Jeremy Lin wins PLG championship alongside brother Joseph

Hello and good morning! It’s Thursday, June 27. Here’s the news you need to know today:

Sports

Jeremy Lin wins PLG championship alongside brother Joseph

Former NBA star Jeremy Lin and his brother Joseph helped the New Taipei Kings defeat the Taoyuan Pauian Pilots in Game 5 of the P.League+ (PLG) finals on Thursday to secure the championship. This marks the first time the brothers have played and won a professional title together.

• Thrilling overtime finish: Joseph stepped up in the second quarter with crucial three-pointers, extending the lead for New Taipei. Jeremy, despite a torn meniscus, came off the bench to help the team overcome an early deficit. Though both Lin brothers fouled out in overtime, the Kings dominated the extra period to clinch the 103-97 victory.

• Two-time champ: The PLG title is the Kings’ first and Jeremy's second championship, adding to his 2018-2019 NBA title win with the Toronto Raptors. “To win a championship with my lil bro is truly a special feeling,” Jeremy wrote on Instagram. “We’ve seen each other through the roughest times, had the toughest conversations and worked endlessly at protecting our brotherhood from being affected by everything else going on. To end the season on top with our parents and loved ones watching...my heart is so full.”

Sports

Filipino American breakdancer qualifies for Paris Olympics

Logan Edra, also known as “Logistx” (pronounced "logistics"), has been named among the newest members of Team USA’s breakdancing team, which will compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

• Securing the spot: Edra and Jeffrey Louis secured the final two spots in Team USA's breaking group after reaching the quarterfinals of the Olympic Qualifier Series in Budapest, Hungary, last week. They will join Sunny Choi and Victor Montalvo to complete the quartet representing the US in breakdancing at the Olympics. Edra and Louis placed fifth in both the overall Olympic Qualifying Series standings and in their respective categories for the competition.

• Breakdancing’s Olympic debut: A total of 32 breakers — 16 male and 16 female dancers — are set to compete in breakdancing when the sport makes its debut at the Paris Olympics on August 9 and 10. “Breaking is going to do so well in Paris. I pray that we bring the most hype and steal attention from the other sports. They are going to hear the music and they are going to be so curious. Like, what's going on?" Edra told Reuters. 

News

Filipino student tells Pope Francis to stop using anti-LGBTQ language

Jack Lorenz Acebedo Rivera, a senior psychology student from Ateneo de Manila University — a Catholic university — in the Philippines, urged Pope Francis to cease using anti-LGBTQIA+ language at a livestreamed panel discussion on June 20. He cited the pope’s alleged use of the term “frociaggine,” which roughly translates to “f*gg*try,” in recent private meetings to highlight the “immense pain” such language causes.

• The pope’s controversy: The 87-year-old religious leader reportedly first used the term in a closed door meeting while referring to priests and the general atmosphere at the Vatican in May, according to Italian media. The Holy See subsequently issued an apology, but the outrage has continued as he was accused of repeating the disparaging word in another meeting with Roman priests the following month.

• “Outcasted and bullied”: “I myself I am outcasted and bullied due to my bisexuality, my gayness, my identity, and being a son of a single parent,” Rivera, who wore a rainbow sash, said. In response, Pope Francis condemned discrimination and encouraged closeness but did not address the student’s appeal on his reported use of the homophobic term.

News

FBI probes NYC Mayor over missing China trip records

Federal agents are investigating New York City Mayor Eric Adams' use of private email addresses and the disappearance of records from seven trips he made to China. The FBI and Manhattan federal prosecutors are examining a trip partially funded by the Chinese Communist Party during Adams’ tenure as Brooklyn Borough President. The probe is part of a broader investigation into alleged public corruption involving Adams and key adviser Winnie Greco.

• The investigation: Adams allegedly used personal emails that were not stored on government servers, making it difficult to trace details about his China trips. These trips, made between 2014 and 2021, were partly funded by a nonprofit run by Greco, who was alleged to be a “consultant” to CCCP-backed organizations. The Mayor's Office denies using private servers for official business, stating that the China trip was approved by the Conflicts of Interest Board, although a copy of the approval letter was not provided.

