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Roma might be a perfect fit for José Mourinho

José Mourinho has been hired to coach Italian club Roma starting next season. The move came a few hours after the club’s American owners announced that current coach Paulo Fonseca will depart at the end of this season. Mourinho’s contract is for three seasons. Mourinho previously coached in Serie A at Inter Milan. He led the Nerazzurri to a treble of titles in 2010 that included the Champions League. Mourinho has also coached Porto, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Tottenham. Tottenham fired Mourinho last month.

Welcome to Top 10, Melo: Elite NBA scoring list adds Anthony

Carmelo Anthony looked like he was done just a couple of seasons ago. Now, he’s part of a truly exclusive club in the NBA. Welcome to the Top 10, Melo. Anthony scored 14 points in Portland’s 123-114 loss to Atlanta to move past Elvin Hayes for 10th place on the career scoring list with 27,318. Anthony reached the milestone early in the second quarter Monday night when hitting a 3-pointer while getting fouled and completing a 4-point play. Unlike some other milestones, Anthony calls this a truly special moment that he doesn't plan to take for granted.

'DWI Dude' attorney sentenced for scamming drug traffickers

A Texas lawyer known as the “DWI Dude” has been sentenced to more than 15 years in federal prison for falsely promising Colombian drug traffickers he’d get their charges reduced in exchange for cash. Sixty-five-year-old Jamie Balagia was sentenced Monday to 188 months in federal prison. He was convicted in 2019 of charges including conspiracy to commit money laundering and obstruction of justice. Prosecutors say Balagia conspired with a private investigator in Florida and an attorney in Colombia to scam drug traffickers into paying “attorney fees" to get their charges reduced or dismissed. No government officials were involved in the scheme. Balagia's attorney had sought probation for his client, who has maintained his innocence.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, to release 1st children's book

Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, is releasing her first children's book next month. Random House Children’s Books announced Tuesday that “The Bench,” a story about the moments a diverse group of fathers and sons share, will be out on June 8. Meghan will also narrate an audiobook edition. In a statement, Meghan says the book grew out of a poem she wrote for Prince Harry for their first Father's Day, which was a month after their son Archie was born in May 2019. “The Bench” is illustrated by Christian Robinson," whose books include “Another” and “You Matter.”

Some Black parents say remote learning gives racism reprieve

As school districts across the country rush to reopen schools, national and state polling suggests parents of color are more wary of reopening than white parents. While reducing COVID-19 risks is a main factor in choosing remote options, many Black parents are finding another benefit to remote learning: being better able to shield their children from racism in classrooms. Through remote learning, many Black parents feel better able to oversee how their children are treated in schools and how Black history and perspectives are excluded from curriculums. As a result, many say they feel better equipped to hold schools accountable.

House GOP leader cites rank-and-file concerns about Cheney

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is amplifying pressure on No. 3 House Republican leader Liz Cheney. He took to the Fox News Channel to describe concerns by rank-and-file Republicans about “her ability to carry out her job” after she traded insults with former President Donald Trump. McCarthy’s comments underscore the growing hold that the former president has on the House GOP. Rather than standing by Cheney, McCarthy essentially landed himself in the camp of her critics. Their increasingly outspoken attacks on her suggest her hold on her leadership job may be in renewed peril.

German far-right crime rises; police arrest alleged neo-Nazi

BERLIN (AP) — Berlin police arrested a 53-year-old German man on suspicion of sending dozens of threatening letters to politicians, lawyers and journalists that were signed with the acronym of a neo-Nazi group, as officials warned Tuesday that statistics show…

EU delivers vaccine jabs to Balkans after China and Russia

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — The European Union started delivering EU-funded coronavirus vaccines Tuesday to the Balkans, a region that wants to join the 27-nation bloc but where China and Russia have already been making political gains by supplying the much-needed…

Ethiopia 'at a crossroads' amid spiraling ethnic conflict

Ethiopia faces a growing crisis of ethnic nationalism that some fear could tear Africa’s second most populous country apart. Six months have passed since the government launched a military operation in the Tigray region to capture its fugitive leaders. Widespread atrocities are reported and thousands have been killed. Meanwhile, in other parts of Ethiopia, other ethnic groups say they have been targeted, too. Scores of people have been killed in clashes this year between the Amhara and the Oromo, Ethiopia’s two largest ethnic groups. With the rising violence, some wonder how the government will pull off national elections in June. 

