The 2020 Grammy Awards was filled with tributes to Los Angeles icons as the night honored and celebrated the lives and legacies of NBA legend Kobe Bryant and rapper Nipsey Hussle, who won his first Grammy posthumously Sunday.
The Grammys kicked off with a performance in honor of Bryant, who died hours before the awards began. And later in the show Hussle's collaborators and friends, including DJ Khaled, John Legend, Meek Mill, Kirk Franklin, Roddy Ricch and YG, gave an all-star tribute to the man who died last year.
Filmmaker Ava DuVernay introduced the performance, which featured band players, background dancers and Legend wearing traditional Ethiopian and Eritrean clothing in honor of Hussle's African roots. Mill performed a new song called "Letter to Nipsey" while others joined together for "Higher," which is nominated for best rap/sung performance.
"Rest in peace Nipsey Hussle. Rest in peace Kobe Bryant," DJ Khaled said as photos of the entertainers appeared onscreen.
During the ..

Grammy Awards honor LA icons Nipsey Hussle, Kobe Bryant

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Australia's Marc Leishman fired eight birdies in a seven-under par 65 on Sunday to win the US PGA Tour title at Torrey Pines by one stroke from overnight leader Jon Rahm.
Leishman started the day four shots behind Spain's Rahm, but his storming run on Torrey Pines' South Course gave him a 15-under total of 273.
Rahm, meanwhile, fired a two-under 70 for 274, two shots in front of American Brandt Snedeker and Rory McIlroy -- the Northern Ireland star who could have regained the world number one ranking with a victory.
"Playing well helps," said Leishman, who has come from behind in all five of his PGA Tour victories.
"I didn't actually hit it that well off the tee today, so I don't know what the knack is. Putting, always, you're not going to win tour events if you're not putting well.
"I putted probably as good as I've ever putted today," added Leishman, who had five birdies on the front nine.
He drained par-saving putts at the 12th and 14th, and rebounded from his ony bogey of the day .

Aussie Leishman wins at Torrey Pines as Rahm, McIlroy denied

Peru's Keiko Fujimori-led opposition suffered a crushing blow at legislative elections on Sunday, losing dozens of seats in the Congress it had dominated since 2016, according to early results.
According to a rapid count by the Ipsos research firm, Fujimori's Popular Force party's share of the vote has dropped from 36.3 per cent in 2016 to just 6.9 per cent.
Having dominated Congress with 73 of the 130 seats, it is now set to be only the sixth largest party with less than 20 seats, according to projections.
"It's the collapse of Fujimorism, it's a very deep fall, a very hard blow," analyst Luis Benavente, director of the Vox Populi consultancy, told AFP.
"We don't know how many legislators they will have, but the first projections indicate it will be a 10th of their 2016" result, added analyst Fernando Rospigliosi.
It's a big victory for center-right President Martin Vizcarra, who dissolved parliament in September and called snap legislative elections in a bid to end a political ...

Peru opposition crushed at legislative elections

Madelene Sagstrom earned her first career USLPGA Tour title on Sunday with a closing round of two-under 70 to capture the Gainbridge LPGA by one stroke.
The 27-year-old turned pro in 2016 and won in her 69th start on the LPGA Tour, edging out runner-up Nasa Hataoka of Japan and finishing with a 17-under 271 total.
Hataoka shot a final round three-under 69 to finish alone in second.
American Danielle Kang closed with a 69 for sole possession of third at 15-under while Celine Boutier (70) was two strokes back in fourth with a 13-under 275. South Korea's Kim Sei-Young (73) rounded out the top five by finishing at 11-under, six strokes back of Sagstrom.
Sagstrom became the 12th different player from Sweden to win on the LPGA Tour and the first to win since Pernilla Lindberg won the 2018 ANA Inspiration.  She had shot a third-round 67 to seize a 54-hole lead for the first time in her young career.
The three-time Symetra Tour winner got off to a rocky start Sunday at the Boca Rio Golf Club .

Sweden's Sagstrom captures first career LPGA victory

Kobe Bryant inspired a generation of basketball players worldwide with sublime skills and an unquenchable competitive fire.
He earned Los Angeles' eternal adoration during his two decades as the fierce soul of the beloved Lakers, and he was respected by basketball fans from every place with a hoop and a dream, including his native Philadelphia and in Italy, his other childhood home.
Less than four years into his retirement, Bryant was seizing new challenges and working to inspire his daughters' generation through sports and storytelling when his next chapter ended shockingly early.
Bryant, the 18-time All-Star who won five NBA championships and became one of the greatest basketball players of his generation during a 20-year career all with the Lakers, died in a helicopter crash Sunday. He was 41.
The crash occurred in the foggy hills above Calabasas, California, about 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Bryant was killed, a person familiar with the situation told The ...

