Lewis Hamilton hailed his best qualifying result at Ferrari for Sunday’s Mexico City Grand Prix as a “huge step” after what he described as a “hard slog” of a season so far with the team.
The seven-time world champion will start third after an impressive display from Ferrari, with team-mate Charles Leclerc finishing second fastest behind Lando Norris, who secured pole position.
Hamilton has endured a difficult time since joining from Mercedes last winter – and has yet to win a race for the team.
He faces a tough task in changing that statistic this weekend with Norris looking imperious, although three of the past five races in Mexico have been won from third.
But Hamilton is just happy to see things improving for the team.
“Definitely happy to be making progress and finally be up there,” he said.
“Charles has been used to these results, or at least being close to the front most of the year, but for me it has been a hard slog, being like sixth, seventh or eighth – mostly eighth.
“So to get P3 is a huge step for us and I am really grateful for the efforts of the team and the amazing support I’ve had from the team.”
This is also the first time this season that both Ferraris have qualified in the top three and Hamilton added: “These guys have been so quick all year and it’s an amazing feeling.
“The team truly deserve it, so we are just working as hard as we can and I’m super grateful to everyone in this team for continuing to push and not give up.”
Chelsea captain Reece James explains how Thiago Silva’s influence continues to have an impact on his career, and how it was good to catch up at the Club World Cup, as he sits down with Kelly Somers for The Football Interview.
Kim marked one year since North Korean troops deployed to fight against Ukraine with the opening of a museum.
North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un has hailed his country’s “invincible” alliance with Russia, as he marked one year since his troops deployed to fight in Moscow’s war against Ukraine with the opening of a museum honouring soldiers who died in battle.
Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony in the capital Pyongyang on Thursday, Kim addressed the families of North Korean soldiers who “fought in the operations for liberating Kursk”, as he said their deployment to Russia “marked the beginning of a new history of militant solidarity” with Moscow.
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“The years of militant fraternity, in which a guarantee has been provided for the long-term development of the bilateral friendship at the cost of precious blood, will advance nonstop,” Kim said, according to state news agency KCNA.
Challenges of “domination and tyranny” cannot hinder ties between Russia and North Korea, Kim added.
The event attended by Kim was the latest public honouring of North Korean troops who fought to repel an incursion by Ukrainian forces into Russia’s Kursk region in 2024.
Kim said the museum – which will feature a cemetery, a memorial hall and a monument – dedicated to soldiers in overseas detachments, was the “first of its kind” in North Korean history.
“Today we are holding the groundbreaking ceremony of the Memorial Museum of Combat Feats that will hand down forever the shining life of the heroes and fallen soldiers of the overseas operations units, excellent sons of the Korean people and defenders of justice,” he said.
In October 2024, NATO, the United States and South Korean intelligence agencies said they had evidence that North Korean troops had been deployed to fight alongside the Russian military.
A month later, Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin officially ratified a mutual defence pact, raising international concern over growing military cooperation between the nuclear-armed states.
The Treaty of Comprehensive Strategic Partnerships obliges both countries to provide immediate military assistance to each other using “all means” necessary if either faces “aggression”.
In April, North Korea confirmed for the first time it had deployed a contingent of soldiers to the front line to fight alongside Russian troops, and its forces had contributed to taking back Russian territory held by Ukraine.
The soldiers were deployed to “annihilate and wipe out the Ukrainian neo-Nazi occupiers and liberate the Kursk area in cooperation with the Russian armed forces”, Kim said at the time, according to KCNA.
Kyiv and Seoul estimate that North Korea deployed more than 10,000 troops in return for economic and military technology assistance from Russia.
Estimates of the casualty rate among North Korean forces have varied widely.
In September, South Korea’s intelligence agency said some 2,000 North Korean soldiers had been killed. In January, Ukraine said North Korean troops were withdrawn from battle after suffering heavy casualties. It was unclear how many North Koreans remain fighting alongside Russian forces.
Earlier this month, Ukraine claimed North Korean troops based in Russia were operating drones across the border on reconnaissance missions, providing the first report in months of North Korean soldiers engaging in battlefield roles.
