Japanese fans gather to welcome BTS on world tour

Donovan Mitchell and James Harden combined for 58 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Toronto Raptors 115-105 to take a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven NBA Eastern Conference first-round playoff series on Monday.

Fourth seeds Cleveland, convincing 126-113 victors in game one of the series on Saturday, once again proved too strong for fifth-seeded Toronto as they powered to a wire-to-wire victory.

Mitchell finished with 30 points including four three-pointers while Harden finished with 28 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Evan Mobley also had a big night for Cleveland, weighing in with 25 points from an efficient 11-of-13 shooting display.

The Cavs' victory provided more evidence that the offensive partnership between Mitchell and the 36-year-old Harden, who was traded to the team in February, is blossoming at the right time for Cleveland.

"He's been doing it a little bit longer than me but we've still been doing it for a long time -- just trying to find ways to win," Mitchell said of Harden.

"Whether it's passing, it's rebounding, getting stops -- when you have two guys who are trying to chase the same thing, it definitely helps for sure," Mitchell added.

Toronto's scoring was led by Scottie Barnes with 26 points while RJ Barrett added 22.

Game three of the series takes place in Toronto on Thursday.

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Entering the San Salvador district of Mejicanos no longer means taking your life in your hands, like it did a decade ago when Kathya Quintanilla left home to meet a friend at a local park.

The 16-year-old never came home, one of tens of thousands of people to go missing in the gang wars that throttled El Salvador for decades until President Nayib Bukele began his crackdown four years ago.

Standing at the edge of a ravine on the outskirts of Mejicanos, Kathya's mother Tomasa Lopez points to suspected mass graves below where she thinks her daughter might be buried.

"The worst part is not knowing where she is," said Lopez, 46, who wore a t-shirt featuring her daughter's face and hass her name tattooed on her shoulder.

Bukele pacified the gangs by imposing a state of emergency used to indefinitely detain tens of thousands of men in the Central American nation on suspicion of gang membership.

The campaign resulted in a dramatic decrease in crime but has brought little relief to families of the missing, and their pleas for help have fallen on deaf ears.

- 'Not knowing' -

Light pours from Lopez's bare-bones home on a dirt street lined with abandoned houses whose habitants years ago fled the brutal Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang, one of the most powerful in Central America.

Candles flicker in front of a dozen pictures of Kathya pasted to an unpainted wall, Lopez's shrine to her daughter, who stares out from the pictures with brown, almond-shaped eyes and a serene smile.

All information about missing persons in El Salvador -- whether victims of gangs, the civil war, or missing migrants -- is classified.

In June 2025, Bukele claimed, without providing proof, that around 90 percent of the people who disappeared had been murdered by gangs.

He said that adding the disappeared to the estimated 120,000 people killed by gangs since the end of the country's 1979-1992 civil war would take the death toll to 200,000 -- a colossal figure in the country of six million, equivalent to the population of a large town.

The mass incarceration of suspected gang members initially sparked hope among the families of the missing for information about their loved ones.

But those hopes have been dashed.

"It's been ten years of searching, of waiting for answers from the police, the prosecutor's office, or the medical examiner's office. But, for them, those who disappear cease to exist," Lopez said.

AFP reached out to the government, the public prosecutor's office, and pro-government members of parliament for comment, but received no responses.

- Disappeared while buying candy -

In another part of Mejicanos that has paved streets and more robust housing, MS-13's arch-rival, the Barrio 18 gang, killed Carmen Armero's husband and disappeared her son.

Herber, a student who spoke four languages and was planning to get married and travel, disappeared one night when he went out to buy candy. 

"There are only two possibilities: he's alive or he's dead. What I want is to find him. I don't want to hear about who's responsible anymore," Armero said, her voice breaking with emotion.

Armero, who is president of the Search Bloc for Disappeared Persons, a group representing several dozen families, believes the existence of mass graves is being silenced by officials because it would damage Bukele's campaign to rebrand El Salvador.

