“NATO is monitoring the situation in the Baltic Sea closely,” the NATO official said. “Allies are looking into the gas leaks and exchanging information, also with Finland and Sweden.” Sudden drops in pressure were first detected Monday by the operators of the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines, along with reports of leaks by the Danish Energy Agency and Swedish Maritime Authority. Both pipelines have been at the center of geopolitical tensions surrounding Russia’s war in Ukraine, and neither were in operation at the time of the incidents, though they maintained gas under pressure within them....

“I believe we’re in an inflection point in world history,” Mr. Biden said. “We have to discredit those who believe that the age of democracy is over, as some of our fellow nations believe.” Halfway through its first year in office, the Biden administration has adopted “democracy vs. autocracy” as the organizing theme of its foreign policy. Secretary of State Antony Blinken devoted an extensive amount of time in his first formal speech to the importance of not only defending democracy stateside, but using the U....

Ten years ago, the people of Yugoslavia were in the forefront of all communist states. Today, they’re at the bottom of the pile with no salvation in sight. The West initially thought that Milosevic was a digestible former communist. He’s not digestible at all. He’s a rogue interested only in power and his own durability. He had a historic chance to make a change for democratic reform and human rights at the end of the communist era....

Authorities, who have targeted Navalny and his group in a many-sided crackdown on dissidents, said they suspect the men of forming an extremist group as well as involvement in one. The Russian Investigative Committee said in a statement that it is looking into Navalny, Leonid Volkov and Ivan Zhdanov for creating and leading an extremist group. A guilty verdict could mean up to 10 years in prison. “Many in Russian opposition circles had a hope that the steamroller of political repressions would stop after the election of the State Duma, but it was obvious to me that it would go on right up until 2024, when [President] Vladimir Putin would want to get reelected,” Lyubov Sobol, another close Navalyn associate, told the Associated Press in an interview Tuesday....

Navy, by virtue of its victory Saturday against previously unbeaten Memphis, pushed its way into the Group of Five conversation, and, as ESPN pointed out, if the 6-1 Middies continue to win, then they could become the highest-ranked G5 team. MORE: 10 teams that could wreak CFP havoc | Week 10 winners and losers Should that happen, the College Football Playoff selection committee would wait until after Navy’s traditional season-ending game against Army on Dec....

PHILADELPHIA — The toughest part of all is quitting. In a sense, it is like dying. And very few professional athletes have been able to handle it. John Havlicek is one. He is going out with style and class and dignity and grace. Most of them agonize over it, dread it as it shadows them through their career, and then end up botching it. They either play too long and become an embarrassment or they sulk and brood and pout and finally stomp away with the bitter taste of ashes....

Now we get down to the business of picking the reserves, a task that will be left to the NBA’s coaches. Both conferences offer challenges in making those picks — the East because there are not enough surefire stars, and the West because there are far too many. ALL-STAR 2019: SN’s Sean Deveney explains his media ballot The full results will be announced next week, but here’s how our vote (three forwards, two guards and two wild cards) would shape up:...

Reddit user DeerOnTheRocks followed up last year’s hit video with a new version showcasing the 2018 NBA All-Stars as they take the stage with their favorite pair of kicks. Needless to say, it is absolutely glorious. MORE: Biggest winners and losers from All-Star weekend (Keep an eye out for Kyrie Irving’s new nickname.) In case you have never seen the original intro for “Full House” — come on, get your life together — we’ve got the opening credits below for comparison’s sake....

The NBA announced Monday that Stance will become its official sock provider, and the official socks will be available at retail to fans. Stance offered a sneak peek, and the designs look pretty sharp. MORE: NBA suspends Smith, Olynyk | Curry’s journey PHOTOS: Must-see playoff pictures “We are thrilled to extend our existing relationship with Stance, a marketplace leader in the sock and fashion industry, to the court,” said NBA Vice President, Licensing Lisa Piken Koper through a release....