“The Defence Forces of Ukraine have intercepted communications between North Korean drone operators and personnel of the Russian army,” the Ukrainian General Staff said.
The same week, South Korea’s defence minister said North Korea had likely received technical help from Russia for its submarine development in return for its military efforts against Ukraine.
US President Donald Trump wrote of a ‘new beginning’ as he signed a visitor book at Israel’s parliament, ahead of a speech there on the Gaza peace deal and the freeing of Israeli captives.
During a press conference in India, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the new Gaza ceasefire deal marks “a moment of profound relief that will be felt around the world”.
Sherratt’s departure was confirmed on Monday, just six days before the URC opener against Lions.
Adams is confident that the loss of the head coach will not hit Cardiff’s hopes of improving on last season.
“He made a conscious effort to improve our training days and habits,” said Adams.
“It takes a while to break a bad habit and create a new one. What he has implemented is here to stay and there is a great group of senior players who hold everybody accountable to those standards.
“The foundations that he has laid are solid and I wouldn’t say that any hard work will be undone because he has moved on.”
Adams says forwards coach Van Zyl has stepped in “seamlessly” as Cardiff hunt a successful first block of the URC in which they face Lions, Connacht and Edinburgh at home and Munster and Dragons away.
They open up against a Lions side who finished 11th last season and were runners-up in South Africa’s Currie Cup.
“The Lions are a team that graft hard for each other, that’s evident when you watch them,” said Adams.
“They don’t have the superstars of the South African franchises but they are a tough side and we will have to be close to our best to get something from the game.”
Watch: Key moments from Charlie Kirk’s memorial service
US President Donald Trump hailed the conservative activist Charlie Kirk as a “great American hero” and “martyr” during a speech to tens of thousands of mourners at a memorial service in Arizona.
Trump was the headline speaker at the packed event on Sunday, which saw top officials from his administration, including Vice-President JD Vance, praise Kirk’s political legacy after he was shot dead on 10 September.
“He was assassinated because he lived bravely, he lived boldly and he argued brilliantly,” Trump told the crowd at the State Farm Stadium near Phoenix.
Kirk’s wife, Erika, also delivered a tearful speech in which she said she had forgiven her husband’s alleged killer.
“My husband, Charlie, he wanted to save young men, just like the one who took his life,” she said, adding: “I forgive him because it is what Christ did. The answer to hate is not hate.”
Tens of thousands of people queued for hours outside the stadium before the event, with some even camping out the night before to secure their spot. Many wore Make America Great Again (MAGA) hats, other Trump-branded items and red, white and blue outfits.
Inside the stadium, the mood and atmosphere resembled a raucous political rally or megachurch service with music beforehand from Christian bands who prompted singalongs and prayer from the crowd of almost 100,000.
The list of speakers included members of Kirk’s organisation, Turning Point USA, which focuses on conservative activism on college campuses, well-known figures in the conservative movement, Trump administration officials and those who said they had been shaped by Kirk’s work and right-wing Christian worldview.
They stressed the need to continue the 31-year-old’s activism and emphasised his deep faith throughout the five-hour service. Kirk, who was debating students at a university in Utah when he was shot dead, was repeatedly described as a martyr and cast as a historic figure for the conservative movement.
EPA
Tens of thousands gathered inside the stadium for the memorial to Kirk
Several speakers said they believed his death would further revitalise the conservative moment in America, which is already in a powerful position given Trump’s hold of the White House and the Republican control of Congress.
“The day that Charlie died, angels wept, but those tears have been turned into fire in our hearts,” said Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff. “Our enemies cannot comprehend our strength.”
At one stage, Elon Musk, who had a bitter and public falling out with Trump earlier this year, sat next to the president and the pair shook hands and chatted.
Within the stands and on stage at the State Farm Stadium, Kirk was revered as an activist for free speech and a mobiliser of the youth vote for Trump. “Charlie didn’t just help, he made the winning difference, I promise you that,” White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles said.
“We wouldn’t be here without him,” Vice-President JD Vance told the crowd, who at times erupted into an extended chant of “U-S-A, U-S-A”.
“We’ve got it from here,” he added, while discussing Kirk’s political legacy.
