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With $1.5bn ploughed in by SSG, Jay Monahan and co have plenty of money and no need to agree a deal with LIVThe Ryder Cup could become the next piece to move in the apparently never-ending game of elite golf's three-dimensional chess. Multiple sources have confided during the Masters that PGA Tour Enterprises, a commercial body set up almost two years ago, is seriously considering an offer to take part ownership of the United States element of the Ryder Cup. That domain is controlled by the PGA of America, which also runs the US PGA Championship. Any such deal would cost PGA Tour Enterprises hundreds of millions of dollars.PGA Tour designs on the Ryder Cup are nothing new. Indeed, it has been a longtime frustration of the PGA Tour that the five key elements in the sport - the four majors plus the biennial joust between Europe and the US - are run by other organisations. PGA Tour Enterprises now offers an avenue to do something about that. Continue reading...

After attaining comfort and a shift in the culture, high heels have returned - for some a symbol of retrogressive femininity, for others a protestI mean, it sounds mad now. I know this even as I write, it sounds impossible, like a weird lie you tell kids to show them how good they have it, but listen: in the late 1990s and early 2000s when I worked in a fancy underwear shop, I had to wear heels that were at least 3in high every day, no sitting down allowed. And then, and then, in my leisure time, instead of easing myself into, say, a bath of Uggs, I also wore a heel. Eva," I hear you say, Did somebody hurt you? I hope you have someone to talk to." But - it was normal. It was normal! I wore a spike-heeled boot, a massive platform, or sometimes for comfort, as a treat, a 1940s mule.It was about fashion, yes, but it was also about growing up, and about authority, and about swagger. Also, I lived at the top of a very steep hill and the angle of a heel was sometimes helpful when walking home. Heels have never been about just one thing. Their meaning, pain and politics, move and merge. Continue reading...

Economically, the trade war may be bad news for Xi Jingping, but ideologically and politically it is a giftLast week, Mao Ning, head of China's foreign ministry information department, posted a blurry black-and-white clip of a moment in history. In 1953, Chairman Mao made a defiant speech of resistance to what he called US aggression in Korea.Kim Il-sung, the North Korean leader and founder of the Kim dynasty, now in its third generation, had invaded US-backed South Korea. When Kim's attempt to unite Korea by force appeared to be failing, China threw nearly 3 million volunteers" into the war and succeeded in fighting to the stalemate that has prevailed ever since. Continue reading...

US president exempts host of electronics from tariffs regime; US military allowed more direct role' in securing border with Mexico - key US politics stories from Saturday 12 April at a glanceBig tech has gained a major exemption from Donald Trump's trade war after the US president exempted smartphones, computers and other electronics from the 125% levies imposed on imports from China as well as tariffs imposed on other countries.Experts had previously warned tariffs would cause electronic consumer prices to spike in the US, with Apple reportedly chartering cargo flights to bring in 600 tons of iPhones from India rather than China amid the cratering trade ties between the two countries. Continue reading...

Defending champion and usual frontrunner could not challenge Rory McIlroy after a good round of bad golfFor a small man, Rory McIlroy casts a long shadow. On Saturday, it covered every single one of the 52 other men in the field at the Masters, so that even the world's No 1 golfer, Scottie Scheffler, found himself playing in the shade. Scheffler is a popular golfer, and a particular favourite with the fans around here after winning the tournament twice in the past three years, but as McIlroy's round went on, Scheffler's gallery started to thin quicker than Jordan Spieth's hair. By the time he made the turn, you could pretty much take your pick of the positions around whichever green he was on. The centre of gravity was with McIlroy, back on the previous green.Scheffler was a frontrunner during both of those victories, he led the field from the second round right through to the finish both times. Which means that this year he's in the unfamiliar position of trying to scrap his way up past McIlroy, and everyone else in his way, into first place. He's the tortoise chasing the hare. He scored an even-par 72, which left him five under par, and well off McIlroy's lead. Continue reading...

