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Major League Soccer’s newest club, San Diego FC, say they will take action to stop homophobic chanting after a taunt used in Mexican football blighted their first ever home game.San Diego drew 0-0 at home to St Louis City FC at their Snapdragon Stadium on Saturday but the one-word chant was heard several times throughout the match.Mexico’s national team has been fined several times by FIFA over the same chant which has also been an issue in Mexican club games.The club posted messages during the game warning supporters that the chants were “offensive” and adding that “discrimination has no place in our sport and in our stadiums and will not be tolerated.”On Monday the club issued a statement saying they would be taking action to deal with the problem.”What took place during our first-ever home match does not reflect who we are as a club or the values we stand for. The sport of football brings people together and in San Diego that inclusive spirit thrives,” the club said.”The use of homophobic language in our stadium is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated. San Diego FC is built on respect and the belief that soccer is for everyone. “We are committed to fostering an environment where all fans, players, and staff feel safe and welcome. We will take immediate steps to address this behaviour and will communicate a detailed plan prior to the next home match,” they concluded.Coach Mikey Varas said that the chants had not come from the organized supporters groups but fans elsewhere in the ground.”This came from more the general population in the seats, and it wasn’t everybody,” Varas told reporters after the game.”I understand that, but it was enough people, and I just want to make very clear that it has no place here. If they’re going to continue to come to the game and make that chant, it’s better that they don’t come here,” he said.

Bitcoin’s price plunged nearly 10 percent on Monday as an escalating trade war and uncertainty over creation of a US crypto reserve fund sent investors running from risk.After jumping on US President Donald Trump’s talk of creating a national cryptocurrency reserve, bitcoin and similar digital assets dove in the face of concerns it might not actually happen.”Everything is getting sold,” Forexlive manager Adam Button said, adding: “There’s a de-risking that’s unfolding” among crypto investors. Late in the day, Bitcoin was down 9.47 percent at $85,321.69 each. There is more than a trillion dollars worth of bitcoin in the largest overall valuation in the crypto realm.The second largest digital asset, ether, saw its price drop more than 15 percent.Other major cryptocurrencies such as XRP, Cardano and Solana were down by almost 20 percent.Weighing on cryptocurrency prices was Trump’s confirmation of 25 percent tariffs on all products imported to the United States from Mexico or Canada, which have already promised to retaliate.Button believes that concern about this trade war is compounded by worries about US economic growth, which many see weakening in the first quarter.Cryptocurrency prices had climbed early Monday, buoyed by Trump the previous day naming five that could be used in a national strategic reserve fund.Along with bitcoin and ether, Trump mentioned XRP, Cardano and Solana.This reserve would be created by bringing in digital currencies already in US possession, mainly from seizures in court cases or assets of individuals or companies under sanctions.Some in the industry have expressed reservations about the array of currencies considered.The chief executive of leading US cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase felt that limiting the reserve’s holdings to bitcoin “would probably be the best option.””It’s the simplest and there’s the idea that it could be a successor to gold,” Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said in a message posted on X. After Trump talked up the idea of a cryptocurrency reserve “everyone started buying, then wondered if it was really going to happen”, Button said.Creation of such a reserve would have to go through the US Congress.”It’s one thing to tweet about it, but you need to pass legislation to make this happen,” Button said.”And that’s still a long shot.”

