Rahm says European tour is 'extorting' LIV players by making them play more events to rejoin tour

Jon Rahm tore into the European tour Tuesday over its offer for him and other LIV Golf players to rejoin, claiming the tour was "extorting players" by forcing them to play additional tournaments.

LIV Golf

Rahm, competing this week in LIV Golf Hong Kong, spoke publicly for the first timesince the European tour announced a dealthat would require LIV players to pay previous fines for not getting releases and to compete in additional events designated by the tour.

Eight players from LIV, including Tyrrell Hatton, accepted the deal. Rahm did not.

"I don't know what game they're trying to play right now," Rahm said. "But it just seems like in a way they're using our impact in tournaments and fining us and trying to benefit both ways from what we have to offer. In a way, they're extorting players like myself and young players that have nothing to do with the politics of the game.

"So I don't like the situation and I'm not going to agree to that."

Players are required to play four tournaments, not including the majors, to keep membership on the European tour. Rahm said the deal would have required LIV members to play six tournaments.

"And they dictate where two of those have to be, among other things that I don't agree with," Rahm said. "I've been a dual member my whole career — PGA Tour and DP World Tour. ... Never once have I been asked for a release to play either one of those tours. So why is it now that we need to be offering this and there's all these penalties?

"I just don't like the situation," he said. "I think we should be able to freely play where we want and have the choice to play where we want and not be dictated what we do."

The fines stem from playing LIV Golf events opposite European tour events without getting a conflicting-event release. Rahm was able to use the "home tour" policy on the PGA Tour to play in European tour events.

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Rahm said he told the European tour — known as the DP World Tour commercially — that if it lowered the minimum requirement to four tournaments, he would sign the deal.

"They haven't agreed to that," he said. "I just refuse to play six events. I don't want to, and that's not what the rules say."

Rahm and Hatton were among those who appealed their fines for playing LIV. That case has not been heard, but the appeal allowed them to play in the Ryder Cup last year at Bethpage Black.

Now the Spaniard's participation in the 2027 matches in Ireland are in question.

An arbitrational panel in Britain, Sports Resolution, ruled in April 2023 the tour had the right to penalize players as a membership organization. If the panel rules in favor of the tour again, Rahm would be required to settle his fines or lose his membership, which would keep him off the Ryder Cup team next year.

Rory McIlroy said in January about the fines Rahm and Hatton were facing, "We went really hard on the Americans about being paid to play the Ryder Cup, and we also said that we would pay to play in Ryder Cups. There's two guys that can prove it."

Rahm fired back by saying his comment would make more sense if all 12 players were asked to pay, not just him and Hatton.

"There's more intricacy that goes into this whole situation," Rahm said. "I'll gladly pay my way to go on the Ryder Cup, not have to pay to still be a member of the DP World Tour and fulfill a commitment that I'm fully willing to commit."

AP golf:https://apnews.com/hub/golf

byDaniel Coleman

in

March 03, 2026

Rahm says European tour is 'extorting' LIV players by making them play more events to rejoin tour

Jon Rahm tore into the European tour Tuesday over its offer for him and other LIV Golf players to rejoin, claiming the to...

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What China's response to the U.S. attack on Iran says about its foreign policy

BEIJING (AP) — The day the U.S. and Israelattacked Iran, China waited several hours before taking its first official position. It said it was "highly concerned" and called for an immediate halt to military operations and the resumption of dialogue.

China Congress

The next day, Foreign Minister Wang Yi condemned the strikes as unacceptable and again called for more talks.

There were no indications of direct intervention — but such an expectation wouldn't be realistic. As in other recent conflicts, includinglast year's attackon Iran, China has condemned the use of force while remaining on the sidelines, keeping in mind its long-term interests.

This time, those interests include a highly anticipated visit by U.S. President Donald Trump to Beijing, expected to take place around early April.

Why China is staying out of the fight

China's military has grown rapidly. It has conductedmilitary drillswith Iran and established a base in Djibouti in East Africa in 2017. But its overwhelming focus is defending its interests in Asia, from Taiwan to the South China Sea.

It has waded into Middle East diplomacy where it sees an opportunity, helping tobroker a rapprochementbetween Iran and Saudi Arabia in 2023. But it views the U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as cautionary tales to be avoided, said William Yang, an analyst with the International Crisis Group.

"China is reluctant to project military power beyond its immediate periphery and it is also unwilling to play the role of security guarantor in unstable regions like the Middle East," he said.

Likewise, it has provided diplomatic and economicsupport to Russiaand Venezuela, but steered away from any military actionin Ukraineor Latin America.

China's position on the sidelines shows the limits to its influence in global geopolitics, said Craig Singleton, a senior China fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington-based research institute.