"If you want to see how safe El Salvador is, go to the ugliest, darkest place, sit on a rock, and wait for dawn," the president wrote recently on social media.

Fernando, a 36-year-old street vendor, disappeared in 2022 in the coffee-rich northwestern Salvadoran department of Santa Ana. 

Sandra Gallegos, his 53-year-old mother, wishes she could "grab a pickaxe and shovel" every morning to go and search for his remains.

But to do so would mean being branded a gang member herself.

"If the police arrive, they'll say we're collaborating with the gangs because we know about the grave," Esmeralda Rosales, Fernando's 40-year-old sister, explained.

- 'Until my last breath' -

In Mexico, where more than 130,000 people have disappeared, primarily due to drug trafficking, families grouped into collectives can compel the state by law to search for mass graves. 

Families "have the right to know what happened to their loved ones," and states have the "obligation" to respond, keep them informed, "and guarantee their participation" in the search, the International Committee of the Red Cross, which protects and assists victims of conflict, told AFP.

Two months ago, opposition congresswoman Claudia Ortiz proposed a law compelling the Salvadoran government to investigate disappearances, maintain a registry of the missing and provide support to their families. 

But Congress, which is controlled by the all-powerful Bukele, refused to debate the bill. 

"We have a government that talks about security but forgets about thousands of families...abandoned by a state that makes the disappeared disappear," Ortiz told AFP. 

Standing before a mural commemorating the disappeared at the University of El Salvador in San Salvador, Gallegos said she draws strength from her 12-year-old grandson, who is convinced his father Fernando, the street vendor, will return. 

"Some people tell me, 'Just give him to God!' but my greatest hope, my faith, is to find him alive," she said.

Even if he were dead, finding and burying him would provide some solace by giving the family "somewhere to mourn," she said, wiping away tears. 

Back in Mejicanos, Lopez worries about construction projects encroaching on the ravine where her daughter may be buried.

She said her daughter appeared to her in a dream recently and urged her to keep up the search.

"I have to keep going...until my last breath," she said.

"I have hope that one day I'll recover and bury what little remains of her, and we'll have peace, she and me."

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Kevin Warsh, US President Donald Trump's choice to lead the Federal Reserve, will vow to protect central bank independence on interest rates at a crucial confirmation hearing Tuesday, according to remarks seen by AFP.

"I am committed to ensuring that the conduct of monetary policy remains strictly independent," Warsh is to say in an opening statement to the Senate Banking Committee.

He is also expected to express commitment to fighting inflation.

The hearing, scheduled for 10:00 am (1400 GMT) Tuesday, will be closely watched as it marks a key hurdle Warsh must overcome in order to succeed Fed Chair Jerome Powell when his term ends on May 15.

But the session will be tense, with all 11 Democrats on the Banking Committee last week urging for a delay in the nomination's proceedings until separate investigations into Powell and Fed governor Lisa Cook are closed.

Republican Senator Thom Tillis, who sits on the panel led by his party, has also vowed to block all Fed nominees -- including Warsh -- until the Justice Department probe involving Powell is resolved.

With 13 Republican members on the committee, Tillis' vote against Warsh's confirmation could be enough to set up an impasse.

Warsh is due to face sharp questioning from lawmakers on issues ranging from his wealth to past connections with the late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, alongside his views on economic issues.

- Proving himself -

"The hearing will be important, because it will be his first chance since he was nominated by the president to demonstrate that he intends to be a credible, independent central banker," Brookings senior fellow David Wessel told AFP.

"He has to be really careful to not anger Trump," Wessel added. 

But Warsh will also have to avoid the impression "that he's weak or subject to political pressure."

In his prepared remarks, which were first reported by Politico, Warsh maintains that it is up to the Fed itself to stay free of political influence.

"I do not believe the operational independence of monetary policy is particularly threatened when elected officials -- presidents, senators, or members of the House -- state their views on interest rates," he notes.

"Central bankers must be strong enough to listen to a diversity of views," he adds.

On inflation, he says: "Inflation is a choice, and the Fed must take responsibility for it."

