Knicks stay in hunt with late win over rival Celtics

Rose Lavelle celebrated her 100th international cap with a goal and set up another as the United States beat Japan 2-1 in the first of two friendlies between the two women’s international football powerhouses on Saturday.

Gotham FC midfielder Lavelle,  the reigning US Female Player of the Year, opened the scoring after just nine minutes at PayPal Park in San Jose, California, after hooking in a lobbed cross from Trinity Rodman.

The 30-year-old attacker, one of the stars of the USA’s last FIFA Women’s World Cup victory in 2019, also played a key  role in the home side’s second goal just after half-time.

A sweeping counter-attack ended with Lavelle steering a pass into the path of midfielder Lindsey Heaps who duly tucked away a low finish into the corner past Japan goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita.

Japan, who clinched their third Women’s Asian Cup title last month with a victory over Australia, rallied later in the half and pulled a goal back through substitute striker Riko Ueki in the 61st minute.

But despite a flurry of chances from the Japanese, the US defence held firm to clinch victory -- the 2024 Olympic gold medallists' 10th consecutive win under English manager Emma Hayes as they build towards next year's World Cup in Brazil.

The two teams will meet again in a second friendly in Seattle on Tuesday.

rcw/bb

Artemis II astronauts expressed awe on Saturday over their record-setting lunar flyby mission, urging unity on Earth after witnessing the planet's isolation like a "lifeboat" in space.

The crew spoke at a news conference as NASA took a victory lap following the success of the mission. 

The astronauts did the first slingshot around the Moon in more than 50 years and traveled deeper into space than any humans before -- culminating in a smooth splashdown Friday off the coast of California. 

Flanked on stage by mission commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Jeremy Hansen, astronaut Christina Koch called for people on Earth to embrace their shared humanity.

"What struck me wasn't necessarily just Earth, it was all the blackness around it. Earth was just this lifeboat hanging undisturbingly in the universe," said Koch.

"There's one new thing I know and that is: Planet Earth -- you are a crew."

Hansen called on fans of the Artemis mission to see themselves in the crew of four, who marked a series of milestones: Glover was the first person of color to fly around the Moon, Koch was the first woman, and Canadian Hansen the first non-American.

"I would suggest to you that when you look up here, you're not looking at us. We are a mirror reflecting you," Hansen said.

"And if you like what you see, then just look a little deeper. This is you."

While hurtling through deep space and zipping around the Moon, the Artemis astronauts took thousands of photographs, amassing a stunning portfolio of images.

They also witnessed a solar eclipse along with extraordinary meteorite strikes on the lunar surface.

"Artemis II will always be remembered. It was the moment we all saw the moon again, where childhood dreams became missions. You helped the world start believing again, and this is something no one's ever going to forget," NASA administrator Jared Isaacman said.

Artemis II was the inaugural crewed mission of NASA's program aiming to install a sustained presence on the Moon, including the eventual construction of a base that could be used for further exploration including to Mars.

NASA is hoping it can put boots on the lunar surface as soon as 2028.

acb/sla

Scottie Scheffler made Moving Day count at the Masters on Saturday, firing his lowest round ever at Augusta National to climb into contention for a third green jacket.

The world number one fired an eagle and five birdies in a seven-under par 65 for a seven-under total of 209.

After starting the day 12 adrift he was just five off the pace when he walked off the 18th green after scrambling for a par to keep his card clean.

Scheffler, who had insisted his two-over second round didn't reflect the quality of his game, came out firing and eagled the par-five second, landing his second shot six feet from the pin.

He rolled in a seven-foot birdie at the seventh, chipped to three feet and made that for a birdie at the par-five eighth and stuck his approach at the par-four ninth four feet from the pin for a third straight birdie.

"I did what I needed to do," said Scheffler, who added an eight-foot birdie at the 11th and a 10-foot birdie at the par-three 16th. "(I) went out and executed to give myself some opportunities and more of that tomorrow and I think I'll be in a good spot."

Scheffler, who won the Masters in 2022 and 2024 for his first two major titles before winning the PGA Championship and the Open Championship last year, said Augusta National forces players to rise to another level.

"I think that's what great players and great competitors do is they're able to rise to the occasion," Scheffler said. "I think that's why it's such a great test too, because not only do you have to conquer this golf course ... but you also have to conquer your nerves as well to get it done around here."