Donald Trump’s pick for US education secretary, former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO Linda McMahon, was confirmed by the Senate Monday to lead a department the president has been clear he wants to dismantle.Trump, 78, promised to decentralize education as he campaigned for a return to the White House, saying he would devolve the department’s powers to state governments.McMahon, a 76-year-old businesswoman, appeared to concur as she told the Senate education committee earlier in February that “the excessive consolidation of power” in Washington was damaging education.”So what’s the remedy? Fund education freedom, not government,” she said.The co-founder of the wildly popular WWE wrestling league, McMahon worked in the organization from 1980 to 2009, serving as its president and chief executive.She also served in Trump’s first term government, as the head of the Small Business Administration.The Republican leader’s threat to shut down the education department has angered Democrats, teachers’ unions and many parents, who see it as an attack on the public education system.Underscoring his intention, Trump had earlier directed McMahon to “put herself out of a job.” “The American people do not want to see cuts to education and the consequent rise in property taxes. But that is the danger of confirming Ms McMahon,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said.Conservative groups hail the proposal to dismantle the department as a long-overdue measure to reassert local control over American classrooms. But they acknowledge that the task of winding down the vast department will not be easy. At McMahon’s confirmation hearing, Senator Bernie Sanders said the department was “providing vital resources for 26 million children in this country who live in high-poverty school districts.”He asserted it was “the responsibility of the federal government to say that every kid in America, whether you’re poor, middle class, rich, gets a quality education.”McMahon, a major donor to the Republican Party, has financially backed Trump’s political career since 2016.She is married to Vince McMahon, also a powerful figure at the WWE, a wrestling empire that was founded in the 1950s and combines scripted combat with stunning stunt work and soap-opera-esque storylines. The nominee was questioned about the WWE “ring boys” scandal, in which teenage employees were allegedly sexually assaulted in the 1980s and 90s by a ring announcer. Five former ring boys filed a civil suit against the McMahons in October, accusing them of knowing about the assaults but failing to act. Linda McMahon’s lawyers dismissed the accusations as “baseless.”Senate Majority Leader John Thune described her as an “accomplished businesswoman and public servant.”

US First Lady Melania Trump on Monday threw her support behind a bill aimed at protecting Americans from deepfake revenge pornography, in her first solo public engagement since her husband returned to the White House.Appearing in a roundtable discussion on Capitol Hill, she sought to shine a spotlight on the Take It Down Act, which criminalizes the online publication of non-consensual sexual imagery that is often created using cheap and widely available artificial intelligence tools.”In today’s AI-driven world, the threat of privacy breaches is alarming and high,” the first lady told the panel, sitting next to two teenage female victims of deepfake porn.”It’s heartbreaking to witness young teens, especially girls, grappling with the overwhelming challenges posed by malicious online content,” she added.The bill, introduced by Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, would require social media platforms and websites to have procedures in place to swiftly remove non-consensual intimate imagery, including AI-generated pornography, upon notification from a victim.Though it has passed a vote in the US Senate, the bill has yet to clear the House of Representatives.While urging bipartisan support for the bill, Melania took a dig at Democrats for not prioritizing its passage.”I expected to see more Democrat leaders with us here today to address this serious issue,” she said.”Surely as adults, we can prioritize American children ahead of partisan politics.”An online boom in non-consensual deepfakes is currently outpacing efforts to regulate the technology around the world due to a proliferation of AI tools, including photo apps digitally undressing women.A handful of US states including California and Florida have passed laws making sexually explicit deepfakes a punishable offense, and campaigners are calling on Congress to urgently pass a host of bills to regulate their creation and dissemination, including the Take It Down Act.While high-profile politicians and celebrities, including singer Taylor Swift, have been victims of deepfake porn, experts say women not in the public eye are equally vulnerable.A wave of AI porn scandals have been reported at schools across US states — from California to New Jersey — with hundreds of teenagers often targeted by their own classmates.Such non-consensual imagery can lead to harassment, bullying or blackmail, sometimes causing devastating mental health consequences, experts warn.The scandals led to a warning from the FBI last year that such child sexual abuse material, including realistic AI-generated images, was illegal.”In an era where digital interactions are integral to daily life, it is imperative that we safeguard children from mean-spirited and hurtful online behavior,” the first lady said.The roundtable marked Melania’s first solo public engagement since Donald Trump began his second White House term.The first lady has largely been an elusive figure at the White House, spending only limited time in Washington since her husband took the oath of office on January 20. 