He stresses that price surges bring "grievous harm" to citizens.

But his prepared speech also emphasizes that the Fed "must stay in its lane," adding that "Fed independence is placed at greatest risk when it strays into fiscal and social policies where it has neither authority nor expertise."

- Inflation pressures -

ING economist James Knightley told AFP that all eyes will be on how closely Warsh is aligned with the president on cutting interest rates.

He noted that during Warsh's 2006-2011 tenure as Fed governor, he was considered more "hawkish" -- a term for policymakers who favor controlling inflation by keeping interest rates higher.

But he appears to have shifted his stance, "buying into the idea that the Fed can cut interest rates more aggressively and earlier" than the current rate-setting committee believes.

Knightley pointed to "heavy clues" that Warsh is an advocate for tech investments and AI, which some believe can change the US economy's ability to grow without generating the same degree of inflationary pressures.

But higher gasoline prices due to war in the Middle East prove a more immediate challenge to rate cuts.

The Fed's credibility on inflation could be questioned if Warsh pushes too much for lower rates.

He will have to "play it very carefully" by acknowledging near-term price shocks while explaining that these may not create a more lasting inflationary threat if a ceasefire deal were reached, Knightley said.

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Virginia votes Tuesday in a referendum that could hand Democrats four extra seats in the US House of Representatives, turning President Donald Trump's redistricting push into a potential liability for Republicans in upcoming midterm elections.

The battle over "gerrymandering" -- the long-established but widely criticized US practice of drawing electoral boundaries to benefit one party -- has become one of the defining fights of the campaign for November's midterm elections.

The ballot measure would temporarily let Virginia redraw its congressional map before the next scheduled nationwide redistricting in 2030, giving Democrats a strong advantage in 10 of the state's 11 House districts, up from their current 6-5 edge.

With control of the House on a knife edge, the vote could help determine whether Trump finishes his term with a compliant Republican Congress or a Democratic chamber empowered to block his agenda and investigate his administration.

Redistricting usually follows the national census every 10 years, but Trump last year urged Republican-led states to redraw maps mid-decade to protect the party's fragile House majority.

That triggered a tit-for-tat contest as both parties raced to squeeze out extra seats before November.

Texas moved first, adopting a map that could add up to five Republican seats. California answered with a ballot measure designed to give Democrats five of their own. 

Virginia is now one of Democrats' last major chances to gain ground through redistricting before voters decide control of Congress.

Democratic groups have poured money into the state, making the referendum one of the most expensive redistricting fights in US history. 

The main campaigns on both sides have raised nearly $100 million, much of it from "dark money" groups -- nonprofit organizations that can spend heavily on politics without publicly disclosing their donors.

- 'Unfair advantage' -

The pro-redistricting campaign, Virginians for Fair Elections, has raised the lion's share -- nearly $65 million, according to The Hill. 

Former president Barack Obama, still one of the Democratic Party's most influential campaign voices, has urged Virginians to vote yes.

"By voting yes, you can push back against the Republicans trying to give themselves an unfair advantage in the midterms... And we're counting on you," he said in a video message.

Democrats argue that the Virginia map is a necessary counterweight to Trump's pressure campaign. Republicans call it a naked power grab in a politically mixed state where Trump took 46 percent of the vote in 2024. 

US Congresswoman Jen Kiggans, a Virginia Republican whose district could be affected, told ABC News that forcing the measure through would "come back to bite" Democrats.

More than one million Virginians have already had their say, with early and absentee voting data cited by The Hill giving Democrats a sizable advantage.

But recent polling suggests supporters hold only a narrow edge, and University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato cautioned that the outcome was not guaranteed.

"To get 10 out of 11 seats is not easy, even with Virginia leaning more Democratic," he told AFP. "And of late... it hasn't been as Democratic as it had been previously."

A victory would boost House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, who has spearheaded efforts to neutralize Trump-backed maps in Republican states. 

Defeat would be damaging, particularly for Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger, whose approval ratings have dipped as she champions the plan.