Scheffler had recorded his second-worst score at Augusta on Friday, finding the water twice.

"I didn't fix anything," Scheffler said. "I felt like yesterday I played a lot better than my score. Then today, early in the round I felt like I got a lot out of it.

"The back nine I did a lot of really good things and I didn't really feel like I got the reward for it," added the American, who said he hit "three really good shots" at 17 and settled for par.

He was also unable to capitalize on the two back-nine par-fives. After bogeys at both on Friday he parred both.

"Well, yesterday I had the two water balls, that's gonna kill you," Scheffler said. "Today in the fairway at 13 I get a mudball and so there's not much I can do there other than try and get up there somewhere on the green.

"Going into 15 I hit a really nice shot, caught a little gust downwind. It landed pretty close to pin-high but just took a big bounce and went over."

Scheffler bettered his previous best Masters round of 66 in the first round in 2024, and with the course firming up in the Saturday afternoon sunshine he was confident he'd be in the hunt on Sunday.

"I don't feel like I'm out of the tournament," he said.

bb/rcw

Missouri softball took Game 2 against No. 16/14 Georgia 4-3 to tie up the series 1-1 on Saturday. Mizzou went from making just one hit yesterday to a total of nine hits today as it rallied against three of the Bulldogs' pitchers.

The strike zone made a big difference during the afternoon, especially for the Tigers. Both pitchers put a nice spin on the ball to throw multiple pop-ups, making for a prolonged pitchers duel.

Marissa McCann made her 250th career strike out, along with six hits and two earned runs. She took the win and is now 7-8 on the season. Abby Carr relieved McCann in the fifth, allowing three hits with one run and six strikeouts.

Pinch hitter Saniya Hill snuck a single past second to give the Tigers their first run in the fourth inning. Carr then earned a pair of runs in the fifth, followed by a single from Sidney Forrester to plate three runners for the Tigers to earn a 4-0 lead.

Freshman Linny Ramsey made a crucial dive catch in left field in the seventh as Georgia looked to make a comeback, preventing a runner from making it on base and helping the Tigers close out the win.

Mizzou will play the Bulldogs one more time to see who takes the series at 1 p.m. Sunday at Jack Turner Softball Stadium in Athens, Georgia.

Two US Navy warships have transited the Strait of Hormuz to begin clearing the strategic waterway of mines laid by Iran, US Central Command said Saturday -- a claim denied by Tehran.

The announcement of the first such transit since the US-Israeli war with Iran began came shortly after President Donald Trump said Washington had started "clearing out" the strait, through which a fifth of the world's crude oil passes.

"Today, we began the process of establishing a new passage and we will share this safe pathway with the maritime industry soon to encourage the free flow of commerce," said CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper.

The USS Frank E. Peterson and the USS Michael Murphy are the guided-missile destroyers involved in the operation, but CENTCOM said that "additional US forces including underwater drones" could join the effort in coming days.

Iran "strongly rejected" Washington's claims that US vessels entered the strait, military spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaghari told state TV.

"The initiative for the passage of any vessel lies with the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran," he was quoted as saying.

Earlier Saturday, Trump said in a social media post that the United States was "starting the process of clearing out the Strait of Hormuz."

He called it "a favor" to countries such as China, Japan and France that "don't have the Courage or Will to do this work themselves."

Trump insisted that Iran is "LOSING BIG!" in the conflict, while acknowledging that Iranian mines in the strategic strait still pose a threat.

"The only thing they have going is the threat that a ship may 'bunk' into one of their sea mines," Trump wrote.

The key shipping lane off the coast of Iran has been virtually blocked by Tehran since the United States and Israel started bombing Iran on February 28, though reopening the strait was ostensibly a condition of the shaky ceasefire put in place earlier this week. 

Senior Iranian and American officials held face-to-face negotiations in Pakistan on Saturday in a bid to bring an end to a conflict that has plunged the Middle East into violence and sent shockwaves through the world economy.

In an earlier post, Trump said that empty tankers were headed to the United States from around the world to purchase oil, without providing details.

rle-sst/ksb/acb/sla

The NBA regular season concludes on Sunday with 10 post-season seedings still to be determined and the Denver Nuggets facing a big decision regarding three-time Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic.

