AP PHOTOS: Thailand kicks off Pride Month with a parade in Bangkok

AP PHOTOS: Thailand kicks off Pride Month with a parade in Bangkok

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand started its annual celebration Sunday for the LGBTQ+ community's Pride Month, with its Pride Parade, the first to be held after Thailand legalized same-sex marriage earlier this year. Participants marched with rainbow flags for hours in Bangkok. Pride Month celebrations have been endorsed by politicians including Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who was attending the parade this year. The enactment of the Marriage Equality Act makes Thailand the first country in Southeast Asia and the third place in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. —— This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

byAlpha World

in

June 01, 2025

AP PHOTOS: Thailand kicks off Pride Month with a parade in Bangkok

AP PHOTOS: Thailand kicks off Pride Month with a parade in Bangkok BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand started its annual celebration Sunday for the LGB...

Read More

Dozens feared killed after Israeli tank fires on crowd waiting for aid in Gaza, witnesses say

Dozens feared killed after Israeli tank fires on crowd waiting for aid in Gaza, witnesses say

Dozens were feared dead and scores wounded Sunday afterthe Israel Defense Forcesopened fire on a group receiving food from a collection pointin the Gaza Strip, according to hospital officials and witnesses on the ground. According to three witnesses who spoke to NBC News,a tank fired on Palestinianscrowding around an aid distribution center near Rafah. Witnesses told the Associated Press that Israeli forces had earlier fired on the crowds around 1,000 yards from the aid site. At least 28 people were killed in the strike, Mohammed Zaqout, Director of the Ministry of Health in Gaza, told NBC News, adding that more than 200 wounded had arrived as Nasser Hospital, 30 of whom were in critical condition. "Their injuries are direct gunshot to the head, to the chest, to the abdomen," he added. Israeli officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Zaqout's description of the dead and wounded. NBC News journalists atNasser Hospitalin Khan Yunis, said they saw at least 50 of the wounded enter the facility. The Palestine Red Crescent said it had transported "23 fatalities and 23 injured individuals" from the aid distribution point in Rafah. The Israeli military said it was "unaware of injuries caused by IDF fire within the humanitarian aid distribution site," adding that "the matter is still under review." The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which began distributing aid in the enclave last week as part of a new U.S. and Israel-backed plan, said that it delivered 16 trucks of food "without incident," and denied reports of "deaths, mass injuries and chaos" at its distribution sites. GHF was tasked with distributing aid in Gaza after Israel earlier this month lifted an almost three-month-long blockade barring the entry of food, medicine and other vital supplies following warnings of rising starvation in the enclave. But its first week in operations has beenmarred by controversy and chaos. Last week, thousands of hungry Palestinians flooded one of their distribution centers and Israeli soldiers fired live rounds into the air to disperse crowds. The GHF rejected statements by Gaza's Hamas-run government media office that three Palestinians were killed, 46 others injured and seven people were missing after the incident. The foundation said that no one was killed while trying to access its distribution site. GHF's former executive director, Jake Wood, alsoquit the organizationahead of its operations in Gaza, saying it was impossible to implement the plan while also adhering to the "humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence," according to a statement published byReuters. The United Nations, which has refused to participate in the plan, has condemned the GHF initiative as a "distraction" that undermines a long-standing humanitarian framework in Gaza. The U.N. says the effort poses a threat to the independence of aid operations, while simultaneously displacing Palestinians en masse to Gaza's south. Israel has maintained that a new aid distribution system was necessary, alleging that Hamas was diverting supplies. Israel launched its offensive in Gaza following the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023,terror attacks, in which some 1,200 people were killed and around 250 taken hostage, marking a major escalation in a decadeslong conflict. Since then, more than 54,000 people, including thousands of children, have been killed in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry in the enclave, which has been run by Hamas since 2007.

byAlpha World

in

June 01, 2025

Dozens feared killed after Israeli tank fires on crowd waiting for aid in Gaza, witnesses say

Dozens feared killed after Israeli tank fires on crowd waiting for aid in Gaza, witnesses say Dozens were feared dead and scores wounded Sun...