• Catch up: The ongoing investigation began when the FBI raided the homes of Greco in February, following a report questioning her political fundraising and potential misuse of her position for personal benefits. Federal agents also previously seized the electronic devices of Adams, who is accused of receiving illegal contributions from the Turkish government through straw donors. Adams has denied any wrongdoing, and a spokesperson stated they would fully cooperate with the investigation.

Crime

New Jersey man flies to Florida for hammer attack on video game rival

Edward Kang, a 20-year-old man from New Jersey, was arrested for allegedly flying to Florida to attack a fellow gamer with a hammer after an online dispute in the multiplayer role-playing game “ArcheAge.” Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper reported that Kang faces an attempted second-degree murder charge after the Sunday assault in Fernandina Beach, which left the victim with severe but non-life-threatening head injuries.

• The attack: An investigation revealed that Kang flew from Newark to Jacksonville, bought a hammer and flashlight at a hardware store and stayed in a nearby hotel. Kang, dressed in black with gloves and a mask, allegedly entered the victim's unlocked home at about 2 a.m. on Sunday before attacking him during a bathroom break from gaming. The victim’s stepfather intervened after hearing screams. Kang later admitted to deputies that he was motivated “to kill the victim” because the man was “a bad person online.” 

• Game over: Kang was booked into the Nassau County Jail on Sunday. “The suspect asked our deputy how much time in jail do you get for breaking and entering and assault? And I would say Mr. Kang, it’s going to be a long time before you play video games again,” Leeper said at a press conference. The investigation is still in progress, and the charges may be upgraded later.

News

Body found in San Diego's Black Mountain where hiker went missing

Hiker Diem Le Nguyen went missing after becoming separated from her hiking group in Black Mountain Open Space Park in the Rancho Peñasquitos area on Sunday. The next day, the dead body of an Asian woman, believed to be hers, was discovered off-trail.

• Going it alone: Nguyen, 50, was part of a group of about 100 people, including her family and friends, hiking the Nighthawk Trail during a fundraiser for the Build a School Foundation. When the group stopped halfway up the trail, she decided to continue to the peak alone and got separated.

• The search: A search began after Nguyen made a distress call reporting she was overheating and needed water. A helicopter searching for Nguyen found the dead body just a quarter-mile from a populated area. Police are awaiting autopsy results to confirm if the body is Nguyen's.

More Asian News

• K-pop boy group donating $1 million as UNESCO youth ambassadors: Seventeen have been appointed as UNESCO’s first-ever Goodwill Ambassadors for Youth, pledging a $1 million donation to launch the “Going Together – For Youth Creativity and Well-Being” initiative. The partnership aims to support youth-led projects worldwide, focusing on music, the arts and sports to enhance the well-being and development of young people. Seventeen, which has donated to children’s welfare since 2017, will promote UNESCO values and actions and participate in awareness campaigns and events in this new role.

  

• Roman Reign’s father, WWE Hall of Famer Sika Anoa'i, dies: Samoan professional wrestling great Leati Sika Amituana'i Anoaʻi has died at 79, his nephew Jahrus Anoa'i announced in an Instagram post on Tuesday. Anoa'i described his uncle as a “celebrated figure whose contributions and legacy have left an indelible mark,” noting that his “memory will live on through his achievements and the many lives he touched.” Sika Anoa’i, the father of WWE superstar Roman Reigns, made his WWF debut in 1979 and became a WWF Tag Team Champion as part of the Wild Samoans alongside his brother, Afa, on multiple occasions.

• King Charles references “Pokemon,” “Hello Kitty” during state banquet: King Charles made a surprising "Pokemon" reference while hosting a Japanese state banquet attended by Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako on Tuesday. “I am only sorry to report that I haven’t had any better luck with more recent attempts at fishing – the Pokemon phrase ‘gotta catch ‘em all’ may resonate with my grandchildren, but for me it is, perhaps, aspirational,” King Charles said during his speech. He also gave "Hello Kitty" a nod in his speech by wishing it "a very happy birthday," as the franchise celebrates its 50th anniversary.

• Indian physicists discover faster new formula for pi: While investigating connections between string theory and quantum field theory, researchers Arnab Saha and Aninda Sinha at the Indian Institute of Science stumbled upon a new way to calculate pi. The new formula, which employs a series representation, can determine pi to 10 decimal places using only 30 terms, a significant improvement over the billions of terms required by the traditional Madhava series. Although the new formula converges more rapidly, it is more complex and potentially less intuitive than the traditional approach.

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