The Eastern Conference fifth through 10th seeds are still to be determined with three teams -- Toronto, Orlando and Philadelphia -- still in with a chance to claim the sixth seed and avoid the play-in.

The Western Conference third and fourth seeds are still in play with the Nuggets one game up on the Los Angeles Lakers.

With home court advantage in the first round assured for both the Nuggets and Lakers, Denver coach David Adelman must decide whether to rest banged-up star Jokic for a second straight game -- even though the Serbian needs to play at least 15 minutes against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday to meet the minimum 65-game requirement to be eligible for end-of-season awards.

"We're going to have that conversation (Saturday)," Adelman said. "Obviously, his opinion matters."

Adelman sat all of his starters on Friday and the Nuggets still got a win over the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, who with the West top seed and best record in the league locked up rested most of their starters, too.

Adelman said having key players healthy after a physically and mentally draining 82-game regular-season was his top priority.

But the 65-game threshold for season honors is a factor when it comes to Jokic, who missed 16 games in January with a knee injury but is averaging a triple-double and is set to become the first player in history to lead the league in assists and rebounds per game.

"We've got to make a proper decision, and we need to go in there with a real plan," Adelman said.

The dozens of players who sat out Friday's games across the league didn't include San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama, who scored 40 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as he played his 65th game to ensure his eligibility for Defensive Player of the Year and MVP honors.

"If I had 65 (games) before, I for sure wouldn't have played," said Wembanyama, who missed the previous game with a bruised rib and could well sit out Sunday's clash with Denver.

The 65-game rule has left a number of stand-out players out in the cold because of injury absences, including Detroit's Cade Cunningham, Minnesota's Anthony Edwards and the Los Angeles Lakers' Luka Doncic.

Cunningham is back for East top seeds Detroit after missing 11 games with a collapsed lung. Edwards missed significant time with a knee injury.

- Impact on season -

Doncic, the league's leading scorer, is currently nursing a hamstring strain that cost him the last five games of the regular season and could sideline him to start the playoffs.

His agent has indicated Doncic will seek an "Extraordinary Circumstances" waiver to the 65-game rule.

"It's an interesting question," Wembanyama said. "If those three, especially Cade and Luka, aren't in the end-of-season awards (race) it's not going to reflect their impact on the season."

The 65-game rule was implemented in 2023 to discourage teams from resting uninjured players.

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr says the league needs something even more radical to keep players healthy: a shorter season.

"We need fewer games," Kerr said in March, with a month left in the grueling campaign that started on October 21 and will now segue to a post-season capped by the best-of-seven NBA Finals that could finish as late as June 19.

bb/rcw

Pope Leo lashed out against warmongers on Saturday while calling on billions of people around the globe to embrace peace and "believe once again in love, moderation and good politics".

In one of his most passionate entreaties yet to end the raging conflict in the Middle East, the American pope said faith was needed "in order to face this dramatic hour in history together". 

"Enough of the idolatry of self and money! Enough of the display of power! Enough of war! True strength is shown in serving life," Pope Leo implored in an address during a prayer vigil for peace at St Peter's Basilica.

Uttered in measured tones, as is customary for the soft-spoken head of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, the comments by the 70-year-old Leo nevertheless marked some of the most pointed criticism yet of the wave of conflicts inflaming the globe.

"Dear brothers and sisters, there are certainly binding responsibilities that fall to the leaders of nations. To them we cry out: Stop! It is time for peace! Sit at the table of dialogue and mediation, not at the table where rearmament is planned and deadly actions are decided!"

As he has done in the past, the Chicago native did not cite politicians by name, and did not call out specific countries. 

- 'Delusion of omnipotence' - 

Responsibility also fell to the "immense multitude" that rejects war, Leo said, urging them to build a "Kingdom of peace... in our homes, schools, neighbourhoods, and civil and religious communities."

"A Kingdom that counters polemics and resignation through friendship and a culture of encounter. Let us believe once again in love, moderation and good politics." 

The pope described the Kingdom of God as a "bulwark against that delusion of omnipotence that surrounds us and is becoming increasingly unpredictable and aggressive."

It also was a place with "no sword, no drone, no vengeance, no trivialisation of evil, no unjust profit, but only dignity, understanding and forgiveness."

Leo painted a grim picture of the current state of the world, "where there never seem to be enough graves, for people continue to crucify one another and eliminate life, with no regard to justice and mercy."

