NBA: Doncic, Exum lead Mavs past LeBron, Lakers

LOS ANGELES -- Luka Doncic produced another dazzling performance as the Dallas Mavericks brought LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers back down to earth with a 127-125 victory on Tuesday.

Doncic rattled off his eighth straight 30-point game to finish with 33 points, 17 assists and six rebounds in a thrilling back-and-forth duel with the Lakers, who were playing their first game since winning the inaugural in-season tournament on Saturday.

An absorbing contest at Dallas's American Airlines Center home saw the lead change hands eight times, with the Lakers overturning a 15-point deficit with a huge third quarter to help open up a four-point lead early in the fourth.

But Dallas's Dante Exum took over with a superb display in the final period that saw him rattle in 17 points -- including five three-pointers -- to carry the Mavs to victory.

Exum finished with 26 points while Tim Hardaway Jr. added 32 points from the bench to support Doncic.

Anthony Davis led the Lakers scoring with 37 points from 15-of-21 shooting, with James adding 33.

Doncic stayed in the game despite rolling an ankle and suffering a bloodied lip in a physical battle between the two Western Conference rivals.

"I'm not going out in a game like this, no way," the Slovenian star said. "When you're playing against the best you want to stay on the court.

"This was an amazing team win. We've got so many guys out, everybody stepped up, everybody played hard."

- Green, Jokic tossed -

Doncic admitted he was flattered by talk of him potentially emerging as a contender for the NBA's Most Valuable Player award -- but insisted team success was more important than individual honors.

"Of course, who wouldn't want to be MVP of the league?" Doncic said. "But obviously first is the championship... that's what's first on my mind for sure."

The win saw the Mavericks improve to 15-8 for the season while the Lakers fell to 14-10 to remain sixth in the West.

In other games, Draymond Green could be facing more disciplinary action from the NBA after being ejected for the third time this season in the Golden State Warriors' 119-116 defeat to the Phoenix Suns.

Green, suspended for five games last month after grabbing Minnesota's Rudy Gobert in a choke hold, was tossed once again in the third quarter after wildly swinging an arm into the face of Phoenix player Jusuf Nurkic.

The game eventually ended in victory for the Suns, with Devin Booker scoring 32 points as the Warriors slid to a sixth straight defeat on the road.

There was also a high-profile ejection in Chicago, where Denver star Nikola Jokic was controversially tossed from the game in the second quarter of the Nuggets' 114-106 defeat of the Chicago Bulls.

Jokic was ejected after reacting angrily to a no-call with a member of the officiating crew.

In Boston, the Celtics recovered from a shaky start to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 120-113 and preserve their unbeaten home record.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown scored 25 points apiece while Kristaps Porzingis finished with 17 on a night when all five starters posted double-digit tallies.

But the Eastern Conference leaders were made to work hard for the win after trailing by 15 points in the first quarter following a slew of turnovers and some woeful shooting.

The Cavs led by 10 after the first period but the Celtics responded with a 38-point second period to cut the gap to one point at half-time.

In a game that had nine lead changes, the Celtics finally edged clear midway through the fourth quarter to close out victory.

Donovan Mitchell led the Cleveland scoring with 29 points with Darius Garland finishing with 26.

"We got off to a slow start but we picked it up and some shots started to fall," Tatum said.

Agence France-Presse

LA Lakers ready to get back to business after historic NBA Cup win

LOS ANGELES -- The champagne was flowing after LeBron James and Anthony Davis inspired the Los Angeles Lakers to the first-ever NBA Cup crown, but the celebrations were short-lived with the season's main goal still ahead.

"We made history," James said after he and Davis led the Lakers in a dominant 123-109 victory over tournament darlings Indiana in the NBA's first in-season tournament on Saturday.

"Any time you're on the right side of history, you take it."

Davis spearheaded the Lakers' charge in the title game, scoring 41 points with 20 rebounds. James added 24 points and 11 rebounds and got the nod as Most Valuable Player of the tournament conceived to lend some excitement to the early stages of the long NBA regular season.

James, the league's all-time leading scorer, said the Lakers' 7-0 run through the competition that began with all 30 NBA teams drawn into six groups for round-robin play showed Los Angeles have the ingredients to make a strong push in the NBA championship playoffs.

However, he cautioned, it was far too soon to be talking about May and June and the chances of the Lakers adding to their 17 NBA championships -- tied with the Boston Celtics for the most ever.

"I think that's thinking too far down the road," James, himself owner of four championship rings, said. "We want to put it in perspective that it's still December.

"We like where we are right now but we want to continue to work our habits, continue to get healthy as well.

"But I think right now where we are in December, I would take it. I would take it, but I'm definitely not looking to May and June.

"There's too many steps that need to be taken still in order for our team to be who we want to be once the post-season starts."

With many of their early-season injury troubles behind them, the Lakers next turn their attention to a Tuesday regular-season clash with the Mavericks in Dallas.

It's the start of a three-game Texas swing that will also feature two games in San Antonio against the Spurs and their sensational rookie Victor Wembanyama.

James said their performance in the tournament, especially in quarter-finals against the Phoenix Suns and the rout of the New Orleans Pelicans in the semi-finals, showed the Lakers were getting where they need to be on the defensive end.

"Our defensive intensity, in order for us to win and win at the highest level, we have to defend," he said. "We've been doing that over the last few weeks."

The Pacers may find the pivot to the regular season jarring after their Cinderella run in the in-season tournament.

Despite their high-octane offense, keyed by guard Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers chances of emerging from the East to challenge for a franchise first NBA title have been largely dismissed.

But the young, hungry team knocked off the top two Eastern Conference outfits in Boston and Milwaukee in the NBA Cup knockout rounds, and Haliburton was gutted after the loss to the Lakers.

Got to move on 

"It's funny because it's like everybody says this has like the (collegiate) NCAA Tournament feel, but after a game like that you're sitting in the locker room going, most of us ain't graduating, we play on Monday," Haliburton said.

"It's definitely frustrating," added Haliburton, who said the Pacers will have to hit the reset button quickly.

"At the end of the day, it's just like the regular season. It's game 22, 23. Got to move on," he said.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said scheduling would be one thing the league looks at as it considers possible improvements to the new tournament in the future.