The result will also shape the final phase of the national map fight. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is pushing a special session that could allow Republicans to gain as many as five seats, potentially wiping out any Democratic gains in Virginia.

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(The Center Square) – Shreveport on Monday continued to grapple with the aftermath of one of the city’s deadliest tragedies.

The Caddo Parish Coroner’s Office released the names of eight young children who were shot to death by suspect Shamar Elkins.

Identified by the mothers, the children killed were Jayla Elkins, 3; Shayla Elkins, 5; Kayla Pugh, 6; Layla Pugh, 7; Markaydon Pugh, 10; Sariahh Snow, 11; Khedarrion Snow, 6; and Braylon Snow, 5.

Two women were also shot and remain in critical condition. Police said one of the women is the mother of seven of the children. The eighth child who died is reportedly a family member.

After shooting the victims, Elkins carjacked a passing motorist at gunpoint and fled to Bossier City. The pursuit ended when Shreveport police officers fired on the vehicle, killing Elkins.

Across the city, vigils are being held and residents are openly mourning the events that unfolded early Sunday morning. 

Gov. Jeff Landry was in Shreveport late Monday to address the community. 

“You know I thought that I had seen evil up close as we dealt with last year’s Bourbon Street attack, but the tragedy that unfolded this weekend seems to have eclipsed that,” Landry said at Government Plaza in Shreveport.

The children were killed at three Shreveport homes around 6 a.m. Sunday. The crime scene investigation involves four locations, from Cedar Grove to north Bossier. The children were found deceased on the 300 block of West 79th Street.

The Love One Louisiana Foundation will be paying all of the expenses for the children’s funerals, Landry said.

Elkins had a 2019 conviction for illegal use of a weapon from a confrontation with another man that occurred near a school. His claims of self-defense could not be disproved, according to the Caddo Parish district attorney’s office. 

Elkins received probation for that shooting incident. He also had a 2015 DWI conviction. 

“The incident occurred near a school due to the location of Mr. Elkins’ residence,” the district attorney said. "The court determined the sentence, and there have been no reported interactions with law enforcement or the courts since that time."

Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith has repeatedly told the City Council that domestic violence is a critical issue facing the city. As other crime statistics were dropping this year, domestic violence incidents had been rising.

Shreveport Police responded to nearly 3,000 calls related to domestic violence in 2025, Smith told the City Council in February. Last year, more than 20% of the city’s 42 homicides were coded domestic violence, according to Smith.

Shreveport has had 15 homicides so far this year, including the eight from Sunday.

“One of the things that tragedy gives you the opportunity to do is to pull together as a community, not just the city but the state and the people of the state,” said Mayor Tom Arceneaux at Monday's press conference. 

The PGA Tour is planning to abandon the traditional season-opening swing in Hawaii from 2027, it said Monday.

The Sentry tournament on Maui has been scrapped, said a PGA Tour statement, which added that talks were taking place to transform the Sony Open tournament into part of the PGA Tour Champions circuit for veteran golfers.

The Sentry has been held every year from 1999 to 2025 at The Plantation Course at Kapalua but was cancelled this season because of water restrictions on the drought-stricken island.

The Sony Open has been held at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu since 1971 and was the PGA Tour's opening event in 2026, won by Chris Gotterup.

"We are grateful to The Plantation Course at Kapalua, Kapalua Resort, Maui County and the state of Hawaii for their longtime support of our season-opening PGA Tour event, as well as the fans, partners and volunteers across Maui who have supported the event throughout the years," the Tour said.

The move away from Hawaii had been widely rumored and PGA Tour chief executive Brian Rolapp last month signalled the American-based circuit's desire to look at other venues to launch the season.

He wanted the tour to start, he said, with a "marquee event at an iconic venue in the west."

The tour will announce its full 2027 schedule at a later date.

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Amazon on Monday said it pumped another $5 billion into Anthropic as it ramps up its collaboration with the startup behind Claude artificial intelligence.

The e-commerce and cloud computing colossus noted that the investment builds on $8 billion it had already invested in Anthropic, according to the companies.