Rory McIlroy started the day with six straight threes, Bryson DeChambeau ended it with a birdie rake to trim the gap at the top to two. What a Moving Day!An extremely smiley Bryson DeChambeau has a chat with CBS Sports. If I can just keep it in the fairway ... iron shots into the green ... I watch a lot ... see what players are doing ... where the pin locations are ... how people are playing it ... trying to get comfortable with that ... get my day started off a little late on purpose ... feel comfortable like I'm just getting up, getting ready to go play some golf and have a good time ... I'm excited ... it's gonna be a lot of fun!"Shot of the week at 12 by Denny McCarthy! At the 155-yard par-three, he lands his ball five feet in front of the flag. A couple of tiny bounces take it a couple of feet closer, but no further. That's a kick-in birdie, though. The 32-year-old from Florida, whose best finish here was a modest tie for 45th last year, moves into the red at -1 overall. So close there to only the fourth ace at 12 in Masters history. The others: the two-time US Open champion Curtis Strange in 1988, the amateur Bill Hyndman in 1959, and Claude Harmon, Butch's dad, in 1947 (a year before his victory). Continue reading...

Administration fails to show they have taken any steps to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego GarciaThe Trump administration on Saturday confirmed to a federal judge that a Maryland man who was wrongly deported last month remains confined in a notorious prison in El Salvador.However, the White House filing did not address the judge's demands that the administration detail the steps it was taking to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the United States. The White House only confirmed that Garcia was under the authority of the El Salvador government. Continue reading...

It's time to fashion a new global trade order without the USThe game-changing geopolitical event last week was the near collapse of the immense $29tn market in US government debt, threatening the stability of the American and global financial system and the safe-haven status of dollar assets.The US president boasted as the collapse unfolded that world leaders were queueing to kiss his arse". Twelve hours later, he was in the same humiliatingly weak position as the then British prime minister Liz Truss found herself after her tax-slashing mini-budget" in 2022. The markets had forced him to pause for 90 days the swingeing range of reciprocal" tariffs that he announced on what he proclaimed liberation day"; instead he lowered all of them, bar that on China, to 10%. Continue reading...

The open door of American democracy is slamming shut faster and louder than we could have imaginedOn Friday afternoon, a federal immigration judge in Louisiana ruled that Mahmoud Khalil, the lawful permanent resident who was arrested last month for his advocacy for Palestinian rights at Columbia University, was removable - that is to say, deportable - under the law.Let's be absolutely clear about how outrageous this decision is. The judge, Jamee Comans, had given the Trump administration a deadline to produce the evidence required to show that Khalil should be deported. In a functional state, such evidence would rise to a standard of extreme criminality necessitating deportation. Continue reading...

Announcement says tariffs - including those imposed on China - will also not apply to other electronic devicesDonald Trump's presidential administration has exempted smartphones and computers from the 125% levies imposed on imports from China as well as other reciprocal tariffs, which experts had cautioned might cause electronic consumer prices to dramatically spike in the US.The announcement was made late on Friday in a US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) notice that said the devices would be excluded from the 10% global tariff that Trump recently imposed on most countries, along with the much heftier import tax on China. Continue reading...

Two-time champion said the tournament was instrumental in him becoming a Christian after missing the cut on FridayYou expect to find Jim Nantz waiting for the Masters champion in Butler Cabin on Sunday evening, but it must be a surprise to find God is in there with him, too. But, as Bernhard Langer explained after finishing his 136th and final competitive round at the Masters on Friday evening, apparently that's what happened to him when he won the tournament for the first time in 1985, back when it was Brent Musburger asking the questions on CBS. In one of the more extraordinary revelations, Langer told the press that he saw the light right by the side of the 18th green here at Augusta National.I never mentioned it to the public but this tournament actually was very instrumental in me becoming a Christian," Langer said, in a somewhat incongruous reply to a question about the fact that he was the last man to win a major using a persimmon driver. Apparently the club went by the name the Last Supper", which must have been what got him thinking about it. I grew up Catholic, and I thought I was a Christian. But I basically used Jesus Christ in a very bad way in my first interview in Butler Cabin." Continue reading...