The biggest concern would likely be to provide some kind of scheduling certainty for teams that don't advance from group play, who then had to "essentially schedule games at the last minute."

Silver said the league would "take a little bit of a breather" before considering changes to the event from teams, players, the players' union and even fans.

"All suggestions welcome," he said.

Agence France-Presse

Biden voices support for humanitarian 'pause' in Israel-Hamas war

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden, when responding to a heckler at a Minnesota campaign event Wednesday night, said he thinks there should be a humanitarian "pause" in the Israeli-Hamas war to get "prisoners" out of Gaza.

The 80-year-old Democrat was delivering remarks to some 200 supporters in the northern US state when a member of the audience shouted out to him.

"As a rabbi, I need you to call for a ceasefire right now," she said, referring to the deadly conflict between Israel and Hamas.

The president responded: "I think we need a pause. A pause means giving time to get the prisoners out."

Asked about his remarks, the White House later clarified that by "prisoners" the president was referring to hostages held by Hamas.

Biden engaged further with the woman, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by the nickname Bibi.

"I'm the guy that convinced Bibi to call for a ceasefire to let the prisoners out. I'm the guy that talked to (Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-)Sisi to convince him to open the door" along Gaza's border with Egypt to allow freed hostages to leave.

Biden indicated that he was discussing the recent release of two US hostages formerly held by the Palestinian Islamist group.

The White House has previously called for "humanitarian pauses" to allow aid to be delivered into Gaza or to carry out evacuations, but has so far refused to discuss a ceasefire, believing it would exclusively play into the hands of Hamas.

The war between Israel and Hamas entered its 26th day on Wednesday.

In retaliation for the bloody attack by Hamas on October 7, the Israeli army has relentlessly bombed the Gaza Strip, and has launched an increasingly extensive ground operation into the territory.

Agence France-Presse

Thai PM vows action on guns after deadly mall shooting

BANGKOK, Thailand -- Thailand's prime minister on Wednesday vowed "preventive measures" after a shooting at a Bangkok shopping mall left two people dead and raised fresh questions about the kingdom's gun control.

Shoppers returned in dribs and drabs as the Siam Paragon mall reopened less than 24 hours after the shooting -- Thailand's third high-profile deadly gun attack in four years.

The shooting at one of Bangkok's biggest, most upmarket malls will come as a fresh blow to Thailand's efforts to rebuild its vital tourism industry after the pandemic.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin joined a minute's silence at the mall before offering the government's condolences to the families of the two female victims -- one Chinese and one from Myanmar.

"I am confident Siam Paragon and government officials did their best to minimize the casualties and damage," he said.

"Let this be the only time this happens. My government insists we will give priority to preventive measures," he added, without giving details.

The victim from Myanmar was named by her country's foreign ministry as 31-year-old Moe Myint.

Police have charged a 14-year-old suspect with premeditated murder, attempted murder, carrying and firing a gun in a public place and owning an unlicensed firearm.

Police Major General Nakarin Sukontawit said the boy, a student at a $4,000-a-term private school just metres from Siam Paragon, was undergoing psychiatric tests to see if he would be fit to stand trial.

Investigators said Tuesday the boy had been undergoing treatment for mental illness but had stopped taking his medication and reported hearing voices telling him to shoot people.

UNICEF Thailand deputy representative Severine Leonardi said the incident should accelerate efforts to improve the kingdom's youth mental health services.

- Past promises -

Samran Nuanma, Assistant National Police Chief, told a news conference on Wednesday that the weapon used in the attack was a blank-firing pistol.

"But the barrel was modified for live shooting," Samran said.

"We will increase regulations and laws to control the use of firearms."

But past promises of tightening gun laws have not prevented tragedies.

The Siam Paragon shooting came just days before the anniversary of a massacre at a nursery in northern Thailand that left 36 people dead.

And in 2020, a former army officer gunned down 29 people in a rampage at a mall in the northeastern city of Nakhon Ratchasima.

By one estimate, Thailand has 10 million guns in circulation -- one for every seven citizens, and one of the highest rates of ownership in the region.

Many firearms are smuggled into the country, but Kritsanapong Phutrakul, a former police officer and now academic, said internet sales were becoming a problem.

"Only a small number of police officers have the knowledge, capabilities and experience to track the gun market online," he told AFP.

After talks with the PM, National Police Chief Torsak Sukwimol said he had ordered specialist officers to investigate online gun sales.

- Tourism impact -

Thailand is desperate to rebuild its tourism sector after travel restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic saw visitors dwindle.

China -- which sent around 10 million visitors a year to the kingdom before the pandemic -- is a crucial market, but numbers are not returning as fast as Thai officials would wish.

This is partly because of fears in China about whether Thailand is safe, and the fact that one of the mall shooting victims was Chinese is unlikely to improve this situation.

Srettha spoke to the Chinese ambassador Tuesday and issued a statement saying the government would implement "the highest safety measures" for tourists.

At Siam Paragon on Wednesday, AFP reporters saw that security was stepped up in some places, with bags being searched -- but not on all entrances to the sprawling mall.

Russian tourist Alexander Samylin, 35, told AFP he was not worried about safety.

"It's very safe here in Thailand, this could happen anywhere," he said at the mall.

Agence France-Presse

Underpants and a somber summer at Paris Fashion Week

PARIS -- From wearing your underwear in the street to the very muted color schemes of big brands, some trends stood out from the spring-summer 2024 womenswear collections at Paris Fashion Week that ends on Tuesday.

Here are some highs and lows from 11 days of shows in the French capital, the climax of a hectic month of fashion weeks in London, New York and Milan.

Underwear is outerwear 

Get used to walking around in your underpants if you want to stay trendy next spring.

Already a popular look for celebs like Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner, it was everywhere in Paris this week.

Stella McCartney's billowing silk tops were worn over crystal-encrusted undies, Victoria Beckham had outfits that were little more than nightdresses, or swimsuits and socks, while Dries Van Noten had leopard-skin swimsuits under trench coats.

Somber summer 

A lot of designers were keen to drain the color from spring and summer.

Christian Dior, Saint Laurent, Victoria Beckham and hyped newcomer Peter Do were among the many brands with muted, often monochrome palettes.

Some observers were dismayed and also felt there was a lack of innovation.

"Where are your colors? Where are your ideas, except those that come from archives?" chided veteran fashion watcher Cathy Horyn, now of New York Magazine's The Cut.

