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The NBA's global academy system is beginning to produce high-level collegiate players. The upcoming NCAA Tournament will include eight NBA Academy alumni. They only had one player in the most-recent tournament two seasons ago. The NBA’s academy system is still new having placed recruits at Division I schools for the first time in 2018. The Africa academy technical director Roland Houston says “we’re like proud parents.” The schools where the alums play include Gonzaga, Baylor, Virginia, Tennessee and Georgetown. The first round of the tournament begins Friday.

Big South champion Winthrop and Patriot League winner Colgate are two of the more exciting NCAA Tournament teams from one-bid leagues because they play at such a fast pace. Now they’re ready to see how they can fare against quality teams from stronger conferences. Their first-round matchups suggest that Winthrop’s best hope for success against Villanova is to keep doing what it’s done all season. Colgate may have to adapt its style to knock off Arkansas. That's because the Razorbacks like to run, too.

GENEVA (AP) — The head of a World Health Organization team working with Chinese colleagues to finish a long-awaited report into the origins of the coronavirus acknowledged its authors could face “pressures” but insisted the final product will have a…

LONDON (AP) — Lawyers for Johnny Depp told Britain's Court of Appeal Thursday that the actor's ex-wife, Amber Heard, did not donate all of her $7 million divorce settlement to charity as she claimed, part of arguments seeking to overturn…

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The traditional leader of South Africa’s 12 million Zulu people, King Goodwill Zwelithini, has been laid to rest in a private ceremony early Thursday. Zwelithini, 72, died from health problems related to diabetes last Friday and he…

NAKURU, Kenya (AP) — News of the death of Tanzania's President John Magufuli drew mixed reactions; sorrow from many but bitterness from a critic who said he suffered during the president's rule which he said shrank the country's democratic space.…

HONG KONG (AP) — Chinese authorities summoned 11 companies including Alibaba and Tencent for talks regarding the security of voice software, as Beijing steps up scrutiny over the internet sector. The internet watchdog the Cyberspace Administration of China said Thursday…

In President Joe Biden’s war against the coronavirus, former President Donald Trump does not exist. Biden is describing the expanding vaccination rate, the economic recovery and the hope slowly spreading across the nation as a direct result of his administration and his party alone. Republicans view Trump and his party as having put the nation on the road to recovery. Both presidents deserve some credit, though Biden stands to benefit from being in power as the U.S. emerges from the pandemic. Biden's approach represents a determination to shape how America’s comeback from the worst health and economic crises in generations is remembered.

BRUSSELS (AP) — Five years after it was signed, the widely-criticized deal between the European Union and Turkey aimed at preventing migrants from entering Greece no longer works, but the Europeans insist it has served them well and will do…

West Virginia coach Bob Huggins needed some fast adjustments when freshman Isaiah Cottrell was lost for the season and big man Oscar Tshiebwe quit days apart. The roster tweaks that ensued as the Big 12 season was getting started have the Mountaineers on solid ground entering the NCAA Tournament. They aren’t alone in adjusting on the fly. Florida is back in the tourney despite losing SEC preseason player of the team Keyontae Johnson in a frightening medical incident. Ohio played just three games over a 36-day stretch for COVID-19 reasons and the Bobcats are here, too.

No system is foolproof, but in narrowing down the NCAA Tournament field, the advanced stats do indeed suggest that undefeated Gonzaga has a good shot at the title. Michigan is also a contender if the Wolverines can play like they did for most of the season. In terms of dark horses, keep an eye on Virginia — if it can overcome its COVID-19 issues — as well as Wisconsin, Southern California, Colorado and Arkansas.

One of the beauties of the NCAA Tournament is that every team has a story. Some are more unique than others. There is Arkansas, with eight transfers making up its 15-man roster and a coach in Eric Musselman whose dry humor and caustic wit makes press conferences must-see viewing. The Razorbacks' first-round opponent, Colgate, played 15 games this season and all of them came against five opponents. Here's a look at some of the other unusual teams in Indianapolis.

A senior Australian policeman has suggested a phone app be developed to document sexual consent in a bid to improve conviction rates in sex crime cases. New South Wales state Police Commissioner Mick Fuller says dating apps have brought couples together and the same technology could also provide clarity on the question of consent. Fuller says the number of sexual assaults reported in Australia’s most populous state was increasing while a prosecution success rate of only 2% stemming from those reports shows the system is failing. Responses to the consent app suggestion have been largely negative or skeptical. 

The growing calls for New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to resign are testing President Joe Biden’s relentless effort to avoid the day-to-day distractions of the political world as he tries to navigate a historic confluence of crises. Biden’s team has been trying to sell its $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package to the public. But Biden has in recent days been pulled into the debate over the fate of the governor who became the national face of his party’s pandemic response a year ago. The pressure on Biden grew last week when most of New York’s congressional delegation, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, called on Cuomo to step aside. 

As the NFL opened its business year, veterans Trent Williams, A.J. Green and Emmanuel Sanders prospered. That trio of players with a total of 31 pro seasons made out very well despite not getting big offers immediately. The 49ers held onto the best tackle who could have become a free agent by giving Williams the richest contract ever for an offensive lineman. His agents at Elite Loyalty Sports said the deal will pay Williams $138.1 million over the next six years, surpassing the $138 million deal David Bakhtiari got from Green Bay a year ago.