Amazon added that it could invest $20 billion more in Anthropic, provided the startup meets certain performance goals.

For its part, San Francisco-based Anthropic said it has committed to spending more than $100 billion on Amazon Web Services (AWS) technology to power AI in the coming decade.

"We need to build the infrastructure to keep pace with rapidly growing demand," Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei said in a release.

"Our collaboration with Amazon will allow us to continue advancing AI research while delivering Claude to our customers."

Anthropic said in early April that it had tripled its annualized revenues quarter-on-quarter to over $30 billion -- outpacing OpenAI for the first time.

Amodei visited US officials last week at the White House, where they struck a different tone from the dispute that erupted in February, when the AI startup infuriated Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth by insisting its technology should not be used for mass surveillance or fully autonomous weapons systems.

"We discussed opportunities for collaboration, as well as shared approaches and protocols to address the challenges associated with scaling this technology," a White House spokesperson told AFP.

The rhetoric marks a departure from months earlier, when President Donald Trump instructed the US government to "immediately cease" using Anthropic's technology after the company refused to allow the Pentagon unconditional use of its Claude AI models.

Anthropic has challenged the Trump administration in court, as well as Hegseth's move to add the company to a list of firms that pose a "supply chain risk."

Earlier this month, Anthropic announced its newest AI model Mythos, withholding it from public release due to its potential cybersecurity risks.

gc/sla

Formula One chiefs unanimously agreed on Monday to make rule changes following severe criticism of new regulations introduced this season which led to doubts over Max Verstappen continuing in the sport.

The new rules made cars a combination of combustion and electrical power, meaning drivers had to carefully manage their battery, effectively slowing down on a qualifying lap, while the cars had boost buttons to allow them to overtake.

Four-time world champion Verstappen called the new style of racing "a joke" after the Chinese Grand Prix and hinted he would take a break from F1 in 2027 unless changes were made.

Other drivers had criticised the new rules and fans said the changes had detracted from the experience of spectators.

Following an online meeting between F1, its governing body FIA, and the sport's team principals, tweaks to the rules have been finalised and are set to come in for the Miami Grand Prix on May 3.

That race will end the season's enforced five-week break following the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia races due to the conflict in the Middle East.

Among the changes, energy harvesting -- which helps the driver charge the battery -- will be reduced from eight megajoules to seven and the hybrid power unit will be increased from 250kw to 350kw. 

The changes are designed to allow the drivers to go at full speed for longer in qualifying.

Another change has been made to the boost button, after British driver Ollie Bearman's high-speed crash at the last round in Japan, which was attributed partly to the difference in closing speeds.

The boost button will now be capped at 150kw, "limiting sudden performance differentials", the FIA said in a statement.

Further talks are set to take place after the Miami Grand Prix.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff cautioned against sweeping changes to the rulebook, after his drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell made a fast start to the season. Antonelli leads Russell by nine points in the standings after the first three races.

Speaking before the meeting, Wolff said: "The discussions that have been taking place between the drivers, the FIA, Formula One, and the teams have been constructive. And we all share the same objectives.

"It's how can we improve the product, make it out-and-out racing, and look at what can improve in terms of safety, but act with a scalpel and not with a baseball bat.

"We are going to ratify, in order to evolve, because there has only been three races. We need to learn from the past, where decisions were sometimes made in an erratic way, and then we overshot and realised it wasn't good.

"We are custodians of the sport and we have many hundreds of thousands of fans that love F1. In order to protect this huge opportunity that the sport gives us, we shouldn't badmouth in public our own sport."

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed "harsh action" on Monday against a soldier caught on camera vandalising a statue of Jesus Christ in southern Lebanon.

The photo, which the military determined was authentic after it spread online, shows an Israeli soldier using a sledgehammer to strike the head of a statue of a crucified Jesus that had fallen off a cross.

The sculpture was located in the Christian village of Debl in south Lebanon, near the border with Israel, the local municipality told AFP, but officials could not say whether it had been damaged. 