Balmain's flowery recovery 

Balmain bucked the colorless trend with a shiny and exuberant show -- that it managed to pull together despite a dramatic robbery that saw dozens of its outfits stolen on their way from the airport just 10 days earlier.

There were lots of roses -- a woman seemingly lost in an entire red bush of them, another with a swoosh of golden feathers with roses on the tips, and a range of rose-print tops, dresses and mini-skirts -- as well as some ultra-bling glittering flower concoctions that verged on haute couture extravagance.

"Florals for spring? Groundbreaking..." designer Olivier Rousteing wrote with apparent irony on Instagram.

Balenciaga unpolished 

Balenciaga's Demna was humbled last year after highly controversial ads appearing to reference child abuse.

But after one low-key show earlier this year, he was back to his rebellious ways this week with surreal looks such as giant-shouldered suits and dresses made from retro tablecloths.

"March was very polished and I realized that I don't like it when it's polished. I like it when it's rough," Demna told Vogue.

It was also a very personal show, featuring his mother, husband and members of his staff as models.

"It was about me, it was about my story. I needed to do it... because I had a horrible year," he said.

Environmental activists 

Hermes had one of the prettiest stage designs, with guests nestled in a prairie of wildflowers and tall grasses recreated in the stables of the Republican Guard.

But animal rights group PETA does not like its style and briefly interrupted the show, objecting to its use of crocodile skin.

By contrast, Stella McCartney turned her show into a marketplace for "cruelty-free and conscious material innovations", with stalls promoting innovations like vegan leather, organic cotton and a seaweed-based yarn.

Her outfits included homages to her rock star parents -- Paul and Linda McCartney -- during their time on tour with Wings in the 1970s, including ruffled shirts and crystal-encrusted waistcoats.

Bye-byes 

Naomi Campbell was the star of the catwalk in a shimmering silver dress at Alexander McQueen, where Sarah Burton gave her final show as creative director after more than a decade in charge.

Business of Fashion called it a "typically fearless final flourish from Burton," leaving a tall order for her yet-to-be-named successor to meet.

It was also the last hurrah for designer Gabriella Hearst at Chloe, where her sustainability agenda brought acclaim but apparently not enough sales to keep her at the fabled French house and she is leaving after less than three years.

Agence France-Presse

Biden aims to wrest influence from China in Pacific islands

WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden is set to host leaders of Pacific island nations with an aim of countering China's ever-growing influence, proffering goodies ranging from an American football experience to shiny new embassies.

The summit of leaders from the 18-member Pacific Islands Forum will take place Monday and Tuesday, one year after the first meeting, which was also in Washington.

According to senior administration officials, Biden will announce a more assertive US stance in the region, funding for infrastructure projects and strengthened maritime cooperation, in particular to fight against illegal fishing.

The forum brings together states and territories scattered across the Pacific Ocean, from Australia to sparsely populated micro-states and archipelagos.

There is "no question that there is some role that the PRC has played in all this," a senior White House official said on condition of anonymity, referring to China by the abbreviation of its formal name.

China's "assertiveness and influence, including in this region, has been a factor that requires us to sustain our strategic focus."

- Absence noted -

China's influence will be felt through the absence of the prime minister of the Solomon Islands, now closely aligned with Beijing.

Manasseh Sogavare, who was in New York this past week to attend the UN General Assembly, did not extend his stay in the United States.

"We're disappointed that he's chosen not to come to this very special summit," another White House official said.

Another goal of the meeting is to renegotiate "Compacts of Free Association" with the Marshall Islands before current terms expire Saturday.

The agreement, which Washington also has with Micronesia and the Palau archipelago -- other territories formerly under American administration -- allows the United States to have a military presence on the islands.

In exchange, Washington provides economic assistance and security guarantees, and inhabitants of the islands can live and work in the United States.

The Marshall Islands is demanding that any new agreement account for the effects of Washington's nuclear testing program there in the 1940s and '50s.

The Biden administration hopes to announce "very substantial progress" in the negotiations, the second White House official said.

- Enticements -

Biden had been due to follow up last year's inaugural summit with a meeting of Pacific leaders this May, in Papua New Guinea. But he cut short an Asia trip and returned stateside to address a debt-ceiling crisis.

For the Washington summit, Biden has prepared a full program, kicking off with an afternoon of American gridiron.

The leaders will travel by train on Sunday to Baltimore, where they will be guests of honor at an NFL game between the port city's Ravens and the Indianapolis Colts.

Monday's agenda features meetings and a lunch with Biden. On Tuesday, the leaders will meet with top officials on climate and the economy, and spend time with US lawmakers.

According to the administration officials, the United States will announce the establishment of diplomatic ties with the Cook Islands and Niue, a tiny territory with fewer than 2,000 inhabitants.

Washington has opened embassies in the Solomon Islands and Tonga, and wants to inaugurate one early next year in Vanuatu.

The Americans will also unveil millions in infrastructure aid, including funds for secure undersea telecommunications cables.

Finally, the White House intends to propose that the Pacific island states join the "Quad," a defense cooperation forum bringing together the US, Australia, India and Japan to cooperate on maritime surveillance, especially tracking down vessels engaged in illegal fishing.

Agence France-Presse

Taylor Swift takes on Hollywood with concert documentary

NEW YORK -- She already rules music, so now it's on to Tinseltown: Taylor Swift's concert documentary is poised to dominate the fall movie season, challenging the hegemony of film studios and consecrating her business empire.

Swift is taking a break from her wildly popular tour that began in March -- performances will resume in November and run late into next year.

But in the meantime, the 33-year-old is hitting the silver screen: "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" is slated for release on October 13, and has already broken the record for pre-sales in the United States in one day, with $37 million in revenue.

The film could exceed $100 million in its opening weekend, said Jeff Bock, an analyst for box office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

"I think we could be talking about the biggest film of the fall season, which is pretty incredible," he told AFP -- even if, for now, only screenings in the United States are on the books.

Swift opted for an unconventional release, announcing it less than two months before its premiere and directly working with the theater giant AMC, while bypassing the traditional film studios.

And in a sign that Hollywood -- which is embroiled in prolonged twin strikes by actors and writers -- fears Swift's release, studios have postponed the opening screenings of several films that fall around the same dates, notably that of "The Exorcist: Believer."