With his flailing of Ukraine’s leader, Donald Trump is making clearer than ever that he cares more about power than friends — a chilling message for America’s global network of allies.In the eight decades since World War II, the United States has sought to lead a global order by promoting international rules and ensuring the security of democracies in Europe and East Asia as well as oil-rich Gulf Arab monarchies.US presidents, self-proclaimed “leaders of the free world,” have dropped or weakened support to dependent partners before, including Afghanistan, South Vietnam and, when forging relations with Beijing, Taiwan.Still, there was little precedent for the dramatic, on-camera rupture Friday in the Oval Office in which Trump and Vice President JD Vance berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has relied on Western support to withstand a three-year Russian invasion.Vance accused Zelensky of ingratitude for billions of dollars in US assistance and Trump threw a spotlight on the US ally’s weakness, telling him angrily, “You don’t have the cards.”Trump had days earlier declared that he was making a “decisive break” with past US foreign policy, which he described as “foolish” and responsible for “the deaths of many, many people.”Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called for the United States to act like Russia and China in pursuing self-interest first — a contrast to former president Joe Biden, who prioritized alliances as a force multiplier for US influence.- ‘Profound shift’ on democracy -Trump has long described NATO allies as trade competitors who freeload off the US military, although last week he voiced support for the alliance’s mutual defense commitment.He mocked Zelensky as a “dictator” for not holding elections since the invasion, while praising Vladimir Putin, who has been president or prime minister of Russia for 25 years.Trump has also refused to rule out military force to seize Greenland and the Panama Canal, saying that the United States — not unlike Russia — should take what it wants.While Washington’s championing of democracy has “rightly been accused of hypocrisy, now there’s not even any pretense that the United States is upholding those values,” said Max Bergmann, director of the Europe, Russia and Eurasia program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.”I think that’s going to be very bad for nascent democracies around the world, for democratic movements and for human rights. So I think this is a really profound shift in the international global order,” he said.Bergmann said that Trump was also providing a “real opening” to rival China.”The United States has been trying to convince countries that when you do deals with China, that China could betray you,” Bergmann said.”Well, here’s the United States essentially doing the ultimate betrayal, or completely switching sides, and stopping to support a democracy at war.”- Message on Taiwan? -European leaders immediately spoke of ramping up defense without the United States. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said a “new age of infamy has begun” after the “unspeakable” scene in the White House.Among places to feel the greatest jolt: former Soviet bloc nations that eagerly joined NATO as protection against Moscow, and Taiwan, the self-governing democracy claimed by Beijing.Trump said Monday that a Chinese invasion would be a “catastrophic event” as Taiwanese chip-making giant TSMC announced $100 billion of investment in the United States.Bonnie Glaser, managing director of the German Marshall Fund’s Indo-Pacific program, said Taiwan “has reason to be nervous.” Unlike Ukraine, which has backing from nearly all of Europe, Taiwan relies for weapons exclusively on the United States.But she said the economic stakes also made the situations different and pointed to Taiwan’s influence as the world’s foremost chipmaker and a major investor.In the words of Trump to Zelensky, “Taiwan has cards,” Glaser said — though the US president himself said Monday that the TSMC deal could mitigate that slightly.Joshua Rovner, a political scientist at American University, said Trump sees uncertainty as part of his strategy and in his first term, despite criticizing Europe, actually raised US troop levels on the continent.”Trump’s language you can interpret in a million different ways,” Rovner said.”What really matters is what he ultimately does with US forces.”

North Korea has slammed the United States for “political and military provocations” over the visit of a US Navy aircraft carrier to the South Korean port of Busan.The statement by Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korea’s ruler Kim Jong Un, was published Tuesday by the state-owned Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).”As soon as its new administration appeared this year, the US has stepped up the political and military provocations against the DPRK, ‘carrying forward’ the former administration’s hostile policy,” her statement read.DPRK is the acronym for the North’s formal name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.The USS Carl Vinson, the flagship of a carrier strike group, arrived in Busan for a scheduled port visit on Sunday, the US Navy said in a statement.”The visit to Busan exemplifies the US commitment to the region, further enhancing relationships with ROK leaders and the local population,” the US Navy said, using the acronym for the South’s formal name.Military cooperation between Seoul and Washington regularly invites condemnation from Pyongyang, where the government sees such moves as preparation for an invasion, and often carries out missile tests in response. “The US vicious moves for confrontation with the DPRK have been intensified in March with the appearance of Carl Vinson in the Korean peninsula,” said Kim Yo Jong.Relations between Pyongyang and Seoul have been at one of their lowest points in years, with the North launching a flurry of ballistic missiles last year in violation of United Nations sanctions.Last week, North Korea carried out a test-launch of strategic cruise missiles in the Yellow Sea, in a drill Pyongyang said was aimed at showing off its “counterattack” capabilities.Joint South Korea-US “Freedom Shield” military exercises are set to begin this month.The two Koreas remain technically at war since the 1950-1953 conflict ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.Kim Yo Jong’s missive ended with what appeared to be a threat to “renew its records” in the testing of nuclear-capable missiles and other such technology.”If the US continues to renew its records in the anti-DPRK military demonstration, the DPRK will be naturally compelled to renew its records in the exercise of strategic deterrence,” she said.She said the United States and its allies were the “root cause of escalating tension” in the region, and that the North “bitterly condemns the reckless visible actions and muscle-flexing” of Washington.

