Adichie’s 21-month old son died in a Lagos hospital, which she says is trying to stop an inquest into the circumstances of his death.
Source link
Nigerian author accuses hospital of stalling review into her son's death
'He's become Scots' chief creative force' – how the players rated
Rate the Scotland and Haiti players out of 10 below and come back X minutes after full-time to see the final ratings.
Source link
Jordyn Woods brings Knicks unofficial lucky bag to Game 5
The Knicks will need to be on their A-game to close out the NBA Finals with their first title in 53 years.
And they will need some luck, including from a bag by Jordyn Woods.
Throughout the playoffs, the fiancée of Karl-Anthony Towns and founder of fashion line “Woods” has been carrying an orange bag that has proven to be a good luck charm.
Woods brought the bag to each game throughout the Knicks’ 13-0 playoff run until the team lost Game 3 of the Finals to the Spurs, she said while holding the bag as a clutch in a recent episode of “Are You Okay?” show.
However, she was not allowed to bring into the Garden for Game 3 due to rules surrounding President Donald Trump’s attendance.
She brought it back it for the thrilling Game 4 win.
Did she have it for Game 5 in San Antonio?
Of course.
Woods was spotted courtside ahead of the possible closeout game, wearing a Knicks jacket with the lucky bag worn on her as a crossbody as she said “Let’s go Knicks!”
The craze around Woods’ bag has grown throughout the series.
She has leaned into it, offering a giveaway of the “Tux Clutch Mini” this week.
Woods admitted to Vogue Magazine recently that the attention has been “amazing” but there is a lot of “pressure” that comes with it.
“My orange bag is getting so much attention — it’s amazing because it’s my brand — but it also feels like a lot of pressure,” she said. “Everyone kind of made it this phenomenon. And to be fair, we have won every game it’s been at except the Trump game, because I wasn’t able to bring my bag in, so I see why the phenomenon is there. But before Wednesday’s game, I saw three different big articles about my lucky bag! I’m like, ‘this is a lot of pressure!’”
Woods even released a shoe in the same shade as her bag ahead of the bag-less Game 3 as a replacement option to keep the vibes up for New York.
The undefeated streak of Woods’ bag was put to the test Saturday night at San Antonio’s Frost Bank Center, with a potential Game 6 looming back at the Garden on Tuesday.
UFC Freedom 250 is more than a spectacle for White House fighters
The sport once bemoaned by Sen. John McCain as “human cockfighting” is about to take over the South Lawn of the White House on Flag Day.
The 30-year journey from barely regulated bloodsport to multibillion-dollar operation culminates in the greatest spectacle in mixed martial arts history with UFC Freedom 250 on Sunday night.
The one-of-a-kind event went with a tighter slate of fights — seven, rather than the 12 to 14 typically scheduled for the dozen or so major events each year. That means only 14 men will have the distinction of having competed in professional combat sports at the home of the President of the United States.
“It’s a massive opportunity, so I feel really blessed,” Bo Nickal, a middleweight who will face Kyle Daukaus, told The Post this week. “To be able to go compete at an event like this is such an honor, so I feel like I put a ton of effort into this [training] camp, and I want to make sure that I put on a good performance.”
The event is headlined by a pair of championship fights. Lightweight champion Ilia Topuria and interim champ Justin Gaethje will vie for the unified championship at 155 pounds in the main event. Immediately preceding that, Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane square off for the vacant interim heavyweight crown.
Of the four, only Gaethje is a born-and-raised American. He’s one of eight representing the U.S., and a crowd of mainly military service members serves as extra motivation for the heavy-hitting crowd pleaser from Colorado.
“The way that I fight, people love it,” Gaethje told The Post in the lead-up to the fight. “I really capture people’s emotions, and I’m going to do the same thing [in] this fight.
“Fighting in front of the military is so special for me. I constantly use my name to try to … raise as much money and be as positive and influential towards the people that sacrifice their well-being for my opportunity to do something like this.”
As thrilled as they are to compete on such a unique stage, with the front columns of the White House as a backdrop, some such as Michael Chandler are doing their best to focus on the task at hand. In his case, that’s knocking out lightweight opponent Mauricio Ruffy before the same can be done to him.
