Vast crowds gathered in western Kenya on Saturday to see the body of a beloved politician, Raila Odinga, for the biggest day of mourning ceremonies that have already claimed at least five lives this week.There were cries of “Baba” (father) and “We are orphans” among the tens of thousands who packed the streets in Kisumu, …
Rory McIlroy and centuries of history blended beautifully as the Ryder Cup winner tackled a “special” golf course this week in the Indian capital, teeming with wildlife and usually hidden from view.Nestled in the heart of New Delhi, a city of nearly 30 million people, Delhi Golf Club (DGC) is a green sanctuary steeped in history.Its lush fairways wind past centuries-old Mughal-domed tombs and weathered monuments, offering a surreal blend of elite sport and crumbling heritage.For most of the public, glimpsing this extraordinary mix — home to the 18-hole Lodhi Course and the nine-hole Peacock Course — is usually only possible by peering through its entrance gates.”I actually said to the boys on the 17th tee, it was hard to believe how old these buildings are, these monuments,” said McIlroy’s Ryder Cup teammate Shane Lowry, who led after the opening round of the DP World India Championship on Thursday with an eight-under-par 64.”It’s pretty cool.”On the course, elaborate tombs of the city’s past rulers poke through tangled trees that are home to peacocks, troops of monkeys and mongooses.”It’s really, really special,” said Tommy Fleetwood, another Ryder Cup hero from Team Europe, returning to the venue for the first time since 2016.”Golf around the world is so cool, getting to explore different places, different courses, different histories wherever we are,” he added.”This is one of those really cool places.”- ‘Age of glory’ -The inaugural $4 million India Championship, which concludes on Sunday, has attracted a stellar field.Prime among them is five-time major winner McIlroy, who is making his debut in India.Kapil Dev, president of the Professional Golf Tour of India, has called the tournament “a landmark moment for Indian golf”.Central to that is the DGC, which was founded in the 1930s and later reshaped by British planners.Club history recounts how colonial officers, after the capital of British-ruled India shifted to Delhi, pushed through the forests using elephants to map the course through the overgrown ruins.The tight, tree-lined fairways interweave with a treasure trove of archaeological remnants.More than a dozen historical monuments dot the course, including the striking 17th-century Lal Bangla tombs and others of the 15th century Lodhi dynasty.”Tee off on a trail of history,” the club history purrs.”Here lie the end of dynasties, the relics of mighty empires, ruins which bear testimony to an age of glory.”Club president Raj Khosla spoke about the “magnificent scenic beauty” and “uniqueness of a wonderful course” interweaved with monuments.Swedish golfer Simon Forsstrom, pausing on the 14th tee to admire a red sandstone tomb behind him — a miniature echo of the Taj Mahal — was equally impressed.”I think this is the only one with old monuments that are historic. I haven’t seen these at any other course,” he told AFP.”You stand up high next to the monument, it’s a fun experience.”For all its grandeur, the DGC is not India’s oldest course.That distinction belongs to the 18-hole Royal Calcutta Golf Club, founded in 1829 and reputed to be the oldest outside Britain.
Rallies from New York to San Francisco under the “No Kings” banner on Saturday will gauge popular anger at President Donald Trump’s barnstorming second term, months after a previous day of action brought millions to the streets.”The president thinks his rule is absolute. But in America, we don’t have kings and we won’t back down against chaos, corruption, and cruelty,” the “No Kings” movement — which unites some 300 organizations — says on its website.More than 2,700 demonstrations are planned coast to coast, from big cities to small towns, and even near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, where he will spend the weekend. Organizers say they are expecting millions to attend.Millions attended rallies on June 14 after Trump ordered the deployment of troops to Los Angeles, a move that led critics to accuse him of acting like a dictator.It was the biggest day of demonstrations since the Republican billionaire returned to the White House in January.Trump in June had promised to use “very big force” if protesters attempted to disrupt the army parade in the US capital.In the months since, he has expanded the deployments of troops to US cities, outraging critics.An ongoing government shutdown is in its third week, with the Trump administration firing thousands of federal workers and lawmakers showing little sign they are ready to break the impasse.Trump’s response to the latest big rally day has been more muted.”They’re saying they’re referring to me as a king. I’m not a king,” he told Fox News show “Sunday Morning Futures.”But his top surrogates in the Republican Party were in more fighting form, with House Speaker Mike Johnson calling the day of protest the “Hate America rally.””You’re going to bring together the Marxists, the Socialists, the Antifa advocates, the anarchists and the pro-Hamas wing of the far-left Democrat Party,” he told reporters.Republican lawmaker Tom Emmer also used the “Hate America” phrase and referred to participants as the “terrorist wing” of the Democratic Party.Democratic congressman Glenn Ivey rejected the term “hate,” telling AFP on Friday: “I understand why they’re nervous about it and trying to paint it in a bad light.””It’s really the strong counter-push to what they’ve been doing — that’s undermining the country, destroying the rule of law and undermining our democracy,” said Ivey, adding that he would attend protests in his Maryland congressional district.- ‘Country of equals’ -Beyond New York and San Francisco, protests are scheduled in major cities such as Washington, Boston, Chicago, Atlanta and New Orleans, but also in small towns across all 50 states.The “No Kings” movement is even organizing events in Canada.On Thursday, Deirdre Schifeling, chief political and advocacy officer for the American Civil Liberties Union, said protesters wanted to convey that “we are a country of equals.””We are a country of laws that apply to everyone, of due process and of democracy. We will not be silenced,” she told reporters.Leah Greenberg, co-founder of the Indivisible Project, slammed the Trump administration’s efforts to send the National Guard into US cities, crack down on undocumented migrants and prosecute political opponents.”It is the classic authoritarian playbook: threaten, smear and lie, scare people into submission,” Greenberg said. “But we will not be intimidated. We will not be cowed.”Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro, a known Trump critic, called on Americans to rally.”We’ve had two and a half centuries of democracy… often challenging, sometimes messy, always essential,” De Niro said in a short video.”Now we have a would-be king who wants to take it away: King Donald the First,” he said.”We’re rising up again this time, nonviolently raising our voices to declare: No kings.”