US President Donald Trump warned Monday he would “not put up” much longer with Volodymyr Zelensky’s stance on the war with Russia, as the Ukrainian leader countered he wanted to end it “as soon as possible.”In a new sign of frayed ties following their White House blow-up last week, Trump called Zelensky’s assertion that an agreement to end the war remained distant “the worst statement that could have been made” by him.”America will not put up with it for much longer,” Trump said on social media.The comment came after the Ukrainian president accused Russia — which invaded Ukraine in 2014 and greatly expanded the conflict in 2022 — of not being serious about peace.Zelensky warned that tough security guarantees were the only way to end the conflict.But Trump’s attacks on Zelensky have upended US support for Ukraine, and Washington’s allies more broadly, and stoked concern about the United States pivoting to Russia.The US president stepped up his threats during an event at the White House later Monday, suggesting that Zelensky “won’t be around very long” without a ceasefire deal with Moscow.Trump said Zelensky should be “more appreciative” of the billions of dollars of military aid that Washington has contributed to Kyiv’s fight against Russia.But he offered hope that a minerals deal that fell through last week due to the row could be revived, and played down reports that he could halt military aid.- European support -“Now, maybe somebody doesn’t want to make a deal, and if somebody doesn’t want to make a deal, I think that person won’t be around very long,” Trump said.After weekend crisis talks in London, Britain and France are investigating how to propose a one-month truce “in the air, at sea and on energy infrastructure” — potentially backstopped by troops on the ground.Zelensky said discussions were still focusing on the “first steps,” adding: “An agreement on ending the war is very, very far away” — a comment that angered Trump.Zelensky added in a video statement Monday that “real, honest peace” would only come with security guarantees for Ukraine, which agreed to denuclearize in 1994 only in exchange for protection provided by the United States and Britain.”It was the lack of security guarantees for Ukraine 11 years ago that allowed Russia to start with the occupation of Crimea and the war in Donbas, then the lack of security guarantees allowed Russia to launch a full-scale invasion,” Zelensky said.Russia dismissed his comments, accusing him of not wanting peace — echoing US criticisms after he was shouted down in the Oval Office on Friday.On the ground, Ukrainian officials reported fatalities from a Russian missile strike on a military training facility, some 130 kilometers (80 miles) from the front line.A respected military blogger said between 30 and 40 soldiers were killed and 90 more wounded in the attack near Dnipro on Saturday.- ‘Deliberate escalation’? -Trump has previously called Zelensky, president since 2019, a “dictator” for not holding elections, even though martial law precludes any vote because of the war. Zelensky dismissed calls for him to resign, repeating his pledge to do so only if Ukraine were given NATO membership, which Russia — and now the United States under Trump — opposes.In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov blamed Zelensky for Friday’s White House blow-up with Trump and Vice President JD Vance, saying he “demonstrated a complete lack of diplomatic abilities.””He doesn’t want peace,” Peskov told reporters.But Germany’s likely next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said the astonishing clash was a “deliberate escalation” by Trump.US and Russian officials have held talks on ending the war, enraging Ukraine and Europe for being sidelined, and prompting fears in Kyiv and beyond that any deal could threaten the country’s future.Zelensky triggered Trump and Vance’s ire by questioning whether Russia could be trusted to uphold a truce.French President Emmanuel Macron told daily newspaper Le Figaro that a truce would not, initially at least, cover ground fighting, as the size of the meandering front line would make it hard to enforce.Macron met Trump in Washington last week, as did Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who insisted Sunday that the United States was “not an unreliable ally,” despite Trump’s overtures to Putin.