Vance was one of several key figures from the Trump administration who spoke on stage, with others including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Heath Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.
‘I forgive him’
They were followed by Kirk’s wife, Erika, who was tearful at times as she described her relationship and vowed to continue her husband’s work. She was named the new CEO of Turning Point USA after his death.
“I saw the wound that ended his life,” she said. “I felt everything he would expect to feel. I felt shock. I felt horror, and a level of heartache that I didn’t even know existed.
“These past 10 days after Charlie’s assassination, we didn’t see violence. We didn’t see rioting. We didn’t see revolution. Instead, we saw what my husband always prayed he would see in this country, we saw revival,” Kirk told the crowd.
She then said she had forgiven her husband’s alleged killer, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson. “That man, that young man, I forgive him. I forgive him because it was what Christ did and it is what Charlie would do,” Kirk said.
Watch: Is America divided? Charlie Kirk supporters weigh in
There was a raucous reception when President Trump took the stage after Erika Kirk. He repeatedly praised Charlie Kirk, while at times turning to his usual political talking points including crime in American cities and mocking his predecessor Joe Biden.
“He’s a martyr now for America’s freedom,” Trump said of Kirk. “I know I speak for everyone here today when I say that none of us will ever forget Charlie. And neither now will history.”
The president then said he disagreed with Kirk on one thing. “He did not hate his opponents, he wanted the best for them,” he said, prompting some laughs. “That’s where I disagree with Charlie. I hate my opponents and I don’t want what’s best for them.”
Trump also attacked what he called the “radical left” and blamed the left for violence in the country.
At the end of his address, in which he described Kirk as a “great of his generation”, Trump was joined on stage by Erika Kirk and the pair hugged as the crowd applauded.
Reuters
Trump and Erika Kirk hugged at the end of the memorial service and thanked the crowd of thousands
The deeply partisan event was reflective of how Kirk’s death has laid bare the extreme political divisions in America, with many on the right casting blame on the left for stoking political violence.
The Trump administration is seeking a crackdown on what it calls the “radical left”, which in turn has prompted accusations of government overreach and claims Kirk’s death is being used as a pretext to intrude on civil liberties.
Robinson, who has been charged with Kirk’s murder, is facing the death penalty but a motive for the killing is yet to be revealed by officials.
Kirk was 18 when he co-founded Turning Point USA, a student organisation focused on spreading conservative ideas on college campuses.
He would hold debates on campuses and became known for his combative style, inviting students to step up to the microphone and challenge his right-wing Christian worldview in front of a baying audience.
Clips of these exchanges built him a huge following – more than 5m followers on X and 7m on TikTok – that helped him mobilise the youth vote for President Trump.
While he energised young conservatives, his remarks on issues such as race and crime also routinely prompted an angry liberal backlash. He was a strong supporter of gun rights, vehemently opposed abortion, was critical of transgender rights and promoted false claims about Covid-19.
Brazil’s president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has dismissed criticism from the United States over the conviction of the country’s former leader, Jair Bolsonaro, on coup charges, and slammed Washington’s sweeping tariffs as “misguided” and “illogical”.
The comments, published in an op-ed in The New York Times on Sunday, came as Bolsonaro made his first public appearance since last week’s conviction for a hospital visit.
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In his essay, Lula said he wanted to establish “an open and frank dialogue” with US President Donald Trump over his administration’s decision to impose a 50 percent tariff on Brazilian products in the wake of Bolsonaro’s trial.
He noted that the US has a trade surplus with Brazil, accumulating a surplus of $410bn in trade over the past 15 years, making it “clear that the motivation of the White House is political”.
The tariffs, Lula wrote, are aimed at seeking “impunity” for Bolsanaro, whom he accused of orchestrating the riots in Brasilia on January 8, 2023, when the former leader’s supporters stormed the presidential palace, the Supreme Court and the Congress in protest over his election defeat the previous year.
Lula responded on Sunday to Trump’s accusations that the prosecution of Bolsonaro was a ‘witch-hunt’ [File: AFP]
The events in the Brazilian capital echoed the storming of the US Capitol by Trump’s supporters on January 6, 2021, after he insisted for months, without evidence, that there had been widespread fraud during the election he lost to his Democratic rival, Joe Biden.
