The suspension for conduct detrimental to the league covers the first 25 games of the 2023-2024 regular season and includes conditions for reinstatement. 

He is ineligible to participate in any public league or team activities, including preseason games, during the course of his suspension.

“Ja Morant’s decision to once again wield a firearm on social media is alarming and disconcerting given his similar conduct in March for which he was already suspended eight games,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said. 

“The potential for other young people to emulate Ja’s conduct is particularly concerning. Under these circumstances, we believe a suspension of 25 games is appropriate and makes clear that engaging in reckless and irresponsible behavior with guns will not be tolerated.

“For Ja, basketball needs to take a back seat at this time. Prior to his return to play, he will be required to formulate and fulfill a program with the league that directly addresses the circumstances that led him to repeat this destructive behavior.”

‘Sorry for failing you’

Morant took accountability for his actions last month and released another statement after the suspension was announced, apologizing to the NBA, the Grizzlies, and the city of Memphis.

“I’m sorry for the harm I’ve done. To the kids who look up to me, I’m sorry for failing you as a role model. I promise I’m going to be better,” Morant said in a statement. 

“To all of my sponsors, I’m going to be a better representation of our brands. And to all of my fans, I’m going to make it up to you, I promise.”

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“I’m spending the off-season and my suspension continuing to work on my own mental health and decision making,” he said. “I’m also going to be training so that I’m ready to go when I can be back… I’m so sorry I won’t be out there with you (teammates) at the beginning of the season.”

“I hope you’ll give me the chance to prove to you over time I’m a better man that what I’ve been showing you,” Morant added.

$10-million suspension

The Grizzlies offered the following statement shortly after the suspension was announced:

“We respect the League’s decision to suspend Ja Morant following this latest episode. Our standards as a league and team are clear, and we expect that all team personnel will adhere to them.”

Based on his $33.5 million salary for 2023-2024, the suspension will cost Morant approximately $10.2 million.

The video, which was on Instagram Live, featured Morant waving a gun while sitting in the passenger’s seat of a car while listening to rap music. The clip was released on May 13, and the Grizzlies suspended the guard from all team activities the following day.

It was the second time in three months that Morant was caught with a firearm on social media. He previously was suspended eight games and sought counseling after a March 4 incident in which he filmed himself holding a gun at a Denver strip club following a 113-97 loss to the Nuggets.

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Ahead of Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Silver said the “history of prior acts” and “the individual player’s history” would be taken into account when the league made its decision on Morant’s punishment.

Morant, 23, is coming off his fourth season with Memphis after the Grizzlies selected him with the second overall pick in the 2019 draft. 

A two-time All-Star, Morant averaged 26.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 8.1 assists in 61 games (59 starts) in 2022-2023. – Rappler.com

The investigation was launched in April 2021 after a white former police officer, Derek Chauvin, was convicted of murdering George Floyd, a Black man, by kneeling on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes after he had been handcuffed.

The city has agreed to negotiate an agreement with the Justice Department on reforming the police department known as a consent decree, which will be overseen by a federal judge, the DOJ said.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the findings at a press conference outside the federal courthouse in Minneapolis alongside Mayor Jacob Frey and Police Chief Brian O’Hara.

The killing of Floyd in May 2020, captured in a bystander’s cellphone video, sparked protests across the US decrying police brutality and racism in the criminal justice system. In Minneapolis, protesters damaged property, including a police precinct house that was set ablaze.

Many people in Minneapolis complained that Chauvin’s excessive use of force against Floyd was not exceptional, and that the city’s police officers had long abused the rights of Black residents.

The Justice Department’s investigation was launched to see if the city government or the police department had a “pattern or practice” of using excessive force or discriminatory policing. – Rappler.com

Six players – led by Rome dela Rosa – scored in double figures as the Hotshots seized solo top spot in the preseason tournament with a pristine 5-0 record, breaking their tie with fellow unbeaten squad Rain or Shine (4-0).

Dela Rosa finished with 19 points and 6 rebounds, Joseph Eriobu chalked up 14 points, while Mark Barroca, Jerrick Ahanmisi, David Murrell, and James Laput chipped in 11 points apiece.

Laput also delivered 13 rebounds and 3 blocks as he continues to make a case for an increase in playing time when the PBA season opens in October.

Bucking a relatively lethargic start, Magnolia erased a 15-18 deficit at the end of the opening quarter and banked on Dela Rosa in the second frame to build a 43-31 halftime lead.

With star teammates Paul Lee and Calvin Abueva sidelined, Dela Rosa erupted for 11 points in the second period, where the Hotshots held the Tropang Giga to just 13 points.

Magnolia then pulled away for good in the final salvo and outscored a TNT side missing stars Jayson Castro, Mikey Williams, Roger Pogoy, Poy Erram, and Calvin Oftana, 31-11, in the quarter.

The blowout, though, still had its thrilling moments thanks to Murrell, the reigning PBA Slam Dunk Contest champion.

Murrell treated the sizable crowd at the Ynares Sports Arena to an aerial show as he slammed home a pair of breakaway dunks in the final four minutes.