According to the specialist news outlet Puck, the budget of Swift's film fell between $10-20 million.

She will share 57 percent of ticket sales with AMC, says Billboard, a similar proportion to what studios would normally receive. The remainder would go to theaters, under the deal.

"I don't know an artist today with that kind of leverage," said Ralph Jaccodine, a professor at the Berklee College of Music.

The Eras Tour currently boasts 146 dates, and some analysts anticipate it will cross the symbolic $1-billion mark, a feat never yet achieved.

According to the industry tracker Pollstar, each concert generates some $13 million in revenue, which would put the total proceeds at $1.9 billion.

'Bold' 

Before her tour and film, Swift garnered significant attention -- and found resounding success -- by re-recording her first six albums in a bid to control their master rights.

The power move came in the wake of public sparring with industry mogul Scooter Braun, her one-time manager whose company had purchased her previous label and thereby gained a majority stake in her early work.

He later sold Swift's master rights to a private equity company.

The situation left Swift publicly incensed: "I just feel that artists should own their work," she said in 2019.

"She's a vocal advocate for artists' rights," Jaccodine said. "She's built her own brand."

Swift is currently worth an estimated $740 million, according to Forbes, but steps closer every day to becoming the first singer worth a billion based on her music alone.

Before her public efforts to regain control of her work, Prince, George Michael, Jay-Z and Kanye West all also fought for control of their masters -- one-of-a-kind source material that dictate how songs are reproduced and sold -- but none had gone so far as to re-record them completely.

"She has been very bold in terms of the strategies that she's been willing to pursue," said Carolyn Mary Sloane, a labor economist at the University of Chicago. "She's been willing to pursue all of these different avenues, a very kind of savvy and smart and strategic economics."

"So you might see some change from other artists."

Pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo, for example, has said she ensured control of her master rights when inking her first contract, inspired by Swift.

Swift has sweetened her re-releases with bonus material and previously unreleased tracks -- like the 10-minute version of "All Too Well" -- to the delight of her ardent fans.

Making an event of each re-release also allowed her to promote her early work to younger fans, who were perhaps less versed in her "Taylor Swift" and "Fearless" periods.

In a similar vein, her "Eras" film will grant "people an entry into her concert" even if they couldn't afford or make it to the live show, Jaccodine said.

Other artists have released concert or tour films in theaters; "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never" from 2011 has performed the best at the North American box office thus far, with $73 million in revenue.

But, according to Bock, the industry has never seen "a film like this drop at the height of an artist's popularity, like we're going to see in October with Swift."

"It sets a precedent," he said. "And I think it is something that other artists may consider now."

Bock however added: "There's maybe a handful of artists that could probably pull this off."

Agence France-Presse

Japan’s yen takes the spotlight in central bank week

SINGAPORE  – The U.S. dollar barely moved in Asian trades on Monday, even as sterling blipped higher and the yen dipped, as a Japanese holiday and a bunch of upcoming central bank meetings sucked the air out of markets.

The Bank of Japan’s policy meeting on Friday is the highlight of the week in Asia, after Governor Kazuo Ueda stoked speculation of an imminent move away from ultra-loose policy.

That’s made the BOJ somewhat of a standout in a week packed with central bank meetings, with the U.S. Federal Reserve seen doing a hawkish pause on Wednesday and Bank of England possibly raising rates one last time on Thursday.

The yen was flat versus the greenback between 147.63 and 147.88 per dollar, with markets in Japan closed for a national holiday. In the days since Ueda’s remarks about a early move from negative rates, it has dropped 1.3 percent and taken losses for 2023 to more than 11 percent.

Carol Kong, economist and currency strategist at Commonwealth Bank of Australia, said she expects the yen to be volatile leading up to the policy meeting and that investors may have potentially misinterpreted Ueda’s comments.

The recent spell of weakness in Japanese wages and possibility prices too could soften and push the BOJ farther from its inflation goal, the case for a BOJ policy tightening is still not very strong, Kong said.

“In terms of the direction of travel, dollar/yen can definitely track higher…particularly if Governor Ueda sounds dovish and dashes hopes of policy tightening at the upcoming meeting,” she said.

Wei-Liang Chang, FX and credit strategist at DBS Bank, said market participants expect the BOJ could give guidance on when its negative interest rate policy will be reversed and the path of rate hikes beyond that.

“Anticipation of new BOJ rate guidance could support the yen into the meeting date, with the FOMC meeting also contributing to volatility this week,” Chang said.

The dollar index was a tad lower at 105.23, with the euro up 0.12 percent at $1.0705. Sterling was last trading at $1.2395, up 0.1 percent on the day.

Stark divergences in economic growth and in yields will keep the dollar propped up mostly, investors expect, particularly against the euro. Sterling has slid nearly 6 percent against the dollar since mid-July, while the euro has dropped more than 5 percent as the UK labor market and economy and the euro zone economy slowed.

The European Central Bank raised interest rates to 4% last week but said this hike could be its last.

With Japan shut, cash Treasuries were untraded on Monday.

U.S. Treasury yields have been edging higher, with the two-year above the 5 percent threshold and up 25 bps this month, spurred by rising government spending and the anticipation of the Fed keeping rates high for longer faces to rein in inflation that’s still above target. Last week’s U.S. retail sales data played a part, reducing the odds of recession even further.

Futures are pricing in almost no chance that the Fed raises interest rates at the end of its two-day meeting next Wednesday.

The Bank of England is likely to hike interest rates for the 15th time and take benchmark borrowing costs to 5.5 percent, and markets are already looking for a pause in a massive tightening cycle that has policymakers worried about the cooling economy.

UK inflation figures for August are also due on Wednesday, just ahead of the meeting.

Meanwhile, oil prices are adding a layer of complication to central banks’ growth-inflation dilemmas. Oil is also on track for its biggest quarterly increase since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in the first quarter of 2022.

Brent crude futures are at 10-month highs above $93 a barrel, after having posted a third weekly gain on supply tightness spearheaded by Saudi Arabian production cuts and some optimism around Chinese demand.

-reuters

Biden: 'I don't want to contain China'

HANOI, Vietnam -- US President Joe Biden insisted Sunday he does not want to "contain" China, as the two powers face deepening divisions on trade, security and rights.