AFP geolocated the image to confirm it was taken in Debl, but is currently unable to access the village.

"I was stunned and saddened to learn that an IDF soldier damaged a Catholic religious icon in southern Lebanon," Netanyahu wrote on X.

"I condemn the act in the strongest terms. Military authorities are conducting a criminal probe of the matter and will take appropriately harsh disciplinary action against the offender," he added.

Israel has conducted airstrikes across Lebanon and invaded the country's south after Hezbollah entered the Middle East war in support of its backer Iran on March 2. 

The fighting killed nearly 2,300 people and displaced more than a million before a ceasefire came into effect last week. Israel has lost 15 soldiers in the war.

- 'Profound indignation -

The military said it had determined after an investigation that the image circulating on social media was genuine and showed an Israeli soldier operating in southern Lebanon.

Checks carried out by AFP using detection tools suggested the image was likely genuine, though there were other manipulated photos circulating on social media.

The Israeli military said in a post on its official X account that it viewed the incident with "great severity", adding that the "soldier's conduct is wholly inconsistent with the values expected of its troops".

The military said "appropriate measures will be taken against those involved" but did not go into further detail.

It said it is working with the community to "restore the statue to its place".

The Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land in a statement published by the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem expressed "its profound indignation and unreserved condemnation".

"This act constitutes a grave affront to the Christian faith and adds to other reported incidents of desecration of Christian symbols by IDF soldiers in southern Lebanon," the statement said.

"The Assembly calls for immediate and decisive disciplinary action, a credible process of accountability, and clear assurances that such conduct will neither be tolerated nor repeated."

"For this reason, the Assembly renews, with urgency, its call to bring to an end the war that has tormented this region for far too long."

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned the conduct as "shameful and disgraceful".

"I am confident that necessary severe measures will be taken against whoever committed this ugly act," he wrote on X.

"We apologise for this incident and to every Christian whose feelings were hurt."

Israeli troops remain in southern Lebanon despite the ceasefire.

Netanyahu last month was drawn into a row around religion and forced to defend himself after he said that Jesus had "no advantage" over Mongolian conqueror Genghis Khan.

ha-lba-jd/lba/dcp

Two decades after "The Devil Wears Prada" became a modern US classic, its stars reunited in New York on Monday for the long-awaited sequel's world premiere.

Meryl Streep, who returns as tyrannical magazine editor Miranda Priestly, was joined on the red carpet by fellow A-listers Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci.

"It was like, why did it take so long?" Streep told Disney Plus when asked about stepping back into her fearsome character's shoes. 

Tucci agreed: "Yes, exactly. It was like riding a bicycle."

"The Devil Wears Prada 2" sees a now well established Andy Sachs (Hathaway) back at Runway Magazine, where Miranda Priestly (Streep) is navigating the decline of print media.

The veteran editor is forced to go head-to-head with her former, frantic assistant Emily Charlton (Blunt) -- now a high-powered executive who controls the advertising revenue that Priestly needs. 

Kenneth Branagh joins the cast as Miranda's newest husband, along with newcomers like Simone Ashley and Lucy Liu. 

Naturally, fashion was front and center at Monday's premiere, where three-time Oscar winner Streep wore a red Givenchy outfit. 

She said in an interview that all the clothes, jewelry, bags and shoes featured in "The Devil Wears Prada 2" are to be auctioned for the Committee to Protect Journalists. 

Co-stars Hathaway and Blunt, who wore Louis Vuitton and Schiaparelli respectively, credited fans for making the sequel happen. 

"We're literally here because of you, because you took us into your hearts and kept us there for 20 years and said 'we want more.' That's why this whole dream has continued for us," Hathaway told Disney Plus. 

Other red carpet celebrities included Anna Wintour, the former Vogue editor, who is considered the inspiration for Streep's character. 

"The Devil Wears Prada 2" opens in theaters on May 1. 

Its 2006 precursor is widely seen as a definitive satire of the US fashion industry, capturing the allure of power and ambition. 

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