NBA teams currently have about $4.8 billion in salary committed to players for this season, meaning the average per team is around $160 million.Just three seasons ago, only two teams spent more than $160 million.The total NBA payroll — for now, pending changes based on whatever happens during the season that starts on Tuesday night
BEIRUT (AP) — The leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah group held talks on Wednesday with senior Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad figures in a key meeting of three top anti-Israel militant groups amid the war raging in Gaza.A brief statement following the meeting said that Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah agreed with Hamas’ Saleh al-Arouri and Islamic
BRUSSELS (AP) — The leaders of Serbia and Kosovo have been invited to meet with top European Union officials to try to breathe life into talks aimed at normalizing their relations, as the 27-nation bloc’s leaders gather in Brussels for a two-day summit starting Thursday.Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti are
HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong’s leader on Wednesday cut taxes for some homebuyers and stock traders to boost markets as the city seeks to maintain its reputation as a global financial hub. Chief Executive John Lee said the extra stamp duties imposed on non-resident buyers and current local homeowners looking to buy additional properties
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Environmental activists voiced disappointment Wednesday at Malaysia’s decision to allow Lynas Rare Earths to continue operations until March 2026, and demanded more transparency on plans by the Australian miner to extract a radioactive element from its growing waste.The government Tuesday said it allowed Lynas to continue to import and process
ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) — Hurricane Otis slammed into Mexico’s southern Pacific coast as a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane early Wednesday, bringing 165 mph (270 kmh) winds and heavy rain to Acapulco and surrounding towns, stirring memories of a 1997 storm that killed dozens of people.The hurricane was expected to weaken quickly in Guerrero state’s steep
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — A cruise operator that failed to cancel a voyage from Sydney that led to a major COVID-19 outbreak was ruled negligent in its duty of care to passengers in an Australian class-action case Wednesday.The Ruby Princess ocean liner left Sydney on March 8, 2020, with 2,671 passengers aboard for a 13-day
BULENGO, Congo (AP) — A hooded man burst into the 42-year-old woman’s tent while her children were out searching for food, then raped her in the displacement camp where she had fled war in eastern Congo.“I wanted to scream (but) he took my mouth and he threatened me with death,” said the mother of four
BERLIN (AP) — German authorities on Wednesday broke off their search for four crew members missing since their British-flagged cargo ship sank a day earlier following a collision with a larger vessel in the North Sea.The Verity, which had seven people on board and was en route from Bremen, Germany, to the English port of
Israel has ramped up airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, reducing residential buildings to rubble and crushing families. Airstrikes have killed dozens at a time in leveled homes, according to witnesses.The surging death toll foretells even greater loss of life ahead in Gaza, where Israeli forces are expected to launch a ground invasion seeking to destroy