Glenn Khobuntin put up 23 points and 5 rebounds for the Tropang Giga, who have yet to win after three games.

Without its core, TNT filled its roster with San Beda players Peter Alfaro, Clifford Jopia, Damie Cuntapay, and JV Gallego.

The Scores

Magnolia 96 – Dela Rosa 19, Eriobu 14, Barroca 11, Laput 11, Ahanmisi 11, Murrell 11, Mendoza 8, Corpuz 8, Corpuz 5, Jalalon 4, Reavis 2, Sangalang 0.

TNT 63 – Khobuntin 23, Cruz 11, Varilla 10, Marcelo 8, Ganuelas-Rosser 6, Cuntapay 3, Gallego 2, Tungcab 0, Jopia 0, Alfaro 0.

Quarters: 15-18, 43-31, 65-52, 96-63.

– Rappler.com

Biparjoy, which means “calamity” in Bengali, hit the state of Gujarat with speeds of up to 125 km per hour (78 mph), blowing roofs off houses and uprooting trees and electricity poles.

Yet the only deaths recorded were those of two shepherds who died while trying to prevent their cattle from being swept away hours before the cyclone made landfall.

In 1998, a major storm in Gujarat killed about 4,000 people, according to local media, while in 2021, close to 100 people died in an ‘extremely severe cyclone’ named Tauktae.

“Early identification of areas that were likely to be impacted by the cyclone and timely evacuation of people living within 10 km of the coasts are the biggest reasons” for low casualties, said Kamal Dayani, a senior Gujarat official.

“Our focus from the beginning was on preventing loss of lives, not just human lives but even animals.”

More than 100,000 people were evacuated from eight coastal districts and moved to shelters in school auditoriums and other government buildings a day before the cyclone struck.

Authorities also suspended fishing, shut schools and closed beaches. Many offshore oil installations and major ports suspended operations days earlier.

In addition, 30 teams of national and state disaster responders were deployed.

“We overprepared,” said Atul Karwal, chief of the National Disaster Response Force.

The storm hitting the sparsely populated parts of the desert district of Kutch also helped, Dayani said.

While the death toll was low, more than 5,100 electricity poles were toppled disrupting power supply to over 4,600 villages.

“We will study what we have done right and also identify the areas we can do better in the future,” Dayani said. – Rappler.com

Aleah Finnegan and Kylee Kvamme will join Carlos Yulo in the global showdown set in Antwerp, Belgium in September after making the cut in the Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Singapore on Friday, June 16.

Finnegan finished seventh in the women’s individual all-around with a total of 50.399 points and advanced to the apparatus finals of the vault, balance beam, and floor exercise.

The reigning Southeast Asian Games vault champion, Finnegan emerged as the second-best qualifier in the apparatus after earning an average of 13.533 points, just behind Korea’s Yeo Seojeong, who normed 13.683 points.

Finnegan then ranked seventh in balance beam with 12.833 points and netted 12.933 points for eighth place in floor exercise, where compatriot Emma Malabuyo also clinched a final berth after placing fifth with 13.033 points.

The top eight gymnasts in each apparatus (a maximum of two per federation) will advance to the finals.

Meanwhile, Kvamme caught the bus to the world championships after garnering 48.765 points for 14th place in the individual all-around.

Since there were seven higher-ranked gymnasts (three from China and two each from Korea and Chinese Taipei) who qualified for the worlds through the team event, Kvamme made the cut as one of the next-best eight gymnasts.

China bagged the team all-around gold with 163.529 points, while Korea (160.095) and Chinese Taipei (147.397) settled for silver and bronze, respectively.

The Philippines – also composed of Lucia Gutierrez and Ancilla Lucia Mari Manzano – wound up at fifth place after posting 145.096 points.

Yulo looks to produce a pair of gold medals on Saturday as he competes in the men’s floor exercise and rings finals, while Finnegan eyes the women’s vault crown.

Also set on Saturday is the women’s floor exercise final, with Finnegan and Malabuyo seeking decent finishes. – Rappler.com

In a meeting at Beijing’s Diaoyutai state guest house, where China’s leaders have traditionally received senior foreign visitors, Xi said he was very happy to see the Microsoft MSFT.O co-founder and philanthropist after three years, and that Gates was the first American friend he had met this year.

“I often say the foundation of US-China relations lies with its people. I place my hopes on the American people,” a video published by state broadcaster CCTV showed Xi as saying.

“With the current global situation, we can carry out various activities beneficial to our two countries and people, activities that benefit humanity as a whole,” he said.

Gates, who arrived in Beijing on Wednesday, June 14, said he was “honored” to have the chance to meet. “We’ve always had great conversations and we’ll have lot of important topics to discuss today…. It’s very exciting to be back.”

In a post on his personal blog, Gates said he and Xi had discussed global health and development challenges such as health inequity and climate change.

Xi stopped traveling abroad for nearly three years as China shut its borders during the coronavirus pandemic and his international meetings since the reopening have mostly been with other state leaders.

A number of CEOs have visited China since it reopened early this year, but most have met with government ministers.

Gates stepped down from Microsoft’s board in 2020 to focus on philanthropy in the fields of global health, education and climate change.