Read More

Five reasons the New York Knicks lost the Eastern Conference finals

Five reasons the New York Knicks lost the Eastern Conference finals

TheNew York Knickswill have plenty of time to dissect whatwent wrong in the Eastern Conference finals. New York was trying to make its firstNBA Finalssince 1999, and, after being eliminated in consecutive years by theIndiana Pacers, the Knicks must be proactive and honest about changes they will need to make to break through. For one, the team relies so significantly on All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson that he's often tasked with saving New York. But that's just the beginning. OPINION:Small-market Pacers party down in big way with NBA Finals trip MORE:Pascal Siakam named Eastern Conference finals MVP after Pacers down Knicks Five reasons why the New York Knicks lost the Eastern Conference finals against the Indiana Pacers: Teams simply cannot gift games during the postseason, especially during the conference finals. Game 1, when the Knicks held a nine-point lead with 58.8 seconds left to play, was the epitome of a missed opportunity. The Knicks actually held a 17-point lead midway through the fourth quarter, but they became complacent and could not answer Indiana's pace. It was bad enough for the Knicks to drop the series opener at home, but it was even worse when they dropped Game 2 in the Garden to fall behind 0-2 headed to Indiana. From Game 1, it appeared that Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau's preference was to try to match Indiana's speed, rather than to grind games down. It would turn out to be misguided. The Knicks ranked 27th in the regular season in pace, generating 97.64 possessions per 48 minutes. Indiana ranked seventh (100.76). While the Knicks sometimes did have success against theDetroit PistonsandBoston Celticsin the earlier rounds when pushing tempo, New York would've been far better off slowing the game against the Pacers because this was exactly how Indiana wanted to play. The Knicks committed more turnovers than the Pacers in all but one of the games, and New York lost the turnover margin overall, 93-75. In itself, that's pretty bad, but it gets worse. Because of the speed with which the Pacers play, those turnovers turned into easy offense: the Pacers posted a crushing 140-61 advantage in points off turnovers throughout the series. The previous point feeds somewhat into this. But whether it was off of turnovers, missed shots or even out of inbounds passes on made attempts, New York did not sustain precise focus on spotting Pacers leaking out in transition. While physically demanding, Thibodeau could've done more to tweak strategy, insisting that players drop back to prevent fastbreak chances. The Pacers registered more fastbreak points than New York in every game this series. Frankly, that was always going to be the likely outcome; the margin is what was concerning. The Pacers scored 106 fastbreak points across the six games, while the Knicks put up just 48. It wasn't until Game 3 of the series, after the Knicks were already desperate and down 0-2, that Thibodeau tweaked the rotation to match up better with Indiana. Thibodeau has always been a coach set in his ways, and his reluctance to go with fresher legs — against a team that sprints up and down the floor — was baffling. This is magnified further because guards Delon Wright and Landry Shamet are known to be plus-defenders, something New York sorely needed earlier in the series when Indiana's guards were scoring at will. Thibodeau did receive some credit when he eventually extended his rotation; it came far too late. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:New York Knicks: Eastern Conference finals loss explained

byAlpha World

in

June 01, 2025

Five reasons the New York Knicks lost the Eastern Conference finals

Five reasons the New York Knicks lost the Eastern Conference finals TheNew York Knickswill have plenty of time to dissect whatwent wrong in ...

