Chaos feared as body of revered Kenya politician Odinga heads homeSat, 18 Oct 2025 06:18:27 GMT

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, …

Chaos feared as body of revered Kenya politician Odinga heads homeSat, 18 Oct 2025 06:18:27 GMT Read More »

Monuments, monkeys and McIlroy: India’s ‘special’ golf course

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.

‘No Kings’ rallies across US to gauge anti-Trump outrage

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.”