Biden said he had met Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the G20 summit in New Delhi -- a meeting the White House had not announced -- and discussed "stability".

The president revealed the encounter in Hanoi, where earlier in the day he agreed a deal to deepen ties with Vietnam as Washington looks to bolster its network of allies around Asia and the Pacific in the face of Beijing's rising influence.

Washington and Beijing are at loggerheads on a range of global issues, and Biden accused China of seeking to bend the international order to its will.

"One of the things that is going on now is China is beginning to change some of the rules of the game, in terms of trade and other issues," Biden told a news conference.

Washington has invested heavily in building alliances as part of its Indo-Pacific strategy, including the Quad security dialogue with India, Australia and Japan, and the AUKUS pact with Britain and Australia.

But he insisted the United States is not seeking to box China in, but rather to establish clear ground rules for relations.

"I don't want to contain China. I just want to make sure we have a relationship with China that is on the up and up, squared away, everybody knows what it's all about," he said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping skipped the G20 as Beijing and Delhi tussle over territorial and other issues.

Agence France-Presse

MMA: Strickland stuns champion Adesanya to win UFC middleweight title

SYDNEY, Australia -- Polarizing Sean Strickland unleashed a flurry of powerful punches to defeat champion Israel Adesanya and claim the UFC middleweight title after a grueling fight in Sydney on Sunday.

In the main event of UFC 293, American Strickland stunned hot favourite Adesanya to win the 185-pound belt with an unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46) to prevail in a five-round slugfest.

At the sold-out Qudos Bank Arena, Strickland landed several stinging punches to the head and had Adesanya on the back foot throughout.

"Never in a million years did I think I would be here," said Strickland, who inflicted New Zealander Adesanya's third defeat from 27 fights.

"I thought I would be walking away a little broken up. I'm a little shocked that didn't happen.

"This is the first time I'm lost for words."

Strickland, who caused controversy ahead of the fight with misogynistic comments about putting women back in the kitchen, agreed to fight on late notice after Adesanya's South African rival Dricus du Plessis was unavailable.

Fifth-ranked Strickland earned his title shot after wins over Abus Magomedov and Nassourdine Imavov.

In the first UFC fight held in Sydney since 2017, both fighters felt each other out initially amid a febrile atmosphere.

The 32-year-old attempted to play to his strengths of wrestling and striking from close range in a bid to produce a major upset.

He made his move late in the first round after connecting with a powerful right-hand punch that felled Adesanya.

After surviving Strickland's flurry, Adesanya regrouped in the second round and utilized his favored kicks to deadly effect.

Adesanya threatened to take control in round three before Strickland landed a left hook as the fight went the distance.

Strickland (28-5) was unrelenting and trash-talked a bloodied Adesanya, a former kickboxer considered the marquee fighter in mixed martial arts, in the waning seconds with a shock title secured.

Also on the main card, towering two-meter (six foot seven inches) Alexander Volkov silenced the rowdy fans after defeating Australian Tai Tuivasa by submission in the heavyweight fight.

With a five-inch height advantage, Russian Volkov confirmed his favoritism by submitting Tuivasa with an Ezekiel choke in the second round, pinning his opponent to the ground with his right arm around the neck.

"(He took) so many punches and he was still on his legs, this guy is very tough," said 34-year-old Volkov, who won by submission for the first time since 2016.

In the other heavyweight bout, New Zealander Justin Tafa knocked out American Austen Lane in the first round after landing a left hook flush on the chin.

It was the second UFC event in Australia this year after lightweight champion Islam Makhachev overcame local Alexander Volkanovski at Perth Arena in February.

Agence France-Presse

World facing 'unprecedented climate emergency': Brazil's Lula

NEW DELHI — Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva told world leaders Saturday the planet was facing an "unprecedented climate emergency" while addressing the G20 Summit in India.

"The lack of commitment to the environment has led us to an unprecedented climate emergency," said Lula at the two-day meeting in New Delhi. "Droughts, floods, storms and fires are becoming more frequent."

G20 leaders meet this weekend during what is likely the hottest year in human history, but hopes are slim that the divided grouping can agree ambitious action on the crisis.

Any failure to do so could lower expectations ahead of crucial COP28 climate talks that begin in November in the United Arab Emirates.

In July, G20 energy ministers failed to even mention coal in their final statement, let alone agree a phase down roadmap, and there was no progress on the renewables goal.

G20 countries account for 85% of global GDP and a similar amount of global climate warming emissions, making action in the forum crucial to real progress.

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Messi, Haaland, Bonmati lead Ballon d'Or nominees

PARIS -- Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland are among the leading contenders to win this year's men's Ballon d'Or, while Spain World Cup star Aitana Bonmati leads the nominees announced on Wednesday for the women's prize.

Messi, who recently left Paris Saint-Germain for Inter Miami, is in with a chance of succeeding Karim Benzema and winning the Ballon d'Or for the eighth time in his remarkable career after leading Argentina to World Cup glory in Qatar last year.

Haaland may be his main rival for the prize after scoring 52 goals in 53 games to help Manchester City win the treble of Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup last season.

The Norway striker last week won the UEFA player of the year award for last season.

PSG's Kylian Mbappe and Haaland's City teammate Kevin De Bruyne also feature among the 30 nominees for the prize, the winner of which will be announced at a ceremony in Paris on October 30.

Benzema, who ended a 14-year spell at Real Madrid in June when he moved to Saudi club Al-Ittihad, is also nominated.

Bonmati, winner of the UEFA women's player award, appears the favorite to claim the Ballon d'Or after being the outstanding player as Spain lifted the World Cup in Sydney last month.

She also starred as Barcelona won the Champions League and will hope to succeed her club and international colleague Alexia Putellas, winner in the last two years.

Putellas is not nominated this time having hardly played for Barcelona last season after suffering a ruptured anterior cruciate knee ligament in July 2022 which kept her out for nine months.

Bonmati is one of four members of Spain's World Cup-winning team nominated, along with Olga Carmona, Salma Paralluelo and Alba Redondo.

Their compatriots Patricia Guijarro and Mapi Leon are also named.

Both of Barcelona, they did not go to the World Cup after being among a group of 15 players who said last year they no longer wanted to play for Spain in a protest against the Spanish federation and coach Jorge Vilda.