The last reported meeting between Xi and Gates was in 2015, when they met on the sidelines of the Boao forum in Hainan province. In early 2020, Xi wrote to Gates thanking him and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for pledging assistance to China, including $5 million for its fight against COVID-19.

Xi also discussed the global rise of artificial intelligence(AI) with Bill Gates and said he welcomed US firms including Microsoft bringing their AI tech to China, two sources familiar with the talks said.

One of the sources said they also discussed Microsoft’s business development in China.

Not pursuing hegemony

The mood of the foreign business community towards China has turned more cautious as Sino-US tensions intensify and Xi increases China’s focus on national security.

Gates’ visit comes ahead of a long-delayed trip to China by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken aimed at stabilizing relations between the world’s two largest economies and strategic rivals.

Blinken had a tense call with China’s foreign minister Qin Gang on Wednesday, during which Qin urged the United States to stop meddling in its affairs and harming its security.

During his meeting with Gates, Xi said China would not follow the old path of a “strong country seeking hegemony” but would work with other countries to achieve common development, according to the People’s Daily newspaper. China often accuses the United States of pursuing hegemony.

Apart from meeting Xi, Gates gave a speech at the Global Health Drug Discovery Institute about the need to use technology to solve global health challenges during his visit.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Beijing municipal government, which founded the institute with Tsinghua University, also pledged to each provide $50 million to bolster the institute’s drug discovery capacity. – Rappler.com

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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday, June 15, that countries must start phasing out oil, coal and gas – not just emissions – and demanded that fossil fuel companies “cease and desist” measures that aim to hobble progress on the issue.

Some Western governments and climate-afflicted island nations agree, but the oil-producing United Arab Emirates, host of COP28, says the talks should focus on phasing out emissions. Nevertheless, the UAE’s incoming COP28 president said last week the phasedown of the fuels themselves was inevitable.

The United Nations climate change body said the Bonn talks closed on Thursday with progress on the issues of financing measures to mitigate climate change; the question of liability for the loss and damage it has caused; and funding for measures to adapt to its effects. But it did not specify what had been decided.

The meeting is seen as a mid-way check-in to prepare decisions for adoption at COP28, which begins on November 30.

The landmark 2015 Paris climate agreement set a 1.5ºC increase in the global surface temperature as a limit for averting the most catastrophic effects of global warming in the industrial era – a threshold already close to being crossed.

The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) said delegates in Bonn had laid the groundwork for more ambitious action.

“From what I have seen and heard, there are bridges that can be built to realize the common ground we know exists,” UNFCCC Executive Secretary Simon Stiell said late on Thursday.

But activists accused the US, Britain and the European Union of trying to divert discussions away from their legal accountability for climate change.

And they said rich industrialized countries were pushing developing countries to commit to measures such as expanding renewable sources of power without taking into account their inability to pay for them.

The UNFCCC said climate finance was among the topics heavily discussed in Bonn.

Environmentalists did, however, welcome new UNFCCC requirements for participants in the UN process to disclose their affiliation, a step aimed at curbing the influence of fossil fuel industry lobbyists. – Rappler.com

This was confirmed by Police Major Alphad Osalli, chief of Ungkaya Pukan Municipal Police Station (MPS), who said that the gun battle lasted until 2 pm, when the armed men withdrew toward an unknown direction.

This paved the way for the immediate evacuation of the displaced individuals in coordination with Municipal Social Welfare Development Officer Nursira Estajal together with Municipal Administrator Madznur Maturan.

Osalli said the internally displaced persons from barangays Materling, Bohe-Suyak, and Lower Ulitan were temporarily housed in Ma’ahad Darul Ulum before they proceeded to their respective relatives in the neighboring villages.

At around 2:30 pm, the patrol team was conducting a chokepoint operation at the crossing of Materling when the wounded rubber tapper identified as Aragon Sajid Abon, 38, was taken to the Ungkaya Pukan Rural Health Unit.

Authorities conducted a briefing at around 4 pm to harmonize the armed encounters, reduce casualties, avoid escalation of hostilities, and promote peace.

Early on, another group of unidentified armed men attacked a detachment of the Army’s Scout Rangers also in Ungkaya Pukan, as confirmed by Basilan Provincial Police Director Colonel Carlos Madronio. No casualty was reported. – Rappler.com

Meanwhile, all domestic flights of PAL will now operate from Terminal 2, alongside domestic flights of AirAsia.

The reassignments are part of the Schedule and Terminal Assignment Rationalization (STAR) program of the Manila International Airport Authority, which started on April 16. Under the program, MIAA estimates the capacity of Terminal 2 to increase from 7.5 million to 10 million passengers a year.

Terminal 2 was originally designed as a domestic terminal with continuous passenger flow. But in the 1990s, PAL began to use Terminal 2 exclusively for its international and domestic operations, an arrangement that was entered into during a time of financial distress for the flagship carrier.

Prior to this, PAL also began moving flights to and from Singapore, Ho Chi Minh, and Phnom Penh to Terminal 1.

See the full list of terminal reassignments here. – Rappler.com