UR MAG

Milan Cortina Olympics Closing Ceremony

Now that the just-concluded Winter Olympics have been hailed for setting"a new, very high standard"by IOC President Kirsty Coventry, Italian organizers are contemplating a bid for the 2040 Summer Games.

"I think our country deserves another Summer Olympics," Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) president Luciano Buonfiglio said over the weekend. "But let's take it step by step. A candidacy has to be agreed on and shared with the government."

The idea of the Milan Cortina Games was born out of the rejection of Rome's bid for the 2024 Olympics by then-Mayor Virginia Raggi a decade ago. That came four years after then-Premier Mario Monti scrapped the city's candidacy for the 2020 Games because of financial concerns; and after a Rome bid was narrowly defeated by Athens in the final round of voting for 2004.

"Scars help you remember" the defeats, said Giovanni Malagò, the head of the Milan Cortina organizing committee and former CONI president.

But Malagò, who is also an IOC member, suggested that Rome has a couple of key advantages in Olympic circles: its "unique" history of failed bids and the centerpiece venue for any Summer candidacy.

"Rome has a 70,000-seat stadium with an athletics track — which is huge in terms of sustainability," Malagò said.

The existing Stadio Olimpico and surrounding Foro Italico complex would be a natural setting for athletics and swimming — the two biggest sports at the Summer Games.

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Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri said during the Milan Cortina Games that he believes his city has "the conditions" for another bid — especially after welcomingmore than 33 million people to the capital and Vatican for the 2025 Holy Year.

"If it's considered a realistic goal, I'm open to collaborating with the IOC, government and CONI in order to create the most competitive bid possible," Gualtieri said. "A capital like Rome should not be afraid of big challenges. The Jubilee showed off our organizational capacity for big events."

With the 2028 Games coming up in Los Angeles and2032 in Brisbane, Australia; andIndia and Qatar bidding for 2036; the 2040 Summer Games seem destined to return to Europe.

"Now is not the time to discuss this. It's premature, wrong and even counterproductive," Malagò said. "We need to understand the geopolitical landscape for post-2032."

Malagò wouldn't elaborate on speculation that he will run for Rome mayor after he finishes off his Milan Cortina duties, saying he would discuss "ideas that I have in mind" after next month's Paralympics.

Andrea Abodi, Italy's Minister for Sport and Youth, added: "It doesn't necessarily require an announcement to build a winning bid."

AP Olympics:https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Brown nearly produced a triple-double, compiling 32 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in 36 minutes of play.

He has taken over as the primary option for Boston sinceJayson Tatum tore his right Achilles tendonduring Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on May 12, 2025.

Brown was named the NBA Finals MVP after the Celtics won the championship in 2024, but James believes there's a case to be made for Brown to be mentioned in this season's MVP race.

"This whole MVP thing, I don't understand why his name is not getting talked about as well," James said of Brown after Sunday's game. "Like, nobody gave them a shot to start the season. And he's averaging what, 30? Just under 30? It's a popularity contest sometimes, I tell you."

Brown is averaging 29.2 points, seven rebounds and 4.8 assists per game this season. He's fourth among NBA players in points per game this season.

Oct. 26: The Brooklyn Nets' Michael Porter Jr. dunks in front of the San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama at Frost Bank Center.

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Dribble into this collection of dunk photos as NBA stars posterize opponents

The MVP conversation has largely been dominated by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder) and Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets), the winners of the prior two MVP awards.

"It's an honor to play the Celtics-Lakers rivalry. It's an honor for LeBron, who's arguably the best player to ever play the game, to give me some high praise," Brown told reporters after the game. "So, I'm just grateful."

James and Brown were teammates during theNBA All-Star Game mini-tournamentearlier this month at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.

Who is considered the NBA MVP favorite?

Odds via BetMGM, as of 1 a.m. ET Monday morning:

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (-140)

Nikola Jokic (+310)

Cade Cunningham (+500)

Victor Wembanyama (+2500)

Luka Doncic (+4000)

Jaylen Brown (+5000)

Donovan Mitchell (+10000)

Anthony Edwards (+15000)

Jalen Brunson (+20000)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:LeBron James praises Jaylen Brown after Celtics-Lakers game

No cause of death or location was provided for Braxton, whose birthday was Wednesday.