Kobe Bryant left deep legacy in LA sports, basketball world

Kobe Bryant's laserlike focus and sublime skills were remembered Sunday by NBA colleagues, fans and athletes he inspired as they absorbed the shock of his death at the age of 41.
Bryant, a five-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers and two-time Olympic gold medallist, died in a fiery helicopter crash in suburban Los Angeles that also claimed the life of his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others.
"We laughed and joked about the Mamba mentality. We're all going to need it right now," an emotional Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers said before his team played the Magic in Orlando in one of eight NBA games on the night.
Madison Square Garden, home of the New York Knicks, was washed in the Lakers colors of purple and gold, and so were the pylons that mark the entrance to Los Angeles International Airport.
In San Antonio, the Spurs and Toronto Raptors both committed 24-second shot-clock violations on their opening possessions in honor of Bryant -- who wore No. 24 in the ...

Bryant's death sends shockwaves through NBA and beyond

Kobe Bryant used a ferocious competitiveness and uncanny shooting touch to become an NBA icon, leaving behind a legacy that has influenced the newest generation of league talent and fans worldwide.
From his 81-point game, the second-best scoring performance in NBA history, to five NBA titles in 20 years of dazzling performances with the Los Angeles Lakers, Bryant delivered a relentless attitude that attracted a global following before his death Sunday at age 41 in a helicopter crash.
Bryant joined giant center Shaquille O'Neal to spark the Lakers to NBA titles in 2000, 2001 and 2002, becoming at the age of 23 the youngest player to capture three titles.
A bitter feud with Bryant saw "Shaq" depart, with Bryant portrayed as never having had childish ways while O'Neal never outgrew them.
That left Bryant without the inside force needed to capture the crown until Spain's Pau Gasol arrived, and the Lakers won titles in 2009 and 2010 with Bryant in command and later patching things up with .

Kobe's relentless spirit inspired NBA fans, players

Piotr Zielinski and Lorenzo Insigne scored in the second half as struggling Napoli shocked champions Juventus 2-1 to spoil coach Maurizio Sarri's return to the Stadio San Paolo.
Sarri had not been back to Naples since being sacked in May 2018 after three successful campaigns, and before moving to Chelsea.
This season he has taken over eight-time reigning champions Juve, a move seen as a betrayal by his former team, the two-time Serie A runners-up.
Juve missed the chance to open up a six-point lead on Inter Milan at the top of the table, after Antonio Conte's side were earlier held 1-1 by Cagliari, their third consecutive draw.
"It's a victory for the whole of Naples," said Insigne on Sunday after his team's first home win in the league since October 19.
Inter are three points behind Juve with Lazio a further two points adrift in third after city rivals Roma ended Simone Inzaghi's side's 11-match winning streak.
In Naples, Zielinski broke the deadlock after 63 minutes finishing off a ..

Struggling Napoli shock Sarri's Serie A leaders Juventus

Real Madrid moved top of La Liga for the first time since October on Sunday after grinding out a 1-0 win away at Real Valladolid to make Barcelona pay for their surprise defeat to Valencia.
It is 16 weeks since Madrid last finished a round top of the pile and it looked like a scrappy contest at the Jose Zorilla would end goalless until Nacho headed in the winner with 12 minutes remaining.
Victory means Zinedine Zidane's side pull three points ahead of Barca, whose 2-0 loss away at the Mestalla on Saturday under new coach Quique Setien could prove a turning point in a nip-and-tuck title race.
Madrid now have the luxury of hosting their struggling city rivals Atletico Madrid, who are 10 points back after a goalless home draw with Leganes earlier on Sunday, with a cushion next weekend, not to mention on the back of a 19-game unbeaten run.
That streak included them drawing a game they arguably should have won at Camp Nou in December and then lifting the Spanish Super Cup earlier this ...

Real Madrid go top with gritty win over Valladolid

Bolivia's interim President Jeanine Anez asked all her ministers to resign a little more than three months before a general election, a statement from the presidency said on Sunday.
The news came just hours after communication minister Roxana Lizarraga resigned in protest at Anez's decision to stand as a presidential candidate in the May 3 election.
When assuming the interim presidency on November 12, Anez had said she had no intention of standing for the full-time job.
But that changed on Friday when she announced her candidacy.
Anez "has decided to ask for the resignation of all ministers to approach this new stage in the management of the democratic transition," said the presidency's statement.
The statement added that it was "usual" in an electoral cycle to have "adjustments in the working team of the Executive."
Hours earlier, Lizarraga, who was appointed by Anez on November 13, criticised the interim president for having "lost sight of her objectives."
Lizarraga said Anez had ...