“It’s really cool. It’s one of those deals where I try not to think about it too much and think about the bigness, the massiveness, the weight of the moment because you can really psych yourself out of this whole thing and the moment becomes too big,” Chandler told The Post. “Ultimately, I got four-ounce gloves on, I got a mouthpiece, and we’re in an Octagon, just like I’ve done it seven other times in the UFC.”
The six fighters on the fight card who hail from beyond U.S. borders still feel the weight of the moment, including one of them who’s on the cusp of history.
Pereira, a native of Brazil, is the first fighter in UFC history to even attempt to capture a championship in a third weight class, having previously earned the middleweight and light heavyweight belts before endeavoring up to heavyweight for the first time.
Having moved to Connecticut to train, his family now calls the U.S. home, and he’s been grateful for the opportunities this country has given him — including a visit to President Trump in the Oval Office last month.
“Very special to be there, to be next to the president,” Pereira told The Post through an interpreter the following day. “… How many fighters wanted to be there, and I was one of few people that had an opportunity to be a part of it.”
USMNT embracing a style unlike we’ve seen before at World Cup
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Playing top-class foes in international soccer doesn’t go like this. And the U.S. facing World Cup crucibles has never gone like this.
Team USA’s 4-1 evisceration of heretofore-stout Paraguay wasn’t so much un-American as maybe, just maybe, new American: attack-minded; offensively fluid; and with a confidence unlike anything we’ve seen from them on this stage, perhaps ever.
“It’s pretty special to watch,” Christian Pulisic said. “It’s fun to look around and know there’s different guys that can pull off these different skills and moves going on. It’s great.”
The U.S. men’s national team always has played nail-biters in the World Cup. Get stuck in, defend and try to grind out results through work rate, conditioning and defense.
Knicks fans flood Spurs home turf to witness team potentially clinch first championship in 53 years
New York Knicks fans flooded the Spurs’ home turf Saturday as fans turned out in force to watch their beloved home team potentially clinch their first NBA Championship in 53 years.
“They told us in our meeting it’s basically going to be a New York Knicks home game,” a Frost Bank Center security guard was overheard saying by a Post reporter.
Nearly 50% of all tickets sold went to Knicks fans and the stands at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio were awash in blue and orange.
Scores of Knicks fans repping their team’s jersey were seen entering the arena ahead of the game, chanting “Let’s Go Knicks.”
New York’s “celebrity row” came out strong for their beloved squad with Knicks staples Tracy Morgan, Timothee Chalamet, Ben Stiller, Fat Joe and Spike Lee in attendance.
Sydney Sweeney, Scooter Braun, John Turturro, Giancarlo Esposito and even Prince Harry came out to San Antonio to cheer on the Knicks.
Hall of Famer and Knicks royalty Patrick Ewing came out to support his former team — Ewing played center for the Knicks the last two times they made the finals in 1994 and 1999.
Knicks great and two-time NBA Hall of Fame inductee Walt “Clyde” Frazier Jr. was in attendance — Frazier led the team to their two championships in 1970 and 1973.
Knicks fans’ presence was strongly felt with raucous cheers for the team thundering throughout the Frost Bank Center the entire game.
Knicks fans’ show of force came in the face of an attempt by the beleaguered Texas team to prevent them from purchasing tickets to the game.
The Spurs, who are down 3-1, placed a ticket restriction barring fans from purchasing tickets outside of a 150-mile radius of San Antonio.
“Frost Bank Center is located in San Antonio, Texas. Sales to this event will be restricted to customers residing within a 150-mile radius of Frost Bank Center,” a note on Ticketmaster read.
Despite the warning, New York billing zip codes bought 37% of tickets, and 8% were purchased by fans in New Jersey, according to Kyle Zorn of the popular resale service TickPick.
The team backed down from the pathetic stunt after Madison Square Garden and New York Governor Kathy Hochul reached out to ensure anxious Knicks fans wouldn’t be turned away at the gate.
“We’ve confirmed with Spurs ownership that they will not be revoking any tickets that Knicks fans have to tonight’s game in San Antonio and all ticket holders will be allowed in to Frost Bank Arena,” MSG said in a statement shared with The Post.
“After hearing concerns from Knicks fans, my team got in touch with Ticketmaster, and I’m pleased to confirm that no fan who purchased a ticket through the platform will have their ticket canceled,” Hochul posted on X.