"It is with profound sadness that we mourn the passing of 2x WNBA Champion Kara Braxton," the WNBA said in a statement on social media. "A 10-season veteran, Kara played with the Detroit Shock, Tulsa Shock, Phoenix Mercury, and New York Liberty. Our thoughts are with her family, friends, and former teammates at this time."

The Detroit Shock selected Braxton, a 6-foot-6 forward/center, with the seventh overall pick of the 2005 WNBA Draft.

Her career averages were 7.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 16.5 minutes in 297 regular-season games (120 starts) for Detroit/Tulsa (2005-10), Phoenix (2010-11) and New York (2011-14).

Braxton also averaged 7.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 16.1 minutes in 46 playoff games (11 starts).

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She won league championships in 2006 and 2008 with the Detroit Shock, who relocated to Tulsa for the 2010 season. She was on the WNBA All-Rookie team in 2005 and an All-Star in 2007.

"We mourn the loss of Kara Braxton, a former Liberty player whose presence and passion left a lasting impact on our organization and the women's game," the Liberty wrote on the team's X account. "Our hearts are with her family, friends, teammates, and all who were touched by her spirit. Her impact will not be forgotten."

Braxton was born in Jackson, Michigan. She played high school basketball for Westview in Portland, Ore., and in college at Georgia.

She played from 2001-04 for the Bulldogs and averaged 15.4 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.6 steals, 1.8 blocks and 24.0 minutes in 71 games. Braxton was the Southeastern Conference Rookie of the Year and All-Freshman and All-SEC for the 2001-02 campaign.

According to reports, she extended her professional career by playing overseas through the 2017-18 season. After retirement, she worked for Nike in Oregon before moving to the Atlanta area, USA Today reported.

She is survived by her husband Jarvis Jackson and sons Jream Jackson and Jelani Thurman, USA Today reported. Thurman was a tight end on Ohio State's national championship team in 2024 and after his third season transferred to North Carolina in January.

--Field Level Media

SEOUL, Feb 23 (Reuters) - South Korean President Lee Jae Myung held summit talks in Seoul on Monday with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio ‌Lula da Silva, where they agreed to expand cooperation in sectors including trade, key ‌minerals, technology and culture.

The leaders plan to elevate the bilateral relationship into a strategic partnership, and for the countries to ​work together to support stability on the Korean Peninsula, Lee said.

"Peace, built on conditions where conflict isn't needed, is the strongest form of security," the South Korean president told a joint press conference.

The leaders oversaw the signing of 10 memorandums of understanding (MOUs) spanning trade and industrial policy, core minerals, digital economy ‌including AI, agriculture, health and biotech, ⁠small-business exchanges and joint policing against cybercrime, narcotics and other transnational threats.

In earlier remarks, Lee said the two sides adopted a four-year action plan to ⁠map out concrete steps for expanding bilateral cooperation, from strategic minerals to defence and space industries, as well as food security.

Brazil is South Korea's largest trading partner in South America, making economic cooperation a ​key part ​of the agenda.

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Lula said Brazil holds large rare-earth reserves ​and has substantial nickel deposits, and ‌that his government hoped to attract investment from South Korean companies.

In a message posted to X earlier in the day, Lee welcomed Lula, who is in Seoul for his first state visit in 21 years, pointing out the similarities in their backgrounds.

"As a former child labourer, you proved with your whole life that democracy is the most powerful tool for social and economic progress," Lee wrote.

"I ‌support your life, your struggle and your achievements, which ​will remain forever in the history of global democracy."

The leaders, ​who first met at the G7 ​summit in Canada last year and later at the G20 summit in South ‌Africa, appear to have bonded over shared experiences ​of childhood factory work and ​workplace injuries.

The talks took place in South Korea's presidential Blue House, the first large-scale official welcome ceremony to be held since Lee moved his office back to the building.