Read More

The Memorial Tournament purse, payout: See prize money for every player, winner

The Memorial Tournament purse, payout: See prize money for every player, winner

TheMemorial Tournamentis in the final round at the esteemed Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, where the clash of the best golfers in the world is underway. The Memorial Tournament, a beacon of philanthropy, extends its support to numerous charities in collaboration with organizations like the Nicklaus Children's Healthcare Foundation, Nationwide Children's Hospital, and Stephen and Ayesha Curry's Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation. Despite this noble focus, the tournament offers a substantial prize purse for the top finishers at Muirfield Village Golf Club. The prize purse for the Memorial Tournament is an impressive $20 million, with the winner receiving $4 million. The second-place finisher will earn $2.2 million, while the third-place finisher will take home $1.4 million. Let's delve into the prize money distribution, shedding light on the substantial rewards that await the top finishers at the Memorial Tournament. More:When is the Ryder Cup 2025? Dates, time and what to know The total purse for the 2025 Memorial Tournament presented by Workday is $20 million. The first place winner will take home $4 million of the prize purse. Money amounts don't include ties. All figuresaccording to the PGA Tour First place: $4 million Second place: $2.2 million Third place: $1.4 million Fourth place: $1 million Fifth place: $840,000 Sixth place: $760,000 Seventh place: $700,000 Eighth place: $646,000 Ninth place: $600,000 10th: $556,000 11th: $514,000 12th: $472,000 13th: $430,000 14th: $389,000 15th: $369,000 16th: $349,000 17th: $329,000 18th: $309,000 19th: $289,000 20th: $269,000 21st: $250,000 22nd: $233,000 23rd: $216,000 24th: $200,000 25th: $184,000 26th: $168,000 27th: $161,000 28th: $154,000 29th: $147,000 30th: $140,000 31st: $133,000 32nd: $126,000 33rd: $119,000 34th: $114,000 35th: $109,000 36th: $104,000 37th: $99,000 38th: $94,000 39th: $90,000 40th: $86,000 41st: $80,000 42nd: $78,000 43rd: $74,000 44th: $70,000 45th: $66,000 46th: $62,000 47th: $58,000 48th: $56,000 49th: $54,000 50th: $52,000 This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:The Memorial Tournament purse, payout: 2025 prize money for PGA Tour

byAlpha World

in

June 01, 2025

The Memorial Tournament purse, payout: See prize money for every player, winner

The Memorial Tournament purse, payout: See prize money for every player, winner TheMemorial Tournamentis in the final round at the esteemed ...

Read More

After report about Iran's increasing uranium stockpiles, Iranian FM stresses Iran's cooperation

After report about Iran's increasing uranium stockpiles, Iranian FM stresses Iran's cooperation

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Iranian Foreign Minister spoke by phone with the director of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog agency early Sunday morning after a report from the agency said Iran isfurther increasing its stockpileof uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels. Writing on Telegram, Abbas Araghchi said he stressed Iran's "continuous cooperation" in his conversation withRafael Mariano Grossi, the head of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency. The IAEA did not immediately return a request for comment about the phone call. The confidential IAEA report, which was seen by the Associated Press on Saturday, raised a stern warning, saying that Iran is now "the only non-nuclear-weapon state to produce such material" — something the agency said was of "serious concern." Araghchi emphasized to Grossi that all of Iran's nuclear activities are within the framework of agreements and being monitored by the IAEA. The IAEA said in a separate report that Iran's cooperation with the agency has been "less than satisfactory" when it comes to uranium traces discovered by IAEA inspectors at several locations in Iran that Tehran has failed to declare as nuclear sites. Araghchi also asked Grossi to ensure "that certain parties do not exploit the agency for political agendas against the Iranian people." European nations could take further steps against Iran based on the comprehensive report, leading to a potential escalation in tensions between Iran and the West. Iran's deputy foreign minister on Sunday published a detailed response, rejecting many of the report's findings. Kazem Gharibabadi noted that out of the IAEA's 682 inspections of 32 states, 493 were carried out in Iran alone. "So long as a country's nuclear activities are under the IAEA's monitoring, there is no cause for concern," he said. "The Islamic Republic of Iran is neither pursuing nuclear weapons nor does it possess any undeclared nuclear materials or activities." The IAEA report said that as of May 17, Iran has amassed 408.6 kilograms (900.8 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60%. That's an increase of almost 50% since the IAEA's last report in February. The 60% enriched material is a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. The phone conversation between Araghchi and Grossi came hours after Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who is mediating the U.S.-Iran talks, visited Tehran on Saturday to present the latest U.S. proposal for ongoing talks. The U.S.-Iran talks are attempting to limit Iran's nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of some of the crushing economic sanctions the U.S. has imposed on the Islamic Republic,which have strained relations for almost 50 years. Thefifth round of talksbetween the U.S. and Iran concluded in Rome last week with "some but not conclusive progress," al-Busaidi said at the time.

byAlpha World

in

June 01, 2025

After report about Iran's increasing uranium stockpiles, Iranian FM stresses Iran's cooperation

After report about Iran's increasing uranium stockpiles, Iranian FM stresses Iran's cooperation DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — T...

Read More