The Los Angeles Times said Monday it was adding AI-generated counter-arguments to opinion pieces to help readers grasp differing points of view.The move comes as the Times struggles with plunging readership and heavy financial losses that have led to heavy job cuts.It also comes as some media owners seek greater control over their outlets’ coverage as President Donald Trump’s administration turns the screws on what it sees as unfavorable reporting.In a letter to readers, owner Patrick Soon-Shiong said every article containing any kind of opinion would now be labelled “Voices,” to “ensure readers can readily distinguish” it from news reporting.”Voices is not strictly limited to Opinion section content,” Soon-Shiong wrote.”It also includes news commentary, criticism, reviews, and more. If a piece takes a stance or is written from a personal perspective, it may be labeled Voices.”Computer-generated “Insights” will be appended to some of that content, identifying where on the political spectrum the view sits, he said.”The purpose of Insights is to offer readers an instantly accessible way to see a wide range of different AI-enabled perspectives alongside the positions presented in the article. “I believe providing more varied viewpoints supports our journalistic mission and will help readers navigate the issues facing this nation.”Readers soon weighed in with their own opinions on the idea, with the comments section of the article overwhelmingly negative about the initiative.”Readers don’t read the paper for AI written summaries. We can find that for free online. Just hire good journalists instead,” wrote self-described “longtime subscriber-reader” bkshyrock+1.”I pay cash to read well-reported stories written by, wait for it, humans. I don’t want this artificial slop anywhere near my journalism,” wrote pnukayapetra, adding: “Can we replace Soon-Shiong with AI instead?”Other commenters linked the move to an announcement last week by the Washington Post’s billionaire owner Jeff Bezos, who said his paper would only publish opinion pieces in support of “personal liberties and free markets,” in what was widely interpreted an effort to curry favor with Trump.”Welcome to Pravda on the Pacific,” quipped omt160, in a reference the official newspaper of the Soviet Union’s Communist Party.”Only those ideas approved by Dear Leader will be acceptable. Quite surprised that there is another fascist high tech billionaire competing with Bezos for the title of Most Subservient Media Tool.”The Times was once a giant on the US media stage, with correspondents around the globe.But years of retrenchments have seen it shrink, and last year mass layoffs further ruffled an already restless newsroom.Critics say the paper appears directionless, and while it still paints itself as a national title with a West Coast perspective, it has a much more parochial feel nowadays.

US President Donald Trump shut down hopes Monday of an eleventh hour deal with Canada and Mexico to avert sweeping tariffs, while signing an order to hike duties on China.Trump had unveiled — and then paused — blanket tariffs on imports from major trading partners Canada and Mexico in February, accusing them of failing to stop illegal immigration and drug trafficking.The halt is due to expire Tuesday, and US stock markets tumbled after Trump told reporters Monday there was “no room left” for both countries to avoid fresh levies.The White House also said Trump had inked an order to increase a previously imposed 10 percent tariff on China to 20 percent.But sweeping levies, particularly on Canada and Mexico, are set to snarl supply chains for key sectors like automobiles and construction materials, risking a hike in consumer prices.This could complicate Trump’s efforts to fulfill his campaign promises of lowering costs for households.On Monday, Trump told reporters that tariffs of up to 25 percent on Canada and Mexico were “all set.””What they’ll have to do is build their car plants, frankly, and other things in the United States, in which case they have no tariffs,” he added.In Ottawa, Canadian foreign minister Melanie Joly said Trump’s looming tariffs represent an “existential threat” to the country, with thousands of jobs at stake.She added that if Trump went ahead, “we are ready with counter tariffs.”Beyond this week’s looming deadline, Trump said on social media that Monday that tariffs on agricultural imports would come on April 2.A White House official told AFP that this came under Trump’s existing plans for reciprocal tariffs tailored to each trading partner.”There’s no doubt that the administration is trying to solve the long-standing fentanyl and immigration challenges, and these tariffs have given the administration leverage,” said Ryan Majerus, a former US trade official.Washington is also trying to rebalance trade ties, he told AFP.But using emergency economic powers to impose tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China is novel.”It remains to be seen how this will all play out in potential lawsuits,” warned Majerus, a partner at law firm King & Spalding.