'Just not ready'

Washington (AFP) – Golf superstar Tiger Woods said Monday he was “just not ready” as he announced he will not play in this week’s Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines as planned following his mother’s death.

"I'm just not ready" - Tiger Woods has pulled out of Torrey Pines tournament after his mother's death

Syrians back to famed Palmyra ruins scarred by IS

Palmyra (Syria) (AFP) – Syrians are once again picnicking and smoking shisha amid the ruins of ancient Palmyra, once desecrated by jihadists but still awe-inspiring, and open to the public following the overthrow of president Bashar al-Assad.

The UNESCO-listed site of ancient Palmyra was twice overrun by the Islamic State group

Steel at heart of new Trump trade war

Paris (AFP) – US President Donald Trump’s new tariffs on steel promise to further complicate a strategic industry already destabilised by Chinese overproduction and Europe’s stuttering blast furnaces.

Steel is the industry which emits the largest quantities of planet-warming greenhouse gases

Trump warns 'all hell' will break loose if Gaza hostages not returned

Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – US President Donald Trump warned Monday that “all hell” would break loose if every Israeli hostage is not released from Gaza within days, after Hamas threatened to postpone further exchanges under a fragile ceasefire deal it said Israel was violating.

The truce has largely halted the violence in the Gaza Strip, ravaged by more than 15 months of war

Feyenoord coach Priske pays for 'lack of chemistry'

The Hague (AFP) – Feyenoord head coach Brian Priske has parted ways with the Dutch outfit on Monday by mutual agreement with the club citing “inconsistent results and a lack of chemistry as the main reasons” for his exit.

Feyenoord's Danish coach Brian Priske

White S. Africans clamour for US resettlement after Trump order

Johannesburg (AFP) – A deluge of more than 20,000 queries crashed the email server of the South African Chamber of Commerce in the United States after President Donald Trump said he would prioritise white South Africans in a refugee programme, the chamber said Monday.

Some Afrikaner farmers fear their land will be expropriated by the government as happened in neighbouring Zimbabwe

Kanye West's account on X goes dark after hate

New York (AFP) – Kanye West’s account on X has been deactivated after a days-long rant on the platform that included vitriolic, anti-Semitic outbursts.

Kanye West, the artist now formally known as Ye, arrives at the 67th annual Grammy Awards

US judges challenge Trump cuts as legal battles mount

Washington (AFP) – The Trump administration was on a collision course with the US courts Monday, with federal judges questioning the legality of the White House’s cost-cutting onslaught of government and Vice President J.D Vance warning the judiciary to back off.

People protest on February 5, 2025 in Washington against President Donald Trump's administration's efforts to shutter the US Agency for International Development and lay off thousands of federal employees

Venice extends tourist tax for 2025

Rome (AFP) – Venice authorities said Monday they would extend a controversial ticket policy for day-trippers in 2025, reporting that last year’s trial scheme had “slightly” reduced crowds.

Day trippers to Venice will again have to buy a ticket in advance to see attractions such as the Grand Canal on 54 days in 2025