A ​state banquet is scheduled for ‌Monday evening where barbecue dishes and Brazilian bossa nova pieces are due to be ​performed by a Korean jazz band alongside a children's choir, Lee's office said.

(Reporting by ​Kyu-seok Shim and Joyce LeeEditing by Ed Davies)

Police stand guard as twelve pro-democracy activists appeal their convictions and sentences in a landmark national security case at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts building, in Hong Kong

HONG KONG, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Hong Kong's Court of Appeal rejected an appeal by 12 pro‑democracy activists and upheld their jail terms on Monday in a national security case that critics say highlights the China-ruled city's crackdown ‌on dissent.

The appeal stems from the "Hong Kong 47" case, where many leading pro-democracy activists and politicians were arrested en masse in early ‌2021 and charged with conspiracy to commit subversion. Following marathon legal proceedings, most of the democrats were eventually sentenced in late 2024 to between 4 and 10 years' imprisonment, with two ​others acquitted.

Rights groups and some countries, including the U.S. and Britain, condemned the case as persecution of Hong Kong's political opposition and called for the immediate release of all those arrested.

Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong said she was "deeply concerned" that Australian citizen Gordon Ng had lost his appeal, noting Canberra has "expressed our strong objections to Chinese and Hong Kong authorities on the continuing broad application of national security legislation".

Judges Jeremy Poon, Derek Pang and Anthea Pang wrote in their ‌judgment that the defendants were part of a conspiracy ⁠conceived, advocated and pursued by legal scholar Benny Tai to produce a "constitutional mass destruction weapon" aimed at toppling the constitutional order in Hong Kong.

'WHAT CRIMES HAVE THEY COMMITTED?'

The case centred on an unofficial "primary election" organised by the democrats in ⁠mid-2020 to select the strongest candidates for a legislative council election.

The prosecution alleged that the democrats were conspiring to win a majority in order to paralyse the government by indiscriminately vetoing the city's annual budget in a bid to force Hong Kong's leader to resign.

The 11 democrats who lost appeals against their convictions included former ​lawmakers ​Helena Wong, Lam Cheuk-ting, Raymond Chan and "Long Hair" Leung Kwok-hung; former district councillors Clarisse ​Yeung, Kalvin Ho and Tat Cheng; and activists Gwyneth Ho, ‌Owen Chow, Winnie Yu, Gordon Ng.

The democrats, and one other activist, Prince Wong, also failed in their appeals against their sentences, with the exception of Gwyneth Ho who only appealed her conviction.

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After hearing the result, the defendants appeared calm and waved to their families and supporters.

"What crimes have they committed?" said Chan Po-ying, the wife of activist Leung Kwok-hung, after the ruling, echoing the arguments of some defence lawyers that legislators in Hong Kong were free to vote against any bills and veto the budget as a lawful "check and balance" under the city's mini-constitution.

ACQUITTAL OF DEMOCRAT UPHELD

Despite the international criticism, Hong ‌Kong and Beijing insist the democrats received a fair trial, and say a China-imposed ​national security law in 2020 helped restore order to Hong Kong after mass pro-democracy protests ​the year before.

The judges said any plan to veto the budget ​indiscriminately, regardless of its content or merits, was "clearly an abuse of the power (of legislators)".

The judges, however, dismissed an appeal by ‌the Department of Justice against the acquittal of barrister Lawrence ​Lau, saying he had never openly and ​directly advocated for the vetoing of the budget, like the others.

Lau told reporters he was "happy" with the result.

So far, 18 of the 45 convicted democrats have been released after serving their jail terms.

"By failing to overturn these wrongful convictions and sentences today, the court has ​missed a critical opportunity to correct this mass injustice," ‌said Fernando Cheung, a spokesman for Amnesty International Hong Kong Overseas.

"Peaceful opposition to a government is not a crime, and all ​remaining jailed members of the Hong Kong 47 should be released immediately and unconditionally."

(Reporting by Jessie Pang and James Pomfret in ​Hong Kong, Christine Chen in Sydney; Editing by Saad Sayeed and Raju Gopalakrishnan)