rose 0.5% before the opening bell. Nasdaq futures were up 0.7%.

Oil prices continued to bounce around. Benchmark U.S. crude is up 82 cents to $90.49 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, gained 99 cents to $99.47.

The moves were milder than the vicious swings that rocked Wall Street earlier in the war, when the price for a barrel of Brent crude briefly and the below its prior all-time high.

Much of the tension in financial markets has focused on what will happen to the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway off Iran鈥檚 coast that oil tankers use to exit the Persian Gulf, where Iran Wednesday despite the truce.

A trip by Vice President JD Vance to Pakistan where it was hoped negotiators would continue was called off this week.

Iran had not yet responded to Trump鈥檚 Tuesday announcement of the ceasefire extension, and both countries have warned they were prepared to resume fighting if a deal isn鈥檛 reached.

In equities trading, Boeing shares rose 3.8% after the aerospace giant posted improved first-quarter revenue and a much smaller loss than Wall Street had expected. The troubled jet maker said commercial aircraft deliveries rose 10% over last year’s quarter and that it expects some of its 737s to be certified this year, with deliveries of the planes targeted for 2027.

Boeing has been mired in legal and regulatory problems since two of its in 2018 and 2019, killing 346 people.

Best Buy fell 4% early Wednesday after the electronics retailer announced the departure of CEO Corie Barry. She will be replaced by longtime insider Jason Bonfig, the company鈥檚 chief customer, product and fulfillment officer.

Electric automaker Tesla and railroad operator CSX report after the bell Wednesday.

In Europe at midday, France’s CAC 40 slipped 0.3%, while the German DAX and Britain’s FTSE 100 were virtually unchanged.

climbed in March after a sharp jump in prices at the pump in the wake of the disruption to energy supplies caused by , official figures showed Wednesday.

In Asian trading, Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.4% to finish at 59,585.86.

The government reported a of 1.7 trillion yen ($10.7 billion) in the fiscal year that ended in March, the fifth straight fiscal year of deficits. However, exports jumped nearly 11.7% in March and imports rose almost 10.9% in a sign that manufacturers may be bouncing back from the shocks of higher tariffs Trump imposed after returning to office last year.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 declined 1.2% to 8,843.60. South Korea’s Kospi added 0.5% to 6,417.93.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng lost 1.2% to 26,163.24, while the Shanghai Composite gained 0.5% to 4,106.26.

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Yuri Kageyama is on Threads:

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Leo began the day with Mass in Mongomo, an eastern city on the border with Gabon that has experienced major development since Equatorial Guinea鈥檚 oil boom in the 1990s. President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who has been accused of widespread corruption and authoritarianism in his four-decade rule, comes from Mongomo and the city has benefited from government investment and infrastructure, even though no official institutions are located here.

While more than half of Equatorial Guinea’s population lives in poverty, Mongomo boasts opulent buildings, curated gardens behind gilt-tipped gates, an 18-hole golf course and is the starting point of the lone highway in the country, linking the city to Bata on the west coast.

Obiang and his wife were on hand for Leo’s Mass, as was their son, Teodoro 鈥淭eddy鈥� Nguema Obiang, the country’s vice president who was millions of euros by a French court, which handed him a three-year suspended sentence, a 30 million euro ($35.2 million) fine and ordered the seizure of his luxury homes and cars in France worth tens of millions of euros. The country has at the International Court of Justice.

Last year, the United States gave the younger Obiang a temporary waiver on U.S. corruption sanctions so he could travel to a U.N. gathering and visit other American cities. Obiang also met with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau.

The Vatican said an estimated 100,000 people attended the Mass, most standing in the grand entryway to Mongomo’s Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. The monumental church was consecrated in 2011 and is modeled on St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican.

Before Mass, Leo greeted the crowd and the presidential family. With the Obiangs by his side, he blessed the cornerstone of a future cathedral to be built in the country’s new capital, Ciudad de la Paz, or City of Peace.