Lula described Bolsonaro’s actions as “an effort to subvert the popular will at the ballot box” and said he was proud of the Brazilian Supreme Court’s “historic decision” on Thursday to sentence the former president to 27 years and three months in prison.
“This was not a ‘witch hunt’,” he wrote.
Instead, it “safeguards” Brazil’s institutions and the democratic rule of law, he added.
Brazil’s democracy ‘not on table’
Lula’s op-ed comes after Trump’s secretary of state, Marco Rubio, threatened more action against Brazil over Bolsonaro’s conviction. In addition to the tariffs, the US has so far sanctioned Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who has overseen Bolsonaro’s trial, and revoked visas for most of the high court’s justices.
For his part, Trump, who has repeatedly labelled the judicial proceedings a “witch-hunt”, has said he was “surprised” by the ruling. The US president, who also had faced criminal charges over the Capitol attack before they were withdrawn following his re-election, likened the trial against Bolsonaro to the legal actions against him.
“It’s very much like they tried to do with me, but they didn’t get away with it,” Trump told reporters on Thursday, describing the former leader as a “good president” and a “good man”.
In his op-ed, Lula said the US’s decision to turn its back on a relationship of more than 200 years means that “everyone loses” and said the two countries should continue to work together in areas where they have common goals.
But he said Brazil’s democracy was non-negotiable.
“President Trump, we remain open to negotiating anything that can bring mutual benefits. But Brazil’s democracy and sovereignty are not on the table,” he wrote.
Economists in Brazil estimate that Trump’s tariffs would hurt the country’s economy, including through the loss of tens of thousands of jobs, but not derail it, given its strong trade ties with other countries such as China. The blow has further been softened when the US granted hundreds of exceptions, including on aircraft parts and orange juice.
US consumers, too, are paying more for products imported from Brazil, including coffee, which has already seen recent price rises due to droughts.
In Brasilia, meanwhile, Bolsonaro, who is under house arrest, left his home to undergo a medical procedure to remove several skin lesions.
His doctor, Claudio Birolini, told reporters that the former president had eight skin lesions removed and sent for biopsies.
He added that Bolsonaro, who has had multiple operations in recent years due to complications from a 2018 stabbing in his stomach, was “quite weak” and had developed slight anaemia, “probably due to poor nutrition over the last month”.
Dozens of supporters gathered outside the hospital to cheer on the former leader, waving Brazilian flags and shouting, “Amnesty now!”.
The chant is in reference to the push of Bolsonaro’s allies in Congress to grant the former president some kind of amnesty.
“We’re here to provide spiritual and psychological support,” Deuselis Filho, 46, told the Associated Press news agency.
Thursday’s sentence does not mean that Bolsonaro will immediately go to prison.
The court panel now has up to 60 days to publish the ruling. Once it does, Bolsonaro’s lawyers have five days to file motions for clarification.
His lawyers have said that they will try to appeal both the conviction and sentence before the full Supreme Court of 11 justices, although some experts think it is unlikely to be accepted.
BRITAIN’S top cop yesterday hailed Live Facial Recognition technology as a “game-changing tool.”
Met Police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley revealed how more than 700 arrests have been made so far this year thanks to camera vans deployed on streets to find wanted suspects and offenders in breach of orders.
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Met Police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley hailed Live Facial Recognition technology as a ‘game-changing tool’Credit: PA
Those arrested include 50 registered sex offenders in breach of licence conditions, Sir Mark said in a speech to the TechUK trade association.
He described Live Facial Recognition(LFR) – which uses biometric technology to identity wanted suspects from unique measurements of the face – as a “targeted” investment to back front-line policing.
Sir Mark told how he went on an LFR operation at last month’s Notting Hill Carnival, saying: “Every officer I spoke to was energised by the potential.”
He added of the Carnival operation: “Across the weekend, LFR delivered 61 arrests-including 16 for serious violence-related offences and 13 for violence against women and girls.
“The first arrest happened within five minutes of going live, locating someone wanted on a prison recall since 2015.
“Another suspect was wanted for GBH, having allegedly stabbed a victim five times with a machete.