Bolivia president asks all ministers to resign

The Gambian government on Sunday launched a crackdown on a weeks-old movement demanding the departure of President Adama Barrow, following violent demonstrations in which medical officials say three protesters were killed.
Tension has been building in The Gambia, a tiny West African country surrounded by Senegal, over Barrow's decision to stay in office for five years after initially pledging to step down after three.
Police in the capital Banjul on Sunday fired tear gas at hundreds of protesters, who responded by throwing stones and setting tyres on fire, an AFP correspondent at the scene said.
Police arrested 137 people at the demonstration, it added.
The government later announced a ban on the "Three Years Jotna (is up) Movement", the group that has spearheaded weeks of protests calling for Barrow to step down.
In a statement, spokesman Ebrima Sankareh said the group was a "subversive, violent and illegal movement" that was "determined to illegally overthrow the constitutionally ...

Gambia launches crackdown on protest movement

China extended its Lunar New Year holiday three more days to discourage people from traveling as it tries to contain the spread of a viral illness that has caused 80 deaths, the government said Monday.
There were 2,744 confirmed cases by midnight Sunday, the National Health Commission announced.
Tens of millions of Chinese who visited their hometowns or tourist spots were due to return home this week in the world's largest movement of humanity, raising the risk the virus might spread in crowded trains and planes.
The official end of the holiday will be postponed to Sunday from Friday to effectively reduce mass gatherings" and "block the spread of the epidemic, a Cabinet statement said.
Schools will postpone reopening after the holiday until further notice, the statement said.

China extends Lunar New Year holiday as new virus toll rises

Two-time Grand Slam champion Simona Halep surged into the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Monday with a straight-sets victory over 16th seed Elise Mertens.
The fourth seed won 6-4 6-4 and plays Estonian 28th seed Anett Kontaveit or unseeded Polish teenager Iga Swiatek in the last eight in Melbourne.
Former world number one Halep, beaten in the 2018 final by Caroline Wozniacki, has not dropped a set in four matches in Melbourne and the Romanian looks in ominous form.
With her win, the 28-year-old will rise from third to second in the rankings.
"I had to calm myself down because when I get a little bit nervous I get crazy on court so I had to stay cool, to get energy from the box and play without looking back," she said, after some anxious moments in the second set.
After top seed Ashleigh Barty, Halep -- last year's Wimbledon champion and a former French Open winner -- is the highest remaining seed left in the draw.
Second seed Karolina Pliskova, holder and third seed Naomi ...

Ruthless Halep races into Australian Open quarter-finals

Michael Jordan mourned the death of Kobe Bryant on Sunday, saying the Los Angeles Lakers icon was "like a little brother" to him.
Six-time NBA champion Jordan said in a statement Bryant would be remembered as one of basketball's greatest players.
Bryant, 41, and his daughter Gianna died on Sunday along with seven other people when the helicopter they were travelling in crashed into a rugged hillside in suburban Los Angeles.
"I am in shock over the tragic news of Kobe's and Gianna's passing," said Jordan, regarded by many as the greatest basketball player in history.
"Words can't describe the pain I'm feeling. I loved Kobe - he was like a little brother to me. We used to talk often and I will miss those conversations very much.
"He was a fierce competitor, one of the greats of the game and a creative force. Kobe was also an amazing dad who loved his family deeply - and took great pride in his daughter's love for the game of basketball."
Bryant's death sparked an outpouring of tributes .

Jordan mourns death of 'little brother' Bryant

Hundreds of employees are openly criticising Amazon's record on climate change despite what they say is a company policy that puts their jobs at risk for speaking out.
On Sunday, more than 300 employees of the online retail giant signed their names and job titles to statements on blog post on Medium.
The online protest was organised by a group called Amazon Employees For Climate Justice, an advocacy group founded by Amazon workers that earlier this month said the company had sent letters to its members threatening to fire them if they continued to speak to the press.
"It's our moral responsibility to speak up, and the changes to the communications policy are censoring us from exercising that responsibility," said Sarah Tracy, a software development engineer at Amazon, in a statement.
Amazon said that its policy on external communications is not new and is in keeping with other large companies.
It said the policy applies to all Amazon employees and is not directed at any specific ...

Workers criticise Amazon on climate despite risk to jobs

Nine people were killed in the helicopter crash that claimed the life of NBA star Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Los Angeles officials confirmed on Sunday.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said eight passengers and the pilot of the aircraft died in the accident.
"There were no survivors... There were nine people on board the aircraft, the pilot plus eight individuals," Villanueva said.
The helicopter crashed in foggy weather in the Los Angeles suburb of Calabasas. Authorities said firefighters received a call at 9:47 am about the crash, which caused a brush fire on a hillside.
The Los Angeles Times quoted police as saying that weather conditions were such that the Los Angeles Police Department's air support division grounded its helicopters until the afternoon, when the fog lifted.
"The weather situation did not meet our minimum standards for flying," said police spokesman Josh Rubenstein.
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby said firefighters had to hike to ..