In his homily, Leo urged all citizens to work together to build a society 鈥渃apable of engendering a new sense of justice,鈥� where there is 鈥済reater room for freedom鈥� and where 鈥渢he dignity of the human person always may be safeguarded.鈥�

He urged everyone, according to their roles, to work to 鈥渟erve the common good rather than private interests, bridging the gap between the privileged and the disadvantaged.鈥�

Later in the day he was to visit a prison in the port city of Bata, continuing the tradition of Pope Francis, who made such visits a . Francis鈥� aim was to give prisoners hope and to remind them the church was with them, while also shining a spotlight on judicial abuses, overcrowding and other injustices.

Judicial abuses documented

Equatorial Guinea’s prisons and justice system overall have been repeatedly faulted by the U.N. and condemned by human rights groups and the U.S. State Department.

In its 2023 report on the country, the U.S. listed a host of abuses, including arbitrary or unlawful killings and arrests, political detentions, torture, life-threatening prison conditions and 鈥渟erious problems鈥� with the independence of the judiciary.

鈥淎mnesty International has serious concerns about the human rights situation in Equatorial Guinea,鈥� said Marta Colomer Aguilera, senior campaigner at Amnesty’s West and Central Africa office.

She said torture had been used to extract confessions or to punish, human rights defenders are harassed, and the lack of judicial independence compromised the right to a fair trial.

Obiang has been in power in Equatorial Guinea since 1979.

After sanctions were lifted on the younger Obiang, it emerged that Equatorial Guinea was one of several African nations that have been paid millions of dollars in controversial to receive migrants deported from the U.S. to countries other than their own.

shows that at least 29 such migrants with have been deported here. They were not sent to the prison in Bata. Some remain in detention in the city of Malabo with restrictions on legal and medical support, while others have been forcibly returned to their countries where they face persecution.

The government has denied rights abuses and hasn鈥檛 commented when asked to respond to questions about abuses involving the U.S. migration deportation deal.

Leo has criticized the Trump administration鈥檚 overall migration deportation policy as 鈥渆xtremely disrespectful.鈥�

‘Very troubling disregard for human life’

On the eve of his prison visit, 70 human rights organizations published an open letter to Leo, urging him to speak out especially about U.S. deportation of migrants here and encourage African nations to not be complicit.

鈥淭hese practices circumvent humanitarian protections, expose refugees to detention and coercion, and subject individuals to refoulement, in direct contravention of international law,鈥� they wrote, referring to the legal concept that prohibits countries from sending people to places where their lives or freedoms are at risk.

鈥淭he conditions under which these deportations have been carried out have also reflected a very troubling disregard for human life and safety. We call for the intercession of Pope Leo XIV to discourage African countries from being complicit in these violations and instead to protect these individuals,鈥� the groups said.

In the run-up to Leo鈥檚 arrival, the government released nearly 100 people who had been arrested in a 2022 crackdown on street violence, according to a local lawyer, who requested anonymity given the country鈥檚 human rights record.

The lawyer termed the releases one 鈥減ositive outcome鈥� of the visit, though the lawyer noted that the government still hasn鈥檛 taken action on releasing politicians such as Gabriel Ns茅 Obiang, who has been in jail since 2022 preelection unrest, or activists including Anacleto Micha or Joaquin Elo Ayeto.

EG Justice, a rights group which has repeatedly denounced the detention of political prisoners in Equatorial Guinea, urged Leo to use his moral authority to speak out about abuses and the detention of activists and politicians especially.

鈥淭here are individuals 鈥� prisoners of conscience, and human rights activists 鈥� in detention whose cases raise serious humanitarian and due process concerns,鈥� said Tutu Alicante, a U.S.-based activist who runs the EG Justice group. 鈥淎t moments like this, sentence review and a real commitment to reform the judiciary can send a powerful signal of a willingness to turn a page toward justice and reconciliation.鈥�

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AP writer Monika Pronczuk contributed from Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.