Food of the future? EU nations put mealworms on the menu

BRUSSELS (AP) — Dried yellow mealworms could soon be hitting supermarket shelves and restaurants across Europe. The European Union's 27 nations gave the greenlight Tuesday to a proposal to put the Tenebrio molitor beetle's larvae on the market as a…

UEFA details Euro 2020 rules for teams hit by virus issues

Teams hit by COVID-19 cases or mandatory quarantine at the European Championship can have games postponed for up to 48 hours to get new players in. UEFA has published extra rules for the June 11-July 11 tournament. They include raising squad sizes from 23 players to 26 to help teams cope. Matches will be played on schedule if each team has at least 13 available players. One of the 13 must be a goalkeeper. UEFA says teams with fewer than 13 can reschedule a game within 48 hours and bring in new players. Players replaced will no longer will eligible for the tournament.

Refugee doctor chronicles Tigray's pain as he treats it

He is a surgeon and a father, and every morning he wakes up under a plastic tarp, he is reminded that he’s now a refugee, too. Tewodros Tefera is one of more than 60,000 people who have fled ethnic violence in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region, crossing the border into a remote corner of Sudan. Horrified by what he saw when the fighting between Ethiopian and Tigray forces began six months ago, and by the tales of new arrivals, the 44-year-old chronicles the pain even as he treats it. He used to write down reflections so emotional that he later burned them. “It’s getting worse,” he says of life back home.

Flurry of diplomatic contacts fuel Iran deal speculation

A flurry of diplomatic activity and reports of major progress suggest indirect talks between the United States and Iran may be nearing a conclusion. That's despite efforts by U.S. officials to play down chances of an imminent deal that would bring Washington and Tehran back into compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal. The U.S. and Britain on Monday denied Iranian reports any agreement was at hand with Iran for a swap of American and British prisoners. Such an agreement could be a confidence-building measure to revive the nuclear deal. A U.S. return to the deal would be the biggest foreign policy initiative of Joe Biden’s presidency so far.

US men await their fate as murder trial nears end in Rome

A jury in Rome will soon be weighing the fate of two young American men, charged with slaying an Italian police officer while they were on vacation in 2019. The trial of Finnegan Lee Elder, now 21, and Gabriel Natale-Hjorth, now 20, began in February 2020, just as the pandemic was bearing down on Italy. They were taken into police custody on July 26, 2019, hours after Carabiniere Vice Brigadiere Mario Cerciello Rega was fatally knifed 11 times on a street near their hotel. The officer and his partner, both in plainclothes, were pursuing an alleged extortion attempt after a botched drug deal. Elder testified that he stabbed the officer in self-defense and both defendants said they thought the officers were thugs.

LEADING OFF: Minor league opening day, Dodgers' May needs TJ

From the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp to the Tri-City Dust Devils, minor league teams are set to host opening day across the country following more than a year of uncertainty and empty ballparks. Much has changed since the end of the 2019 campaign. The pandemic wiped out the entire 2020 season, Major League Baseball eliminated 40 affiliates, and Commissioner Rob Manfred instituted experimental rules changes that will differ by level in an effort to speed up play and improve player safety. Meanwhile, Dodgers pitcher Dustin May needs Tommy John surgery and will miss the rest of the season.

Analysis: Those who win the NBA play-in games will love them

There will be three types of people in the NBA two weeks from now. Group 1 is those who won’t be in the play-in tournament. Group 2 is those who will use it to get to the playoffs. Group 3 is those who will make the tournament and see their seasons end there. Let’s make a few things clear about the play-in tournament, which starts May 18, just two weeks away. Fans are going to embrace it and the ratings will be big, since the games will all absolutely matter and that’s what everybody wants. The games will have an NCAA Tournament feel. All six games will either send a team to the playoffs, or send a team home, or both. There’s a lot to like about all of that.