Others included in the 30 nominees are Chelsea and Australia striker Sam Kerr and England goalkeeper Mary Earps.

Agence France-Presse

Serbia player loses kidney at FIBA World Cup

MANILA  -- Serbia's Borisa Simanic has undergone surgery to remove a kidney after being injured at the Basketball World Cup.

Simanic had an operation in a Manila hospital after being hit by a South Sudan player's elbow during a pool game on August 30.

Complications arising from the operation meant he had to have further surgery on September 3, when one of his kidneys was removed, the team said Monday.

Serbian team doctor Dragan Radovanovic said that they "expect and wish that after this operation, the postoperative course will go smoothly".

The incident occurred near the end of Serbia's first-round game against South Sudan, when Simanic was defending opposition player Nuni Omot under the Serbia basket.

Omot caught Simanic with an elbow, causing Simanic to scream in pain and immediately wheel away.

The 25-year-old Simanic plays for Zaragoza in Spain.

In a statement, the South Sudan Basketball Federation called the incident "unintentional and unfortunate." 

The player involved in the play, Nuni Omot, said he was "deeply saddened by the news of Simanic's injuries."

"As a sportsman, I firsthand understand the severity of his situation, and I am deeply sorry that this happened. No player should have to go through that. I pray for Simanic's recovery and speedy return to the court," said Omot, who was not called for a foul on the play.

The South Sudan federation said that Omot has been subjected to racism and harassment due to the incident.

"We condemn any sort of racism directed towards the player. Basketball is a sport that is recognized to bring people together rather than be used as a tool of prejudice," the federation said.

Serbia went on to advance to the semifinals of the World Cup after routing Lithuania, 87-68, on Tuesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

South Sudan, meanwhile, is headed to the Olympic Games in Paris next year after finishing as the highest-ranked African team in the tournament. 

Agence France-Presse

Coach urges China to play smarter after missing Olympic basketball spot

China head coach Aleksandar Djordjevic said his team need to play smarter after missing out on an Olympic qualifying spot at the Basketball World Cup with a fourth defeat Saturday.

China slumped to a 96-75 loss to the Philippines in Manila to bring an end to a disastrous tournament for the basketball-obsessed nation.

By the time their game had ended, Japan had already claimed the one Asian qualifying spot for the Paris Games available at the World Cup.

Japan beat Cape Verde 80-71 in Okinawa for their third win to finish the tournament as Asia's highest-placed team.

China managed only one win from five games and Djordjevic said his team's "loss of focus and concentration" was to blame against the Philippines, after being outscored 34-11 in the third quarter.

"Once you're tired, once the difficulties start, you have to use your head -- our head was not used in the proper way tonight in the second half," he said.

"Basketball is a game for thinkers. You must think in every possession, you must understand what is happening on both sides of the floor."

Djordjevic said he would not quit as head coach and would lead the team at the Asian Games in Hangzhou later this month.

He said the team "must learn from this" and vowed to pick largely the same group of players.

"Everybody brings responsibility, the head coach is the first one," he said.

"That's how it happens. It's sport, we've got to try to get better every day, that's our job."

Four spots for the 12-team Paris Olympics will still be up for grabs at next year's qualifying tournament.

Agence France-Presse

Tennis: Alcaraz, Medvedev ease into US Open second round

NEW YORK -- Carlos Alcaraz launched the defense of his US Open crown with a brisk victory after his opponent suffered an injury on Tuesday as third seed Daniil Medvedev strolled into the second round with a quick-fire win.

Alcaraz, returning to the same Arthur Ashe Stadium court where he lifted his first Grand Slam as a teenager a year ago, was always in control after Germany's Dominik Koepfer rolled his left ankle badly in the opening game.

Koepfer tried to continue despite being in obvious discomfort, but finally called it quits while trailing 3-2 in the second set after dropping the first 6-2.

"That's not the best way to get through into another round," said world number one Alcaraz. "But I have to say on my side I was playing great."

Alcaraz, who faces Lloyd Harris of South Africa in the second round, is on course to face 2021 US Open champion Medvedev in the semi-finals.

Medvedev opened his account on Tuesday with a 6-1, 6-1, 6-0 thrashing of Hungary's Attila Balazs in just 74 minutes.

The Russian will face Australia's Christopher O'Connell in the second round on Thursday for a spot in the last 32.

"That's probably the fastest three-set match I played," Medvedev said after his blistering demolition of Balazs.

While Alcaraz and Medvedev cruised into the second round, Karen Khachanov -- a semi-finalist at last year's US Open -- was on the wrong end of a first-round upset.

The 11th-seeded Russian was bounced out in straight sets by American world No.89 Michael Mmoh, losing 6-2, 6-4, 6-2.

Germany's 12th seed Alexander Zverev, a beaten finalist at Flushing Meadows in 2020, never looked in danger of following Khachanov out of the tournament, registering a 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 win over Australia's Aleksandar Vukic.

Jannik Sinner, the Italian sixth seed, trounced Yannick Hanfmann of Germany 6-3, 6-1, 6-1.

In other men's games on Tuesday, British veteran Andy Murray downed France's Corentin Moutet 6-2, 7-5, 6-3, in a match that saw a bungled attempt to use the US Open's new video review technology for the first time.

Chair umpire Louise Azemar Engzell attempted to deploy the system after Moutet requested a review following a double-bounce call.

The umpire was forced to abandon the attempt however after discovering officials were unable to properly access footage of the incident.

"I don't know how the technology works," Murray said. "But it obviously didn't go to plan in a pretty important moment of the match. So, yeah, it would be good if they could get that fixed."

Meanwhile, China sealed a notable first when Wu Yibing beat Serbia's Dusan Lajovic 3-6, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 to join compatriot Zhang Zhizhen in the second round.

It is the first time in tennis's Open era that two Chinese men have reached the second round of the same Grand Slam tournament.

 - Ailing Jabeur advances -

In the women's draw meanwhile another semi-finalist from 2022 also made an early exit, with French seventh seed Caroline Garcia slumping to a 6-4, 6-1 reverse against Chinese qualifier Wang Yafan.

Meanwhile second seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, the reigning Australian Open champion, progressed with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Ukraine-born Belgian Maryna Zanevska.

The end of the match was tinged with controversy as Zanevska declined to shake hands with Sabalenka in protest at Belarus's military support of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"I know I'm representing Belgium but all my family are in Ukraine," Zanevska told AFP.