Order allows armed forces to take direct roll' in securing southern border, which Trump memo says is under attack'Donald Trump has authorized the military to take control of land at the US-Mexico border as part of the president's broader efforts to crack down on undocumented immigration.The authorization came late on Friday in a memorandum from Trump to interior secretary Doug Burgum, defense secretary Pete Hegseth, homeland security secretary Kristi Noem and agricultural secretary Brooke Rollins which outlined new policies concerning military involvement at the US's southern border. Continue reading...

The president's gambit to bring the production of goods such as iPhones back to the US ignores huge supply chain complexitiesDonald Trump's tariff strategy has at least one biblical connection: like the peace of God, it passeth all understanding" (Philippians 4:7). Rival attempts to extract a rationale from the chaos include the idea that he is trying to devalue the dollar, or that he is seeking to reshore" the manufacturing capacity that the US lost through decades of globalisation. My own hunch is that he just wants to show who's the big boss around here - or as British science fiction author Charles Stross puts it, that he expects individual nations to come to him, hat in hand, like terrified shopkeepers pleading for mercy from a mafia don".Cue the UK's very own Trump whisperer, Keir Starmer, who, according to Politico, plans to put a review of online safety rules on the table in trade talks" with the US. Which, translated, means that things such as the Online Safety Act and copyright rules that hinder US AI companies from looting the intellectual property of the British creative sector may soon become history. The only remaining question is whether Starmer possesses a suitably distressed hat for his penitent journey to Washington. Continue reading...

My resident blue tit is grumpy, and with avian numbers decreasing at an alarming rate who can blame him?Brian sits, puffed up with his own importance, glowering at me through the kitchen window. He wants to come in and occasionally lunges at the window to make his point. I'm not even sure what he is grumpy about - it's a great week for Brian. Because blue tit sightings (sorry, did I mention Brian is a blue tit, or Cyanistes caeruleus as he'd put it on his LinkedIn?) in gardens were up almost 10% on the previous year in the RSPB 2024 Big Garden Birdwatch. Meanwhile, Cosmopolitan magazine insists sky blue is the must-have hue" for spring.Maybe Brian is crotchety because, despite his beauty and soprano trill, he remains in the No 2 slot of most-spotted birds, another year trailing to the frankly rather drab house sparrow. Or maybe he's in a flap because all media attention has focused on the collapse in starling numbers - the lowest since counting began in 1979. Continue reading...

Video captured one person robbing corpse on idling train before another person robbed and sexually assaulted itA man sexually violated a corpse on a New York City subway train after stealing from the body, becoming the second of two people to rob that particular dead person, authorities said recently.One of the more grotesque US crime stories of late unfolded on a southbound R train near the Whitehall Street station in Manhattan at about 12.20am on Wednesday, when an unidentified individual had sexual contact with an unconscious and unresponsive adult male" in plain view of surveillance cameras, according to a police statement. Continue reading...

Number of Brits crossing Atlantic down 14.3% from 2024 - and the travel industry fears decline could continueAfter backpacker Rebecca Burke was arrested and locked up for nearly three weeks by US immigration officials in February, she started urging people not to travel to America.Britons seem to have listened: UK residents visiting the US were down 14.3% in March compared with the same month in 2024, official figures show. Continue reading...

A bill in the US state would allow public schools to deny undocumented children the chance to enrollYou've probably seen this quote from an Alabama pastor called Dave Barnhart. It goes viral all the time. But I'm resurfacing the quote because it is another day that ends with y" in America, which means it is relevant once again. Continue reading...

Matt Meyer finds himself playing Whac-A-Mole as he deals with Trump's capricious actions while pursuing an ambitious agenda of his ownWhen Matt Meyer was elected as governor of Delaware last year, the outgoing US president called with congratulations - and a warning. Joe Biden did tell me that I had to do my job and do it well or in four years he's running against me," Meyer said, smiling. He's a Delawarean and I don't doubt that he would run."Now 82, Biden has retired to Delaware after leaving the political stage. At 53, Meyer is among a new generation of Democrats trying to navigate a post-Biden world in which Donald Trump is eviscerating the federal government, stress-testing the rule of law and prosecuting a global trade war. Continue reading...