Davis scores 25 as short-handed Lakers defeat Nuggets 93-89

Anthony Davis scored 25 points and had key plays on both ends of the floor in the final minute as the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers snapped a three-game losing streak with a 93-89 victory over the Denver Nuggets. The Lakers led by 14 points midway through the fourth quarter before the Nuggets got within 89-87 with a late rally. Davis hit a jumper with 41.8 seconds remaining to give the Lakers a 91-87 lead. Nikola Jokic hit a pair of free throws to cut it in half but Talen Horton-Tucker though hit a reverse layup with 15.1 seconds left to push the advantage up to four. After a Denver timeout, Davis blocked Facundo Campazzo’s 3-point attempt to end any hopes of a Nuggets’ comeback and end their five-game winning streak. 

Deaths at sea highlight failings in Europe migration policy

When more than 100 Africans hoping to reach Europe on a rubber boat called repeatedly for help in late April, a rescue never came. In all, approximately 130 people are believed to have died off the Libyan coast. It was the deadliest wreck so far this year in the Mediterranean Sea and has renewed accusations that European countries are failing to help migrant boats in trouble. Instead, human rights groups and U.N. agencies say European countries too often outsource operations to the Libyan coast guard. This is despite its limited capacity, reports of its ties to human traffickers, and the fact that those intercepted are placed in squalid detention centers.

Adames, Margot slug Rays past Angels 7-3; Rendon injured

Willy Adames and Manuel Margot homered, Mike Brosseau had a two-run single and the Tampa Bay Rays opened a seven-game California road trip with a 7-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels. Tyler Glasnow pitched six innings of four-hit ball with three walks for the Rays, largely dominating the Angels’ lineup until a rocky sixth. Shohei Ohtani hit his ninth homer after being scratched from his scheduled pitching start for the Angels, who have lost eight of 12. Anthony Rendon also homered in the sixth, but left the game in the eighth after sharply fouling a ball off his left knee.

Randle, Rose lead Knicks to win over Grizzlies

Julius Randle scored 28 points, Derrick Rose added 25, converting 11 of 15 shots and the New York Knicks held off the Memphis Grizzlies 118-104. RJ Barrett added 15 points for the Knicks. Dillon Brooks scored 25 for Memphis, while rookie Desmond Bane added 22 points. Jaren Jackson Jr. finished with 15 points for the Grizzlies. Memphis, which trailed by as many as 17 in the second half, tried to rally in the fourth quarter and cut the New York advantage to 101-96 with 5:28 left. Randle answered with a 3-pointer with 3:57 remaining. But with Memphis still within five points as the game headed down the stretch, the Grizzlies received five technicals in a span of 18 seconds to spell the end.

Wainwright, Cards win 5th in row; Mets fire hitting coaches

Adam Wainwright came off the COVID-19 injured list and hung tough, St. Louis got a lights-out performance from its bullpen and the Cardinals beat the New York Mets 6-5 for their fifth straight win. After the game, the Mets fired hitting coach Chili Davis and assistant hitting coach Tom Slater. New York has struggled badly with runners in scoring position this season. The Cardinals were clinging to a one-run lead in the ninth with two outs and a runner on base when the lights at Busch Stadium flickered, then went out for a moment. When play resumed, reliever Alex Reyes walked Pete Alonso before retiring Smith on a flyball for the final out.

Pirates' Tyler Anderson loses no-hit bid in seventh vs Pads

Wil Myers singled with no outs in the seventh inning to end a no-hit bid by Pittsburgh Pirates left-hander Tyler Anderson. Anderson began the seventh by walking Manny Machado before Myers singled to right. Until then, Anderson had allowed only three baserunners, two on walks and one on his error in the fifth inning. He walked Trent Grisham leading off the game but induced a double-play grounder from Fernando Tatis Jr., the first of 13 straight batters Anderson retired before Jake Cronenworth reached on Anderson’s fielding error in the fifth.