Pope Leo, who was elected pontiff last May following the death of his predecessor Francis, is moderate and known as a bridge-builder. But he has been increasingly denouncing the conflicts dividing the world, most recently on Friday when he railed against the "senseless and inhuman violence" spreading across the Holy Land. 

Leo has repeatedly urged de-escalation in the current US-Israeli war on Iran and the need for a diplomatic solution. 

ams/jj/giv

Arsenal's 2-1 home defeat by Bournemouth on Saturday blew the Premier League title race wide open, as Brentford and Everton missed the chance to close in on Champions League qualification after a 2-2 draw.

The Gunners could have opened up a 12-point lead at the top of the table, but a third defeat in four games for Mikel Arteta's men has put the destiny of the title back in Manchester City's hands.

City have two games in hand on the leaders, starting with Sunday's trip to Chelsea, and host Arsenal next weekend.

Just a few weeks ago Arsenal were dreaming of an unprecedented quadruple.

But after losing to City in the League Cup final and being dumped out the FA Cup by second-tier Southampton, a first league title in 22 years may also now be slipping away.

"We were very far from the standards that we've shown all season, so it's a big punch in the face because we wanted to win this game so badly," said Arteta.

"We didn't cope with the situations when they didn't go our way."

Junior Kroupi reacted quickest to Adrien Truffert's deflected cross to give Bournemouth an early lead.

Viktor Gyokeres levelled before the break from the penalty spot, but a lack of creative spark in the final third was again Arsenal's undoing.

It is their defensive record that has put Arteta's men in pole position for the title, but they were cut open with ease when Alex Scott finished off a fine team move for the winner on 74 minutes.

The result was also huge in Bournemouth's charge towards the European places as they move up to 10th on the back of an 11-game unbeaten run.

- Salah back for Liverpool -

Five English sides will qualify directly for next season's Champions League and both Brentford and Everton missed the chance to move level on points with fifth-placed Liverpool.

Twice the Bees led through Igor Thiago, who took his tally for the season to 21 Premier League goals and within one of Erling Haaland in the race for the Golden Boot.

Beto levelled midway through the first half for the visitors and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall struck in stoppage time to salvage a point.

Brighton are also well in the mix for their first ever taste of Champions League football.

Mats Wieffer scored twice as the Seagulls beat relegation-bound Burnley 2-0.

A fifth win in six games for Fabian Hurzeler's men takes them up to ninth and within three points of the top five.

Liverpool can solidify their place in the top five when they host Fulham later at Anfield, looking to snap a three-game losing streak.

Heavy defeats by Manchester City in the FA Cup and Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League have ramped up the pressure on Arne Slot's position as Liverpool boss, less than a year he led the club to the Premier League title.

Mohamed Salah returns to the Liverpool starting line-up among five changes made by Slot from the chastening 2-0 loss to PSG in midweek.

kca/jc

Police in London on Saturday arrested  nearly 100 pro-Palestinian protesters at a demonstration in support of the banned group Palestine Action.

Officers carried away activists to cheers and clapping from other demonstrators who gathered for the sit-down demonstration in the capital's Trafalgar Square.

The protesters held placards in support of the banned group Palestine Action, making them liable for arrest.

Palestine Action was proscribed as a terrorist organisation last July, making it a criminal offence to belong to or support the group, punishable by up to 14 years in prison. 

The High Court in London in mid-February upheld a challenge to the ban, saying it had interfered with the right to freedom of speech.

London's Metropolitan Police paused arrests in the wake of the High Court ruling before announcing in late March that it would resume them.

The government has been granted leave to appeal the decision.

"It's really important to continue to show up," said Freya, 28, manager of a London environmental organisation, one of those sitting towards the front of the crowd of protesters.

"It's important that we all continue to oppose genocide... The government might flip-flop in their legal argument but the morals of these people (here) do not change," she added.

Posting on X, London's Metropolitan Police said by early evening they had made 92 arrests of people aged between 27 and 82 with the protesters still in place.

- 'Misguided crackdown' -

Since the ban on Palestine Action was imposed there have been nearly 3,000 arrests, mainly for carrying placards defending it. Hundreds of people are facing charges.

Another protester, Denis MacDermot, 73, from Edinburgh, said he had been arrested before and had no hesitation about turning out again.

"I'm a supporter of these great people," he said waving towards other protesters, adding that if the court process was definitive "there would be no need for all this".

