Stephen Curry is making NBA history the new way -- by having a blast

(CNN) - As the Golden State Warriors plow through their history-making season, superstar point guard Stephen Curry is having the time of his life -- and there's nothing wrong with that, says CNN's lead NBA analyst Steve Smith.

"It is business, and he's making it look fun," says Smith, who earned a championship ring with the 2003 San Antonio Spurs and played against the 1996 Chicago Bulls, whose 72-10 record Golden State is chasing......Read More

Migrant Crisis: Turkey and EU Leaders Close in on Deal

European Union negotiators and Turkey have agreed a draft deal over the migrant crisis, which must now be approved by the 28 EU leaders.

Under the scheme, migrants arriving in Greece after midnight Sunday will be sent back to Turkey if their asylum claim is rejected.

In return, EU countries will resettle thousands of migrants from Turkey.

Both the Czech and Finnish leaders have indicated they and their counterparts will accept the deal......Read More

World Twenty20: Shahid Afridi Stars As Pakistan Crush Bangladesh

Pakistan cruised to victory in their opening match of the World Twenty20 as they crushed Bangladesh by 55 runs.

Batting first in Kolkata, Pakistan built a huge total of 201-5, with Mohammad Hafeez and Ahmed Shehzad both making brisk fifties in a stand of 95.

Captain Shahid Afridi then added late impetus with a brilliant cameo of 49 from 19 balls.

In reply, Bangladesh mustered only 146-6, as Afridi and Mohammad Amir took two wickets apiece.

The Tigers entered the tournament with high hopes following a strong performance at the Asia Cup, where they beat Pakistan en route to the final, but they appear no closer to shaking off the tag of perennial also-rans at global tournaments..... Read More

Merrick Garland Profile of US Supreme Court Hopeful

Veteran appeals court judge Merrick Garland will be President Barack Obama's nominee to the US Supreme Court, US media report. If successful, he would replace conservative Justice Antonin Scalia, who died in February. Who is Merrick Garland?

Judge Garland, 63, is the chief judge of the Washington appeals court and a former prosecutor.

He was appointed by Democratic President Bill Clinton in 1997, winning confirmation in a 76-23 Senate vote. Prior to that, he served in the Justice Department during the Clinton administration....... Read More

Six Nations 2016: Warren Gatland Sorry For 'Banter' Comment

Wales head coach Warren Gatland has apologised for referring to an abusive comment aimed at prop Samson Lee by England's Joe Marler as "just banter".

Marler apologised to Lee for calling him a "Gypsy boy" during Saturday's Six Nations match at Twickenham.

Gatland made his comment on Tuesday, but, in a statement on Wednesday, said: "I don't condone racism of any kind."

Lee added: "I personally believe the comments to have been intended as banter and accepted Joe's apology."

Marler faces a hearing on Wednesday after being cited for allegedly elbowing another Wales prop, Rob Evans, in England's 25-21 victory..... Read More

US Election 2016: Fall of Republican Saviour Marco Rubio

It was a night when Donald Trump, John Kasich and Hillary Clinton gave victory-style speeches, and Marco Rubio bowed out in defeat.

The Republican field narrowed on so-called Super Tuesday II with the departure of Mr Rubio but it now becomes a three-way fight between Mr Trump, Mr Kasich and Texas Senator Ted Cruz.

Five big states cast votes and Mrs Clinton has won four of them so far, cementing her lead over Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.

So what did it all mean? BBC reporters give their views on some of the candidates.... Read More

China Opens A New University Every Week

China has been building the equivalent of almost one university per week.

It is part of a silent revolution that is causing a huge shift in the composition of the world's population of graduates.

For decades, the United States had the highest proportion of people going to university. They dominated the graduate market.

Reflecting this former supremacy, among 55 to 64 year olds almost a third of all graduates in the world's major economies are US citizens.

But that is changing rapidly among younger generations. In terms of producing graduates, China has overtaken the United States and the combined university systems of European Union countries........ Read More

Whale Missing Tail Fins Spotted Off New Zealand

A humpback whale missing most of its tail has been spotted off New Zealand.

The whale was first seen on Monday off the coast of Kaikoura on the north-east coast of South Island.

It was not clear how it came to lose its flukes, said local Department of Conservation ranger Mike Morrissey, but "it could have been the result of entanglement" in fishing nets.

But despite what looks like a severe injury, the whale seemed to be doing fine, he told the BBC.

"It appeared to be in good health and it's bending in the water and using its pectoral fins to spin around," Mr Morrissey said. Whales are sometimes caught in fishing gear, which can injure or kill them..... Read More

BBC Trending

A group of Twitter accounts seems to be designed to pump out crude Iranian propaganda aimed at an English-speaking audience - but the people behind it and their true motivations are a mystery.

Dozens of accounts tweet to thousands of followers in waves every few minutes throughout the day using the hashtag "Powerful Iran". Their profile pictures are Hollywood celebrities or stock photos, but their tweets almost always include pictures of Iranian military equipment along with random and sometimes seemingly irrelevant hashtags:......... Read More

Rare Act Of Dissent At China's Annual Parliament

After 11 days of interminable speeches, followed by ritualistic voting to approve everything put before it, China's annual parliamentary gathering will, once again, leave little worthy of note in its wake.

That is precisely the intention of course because it is not meant to hold power to account.

That is kept tightly in the hands of the ruling Communist Party, and the key policies have long been decided in advance.

Nonetheless, every year, the meetings do provide an occasional glimpse of something meaningful for those watching closely.

Here then are two of them for 2016; the first, a rare act of dissent that could not be stifled and the second, paradoxically, an all-too-common act of obeisance that was mysteriously hidden from view.

Much has already been written about Jiang Hong........ Read More

Migrants Find New Routes As Old Ones Close

The Balkan route may officially be closed, but the Asylum Information Centre in Belgrade is very much open - and doing a roaring trade.