Alex Mitchell and Marie Pohl contributed to this report
Mexican authorities investigate homicide of mayor in Oaxaca state
MEXICO CITY — MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican authorities announced Saturday that they are investigating the homicide of a mayor in San Miguel Amatitlan, Oaxaca, in the country’s latest case of political violence.
Joel Bravo Martínez was gunned down Saturday, weeks after he reported that he feared for his life and requested protection from the state government, according to a statement from his party PAN.
The Oaxaca state prosecutor’s office said in a statement that once it learned of the killing, the institution “immediately activated the protocols for the investigation of crimes of high impact.”
The Mexican Security Cabinet said it was working with state authorities to investigate the crime and arrest those responsible and that it had sent additional forces to the area.
“There will not be impunity,” the Cabinet said in a statement on social platform X.
Local politicians in Mexico are frequently victims of political and organized crime violence.
This homicide comes as Mexico seeks to project an image of safety and modernity as it hosts the World Cup along with the U.S. and Canada.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has assured visitors that the country has a proper security plan for the event, including specialized training for officials, planning and operational exercises, early warning systems, security measures around stadiums, airports, roads, and hotels.
The November killing of Carlos Alberto Manzo Rodríguez, the popular mayor of Uruapan, Michoacan, highlighted dangers for politicians who stand up to cartels and criminal groups.
Alejandro Moreno, the president of the PRI party that ruled Mexico for decades, criticized Sheinbaum’s administration for failing to protect local politicians.
“Every mayor assassinated represents a direct attack on democratic institutions and on the right of communities to live in peace,” Moreno said on X.
___
Follow AP’s Latin America coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america
Charles Barkley calls for Spurs to bench De’Aaron Fox
De’Aaron Fox made headlines for all the wrong reasons after Game 4 of the NBA Finals.
Things didn’t get much better in Game 5.
The Spurs star scored just five points on 2-for-8 shooting through the first two quarters on Saturday night.
On top of that, he was also called for a costly flagrant 1 foul late in the second quarter against the Knicks’ Josh Hart.
Fox was at the center of the Spurs’ historic 29-point collapse in Game 4 when he was blocked by OG Anunoby on a layup attempt instead of trying to kill some close in the final 20 seconds of the fourth quarter.
During the “Inside the NBA” halftime show on ABC on Saturday, Charles Barkley took Fox to task.
“[Spurs coach Mitch Johnson] gotta go with [Stephon] Castle and [Dylan] Harper. He’s got to take Fox out of the game,” Barkley said. “I hate saying that because I am a big De’Aaron Fox fan. But if you are coach Johnson, you can’t be worried about people’s feelings out here.”
As for the flagrant foul in the second quarter, Barkley said: “This to me, nah man, this can’t happen”
Questions facing Nets as they’re linked to big-name free agents Austin Reaves, Jalen Duren
While the Knicks have been steaming toward a title, the Nets have been suffering through a tank. Now it’s time for a turn.
As Brooklyn faces the ignominy of watching a potential parade across the East River, they’ll at least try to add talent and compete.
And even though they’ve missed their window on stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Donovan Mitchell, there are plenty of realistic targets to help an organic rebuild.
Targets like Austin Reaves. Or Peyton Watson or Tari Eason or others.
Once Reaves opts out of the final $14.9 million year of his Lakers contract, he will become one of the most sought-after players on the market this summer. And there is widespread feeling around the league that the Nets will be the most prominent of those seekers.
It should be stressed that the majority expectation is that Reaves will be back with the Lakers next year.
He has stated that he wants to be back, they want to retain him and Luka Doncic seemingly wants him. But as a soon-to-be unrestricted free agent, Reaves’ fate is in his hands, unlike restricted free agents such as Watson, Eason or Jalen Duren. The decision is entirely up to him.
Brooklyn could make picking them tempting.
While the Nets are nowhere near contention, and would be ill-advised to deplete assets in a desperation trade, they do have more than enough salary cap space to lure a max player. A player like Reaves wouldn’t cost tons of draft picks.
Two weeks ago, ESPN’s Tim Bontemps singled out Brooklyn as a serious rival to the Lakers for Reaves. Then on Friday, the Athletic’s Lakers beat writer Dan Woike reported that the Nets are “expected” to offer Reaves a four-year, $178.5 million pact when free agency tips off June 30. The Athletic also cited the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks as interested teams.