China and the United States agreed Saturday to conduct another round of trade negotiations in the coming week, as the world’s two biggest economies seek to avoid another damaging tit-for-tat tariff battle.Beijing last week announced sweeping controls on the critical rare earths industry, prompting US President Donald Trump to threaten 100 percent tariffs on imports from China in retaliation.Trump had also threatened to cancel his expected meeting with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in South Korea later this month on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.In the latest indication of efforts to resolve their dispute, Chinese state media reported that Vice Premier He Lifeng and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had “candid, in-depth and constructive exchanges” during a Saturday morning call, and that both sides agreed to hold a new round of trade talks “as soon as possible”.On social media, Bessent described the call as “frank and detailed”, and said they would meet “in-person next week to continue our discussions”.Bessent had previously accused China of seeking to harm the rest of the world by tightening restrictions rare earths, which are critical to everything from smartphones to guided missiles.US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer also participated in the call, according to the report by Chinese state news agency Xinhua.Hours before the call, Fox News released excerpts of an interview with Trump in which he said he would meet Xi at the APEC summit after all.Trump told the outlet that the 100 percent tariff on goods from China was not sustainable.”It’s not sustainable, but that’s what the number is… They forced me to do that,” he said.- Coordinated response -The high-level video call came as Washington worked to rally Group of Seven finance ministers in response to the latest Chinese export controls.For now, the G7 ministers have agreed to coordinate a short-term response and diversify suppliers, the EU’s economy commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis told reporters in Washington.Speaking after the grouping met this week, Dombrovskis noted the vast majority of rare earth supplies come from China, meaning that diversification could take years.”We agreed, both bilaterally with the US and at the G7 level, to coordinate our approach,” he said on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank’s fall meetings.Countries would also exchange information on their contacts with Chinese counterparts as they work out short-term solutions, he added.German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil told journalists he hopes that Trump and Xi’s meeting can help to resolve much of the US-China trade conflict.”We have made it clear within the G7 that we do not agree with China’s approach,” he added, referring to the group of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States.International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva also expressed hope Friday for an agreement between the countries to cool tensions.The US-China trade war reignited this year as Trump promised sweeping tariffs on imports soon after returning to office.At one point, US-China tariffs escalated to triple-digit levels, effectively halting some trade as businesses waited for a resolution.The two countries have since lowered their respective levies but their truce has remained shaky.burs-pfc/hol/mtp
Disgraced former Republican lawmaker George Santos, who was convicted of committing wire fraud and identity theft, left prison on Friday just hours after his sentence was commuted by US President Donald Trump, his attorney told AFP.Trump wrote in a lengthy post on his Truth Social site Friday that “George has been in solitary confinement for long stretches of time and, by all accounts, has been horribly mistreated.””And at least Santos had the Courage, Conviction and Intelligence to ALWAYS VOTE REPUBLICAN,” he added.”Therefore, I just signed a Commutation, releasing George Santos from prison, IMMEDIATELY.”Santos left the Federal Correctional Institution Fairton in New Jersey and was “on his way home,” his attorney Joseph Murray told AFP by phone late Friday.”God bless President Donald J Trump the greatest President in U.S. history!” Murray wrote in a statement that was posted on Santos’s X account.A presidential commutation is different to a pardon in that the original conviction stands — but the sentence passed is reduced.The 37-year-old ex-representative from New York state reported to prison in July, after being sentenced to seven years and three months in April for stealing campaign donors’ identities and using their credit cards, among other charges.A congressional ethics committee investigation revealed his use of stolen funds for Botox treatments and the OnlyFans porn website, as well as luxury Italian goods and vacations to the Hamptons and Las Vegas.Santos’s bizarre biographical fabrications included claiming to have worked for Goldman Sachs, being Jewish and having been a college volleyball star.He was expelled from the House in 2023, one year after he was elected to office, becoming only the third person to be ejected as a US lawmaker since the Civil War, a rebuke previously reserved for traitors and convicted criminals.