“These results show that LFR played a critical role in keeping the public safe at Carnival.”
Sir Mark said LFR had made “a major contribution” to one of the safest Carnival events in years, with robbery down 70%, violence reduced by more than half and sex offences by 8% compared to 2024.
Meanwhile, the Met boss also revealed how the force plans to use drones to support public safety.
He said: “From searching for missing people, to arriving quickly at serious traffic incidents, or replacing the expensive and noisy helicopter at large public events.
More than a million Scots being monitored by Chinese cameras
“Done well, drones will be another tool to help officers make faster, more informed decisions on the ground.”
A data-driven approach to tackling violence against women and girls has led to more than 162 of “the most prolific and predatory offenders” in London being convicted, Sir Mark said.
The Met’s V100 programme uses data to identify and target men who pose the highest risk to women, enabling cops to focus their efforts on dangerous suspects.
Sir Mark also told how the London force will be using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help catch criminals caught on CCTV and translating languages of suspects, victims and witnesses.
He said: “CCTV helps secure thousands of charges against dangerous offenders, but trawls are time-intensive and rely on the human eye.
“Take Oxford Street, with 27 junctions—a trawl to identify a suspect’s route can take two days.
“Now imagine telling AI to find clips of a male wearing a red baseball cap between X and Y hours—and getting results in hours. That’s game changing.”
However, Sir Mark warned the current national policing model must be changed if the force can “unlock the full benefits” of AI.
He said the current setup of 43 forces using hundreds of technology systems “just won’t cut it.”
Sir Mark urged the Government to create a new national centre for policing and set up of regional forces to create shared technology platforms and make better use of data.
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Rowley revealed how more than 700 arrests have been made so far this year thanks to camera vans deployed on streetsCredit: Getty
Sir Keir Starmer has called US President Donald Trump’s commitment to security guarantees for Ukraine a breakthrough, as he hailed the movement towards a meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin.
The prime minister joined the leaders’ summit at the White House on Monday, having cut short his family holiday in Scotland. From what Sir Keir said overnight, it seems he believes that small sacrifice was well worth it.
He chaired a virtual meeting of European and Commonwealth allies, the coalition of the willing, on Tuesday to update leaders and to discuss next steps.
Diplomatic risks
Sir Keir has long been a proponent of so-called gratitude diplomacy – thanking and praising Donald Trump – so he was hardly likely to be critical about the outcomes.
And while anxiety in UK government circles about Ukraine’s future remains, the prime minister seems happy with what he argues is significant progress.
He told the BBC after the meeting that it “has shown that we have moved forward, and that in the end for me has always been the test – are we making real progress.”
Behind the scenes, European officials had worried the White House meeting was fraught with risk.
One told me they felt there was a danger of President Trump sensing President Zelensky was not committed to a US-led peace process, concluding that European leaders were digging in behind the Ukrainians, and making his frustration clear on camera.
Such division would have been a gift to Moscow so all the leaders involved were at pains to make clear that was not their approach.
Before he left Washington, Sir Keir said there was “a real sense ofunity”between them.
The prime minister told the BBC he was “very pleased” with the outcomes, including progress on security guarantees, saying this would “reassure people in Europe, in Ukraine, but particularly in the United Kingdom.”
He also welcomed the “real movement forward” on bilateral and trilateral meetings between Russia, Ukraine and the US, saying this would help achieve a “peace that is lasting and just”.
Ukraine and Europe’s leaders have clearly decided together to go all in on Donald Trump’s peace plans.
The assessment of diplomats from various countries involved is that if the process ultimately fails, they will not have contributed to that failure.
PA Media
Negotiation preparations
The UK government now seems focused on ensuring Ukraine is in the strongest possible position for any possible peace negotiations.
From my conversations with UK officials, they believe yesterday’s White House meeting was helpful in this effort on two points.
Firstly, Trump did not echo Putin’s demands for Ukrainian territory and put Zelensky on the spot on what is a sensitive and emotive issue – at least in front of the cameras.
There now seems to be an unspoken acceptance in the White House that Ukraine will need to move carefully and slowly on any discussions over land. No 10 has repeatedly said that questions of territory are a matter for Ukraine, and Ukraine alone.