It should be noted that the Lakers can offer Reaves five years and $239 million, though it remains to be seen how high new owner Mark Walter will go.
Nets GM Sean Marks has important offseason decisions to make, both micro and macro.
The first will be how to run draft night: whether to move up or down from sixth, or to sit tight at sixth — and who to take. Then there is whether to renegotiate Michael Porter Jr. and extend him past his $40 million expiring deal.
But from 30,000 feet, the Nets — who don’t control their 2027 draft pick — must develop a young team with no incentive to tank. Do they use their $35 million to $40 million in cap space to add veterans in free agency or trade? Or keep making moves to horde future assets, like when they took Porter with Denver’s 2032 pick attached?
The eventual answer may be somewhere in between. Brooklyn can look to add starting-caliber players without emptying their first-round surplus (they do have 21 second-rounders to move). Which is why Reaves would be so attractive, even if he ended up being a sign-and-trade.
Reaves averaged 23.5 points, 5.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds on a team led by Doncic and LeBron James. He poured in 28.6 points and eight assists in ten games without Doncic, and would get his own team in Brooklyn, forming a 1-2 punch with Porter.
Andrew Wiggins, Rui Hachimura and Sandro Mamukelashvili are all possible unrestricted free agent targets, while Watson, Eason and even Duren are all restricted, meaning their teams can retain them by matching any offer.
Nets equipment manager Forrest Weber is officially on the ballot for an Emmy — best supporting actor — for his portrayal as Junior in “Black Rabbit.”
Nominations haven’t been announced yet, but Weber drew strong reviews for his work in the New York-based Netflix hit, which ironically filmed partly at Barclays Center, where he works in his other job.
“It’s definitely an honor to have my name on the ballot for Emmy’s consideration, and to be a member of the Television Academy — a great stepping stone in the right direction for my career,” Weber told The Post. “I’ve never worked on anything harder and I’m very proud of what I brought to the table in ‘Black Rabbit,’ but I’m also very focused on how deserving this show is, as a whole. Every single second was intricately crafted and nuanced, and I’m hoping our family of creators get the recognition they deserve.”
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce enjoy Broadway date night as wedding watch intensifies
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce enjoyed a Broadway date night weeks before their highly anticipated nuptials.
The couple — whom Page Six exclusively reported is set to wed at New York City’s Madison Square Garden on July 3 — attended a Saturday showing of “Oh, Mary!” at the Lyceum Theatre.
After the show, the pop superstar and the football player, both 36, went backstage to share a moment with the cast, including Maya Rudolph, who portrays Mary Todd Lincoln — Abraham Lincoln’s wife — in the play.
With the cast still in costume, the group posed for several pictures together — and no one looked more excited than Swift.
The bride-to-be looked elegant in a Polo Ralph Lauren sleeveless velvet dress in burgundy, which she accessorized with cream-colored booties, a Chloé bracelet bag in chartreuse and layers of gold necklaces.
The “Opalite” singer-songwriter cheekily added a double dose of antique opal jewelry by way of a bracelet and ring.
She wore her hair up and back as blunt bangs framed her face, and she completed her look with a winged eye and berry-colored lip.
Kelce, for his part, opted for a black short-sleeved collared shirt with large red flowers printed all over and black pants. He also sported a red-striped hat.
Swift has had a busy week in the Big Apple.
After making a surprise appearance at Tuesday’s “Toy Story 5” premiere in Los Angeles, the musician jetted across the country to watch the New York Knicks make the biggest comeback in NBA Finals history during Wednesday’s Game 4 against the San Antonio Spurs at MSG.
(Game 5 is currently underway at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas.)
Kelce was unable to join Swift for both the movie screening and basketball game because he was at a mandatory three-day training camp in Kansas City, Missouri.
But the minicamp wrapped just in time for Chiefs tight end to make it to the New York Marriott Marquis hotel to watch his soon-to-be-wife be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
As for their forthcoming wedding, a source recently told Page Six that “privacy” is the couple’s primary concern.
In fact, Swift reportedly called her and Kelce’s guests to personally invite them in order to keep details under wraps and avoid any more potential leaks.
Those lucky individuals were then reportedly required to sign an ironclad non-disclosure agreement just to receive details about the big day.
The Grammy winner and the NFL star got engaged in August 2025 after two years of dating.