Donald Trump, qui affiche une complicité retrouvée avec Vladimir Poutine, a pressé vendredi Volodymyr Zelensky de cesser les hostilités, en restant sourd aux demandes de soutien militaire renforcé du président ukrainien.”La rencontre avec le président ukrainien Volodymyr Zelensky a été très intéressante et cordiale, mais je lui ai dit, comme je l’ai par ailleurs fortement suggéré au président Poutine, qu’il était temps d’arrêter la tuerie et de trouver un ACCORD”, a-t-il écrit sur son réseau Truth Social, en jugeant que les deux belligérants devaient “s’arrêter où ils sont”.”Laissons-les clamer victoire tous les deux, que l’histoire décide. Assez de tirs, assez de mort”, a-t-il ajouté, avant de s’envoler pour la Floride.A son arrivée, il a réitéré son appel devant les journalistes: Ukraine et Russie devraient “s’arrêter immédiatement à la ligne de front” actuelle.”Respectez la ligne de front, où qu’elle se trouve, sinon cela deviendra trop compliqué”, a-t-il jugé.De son côté, le président ukrainien a pris acte de la fin de non-recevoir opposée pour l’instant à sa quête de missiles américains Tomahawk.”Je pense que la Russie a peur des Tomahawk, vraiment peur, car c’est une arme puissante”, a déclaré Volodymyr Zelensky lors d’une conférence de presse, après sa réunion de plus de deux heures avec son homologue américain à la Maison Blanche.Espère-t-il recevoir cet armement? “Je suis réaliste”, a-t-il répondu.”C’est une bonne chose que le président Trump n’ait pas dit “non”, mais pour l’instant, il n’a pas dit “oui”, a encore ajouté vendredi M. Zelensky à la chaîne américaine NBC.- Des “milliers” de drones -Donald Trump avait déjà exposé plus tôt sa réserve face à une potentielle livraison à l’Ukraine de ces missiles d’une portée de 1.600 kilomètres, à laquelle Moscou est totalement opposé.”J’espère que nous pourrons mettre fin à la guerre sans avoir à penser aux Tomahawk”, a déclaré à la presse le président américain, assis face à son homologue ukrainien, autour d’une grande table dressée pour le déjeuner.Ces missiles permettraient à l’Ukraine de frapper en profondeur et en Russie. Pendant la réunion avec Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky a proposé un échange avec des “milliers” de drones ukrainiens.Cela n’a donc pas convaincu le président américain, pas plus que les “cartes” de cibles russes potentielles qu’il lui a montrées, selon une source ukrainienne. Volodymyr Zelensky a estimé que le président russe n’était “pas prêt” à la paix, mais Donald Trump a soutenu le contraire, pendant un échange avec les journalistes qui a précédé leur déjeuner de travail.”Le président Poutine veut mettre fin à la guerre”, a déclaré le président américain, qui a eu jeudi une longue conversation avec le maître du Kremlin.Les dirigeants russe et américain ont convenu de se voir prochainement à Budapest en Hongrie, pendant cet entretien qualifié de “très productif” côté américain, d'”extrêmement franc et empreint de confiance” côté russe.- “Dirigeant très fort” -Donald Trump a jugé “possible” que Vladimir Poutine essaie de jouer la montre, en réponse à la question d’une journaliste de l’AFP, mais il a également dit: “Pendant toute ma vie, les meilleurs ont essayé de se jouer de moi. Et je m’en suis vraiment bien sorti.”La Russie, à l’entrée de l’hiver, intensifie ses attaques sur les infrastructures énergétiques ennemies. Vendredi, elle a aussi revendiqué la prise de trois villages ukrainiens.Dans ce contexte, la proximité retrouvée du président américain avec Vladimir Poutine a de quoi inquiéter Kiev, d’autant que Donald Trump a fait vendredi face à Volodymyr Zelensky un compte-rendu très positif de son entretien de la veille avec son homologue russe.Le président américain a toutefois aussi eu des mots aimables pour Volodymyr Zelensky: “Un dirigeant très fort, un homme qui a subi beaucoup de choses et un homme que j’ai appris à bien connaître.”Son dernier sommet avec Vladimir Poutine, le 15 août en Alaska, s’était conclu sans perspective concrète de paix.Le président américain n’a pas pour autant mis à exécution ensuite ses menaces de lourdes sanctions contre Moscou.Dès son retour au pouvoir en janvier, Donald Trump a rompu l’isolement dans lequel les puissances occidentales maintenaient Moscou depuis l’invasion russe de février 2022 et remis en cause l’aide militaire accordée à l’Ukraine.