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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP鈥檚 with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

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Soccer’s governing body announced Tuesday it will make more tickets available at 11 a.m. EDT Wednesday for all 104 games in Categories 1, 2 and 3 plus the new 鈥渇ront category鈥� pricing it added this month.

The new category sparked online complaints from fans who said they thought the better seats in the categories they had bought tickets for were withheld and they were assigned less favorable locations.

FIFA in December put tickets on sale at , then when sales reopened on April 1.

FIFA did not respond to an April 9 request for comment about the new ticket categories it added.

Also Tuesday, The Athletic reported that tickets sales are lagging for the U.S. opener against Paraguay on June 12 at Inglewood, California. It said a document distributed to local organizers dated April 10 said 40,934 tickets had been purchased for the U.S.-Paraguay game and 50,661 for the Iran-New Zealand contest on April 15. FIFA , noting it may change.

FIFA’s December sale priced U.S.-Paraguay tickets at $1,120, $1,940 and $2,735, and Iran-New Zealand seats at $140, $380 and $450.

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La investigaci贸n, marcada por altercados entre investigadores y empleados del servicio de entrega, una emergencia m茅dica simulada y notas escritas a toda prisa para 鈥済uardar silencio鈥�, comenz贸 el verano pasado cuando un hombre de Beijing, identificado como Liu, recibi贸 un pastel de cumplea帽os decorado con una flor que no era comestible, seg煤n informaron varios medios estatales.

Liu pidi贸 el pastel a trav茅s de una plataforma de entrega en l铆nea y, como no qued贸 satisfecho con su compra, denunci贸 al vendedor ante las autoridades locales.

Lo que descubrieron los reguladores fue una cadena de pasteler铆a fraudulenta, con casi 400 sucursales, que operaba con licencias comerciales falsificadas y sin ning煤n local f铆sico.

El incidente desencaden贸 una investigaci贸n a nivel nacional y revel贸 una cadena de suministro de alimentos clandestina, en la que un comerciante cobraba al cliente por su pedido y luego lo publicaba en una plataforma intermediaria para que otros productores pujaran, eligiendo al que ofrec铆a el precio m谩s bajo para completar el pedido, lo que sacrificaba as铆 la calidad y la seguridad de los alimentos.

En total, se descubrieron m谩s de 67.000 vendedores fantasma, que hab铆an vendido m谩s de 3,6 millones de pasteles, seg煤n inform贸 la agencia estatal de noticias Xinhua.

El regulador del mercado chino, la Administraci贸n Estatal para la Regulaci贸n del Mercado, concluy贸 en su investigaci贸n la semana pasada que siete importantes plataformas de reparto, incluidas PDD (propietaria de Temu), Alibaba, Douyin (de ByteDance), Meituan y JD.com, no protegieron adecuadamente a los clientes ni verificaron correctamente las licencias de los vendedores de alimentos.

En consecuencia, impuso una multa r茅cord de 3.600 millones de yuanes (US$ 528 millones), la mayor sanci贸n desde la modificaci贸n de la ley de seguridad alimentaria del pa铆s en 2015, seg煤n Xinhua.

La investigaci贸n de diez meses dej贸 en evidencia el intento de Beijing por reprimir la intensa competencia de precios que ha llevado a las empresas a un ciclo autodestructivo insostenible. En este caso, la reducci贸n de precios en las plataformas de reparto a costa de la seguridad alimentaria.

Conocida como involuci贸n o neijuan en China, la intensa guerra de precios se ha extendido a diversos sectores en los 煤ltimos a帽os, desde los veh铆culos el茅ctricos hasta los paneles solares. Esta tendencia ha exacerbado el problema de la deflaci贸n en China y ha lastrado la econom铆a, ya que los precios bajan y el consumo se debilita.