The location is central but insalubrious - squashed between fast-food shops at the scruffy end of Nemanjina Street, within sight of the city's main railway station.

The hubbub around the door and signs in the window handwritten in Arabic script indicate that arrivals from the Middle East are still coming to Serbia's capital.

Inside, there is organised chaos. On the ground floor, young men lounge awkwardly in hard-backed chairs, waiting for their turn on the computers lined up on one side of the room. Those in front of the machines don headsets and hold ebullient Skype conversations.......... Read More

US Election 2016: Winners And Losers On Super Tuesday II

In a golf tournament, the day before the final round is called "moving day". It's when the leaders pull away from the rest of the pack.

A rookie or little-known duffer may have strung together a few good holes or even posted a nice round, but time and pressure expose their flaws.

Tuesday was such a moment in the US presidential nomination season.

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton came into the day with hopes of extending their leads in the all-important delegate count. They did that and more, taking big steps towards a showdown in the autumn general election.....Read More

Viajosola: Women Defend Solo Travelling In Wake of Backpacker Murders In Ecuador

The murder of two Argentine girls backpacking through South America has prompted women all over the world to defend solo travelling by females.

Maria Coni and Marina Menegazzo, 22 and 21, were found dead in Ecuador's pacific coast region in February and two men were later charged with their murder, the Ecuadorian Government said.

The girls had run out of money while travelling and got in touch with a friend who then organised a place for them to stay with two other men, Ecuador's state prosecutor Eduardo Gallardo Roda said.

The two men sexually assaulted the girls and then murdered the pair before dumping their bodies, according to authorities.

In the wake of the tragedy, many pointed fingers at the girls for travelling unaccompanied by a man and even questioned their parents for letting them travel independently.

One of the most controversial opinions was offered by Argentine psychiatrist Hugo Marietan who said the girls "took a risk" and labelled them "scapegoats"........... Read More

Pakistan: Bus Bomb Explosion Kills 15 in Peshawar

At least 15 people travelling on a bus have been killed by a bomb in the north-western Pakistani city of Peshawar, officials say.

The vehicle was carrying government employees from nearby areas to the city.

An improvised device apparently inside the bus caused the blast, police say.

There has been no claim of responsibility, but Peshawar has frequently been targeted by the Pakistani Taliban.

Around 30 others were injured, and many were in critical condition, a medical source told Reuters news agency.

Television pictures showed the vehicle partially destroyed and some of the wounded being taken to a hospital.

The bomb went off as the bus passed a main road busy with morning traffic.... Read More

US Student Otto Warmbier Given Hard Labour In North Korea

US student Otto Warmbier has been given 15 years hard labour in North Korea for crimes against the state. Warmbier, 21, was arrested for trying to steal a propaganda sign from a hotel while visiting North Korea in January.

He later appeared on state TV apparently confessing and saying a church group had asked him to bring back a "trophy" from his trip.

North Korea sometimes uses the detention of foreigners as a means of exerting pressure on its adversaries.

The BBC's Stephen Evans in South Korea says the 15-year sentence is high compared to those given to foreigners in the past.

This could be due to the particularly high tensions at the moment between North Korea and the US, he says.... Read More

Brussels Raid Over Paris Attacks: Dead Gunman Was Algerian National

A terrorism suspect shot dead in a raid in a Brussels suburb on Tuesday has been identified as Algerian national Mohamed Belkaid, officials say.

He was killed by snipers while trying to fire at police from an apartment window in the suburb of Forest. Four officers were wounded in the raid. Police are still hunting two suspects who were in the apartment.

The raid was linked to an investigation into the jihadist attacks in Paris that killed 130 people last November.

The so-called Islamic State (IS) militant group said it carried out the attacks.

According to the prosecutors' spokesman, an IS flag was recovered from the apartment raided on Tuesday, along with Salafist (ultra-conservative Islamic) literature and Kalashnikov ammunition..... Read More

Four Corners arrests: Julie Bishop Says High Commissioner In Malaysia In Contact With ABC Crew

Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop says Australia's High Commissioner in Malaysia is in contact with an ABC journalist and cameraman who are being blocked from leaving the country.

Key points

Journalist, cameraman told they must remain in Malaysia until Attorney-General decides if they should face charges They were questioned in a police station for six hours ABC News director says "we are doing everything we can to resolve this situation" Four Corners reporter Linton Besser and cameraman Louie Eroglu have been told they must remain in Malaysia until the nation's Attorney-General decides if they should face charges over an attempt to question Prime Minister Najib Razak over a corruption scandal.

Ms Bishop said the men were receiving consular support.

"I'm always concerned when there are instances of a crackdown on freedom of speech — in democracies particularly," she said.

"I'm also concerned about the freedom that journalists have to carry out their work."

The pair were arrested in the city of Kuching on Saturday night, after approaching the Prime Minister during his visit to a mosque...... Read More

Senator Eric Abetz warns Greens Preference Deal Will Cost The Government Votes

Former Senate leader Eric Abetz is rallying against a Liberal Party plan to preference the Greens in key seats at the federal election.

Media player: "Space" to play, "M" to mute, "left" and "right" to seek. 00:00 00:00 AUDIO: Listen to Michael Brissenden's interview with Eric Abetz (AM) The conservative Liberal senator has written to party president Richard Alston and the federal executive opposing any plan to preference the Greens.

"The way that you allocate preferences says a lot about what you, as a party, stand for and what matters to you," Senator Abetz told the ABC's AM program.

"It's this sort of transactional allocation of preferences that has brought the crossbench into such disrepute."

Senator Abetz said there would be backlash from the party's conservative members if it preferenced Greens candidates, particularly in regional areas...... Read More