Protest organisers Defend Our Juries said around 500 people had taken part in Saturday's demonstration, protesting "the UK Government's complicity in Israel's genocide in Gaza and the misguided crackdown on peaceful protest at home".

Police were "choosing to make arrests despite the government's ban on the group being ruled unlawful by the High Court, and leading lawyers warning that any arrests would be unlawful", it added in a statement.

The ban, which put Palestine Action on a blacklist that also includes Palestinian militants Hamas and the Lebanese Iran-backed group Hezbollah, has sparked a severe backlash.

A judge has put on hold all trials of people charged with supporting Palestine Action, scheduling a blanket review of cases for July 30.

Set up in 2020, Palestine Action's stated goal on its now-blocked website is to end "global participation in Israel's genocidal and apartheid regime".

It has mainly targeted weapons factories, especially those belonging to the Israeli defence group Elbit Systems.

har/jj

Smoke from an Israeli strike still lingered in the air as a plane from Lebanon's national carrier took off from Beirut airport, which has stayed open despite the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah.

The country's only international passenger facility, whose departure boards are now largely red with cancellations, is located on the Mediterranean coast at the edge of Beirut's southern suburbs.

Israel has pummelled the southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold, with strikes since the Iran-backed group fired rockets at Israel last month, drawing Lebanon into the Middle East war.

"The airport has stayed open throughout this crisis" following risk assessments based on information received "mainly from the US embassy", said Mohammed Aziz, head of Lebanon's civil aviation authority.

He said authorities received additional guarantees this week that the airport would be spared, after Israel on Thursday issued an evacuation warning for large areas of southern Beirut, including the main road leading to the facility and areas directly adjacent.

Israel has so far not carried out its threat, which came a day after devastating strikes across the country, including on central Beirut and its southern suburbs, killed more than 350 people.

AFP images showed a flight by Lebanon's Middle East Airlines (MEA), whose logo is the country's beloved cedar tree, landing on Thursday evening just hours after the warning was issued.

Israel and Hezbollah also waged a full-blown war in 2024, and then too the airport stayed open and MEA kept flying.

- 'Specific air routes' -

Aziz, who is also a former pilot, said the airport was seeing less than half the traffic it normally would at this time of year.

Most airlines have suspended trips to Beirut, with MEA keeping up a reduced number of flights, including three a day to Turkey, compared to 11 normally.

On Friday, just a few dozen travellers were in the usually packed departures hall, as porters sat on empty baggage carts and soldiers kept watch at the terminal entrance.

Staring at the departures board, Mohammed Assaad, 48, an Australian of Lebanese origin who was heading back to Sydney via Cairo, said he was unfazed by the Israeli bombardment.

"I'm just hoping that our flight won't be cancelled. That's all I'm worried about," said Assaad, who was travelling with his wife and two daughters.

Commercial planes are in the skies at the same time as Israeli military aircraft, including drones, but they travel along different air corridors, an MEA pilot told AFP.

"We have very specific air routes," he said, and "the Israelis know where our planes are -- our transponders are turned on", he said on condition of anonymity.

- 'Open and operational' -

Israeli military aircraft including drones generally fly at higher altitudes than commercial planes, he said, while such aircraft also show up on commercial planes' radars.

There is little chance of Israel's military somehow bringing down "a plane by accident", he added.

To manage traffic and avoid any incidents, "the Americans are the main intermediaries", the pilot said.

Civil aviation authority chief Aziz said that "only on two or three occasions maximum" a commercial plane delayed a landing due to Israeli military action.

A Western diplomatic source told AFP that Lebanese authorities were sharing information on flight movements with some other diplomatic missions in the country.

"The Lebanese are working around the clock to guarantee the security of the airport," the source said, requesting anonymity.

Jalal Haidar, a Lebanese-American who took over as the airport's chief operating officer two months ago, also expressed full confidence in the airport, its surroundings and the airspace.

"All three are safe," said Haidar, who formerly managed airports in the United States.

He said the facility was taking advantage of the lower passenger numbers to push forward with renovations so that the site, which handles an average of eight million passengers annually, can accommodate up to an extra 1.3 million this year.

"We are prepared to remain open and operational," he said.

"We are also driven by our determination to keep Lebanon connected to the rest of the world."

mby/lg/amj