Nine people dead in Kobe Bryant helicopter crash

NBA legend Kobe Bryant died Sunday when a helicopter he was riding in crashed and burst into flames in thick fog, killing all nine people on board including his teenage daughter and plunging the sports world into mourning.
Bryant, 41, was travelling with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven other passengers and crew when their Sikorsky S-76 helicopter slammed into a rugged hillside in Calabasas, west of Los Angeles. There were no survivors.
Bryant, a five-time NBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medallist, is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players in history, an iconic figure who became one of the faces of his sport during a glittering two-decade career with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Dozens of firefighters and paramedics battled across steep terrain to reach the flaming wreckage at the crash site but found no survivors, officials said.
The National Transportation Safety Board said an 18-strong team of investigators would be sent to California to probe the ...

NBA legend Kobe Bryant killed in helicopter crash

Italy's populist leader Matteo Salvini appeared to have failed in his bid to win a key regional election and topple the country's fragile coalition government, according to exit polls late Sunday.
The far-right League had hoped to score a historic upset and force snap elections in the regional vote in Emilia Romagna, but a high turnout appeared to have favoured the incumbent centre-left candidate.
The Democratic Party's (PD) Stefano Bonaccini had won around 50 percent of the vote against the anti-immigrant League candidate Lucia Borgonzoni's 43 percent, according to projections made at 0100 GMT, after vote counting got under way.
The wealthy centre-north region of Emilia Romagna has been a stronghold of the Italian left for over 70 years, but while left-wing values still hold sway in its cities, the right had rallied serious support in towns and the countryside.
Polls published before the pre-election media blackout showed the League neck-and-neck with the PD, which governs Italy in ..

Salvini's League fails to topple Italy govt in regional vote: exit polls

Three rockets slammed into the US embassy in Iraq's capital on Sunday in the first direct hit reported after months of close calls, as thousands of protesters kept up anti-government sit-ins across the country.
The attack marked a dangerous escalation in the spree of rocket attacks in recent months that have targeted the embassy or Iraqi military bases where American troops are deployed.
None of the attacks has been claimed but Washington has repeatedly blamed Iran-backed military factions in Iraq.
On Sunday, one rocket hit an embassy cafeteria at dinner time while two others landed nearby, a security source told AFP.
A senior Iraqi official told AFP at least one person was wounded, but it was not immediately clear how serious the injuries were and whether the person was an American national or an Iraqi staff member working at the mission.
The US embassy did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The US State Department called on Iraq late Sunday to "fulfil its obligations ..

Three rockets hit US embassy in protest-hit Iraqi capital

China continued to reel under deadly coronavirus epidemic on Monday with the death toll due to it sharply rising to 80 amid the country's National Health Commission reporting 2,744 confirmed cases of the fatal affliction till date.
The Commission also termed the condition of the 461 people being treated for the virus, officially known as 2019-nCoV, as "critical".
The Commission's said during the past 24 hours, 769 new confirmed cases, 3,806 new suspected cases and 24 deaths from the disease were reported.
By Sunday, the pneumonia situation had resulted in a total of 80 deaths, while 51 people had recovered and 5,794 remained as suspected patients, state run Xinhua news agency quoted the Commission as saying.
A total of 32,799 close contacts have been traced, the commission said, adding 30,453 among them were currently under medical observation while 583 others were discharged on Sunday.
Almost all provinces in China except Tibet have reported the virus cases.
In addition, 17 confirmed 

Death toll in China's coronavirus climbs sharply to 80 with 2,744 confirmed cases

India's 71st Republic day celebrations in the US on Sunday were marred by protests and marches, albeit peaceful ones, against recent changes in the citizenship law by large number of Indian Americans in various cities of the country.
Among Indian Americans, the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019, however, also had a fair share of its  supporters who sought to counter protesters by asserting that India cares for Neighbouring Minorities and CAA Won't Impact Indian Citizens.
The supporters, however, appeared to be outnumbered by protesters, who held peaceful rallies and marches in various US cities, carrying anti-CAA banners and raising slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and demanding CAA's repeal and revocation of the proposed National Register for Citizens.
They raised the demand ruing that India's secular fabric is under threat.
In some of the cities, particularly New York, Chicago, Houston, Atlanta and San Francisco having Indian consulates, and at the Indian Embassy in .

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