- Cost concerns -Robert Dietz, chief economist at the National Association of Home Builders, told AFP the group expects that “we could see a combined duty tariff rate of above 50 percent on Canadian lumber.”Trump’s tariffs on Canada are expected to pile on to other potential levies on lumber.”Softwood lumber futures prices have gone up eight percent in the last few weeks,” he added.While the United States also plans to expand forestry, Dietz said, prices will likely rise in the short-run.Anecdotally, some builders expect they could face higher costs of $7,500 to $10,000 per newly-built single family home, he said.- ‘New headwind’ -JPMorgan analysts warned Friday that Tuesday’s tariffs would “create a significant new headwind to economic activity” and boost consumer costs.Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday that her country has contingency plans, whatever the decision Trump takes.While Washington has targeted China over chemicals for the fentanyl drug, many of these components have legitimate medical uses, too — making prosecution tricky.Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that less than one percent of the fentanyl and undocumented migrants that enter the United States come through the Canadian border.But he added Sunday that Canada would “have a strong, unequivocal and proportional response” if levies took effect.Trudeau’s government has taken a series of steps to address Trump’s concerns including a Can$1.3-billion ($901-million) plan to enhance border security.It has also named a fentanyl czar to coordinate efforts against the drug.Meanwhile, Mexico last week extradited some of its most notorious imprisoned drug lords to the United States in a bid to avert the sweeping duties.They included a cartel kingpin wanted for decades over the murder of a US undercover agent.

Taiwanese chip-making giant TSMC will invest at least $100 billion in the United States to build “cutting edge” manufacturing facilities, President Donald Trump said Monday, announcing the latest blockbuster financial pledge by a private company since his return to office.Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s new investment will come on top of their existing commitments, and will go into “building five cutting edge fabrication facilities,” Trump said during a White House event, flanked by TSMC chief executive C.C. Wei.He added that much of the funding would be invested in the US state of Arizona, where TSMC — the world’s largest chipmaker — has already invested heavily, and would create “many thousands” of high-paying jobs.TSMC has long faced demands to move more of its production away from Taiwan, amid fears that supplies of the critical technology could be disrupted in any conflict with Beijing.The company, during former president Joe Biden’s administration, pledged to invest more than $65 billion in three factories in Arizona, one of which began production in late 2024.Trump recently ratcheted up the pressure on TSMC and other chip manufacturers by publicly mulling the introduction of 25 percent tariffs on all semiconductor chips made outside the United States.Monday’s announcement brings the total amount committed by the company to around $165 billion, C.C. Wei said Monday.”We are going to produce many chips to support AI progress, and to support smartphones’ progress,” he added.The new investment will help expand the firm’s US footprint to include “three new fabrication plants, two advanced packaging facilities and a major R&D (research and development) team center,” while supporting 40,000 construction jobs over the next four years, TSMC said in a statement.- Tariff threats -Since regaining the White House, Trump has called on companies to create more manufacturing jobs in the United States, while threatening to impose steep levies on those who do not comply.His administration has already imposed a 10 percent tariff on Chinese goods, and is scheduled to impose a 25 percent tariff Canada and Mexico from Tuesday, alongside an additional levy of 10 percent on goods from China.On Monday, Trump said there was “no room left for Mexico or for Canada” to avoid the tariffs, adding: “They’re all set, they go into effect tomorrow.”Trump has invited executives from some of the world’s largest companies — including OpenAI and Oracle — to the White House since his January 20 inauguration to tout investments worth hundreds of billions of dollars in US manufacturing.The amount announced since inauguration day now totals more than $1 trillion, including a commitment from Apple to invest $500 billion over the next four years.These gargantuan sums are sure to please Trump’s supporters. His critics point to some similarly ambitious targets pledged during his first term in office which failed to materialize.