En respuesta, Beijing lanz贸 una campa帽a contra dicho fen贸meno el a帽o pasado, comprometi茅ndose a frenar estas pr谩cticas perjudiciales para toda su econom铆a. El mes pasado, el peri贸dico estatal Economic Daily public贸 un art铆culo de opini贸n en el que ped铆a el fin de la guerra de precios en el reparto de comida a domicilio.

鈥淟as empresas de alimentos y bebidas se han visto obligadas a sacrificar la calidad y reducir los m谩rgenes, lo que empuj贸 a todo el sector a un c铆rculo vicioso de p茅rdidas solo para generar volumen鈥�, escribi贸.

Flora Chang, analista de la firma de servicios financieros S&P Global Ratings, declar贸 a CNN que la intervenci贸n proactiva del Gobierno ha tenido cierto efecto inicial en la contenci贸n de la competencia desleal, pero las plataformas podr铆an encontrar formas alternativas de competir, incluyendo la implementaci贸n de subsidios de otro tipo.

鈥淒icho esto, las multas est谩n allanando el camino para que las plataformas compitan m谩s en calidad鈥� En general, esto sugiere que lo peor de la competencia desleal podr铆a haber quedado atr谩s por ahora, aunque el camino hacia la recuperaci贸n de la rentabilidad a煤n es lejano鈥�, afirm贸 Chang.

En un ejemplo revelado por Xinhua, un consumidor pag贸 252 yuanes (US$ 35) por un pastel de 15 cent铆metros, pero el pedido se revendi贸 discretamente a trav茅s de una plataforma intermediaria donde los vendedores pujaron 100, 90 y 80 yuanes para entregarlo, y gan贸 el que ofreci贸 el precio m谩s bajo. El resultado fue que el vendedor ficticio se embols贸 casi la mitad del precio pagado por el consumidor, mientras que la plataforma de reparto se llev贸 una comisi贸n del 20 %, dejando al pastelero real con el 30 % y un margen de beneficio muy reducido. 鈥淓sto no es en absoluto una infracci贸n menor, sino una nueva forma de actividad ilegal, que se ha industrializado y escalado鈥�, declar贸 a Xinhua Han Bing, funcionario de la Administraci贸n Estatal para la Regulaci贸n del Mercado.

Seg煤n el diario estatal China Quality Daily, mientras los reguladores investigaban la cadena de suministro ilegal se toparon con empleados poco cooperativos de las plataformas de reparto.

En un momento dado, mientras los reguladores interrogaban a un empleado de uno de los mayores servicios de reparto de comida del pa铆s, un compa帽ero cercano escribi贸 discretamente 鈥済uardar silencio鈥� en una hoja de papel A4 y se la pas贸. Cuando los funcionarios se percataron, la persona arrug贸 la hoja y, delante de todos, se la trag贸.

En otro incidente ocurrido en diciembre en la misma empresa, cuya identidad no se especific贸, el jefe de seguridad lider贸 un grupo que irrumpi贸 en el lugar de la investigaci贸n, empujando y forcejeando violentamente con los agentes de la ley, seg煤n inform贸 el medio.

D铆as despu茅s, un ejecutivo se desplom贸 repentinamente durante un interrogatorio y fue trasladado en ambulancia. Pero los m茅dicos no le encontraron ning煤n problema m茅dico grave, seg煤n inform贸 la prensa.

Los investigadores describieron estos episodios como parte de un patr贸n de obstrucci贸n. Incluso cuando otras empresas no recurrieron a la confrontaci贸n directa, retrasaron la entrega de datos, se resistieron a entregarlos o proporcionaron informaci贸n incompleta a las autoridades.

El regulador del mercado impuso a la empresa PDD la multa m谩s severa entre las siete empresas sancionadas: 1.500 millones de yuanes (US$ 221 millones), citando la reiterada negativa del gigante del comercio electr贸nico a proporcionar informaci贸n relevante, la presentaci贸n de documentaci贸n falsa y, en ocasiones, la resistencia violenta a la aplicaci贸n de la normativa.