"I have family fighting on the frontline. And I think if I shake her hand it would be the same as spitting in the face of them."

Tunisia's Ons Jabeur, desperate to land her first Grand Slam title after losing in three major championship finals in 2022 and 2023, survived a medical scare before scraping past Colombia's Camila Osorio.

The 29-year-old fifth seed looked out of sorts throughout her 7-5, 7-6 (7/4) win, at one stage in the opening set complaining of breathing difficulties before taking an extended medical timeout.

Jabeur has played only one tournament since being upset in last month's Wimbledon final by unseeded Czech Marketa Vondrousova.

Vondrousova, seeded ninth in New York, cruised into the second round on Tuesday with a 6-3, 6-0 win over South Korean qualifier Han Na-Lae.

Third seed Jessica Pegula meanwhile kept home hopes alive with a clinical 6-2, 6-2 defeat of Italy's Camila Giorgi.

But there was disappointment for American icon Venus Williams, competing in her record-extending 24th US Open.

Williams was bounced out 6-1, 6-1 by Belgium's Greet Minnen -- who was just a few weeks old when Williams reached her first US Open final back in 1997.

Agence France-Presse

ChatGPT turns to business as popularity wanes

OpenAI on Monday said it was launching a business version of ChatGPT as its artificial intelligence sensation grapples with declining usership nine months after its historic debut.

ChatGPT Enterprise will offer business customers a premium version of the bot, with "enterprise grade" security and privacy enhancements from previous versions, OpenAI said in a blog post.

The question of data security has become an important one for OpenAI, with major companies, including Apple, Amazon and Samsung, blocking employees from using ChatGPT out of fear that sensitive information will be divulged.

"Today marks another step towards an AI assistant for work that helps with any task, is customized for your organization, and that protects your company data," OpenAI said.

The ChatGPT business version resembles Bing Chat Enterprise, an offering by Microsoft, which uses the same OpenAI technology through a major partnership.

ChatGPT Enterprise will be powered by GPT-4, OpenAI's highest performing model, much like ChatGPT Plus, the company's subscription version for individuals, but business customers will have special perks, including better speed.

"We believe AI can assist and elevate every aspect of our working lives and make teams more creative and productive," the company said.

It added that companies including Carlyle, The Estée Lauder Companies and PwC were already early adopters of ChatGPT Enterprise.

The release came as ChatGPT is struggling to maintain the excitement that made it the world’s fastest downloaded app in the weeks after its release.

That distinction was taken over last month by Threads, the Twitter rival from Facebook-owner Meta.

According to analytics company Similarweb, ChatGPT traffic dropped by nearly 10 percent in June and again in July, falls that could be attributed to school summer break, it said.

Similarweb estimates that roughly one quarter of ChatGPT's users worldwide fall in the 18-24 demographic.

OpenAI is also facing pushback from news publishers and other platforms -- including X, as Twitter is now known, and Reddit -- that are now blocking OpenAI web crawlers from mining their data for AI model training.

A pair of studies by pollster Pew Research Center released on Monday also pointed to doubts about AI and ChatGPT in particular.

Two-thirds of the US-based respondents who had heard of ChatGPT say their main concern is that the government will not go far enough in regulating its use.

The research also found that the use of ChatGPT for learning and work tasks has ticked up from 12 percent of those who had heard of ChatGPT in March to 16 percent in July.

Pew also reported that 52 percent of Americans say they feel more concerned than excited about the increased use of artificial intelligence.

Agence France-Presse

'Gran Turismo' barely outraces 'Barbie' in N.America theaters

LOS ANGELES - Sony's sports action film "Gran Turismo" didn't exactly roar to the front of the North American box office, but did make it there on a slow late-August weekend, beating a still-turbo-powered "Barbie."

Based on a popular video game, "Gran Turismo" took in an estimated $17.3 million for the Friday-through-Sunday period, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday.

"This is a lukewarm opening for an action film based on a video game," particularly compared to previous game-based films like "Warcraft" ($439 million in worldwide ticket sales) and "Rampage" ($428 million), analyst David A. Gross said.

The movie stars David Harbour and Orlando Bloom in a story about a racing academy that recruits skilled video gamers to train them as real race-car drivers.

Warner Bros.' "Barbie," meantime, has remained a steady seat-filler, with its $17.1 million take in its sixth week out propelling it to a $594 million domestic total.

The Greta Gerwig film recently overtook "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" ($574 million) as the year's domestic box office champ. Add to that the $745 million "Barbie" has earned overseas.

Analysts said Sony's accounting of ticket sales for "Gran Turismo" was a bit wonky (including millions in pre-sales) and predicted "Barbie" might, in the final tally, be the weekend's Number One -- as she is Ken's.

Last weekend's leader, superhero flick "Blue Beetle" from DC Studios and Warner Bros., dipped to third, at $12.8 million, a nearly 50 percent drop from the previous weekend. Xolo Mariduena, as the Beetle, became the first live-action Latino protagonist.

In fourth was Universal's "Oppenheimer," earning an estimated $9 million. The atom bomb origin story has now surpassed $300 million in domestic earnings, with an additional $477 million overseas.

And in fifth place was Paramount's animated "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem," the latest chapter in the heroes-in-a-half-shell saga, at $6.1 million.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

"Meg 2: The Trench" ($5.1 million)

"Strays" ($4.7 million)

"Retribution" ($3.5 million)

"The Hill" ($2.5 million)

"Haunted Mansion" ($2.1 million)

Agence France-Presse

Football: FIFA suspend Spanish football chief Rubiales after Hermoso kiss

BARCELONA, Spain -- FIFA suspended Luis Rubiales as president of Spain's football federation on Saturday for kissing Women's World Cup player Jenni Hermoso on the lips, while even his close friend Jorge Vilda joined the tidal wave of criticism.

The move by world football's governing body was the latest development in a deepening row pitting Rubiales and the federation (RFEF) against Hermoso and her Spain teammates, which the players say has tarnished the glory of winning the World Cup in Australia last Sunday.

"(We) decided today to provisionally suspend Mr. Luis Rubiales from all football-related activities at national and international level," FIFA said, banning him and the RFEF from contacting Hermoso or those close to her.