“No decision should be made about Ukraine without Ukraine,” the prime minister stressed after Monday’s talks.
Secondly, flexibility is important in any negotiation. UK officials argue that Trump’s commitment to US involvement in “cast iron” security guarantees means Zelensky can now be far more flexible in his approach knowing that Ukraine will be protected by its allies.
Prospects of a pre-negotiation ceasefire seem to have been junked. Trump has dismissed the need for ceasefire and wants to move directly to agreeing peace terms.
The importance of having a ceasefire was mentioned in the White House talks by the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron.
The UK’s assessment is that a ceasefire was never a central aim of the US administration and therefore Sir Keir should not risk being what one source called a “lone point of tension” on the issue.
The prime minister has returned to the UK, but military officials are travelling in the opposite direction ahead of detailed discussions about US involvement in security guarantees.
Trump has yet to provide much detail on what US forces might offer, but European leaders seem content to take his public commitment as important progress.
The major unknown is what Moscow will do next.
One involved argues Putin could retreat from the pathway towards peace that has been created for him. If he does so they are hoping the US sides with Europe and not Russia.
Leeds United manager Daniel Farke calls his side’s win against Everton “special” as the newly promoted side begin the new season with a 1-0 victory at Elland Road.
An estimated 650 companies from 60 countries have gathered at the China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has called China’s open-source artificial intelligence a “catalyst for global progress” and says it is “revolutionising” supply chains.
In a speech during Wednesday’s opening ceremony of the China International Supply Chain Expo in Beijing, Huang – whose firm last week became the first to touch $4 trillion in market value – hailed China’s role in pioneering AI, describing Chinese AI startup DeepSeek as “giving every country and industry a chance to join the AI revolution”.
Huang made the comments a day after Nvidia announced it will resume sales of its H20 AI chips to China after the United States government pledged to remove licensing restrictions that had halted exports.
“AI is transforming every industry from scientific research and healthcare to energy, transportation and logistics,” said Huang, who also praised China’s “super-fast” innovation, powered by its “researchers, developers and entrepreneurs”.
The California-based company produces some of the world’s most advanced semiconductors but cannot ship its most cutting-edge chips to China due to Washington’s concerns that Beijing could use them to enhance its military capabilities.
Nvidia developed the H20 – a less powerful version of its AI processing units – specifically for export to China. However, that plan stalled when US President Donald Trump’s administration tightened export licensing requirements in April.
“Huang says he’s now free to sell to the Chinese market thanks to negotiations with China on trade,” Al Jazeera’s Katrina Yu said, reporting from Beijing. “The Trump administration has confirmed that in exchange for rare earths, it will allow the chip to now be sold into China.”
“The US government has assured Nvidia that licenses will be granted, and Nvidia hopes to start deliveries soon,” the company said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that it was “filing applications to sell the Nvidia H20 GPU again”.
Nvidia has also announced it is developing a new chip for Chinese clients called the RTX Pro GPU, which would also be compliant with US export restrictions.
The announcement from Nvidia boosted tech firm stocks around the world with Wall Street’s Nasdaq Composite index rising to another record high and stocks in Hong Kong also rallying.
The tightened US export curbs were imposed as China’s economy wavers. Domestic consumers are reluctant to spend, and a prolonged property sector crisis is weighing on growth.
President Xi Jinping has called for greater self-reliance in the face of increasing external uncertainty.
“China is really fashioning itself as a champion for free trade and this global supply chain expo is about positioning China as a crucial part of that global logistic infrastructure,” Yu said. “Beijing is trying to make a statement, and that statement is unlike the Trump administration would have the world believe – China is not replaceable” as evidenced by the roughly 650 companies from 60 countries represented at the expo.
On the eve of the FIFA Club World Cup final, the governing body’s president hails a ‘golden era’ for the club game.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino triumphantly declared the Club World Cup to be “the most successful club competition in the world” on Saturday before this weekend’s final between Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea.
The first 32-team edition of the tournament faced criticism in the build-up for stretching demands on elite players and has been played out in baking temperatures in the United States that have raised concerns for the health of those involved.