Coinbase is a popular cryptocurrency trading application where users can invest in popular digital currencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. According a press release from the NBA, the partnership will make Coinbase “the exclusive cryptocurrency platform partner of the NBA, Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), NBA G League, NBA 2K League and USA Basketball.” “The deal, which marks the first cryptocurrency platform partnership for each league, will consist of unique content, innovations, activations and experiences from Coinbase to educate fans on the increasing advancements happening across the cryptoeconomy,” the press release said....

Line: San Antonio -6.5, Total: 215.5 (current NBA spreads and totals) The Thunder (42-35) are a half-game ahead of New Orleans (41-35) for the 8th seed. Every game is vital now, and the Pelicans would get the nod in a tiebreaker after winning the head-to-head series 3-1. Oklahoma City (37-38-2 ATS) is not helping its cause with a three-game losing streak (0-3 ATS) and going 1-5 SU and ATS in its last six....

Stephen Curry and Kyrie Irving had plenty of highlights in this 15-minute video featuring the 60 best crossovers from the 2014-15 season. RIP to all the ankles and knees of these poor defenders. MORE: NBA offseason grades for all 30 teams | Six ideas to consider for next CBA Nikola Mirotic might want to think twice before switching on to Kemba Walker next time.

Please note that not every top option is listed in the Fantasy Alarm Playbook below. The best players can always be used, of course,, but we want to present options across all salary ranges. Most players are listed based off their FanDuel positions, but they may be eligible at other positions on other sites. It’s easier to mix and match with the multiple DraftKings options. Note: This is a FREE preview of Fantasy Alarm’s NBA DFS Playbook....

That can be a tough needle to thread when finding role players, especially on the wing. Go too far in one direction, and you limit yourself on offense, a la Andre Roberson or Solomon Hill. Go too far in the other, and you get someone like Allen Crabbe. Those players are valuable and useful, but they can often be schemed against, especially over the course of a seven-game playoff series....

The Bulldogs and Tigers have several top NBA draft prospects on their rosters, highlighted by a pair of forwards that will make a strong case to go at or near the top of the draft in June. With so many big names taking to the court at the Moda Center in Portland, Ore., on Saturday, Sporting News is taking a look at some of the biggest names in the 2022 NBA Draft that will be playing for a chance to move on to the Sweet Sixteen....

Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Marquis Teague helped lead Kentucky to the title in 2012; Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones and Justise Winslow paved the way for Duke in 2015; and Tony Bradley was a valuable bench piece for North Carolina last season. NBA DRAFT 2018: Who tops SN’s latest prospect rankings? Whereas that youth means upside for NBA franchises, in college basketball, continuity is king. None of the aforementioned teams were solely built around their one-and-done freshmen, even if the future pros were the focal points....

The Cavaliers dominated three quarters, then withstood another Warriors comeback attempt to win 96-91 Tuesday night at Quicken Loans Arena. And this injury-ravaged underdog suddenly has a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals. MORE: Must-see NBA Finals photos | LeBron’s breathtaking alley-oop | LBJ’s greatest NBA Finals performances James made sure of it. His run of jaw-dropping stat lines in this series continued, as he posted 40 points (on 14-for-34 shooting), 12 rebounds and eight assists....

MORE: SN tracker: Where the top FAs have landed The former Mavericks center was averaging a double-double before the All-Star break last season, but the 32-year-old wore down late and finished with 8.6 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. DEVENEY: Durant to Warriors not bad for NBA business Pachulia was expected to field offers for more than the $2.9 million, but instead he opted to join the Warriors’ star-studded rotation....

According to a report from ESPN, the Bucks center is expected to ink a four-year, $52 million dollar deal when free agency begins. Lopez averaged 12.5 points and 4.9 rebounds in 28.7 minutes per game for Milwaukee in 2018-19. He shot 45.2% from the field and a career-best 36.5% from 3-point range on 6.3 attempts per contest. The Bucks made it a “priority” to keep the big man and have effectively done so despite Lopez being a top target for other teams....