En un comunicado en l铆nea la semana pasada, PDD afirm贸 que cumplir铆a con las sanciones y se comprometi贸 a tomar esta experiencia como una lecci贸n para mejorar sus operaciones. CNN se ha puesto en contacto con PDD para obtener comentarios sobre los detalles de su resistencia a la investigaci贸n, aunque todav铆a no obtuvo respuesta.

Alibaba, Douyin, Meituan y JD han emitido comunicados similares, en los que afirmaron que aceptan sinceramente las sanciones y que reforzar谩n su cumplimiento normativo y su gobernanza para erradicar las malas pr谩cticas.

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The bank, based in Los Angeles, said it had earnings of $2.53 per share.

The results beat Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of four analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $2.48 per share.

The independent commercial bank posted revenue of $121.2 million in the period. Its revenue net of interest expense was $69.6 million, which did not meet Street forecasts. Three analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $70.3 million.

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The bank, based in Canfield, Ohio, said it had earnings of 36 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, came to 45 cents per share.

The results surpassed Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of three analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 37 cents per share.

The bank posted revenue of $80.8 million in the period. Its revenue net of interest expense was $56.3 million, which also beat Street forecasts.

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“Those (conversations) have been positive and productive. In order to be successful on and off the field, you have to make good decisions. That includes me. That starts with me,鈥� Vrabel said, making an unscheduled statement from the podium at the team’s facility on the second day of its offseason workout program.

The photos were of Vrabel and Russini at a Sedona resort and were taken before the annual NFL meetings that began in Phoenix on March 29, according to the New York Post, which earlier this month.

A Patriots spokesman said there are no plans for other team officials to address the issue further.

The NFL, meanwhile, said last weekend that it . NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy confirmed to The Associated Press on Saturday that the league is not looking into the matter.

Vrabel and Russini, who are both married, released written statements to the Post after the publication of the story downplaying what the photos depict. But Russini less than a week later, after the Post’s report prompted an internal investigation at The New York Times-owned sports outlet.

Vrabel said he addressed players about the matter on Monday after they arrived for the start of the voluntary workout program. Two Patriots players were scheduled to be made available to reporters on Tuesday, but Vrabel said he wanted to speak before they did. He also said he didn’t want the interest in the Post photos to take attention away from the , which begins Thursday.

Vrabel said any conversations he’s had with team officials would stay private.

鈥淲e never want our actions to negatively affect the team. We never want to be the cause of a distraction,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here are comments and questions that I鈥檝e answered with the team and will keep those private to ourselves.”

Russini joined The Athletic in 2023 after nearly a decade at ESPN, where she held various roles, including 鈥淪portsCenter鈥� anchor, NFL analyst and insider. She hosted a podcast for The Athletic and made appearances on their video platform.

Until his appearance Tuesday, Vrabel hadn’t spoken in a news conference setting with reporters since the owners’ meetings.

Last year, before his first season as Patriots coach, he addressed reporters as part of the lead-up to the NFL draft. He , with only Patriots vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf speaking at that news conference on April 13.

鈥淰ery involved. Business as usual,鈥� Wolf said when asked how much Vrabel had been involved with the team鈥檚 draft process. 鈥淚鈥檇 say he鈥檚 been in there with us this round probably a little more than he was in there last year. … He鈥檚 been in there. He鈥檚 been contributing. He鈥檚 watched a ton of the players.鈥�

Vrabel, 50, won three Super Bowls as a player with New England. He is preparing for his second season as coach of the Patriots. He led the team to a 14-3 finish last season, which ended with a Super Bowl loss to Seattle.

Vrabel said his focus going forward is football.

鈥淚 care deeply about this football team and excited to coach them. I also know that I鈥檓 going to attack each day with humility and focus,鈥� he said. “What I can promise you is that my family, this organization, the team, the staff, coaches and our fans, most importantly, will get the best version of me going forward. That鈥檚 what I know and I鈥檓 excited to do that.鈥�

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