Researchers have catalogued the British words and phrases most used in US conversation, sparking delight and frustrationThe Americani(s)zation of British English is often described as a linguistic disaster - frustrations over imported words or usages, from awesome" to ATM", are well documented.But in recent years, there's been growing interest in the opposite phenomenon: Britishisms that have made their way into American English. These days, it's not uncommon to hear Americans describing a single event as a one-off" or noting that a perfect assessment is spot-on".Amongst (rather than among"), whose use has nearly quadrupled in the US over the past four decadesQueue, whose frequent use on tech platforms such as Netflix has given its British meaning - what Americans would generally call a line" - new life in the USWonky, meaning a bit offCheeky, meaning a bit naughty or indulgent, as frequently used by Mike Myers (a Canadian with English parents) on Saturday Night Live in the 1990sSnarky, often used to describe early internet discourse and sites such as GawkerCheers, which has long been used while clinking glasses in the US but has started to mean thanks" in some contextsKeen, meaning enthusiasticMaths, rather than just math, which has become more familiar in the US due to international academic work and social mediaNil, meaning zero, which is turning up in online gaming Continue reading...

Resurgence could be on horizon as outbreaks pick up speed in US and abroad amid public health program cutsAs tuberculosis outbreaks pick up speed in the US and abroad amid deep cuts in funding for local, state and international public health programs, a resurgence of the deadliest infectious disease - including drug-resistant tuberculosis - could be on the horizon.Increasing funding for public health responses could end tuberculosis (TB) altogether, says James Brookes, an IT specialist from Idaho, who told this to his representatives in Congress on Wednesday. Continue reading...

Discontent with government handling of diplomatic crisis rises as Pete Hegseth says US troops moved to countryPanamanian opposition politicians have accused the US of launching a camouflaged invasion" of the country, amid simmering discontent over the government's handling of the diplomatic crisis.After a three-day visit by the US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump appeared to confirm that US military personnel had been deployed to the Central American country on Thursday, telling reporters: We've moved a lot of troops to Panama." Continue reading...

Nothing is certain under this president - as seen in the inconsistent implementation of tariffs. And it has a longer-term economic costMinutes after Donald Trump unveiled a climbdown on tariffs, softening an extraordinary US attack on trade from much of the world, his press secretary scolded reporters at the White House.Many of you in the media clearly missed The Art of the Deal," said Karoline Leavitt, referring to the 1987 bestseller which laid the foundations of the president's reputation as a consummate dealmaker. Continue reading...

Stedsans seemed to embody Scandinavia's love of nature - until its owners moved to Guatemala, apparently leaving behind 158 barrels of human wasteFor me, visiting the now infamous Stedsans eco-retreat in Halland, southern Sweden was the apotheosis of the Scandinavian dream: apple-cheeked children running barefoot on the forest floor, a lake for swimming, a sauna to warm up in, simple cabins for sleeping and dinner served in the evening on a long table surrounded by trees. When I booked to stay back in 2022 to celebrate my wedding anniversary, it felt like I was going to be walking straight into my Instagram feed, flower-strewn dishes and all.Only now, it seems like that was as fantastical as it first appeared. This week, a joint investigation by the daily newspapers Dagens Nyheter in Sweden and Politiken in Denmark found the owners of the eco-conscious retreat, chef Flemming Hansen and food writer Mette Helbaek, were now living in Guatemala after apparently going on the run from tax authorities, leaving behind multiple animals and 158 barrels of human waste. The investigation also claimed that waste water was left to run into the forest, with local authorities describing their purported actions as environmental crime". Continue reading...