There were also doubts about the level of interest the competition would generate among fans, but Infantino said he was satisfied with the attendance at matches, despite many games being far from sold out, and claimed it had been a major success financially.
“The golden age of club football has started. We can definitely say this FIFA Club World Cup has been a huge success,” Infantino told reporters at Trump Tower on New York City’s Fifth Avenue, where FIFA has just opened an office.
“We heard that financially it would not work, that nobody is interested, but I can say we generated almost $2.1bn in revenues, for 63 matches,” he said.
“That makes an average of $33m per match – no other club competition in the world comes close.
“It is already the most successful club competition in the world.”
Former Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp has been one of the leading voices against the tournament, calling it “the worst idea ever implemented in football” in a recent interview.
But the head of world football’s governing body dismissed suggestions that Klopp might be speaking for most observers in Europe.
“We shouldn’t say that the opinion of Europe on this is very bad because it is not true,” said Infantino, who was appearing on a stage alongside numerous footballing greats, including the Brazilian Ronaldo.
“All the teams who have come here have been happy – some teams who didn’t come here because they didn’t qualify were calling us to see how they could qualify.
“Of course, I would have liked to have Liverpool here, Arsenal, Manchester United, Barcelona, Tottenham, AC Milan, Napoli … but you have to qualify and there are different criteria.”
The next Club World Cup is due to take place in 2029, with Infantino refusing to commit when asked whether the tournament could be played every two years or be expanded to feature more teams.
“We created something new, something which is here to stay, something which is changing the landscape of club football,” he added.
WEST POINT, N.Y. — President Trump used the first military commencement address of his second term Saturday to congratulate West Point cadets on their academic and physical accomplishments while veering sharply into politics, claiming credit for America’s military might while boasting about his election victory last fall.
“In a few moments, you’ll become graduates of the most elite and storied military academy in human history,” Trump said at the ceremony at Michie Stadium. “And you will become officers of the greatest and most powerful army the world has ever known. And I know, because I rebuilt that army, and I rebuilt the military. And we rebuilt it like nobody has ever rebuilt it before in my first term.”
Wearing a red “Make America Great Again” hat, the Republican president told the 1,002 graduating cadets that the U.S. is the “hottest country in the world,” boasted of his administration’s record and underscored an “America first” theme for the U.S. military, which he called “the greatest fighting force in the history of the world.”
“We’re getting rid of distractions and we’re focusing our military on its core mission: crushing America’s adversaries, killing America’s enemies and defending our great American flag like it has never been defended before,” Trump said. He later said that “the job of the U.S. armed forces is not to host drag shows or transform foreign cultures,” a reference to drag shows on military bases that the Biden administration halted after Republican criticism.
Trump said the cadets were graduating at a “defining moment” in the Army’s history, as he criticized past political leaders, whom he said led soldiers into “nation-building crusades to nations that wanted nothing to do with us.” He said he was clearing the military of transgender ideas, “critical race theory” and trainings he called divisive and political.
“They subjected the armed forces to all manner of social projects and political causes while leaving our borders undefended and depleting our arsenals to fight other countries’ wars,” he said of past administrations.
Several points during his address at the football stadium on the military academy’s campus were indistinguishable from a political speech. Trump claimed that when he left the White House in 2021, “we had no wars, we had no problems, we had nothing but success, we had the most incredible economy” — although voters had just rejected his bid for reelection.
Turning to last year’s election, he noted that he won all seven swing states, arguing that those results gave him a “great mandate” and “it gives us the right to do what we want to do,” although he did not win a majority of votes nationwide.
The president also took several moments to acknowledge specific graduates’ achievements. He summoned Chris Verdugo onto the stage, noting that the cadet completed an 18.5-mile march on a freezing night in January in two hours and 30 minutes. Trump had the top-ranking lacrosse team stand to be recognized. He also brought West Point’s football quarterback, Bryson Daily, to the lectern, praising him as having a “steel”-like shoulder. He later used Daily as an example to make a case against transgender women participating in women’s athletics.
In a nod to presidential tradition, Trump also pardoned about half a dozen cadets who had faced disciplinary infractions.