The suspension of Rubiales will last 90 days while FIFA undertake disciplinary proceedings against the 46-year-old.

Later Saturday the majority of the women's team's coaching staff offered their resignations over Rubiales' conduct, although controversial coach Vilda was not among them.

Meanwhile 81 players including Hermoso are on strike from the national team.

"I deeply regret that Spanish women's football's triumph has been harmed by the improper behavior of our leader Luis Rubiales, which he himself has acknowledged," said controversial coach Vilda in a statement to domestic EFE news agency.

Vilda, who was seen applauding Rubiales' speech on Friday in which he refused to resign despite unprecedented criticism, was told in it by the president he would be offered a new deal with a huge pay hike.

Six of Vilda's first-team staff and five others working in women's football in the RFEF offered to step down because of the "unacceptable attitudes and statements" from Rubiales.

They added that they supported Hermoso's version of events.

Hermoso and 80 other Spain players, including the entire World Cup squad, said they will not play for the national team until the "leadership" changes.

The RFEF responded to FIFA's suspension, saying Rubiales has "full confidence in the FIFA bodies" and will defend himself "so the truth prevails and his complete innocence is proven".

The federation also said Pedro Rocha would take over as interim president during Rubiales' suspension.

- Defiant -

Rubiales had been under intense pressure to quit but at an emergency RFEF meeting on Friday he was defiant, saying he refused to resign and claiming he was the target of a "social assassination"

On Saturday, the federation upped the ante by threatening legal action over Hermoso's "lies" about the kiss.

Hermoso said "at no time" did she consent to the kiss following the 1-0 win in the final against England in Sydney, which Rubiales described as "mutual, euphoric and consensual".

The RFEF responded, saying it would take "as many legal actions as necessary to defend the honor of the President of the RFEF."

Later Saturday the federation published another statement attacking Hermoso.

"Hermoso lies in all the statements she makes against the president, as we will have the opportunity to prove in due course," it read.

The RFEF said Hermoso had described the kiss as "a mere anecdote without significance" in statements to a FIFA welfare officer soon after it happened. Later they deleted the statement.

- 'Victim of assault' -

Hermoso hit back strongly against Rubiales' claims the kiss was consensual, saying she felt "vulnerable and the victim of an assault".

"I want to clarify that at no time did I consent to the kiss that he gave me and in no case did I seek to lift up the president," she said in the statement on Friday released through the women players' Futpro union.

The Spanish government had confirmed earlier Saturday they had also started a process which may allow them to suspend Rubiales from his post next week.

Spain's High Council for Sport (CSD) president Victor Francos said FIFA's suspension was "no obstacle" for the domestic investigation into Rubiales' conduct to continue.

Players from World Cup runners-up England released a statement in support of Hermoso on their social networks, signed "The Lionesses".

"Unacceptable actions allowed to happen by a sexist and patriarchal organization. Abuse is abuse and we have all seen the truth," it read.

Before the tournament 15 Spain players had taken a similar stance against the federation and Vilda, but many relented and three were part of the World Cup team.

Spain's men's coach Luis de la Fuente described Rubiales' behavior as "wrong".

"I hope that this unpleasant episode comes to an end as soon as possible for the good of Spanish football and that the competent bodies resolve and take the relevant decisions as quickly as possible," he told EFE.

Agence France-Presse

John Isner to retire from tennis after US Open

NEW YORK -- Big-serving American John Isner, who famously took part in the longest tennis match ever played at the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, said Wednesday he will retire from professional tennis after competing in this year's US Open.

Isner -- who defeated France's Nicolas Mahut 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7/9), 7-6 (7/3), 70-68 in an 11-hour epic that took three days to complete at Wimbledon 13 years ago -- confirmed his retirement on social media.

"After 17+ years on the ATP Tour, it's time to say goodbye to professional tennis," Isner wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. "The US Open will be my final event."

"This transition won't be easy but I'm looking forward to every second of it with my amazing family," said Isner, who has four young children with his wife, Maddie. "Time to lace 'em up one last time."

Isner, 38, was a quarter-finalist at Flushing Meadows in 2011 and 2018.

He is the ATP Tour's all-time leader in aces with 14,411 going into the US Open, which starts on Monday.

He was the top-ranked American in the year-end rankings for nine straight years from 2012-2020 and finished inside the top 20 in the world rankings for a decade from 2010-2019.

Isner has won 16 ATP singles titles and eight doubles titles. He was a US Davis Cup regular, posting 15 singles victories and two doubles victories in 18 appearances in the international tournament.

All but two of his ATP singles victories came in the United States, including a 2018 triumph over Alexander Zverev to win the Miami Masters title.

He has won six titles in Atlanta and four in Newport.

But it is arguably his record-breaking epic with Mahut at Wimbledon for which Isner will be best remembered.

Isner hammered down a record 113 aces in the course of the match, which concluded with a jaw-dropping 138-game fifth set.

"Those numbers are etched in my memory," Isner said in an interview years after.

"It's a basketball score, 70-68. It always reminds me of that. I'll never forget these two numbers for as long as I live. It's just crazy."

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Harden fined $100,000 over Sixers no-play threat

LOS ANGELES -- Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden has been fined $100,000 by the NBA after vowing never to play for the team under general manager Daryl Morey, the league said Tuesday.

The league said in a statement it had fined Harden for indicating he would "not perform the services called for under his player contract" unless he was traded to another team.

In scathing remarks made during an event in China earlier this month, Harden, who has requested a trade from the club, branded Sixers boss Morey "a liar".

"Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that he's a part of," Harden said, before repeating the statement for emphasis.

Harden has said in subsequent media interviews that Morey had gone back on a promise to trade him quickly earlier in the off-season.

"I've been patient all summer," Harden said of his situation with the Sixers. "For me, it's just focus on what I can control and getting ready for this season."

The NBA said it had interviewed Harden as part of its investigation, and confirmed that the remarks "referenced Harden's belief that the 76ers would not accommodate his request to be traded".

The 33-year-old 10-time All-Star told the team in July that he wanted to be traded away from the franchise after joining from Brooklyn in February 2022.

Philadelphia hoped the addition of Harden last year would help the team finally challenge for an NBA championship.

However, the team led by reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid have stalled in the playoffs in the last two seasons, exiting in the Eastern Conference semifinals on each occasion.

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