We have seen the conflict and tragedy that can follow when an old era collapses. Countries that believe in multilateralism must come together now

This live blog is now closedAdvocates for academic freedom are bracing for what they expect to be the next phase of the government's effort to reshape higher education: an overhaul of the system accrediting institutions of higher learning.Donald Trump has made no secret of such plans. During the campaign, he boasted that accreditation would be his secret weapon" against colleges and universities the right has long viewed as too progressive.We may lose a lot of materials.All of the states, we are in dire shape. We have had a reconsideration of everything with regard to what Doge [is doing]." Continue reading...

Press secretary pledges to release update from physician as soon as we possibly can' about leader who has routinely kept health status secretDonald Trump had his annual medical examination on Friday, a check-up that may give the public its first details in years about the health of a man who, in January, became the oldest in US history to be sworn in as president.I have never felt better, but nevertheless, these things must be done!" the 78-year-old posted on his social media site ahead of the examination, which was conducted at Walter Reed national military medical center in Bethesda, Maryland. Continue reading...

Judge rules Trump administration can deport Mahmoud Khalil for his beliefs - key US politics stories from 11 April at a glanceAt the end of a tumultuous week, a US immigration judge has sided with Trump administration lawyers, ruling that Columbia University graduate and Palestinian organizer Mahmoud Khalil can be deported from the US for his views.The decision came on the same day Trump lawyers were criticized by another judge for defying an order to provide details on how they would return a wrongly deported man to the US. Continue reading...

White House has claimed that Khalil's beliefs and associations' are counter to US foreign policy interests

Even the hardy eucalypts are finding their limits as we experience more frequent bushfires, heatwaves and droughts

Erik and Lyle Menendez were convicted of parents' murders at Beverly Hills home in 1989A judge has decided the resentencing hearings for Erik and Lyle Menendez, who were convicted of murdering their parents, can continue despite a new Los Angeles district attorney opposing their release after 30 years behind bars.The brothers appeared in court over Zoom on Friday for the proceedings. Continue reading...

Justin Rose has a one-shot lead on Bryson DeChambeau with Rory McIlroy a further shot back after 36 holesYou can perhaps understand why Craig Wood suffered such a shocker in the first round in 1936, still shaken no doubt by what had happened to him the year before. Allow me to explain / plagiarise myself. Wood had missed out on the inaugural title in 1934 by one stroke, but looked odds-on to win in 1935, in the clubhouse with a three-shot advantage over his only real challenger. But that challenger was Gene Sarazen, who was still out on the course, in the middle of the par-five 15th having clattered a 250-yard drive down the 485-yard hole. He was playing with Walter Hagen, who upon hearing the news of Wood's clubhouse mark, cried: Well, that's that!" Sarazen shrugged and replied: They might go in from anywhere." Whereupon he drew his 4-wood back and landed his second on the front of the green, the ball rolling to the far-right corner and into the cup for an albatross (or a double eagle, as the locals would have it). Now level with Wood, he parred his way in, then breezed the 36-hole play-off. His albatross became known as The Shot Heard Round The World, and one which put the Augusta National Invitation Tournament on the map.Poor old Nick Dunlap had a bit of a shocker yesterday. An 18-over round of 90 that featured four double bogeys and a triple. Seven bogeys, just six pars. He's a very talented chap," begins Simon Thomas, Golf is hard. He's got a bit of ground to make up; by my reckoning he needs to find at least 16 shots today if he's to make the weekend. A 56 today then." Well, let's see now. Craig Wood shot a first round of 88 in 1936, bouncing back with a 67 the next day. He finished in a tie for 20th, and went on to win the event in 1941. So there's always hope I guess. Admittedly that still stands as the biggest contrasting start in Masters history, 89 years on, and Dunlap would have to better Jim Furyk's all-time low PGA Tour score of 58 by two strokes to beat the cut. But let's rule nothing out until it's mathematically impossible. Continue reading...

Supreme court says overseas voters must prove eligibility or votes will be discarded - which could affect election's resultThe North Carolina supreme court paved the way to throw out thousands of ballots in a race for a seat on the court that was decided by just over 700 votes.The staggering decision is the latest development in a race in which Democrat Allison Riggs defeated her Republican opponent, Judge Jefferson Griffin, by 734 votes. After multiple recounts confirmed Riggs's win, Griffin challenged the eligibility of more than 60,000 and courts have blocked certification so far. Last week, the North Carolina court of appeals - the body Griffin sits on - gave the challenged voters 15 days to prove their eligibility. Continue reading...