"Beijing's response has been predictably restrained, underscoring China's limited ability to shape events once hard power is in motion," he said. "Beijing can signal unease; however, it cannot meaningfully deter or influence U.S.-Israeli military action."

Ties with U.S. outweigh those with Iran

China's unhappiness with the strikes against Iran is unlikely to upendties with the U.S.or plans for Trump to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing in about a month, analysts say.

For Chinese leaders, the relationship with the U.S. is much more crucial than with Iran on multiple fronts, from trade and the economy to Taiwan.

Beijing may have a war of words with Washington over Iran, but the downside to creating a new conflict with Trump outweighs the upside, said George Chen, a partner at The Asia Group.

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"U.S.-China relations are already complicated enough for President Trump and Xi to handle," he said. Adding Iran to the mix "won't be something that both sides are keen to do."

Still, it is possible that Beijing could postpone the Trump visit, he said.

Energy concerns go beyond Iran's oil

China is the top importer of oil from Iran, but the government is deeply concerned with energy security and has developed alternatives. What's most worrisome is rising prices and potentially losing access to oil and natural gas from the broader Middle East.

China imported about 1.4 million barrels a day — or 13% of China's total seaborne oil imports — from Iran last year, according to Kpler, a data and analytics company. But the firm estimates that enough oil is already in transit to last another four to five months. That would give China's independent refineries time to adjust and seek alternatives, with discounted Russian oil as their primary option, said Muyu Xu, a senior analyst with Kpler.

China has spent years diversifying its supplies and building up its reserves, Singleton said. "The loss of Iranian oil appears marginal, not material, at least in the short-term," he said.

Iran's attempts to shut down theStrait of Hormuz— the narrow mouth to the Persian Gulf — is of greater concern, as are any attacks on liquefied natural gas facilities in the Gulf states.

QatarEnergy, a major supplier,halted productionof liquefied natural gas Monday after its facilities were attacked.

Why China may not help arm Iran

China is unlikely to send arms to Iran to help it fight the U.S. for several reasons, analysts say.

"Tangible military aid, if any, would be limited to existing long-term defense trade arrangements rather than rapid battlefield support, and it would be constrained by Beijing's interest in avoiding direct confrontation with the U.S. and its allies," said Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat, a researcher at the Center of Economic and Law Studies in Indonesia.

China has criticized the U.S. for supplying arms to Ukraine, saying it prolongs the fighting.

Iran's missile program is based on Chinese technology, said James M. Dorsey, an adjunct senior fellow at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. But he predicted that China would err on the side of caution rather than sell any missiles to the country's military.

"What China wants is this to end," he said.

Associated Press writers Kanis Leung in Hong Kong, Didi Tang in Washington, E. Eduardo Castillo in Beijing and Simina Mistreanu in Taipei, Taiwan, contributed.

byDaniel Coleman

in

March 03, 2026

What China's response to the U.S. attack on Iran says about its foreign policy

BEIJING (AP) — The day the U.S. and Israelattacked Iran, China waited several hours before taking its first official posi...

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Inside Macron’s new deterrence strategy: 8 European allies, 1 French nuclear button

PARIS (AP) — France is moving to align its nuclear deterrent strategy more closely with European allies while keeping full control over any strike decision — anunprecedented coordinationthat French PresidentEmmanuel Macrondescribed as crucial to bolstering the continent's strategic autonomy.

France Defense

Experts say the plan reflects growing doubts across Europe about U.S. reliability when it comes to the continent's defense. France has beenthe only nuclear power in the European Unionsince Britain's exit from the bloc in 2020.

Macron's move reflects that, in case of a nuclear crisis, France would be the one offering "some form of a nuclear security guarantee," said Florian Galleri, a nuclear deterrence expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's security studies program.

Speaking Monday from a top-secret submarine base in Western France, Macron announced "a new step of France's deterrence."

His speech marked what could be the start of a major shift in policy that would allow, for the first time, temporary deployment of French nuclear-armed aircraft to allied countries.

Macron said that Paris has started nuclear talks with eight nations — Britain, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Sweden and Denmark. Partners joining the initiative would see their territory "gain a clearly affirmed link to our deterrence," Macron said.

Europe would shoulder more of its own security

American allies have played a central role in Europe's defense since the end of World War II, protecting the continent through NATO's nuclear mission.

However, Macron noted, recent U.S. national security and defense strategies reflect a reshuffling of American priorities.

Faced with heightened tensions with Russia, which has a vast nuclear arsenal and is developing new missiles, and as China expands its nuclear forces, "our way of thinking must change," Macron said.

Outlining the new strategy he called "forward deterrence," Macron insisted that France won't share any decision-making since under its constitution, the president remains solely responsible for any decision on using nuclear weapons.