“You could have done anything you wanted, you could have gone anywhere,” Trump told the class, later continuing: “Writing your own ticket to top jobs on Wall Street or Silicon Valley wouldn’t be bad, but I think what you’re doing is better.”
The president also ran through several pieces of advice for the graduating cadets, urging them to do what they love, think big, work hard, hold onto their culture, keep faith in America and take risks.
“This is a time of incredible change and we do not need an officer corps of careerists and yes men,” Trump said, going on to note recent advances in military technology. “We need patriots with guts and vision and backbone.”
Trump closed his speech by calling on the graduating cadets to “never ever give up,” then said he was leaving to deal with matters involving Russia and China.
“We’re going to keep winning, this country’s going to keep winning, and with you, the job is easy,” he said.
Just outside campus, about three dozen protesters gathered before the ceremony, waving miniature American flags. One in the crowd carried a sign that said “Support Our Veterans” and “Stop the Cuts,” while others held up plastic buckets with the message: “Go Army Beat Fascism.”
Trump gave the commencement address at West Point in 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. He urged the graduating cadets to “never forget” the soldiers who fought a war over slavery during his remarks that day, which came as the nation was reckoning with its history on race after the police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
The ceremony five years ago drew scrutiny because the U.S. Military Academy forced the graduating cadets, who had been home because of COVID-19, to return to an area near a pandemic hot spot.
Trump traveled to Tuscaloosa, Ala., earlier this month to speak to the University of Alabama’s graduating class. His remarks mixed standard commencement fare and advice with political attacks against his Democratic predecessor, President Biden, musings about transgender athletes and lies about the 2020 election.
On Friday, Vice President JD Vance spoke to the graduating class at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. Vance said in his remarks that Trump is working to ensure U.S. soldiers are deployed with clear goals, rather than “undefined missions” and “open-ended conflicts.”
Kim and Swenson write for the Associated Press and reported from West Point and Bridgewater, N.J., respectively.
US president claims he has sealed deals worth $10 trillion during visits to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and UAE.
President Donald Trump has hailed deepening ties between the United States and the United Arab Emirates and said that the latter will invest $1.4 trillion in the former’s artificial intelligence sector over the next decade.
“I have absolutely no doubt that the relationship will only get bigger and better,” Trump said on Thursday at a meeting with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on the final leg of his three-country tour of the Gulf region that saw him strike a series of lucrative tech, business and military deals that he said amounted to $10 trillion.
Sheikh Mohammed said the UAE remained “committed to working with the United States to advance peace and stability in our region and globally”.
The deal with UAE is expected to enable the Gulf country to build data centres vital to developing artificial intelligence models. The countries did not say which AI chips could be included in UAE data centres. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang had earlier been seen in conversation with Sheikh Mohamed and Trump.
The AI agreement “includes the UAE committing to invest in, build, or finance U.S. data centres that are at least as large and as powerful as those in the UAE,” the White House said.
Reporting from Doha in Qatar, Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelbarra said such a deal had been “a national security concern” for Washington in the past. “But then they decided to change their mind under Trump, particularly when the UAE said that it was willing to invest $1.4 trillion,” he said.
Ahelbarra said the deal was a “significant step” for the UAE, positioning it as “the most important player in artificial intelligence, followed by Saudi Arabia”.
Before his departure for the UAE, Trump said in a speech to US troops at the Al Udeid Air Base southwest of Doha in Qatar that defence purchases signed by Qatar on Wednesday were worth $42bn.
Other agreements signed during Trump’s four-day swing through the Gulf include a deal for Qatar Airways to purchase up to 210 Boeing widebody jets, and a commitment from Saudi Arabia to invest $600bn in the US and to buy $142bn worth of US arms.
The tour also brought a flurry of diplomacy, with Trump saying in Qatar on Thursday that the US was getting close to securing a nuclear deal with Iran. On Tuesday, he said the US would remove longstanding sanctions on Syria.
Trump said he would probably return to Washington on Friday, although he said it was “almost destination unknown because they’ll be getting calls ‘Could you be here? Could you be there?’”
Trump had previously hinted that he could stop in Istanbul for talks on the Russia-Ukraine war.