As the 100-day mark approaches, we'd like to hear from Americans about the second Trump administration so farOn the eve of his inauguration in January, Donald Trump vowed to deliver the most extraordinary first 100 days of any presidency in American history".Since taking office, the president has issued a flurry of executive orders that amount to a shock-and-awe campaign, and made a series of policy moves to dramatically reshape the United States. Continue reading...

US judge calls administration's failure to comply with court order extremely troubling'Lawyers for the Trump administration were unable on Friday to tell a federal court exactly where the Maryland resident who was wrongly deported to El Salvador last month is or how he is, as the judge admonished the government at a heated hearing.The US district judge Paula Xinis said it was extremely troubling" that the Trump administration failed to comply with a court order to provide details on the whereabouts and status of the Salvadorian citizen Kilmar Abrego Garcia and she wanted daily updates on what the government is doing to bring him home. Continue reading...

After Thursday's travails, the world No 2 stormed back into contention with a thrilling back nine in the second roundPsst!" said the man who'd just ambled up to the back of the gallery midway down the 15th fairway. Psssst!" he said again when everyone ignored him. Is that Rory's ball?" No one wanted to turn away from the play, but one of the people standing in front cocked their head and grunted yup" over his shoulder.The newcomer waited a second. Do you think he's going to lay up?" And now someone finally did snap their head right around. It's Rory fucking McIlroy," they said, he doesn't know how to lay up." And with that, everyone fell quiet again, and slapped their hands down on their hats as another great gust of wind blew in. Continue reading...

An immigration judge ruled on Friday that Columbia University graduate and Palestinian organiser Mahmoud Khalil is eligible to be deported from the US. The decision sides with the Trump administration's claim that a short memo written by the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, which stated Khalil's 'beliefs and associations' were counter to foreign policy interests, is sufficient evidence to remove a lawful permanent resident from the US

Ruling is win for Trump and blow to religious groups as evidence does not show worship houses as special targets'A federal judge on Friday sided with the Trump administration in allowing immigration agents to conduct enforcement operations at houses of worship despite a lawsuit filed by religious groups over the new policy.US district judge Dabney Friedrich in Washington refused to grant a preliminary injunction to the plaintiffs, more than two dozen Christian and Jewish groups representing millions of Americans. Continue reading...

An immigration judge ruled on Friday that Columbia University graduate and Palestinian organiser Mahmoud Khalil is eligible to be deported from the US. The decision sides with the Trump administration's claim that a short memo written by the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, which stated Khalil's 'beliefs and associations' were counter to foreign policy interests, is sufficient evidence to remove a lawful permanent resident from the US

Cadwalader and Latham & Watkins among major firms to provide $600m in pro bono work to Trump-backed causes

Search resumes for six killed aboard plane, the unnamed pilot and a Spanish family with children age 11, five and fourThe pilot of a sightseeing helicopter that crashed into New York's Hudson River on Thursday killing all six people aboard reportedly sent a radio message moments earlier saying he was low on fuel and was heading back to the helipad, its operators said on Friday.Michael Roth, the chief executive of New York Helicopter Tours, described how the pilot never made it back to the downtown Manhattan heliport it took off from about 16 minutes previously on its sixth flight of the day, the Telegraph reported. Continue reading...

The reason the US president had to back down on tariffs once investors started dumping treasury bonds

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The gun industry relies on materials from overseas, which could be subject to punishing tariffs that drive prices higherDonald Trump's whiplash decisions on tariffs have brought uncertainty to a sector of the US economy usually squarely behind the president: the gun industry.For gunmakers, tariffs pose the risk of sharply raising costs on imported raw materials, such as copper, steel and aluminum, as well as safety products like gun locks and lockable cases that often are made overseas. Continue reading...