Still, that stance underscores a fundamental contradiction, Galleri said. "The strategic backing intended to integrate French nuclear deterrence into a collective European defense framework necessarily requires a degree of coordination and joint planning," he argued.

"One cannot, for example, carry out a nuclear strike without consulting a partner," he added.

France's new approach offers the possibility for partners to participate in deterrence exercises, Macron also said. In case of crisis, French nuclear forces could be supported by some European conventional capabilities.

That could involve early warning systems — allies' satellites and radars detecting and tracking missiles, engaging air defense and anti-drone protections and long-range deep-strike capabilities, he said.

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Ultimately, the new doctrine would allow the temporary deployment of nuclear-armed aircraft to allied countries across Europe, Macron added.

Strengthening France's nuclear arsenal

Macron also said that evolving defenses among France's competitors, the emergence of regional powers, possible coordination among adversaries and proliferation risks had led him to conclude that France must increase its number of nuclear warheads, for the first time since the 1990s and the end of the Cold War.

France currently possesses an estimated 290 warheads.

Héloïse Fayet, a nuclear deterrence specialist at the French Institute of International Relations, a Paris-based think tank, cited a part of Macron's speech where the president said France's nuclear deterrent is designed to inflict on an adversary "damage from which they would not recover."

That means "we must always be able to inflict that kind of damage," Fayet said while deploring Macron's decision not to publicize the numbers of France's warheads.

If Russia, for example, improved its defense systems, then France would need "more nuclear warheads," Fayet said.

Complementing NATO's mission

Macron made clear that any European coordination would come in addition to NATO's nuclear mission, in which France does not participate, and be compatible with the alliance's role in European security.

Ian Lesser, a NATO expert and distinguished fellow at the German Marshall Fund, said Macron's move "reflects the state of security in Europe" following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as well as the "growing uncertainty about the American security commitment to Europe."

Europe now has to "deal with a more aggressive Russia for some time to come," Lesser said.

NATO's deterrence works through a strong American troop presence in Europe, with U.S. nuclear weapons stationed there, including in Germany, Belgium and The Netherlands.

"The bulk of Europe's conventional deterrence is lodged in NATO — strategic command and organization, design and deployment," Lesser stressed.

"NATO is critical," he added and "France is really not looking to weaken that. So the point about it being complementary is important."

Associated Press writer Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed to this report.

byDaniel Coleman

in

March 03, 2026

Inside Macron’s new deterrence strategy: 8 European allies, 1 French nuclear button

PARIS (AP) — France is moving to align its nuclear deterrent strategy more closely with European allies while keeping ful...

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Mexican drug lord 'El Mencho' buried in golden coffin

Infamous Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as "El Mencho", was buried in a golden casket by his family on Monday.

The cartel leader died after being wounded in a firefight between his bodyguards and Mexican special forces personnel deployed to capture him in late February.

The 59-year-old founder of the feared Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) was the country's most-wanted man, while the US had offered a $15m (£11.2m) reward for information leading to his arrest.

His death triggered widespread retaliatory violence in which cartel members set fire to vehicles and blockaded roads across 20 Mexican states.

Members of the National Guard were out in force to prevent fresh violence from breaking out during the colourful funeral near Guadalajara in Jalisco state, a stronghold for the cartel.

Large floral tributes were seen being carried into the funeral home ahead of the ceremony, including one shaped like a rooster in a reference to his love of cockfighting.

According to AFP news agency, five lorries were needed to take all the tributes to the cemetery, most of which had been sent anonymously.

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The funeral procession was accompanied by a band playing ranchero music and narcocorridos - songs praising drug lords.

The traditional song El Muchacho Alegre (The Cheerful Boy) was played as Oseguera's gold-coloured coffin arrived at a chapel located inside the cemetery grounds, local media reported.

After an hour-long ceremony, the mourners - many of whom concealed their identities using face masks - followed the coffin as it was carried to the grave.

Mexican media noted that the plot was relatively plain compared with those of other drug lords, which are often topped by large mausoleums.

Under Oseguera's leadership, the CJNG became a powerful transnational criminal organisation which spread from its stronghold in Jalisco into many other Mexican states, where it engages in drug production and trafficking.

Oseguera's killing by Mexican special forces has been seen as a victory for President Claudia Sheinbaum's government, which has come under increasing pressure by her US counterpart Donald Trump to do more to combat drug trafficking.

But there have been fears that the vacuum left behind by the powerful cartel leader could trigger a surge in violence in the short term, as different factions within the criminal group - which is estimated to have tens of thousands of members - fight for control.

• Who was El Mencho, Mexico's most wanted man?

• Threat of further violence looms after Mexican cartel rampage

byDaniel Coleman

in

March 03, 2026

Mexican drug lord 'El Mencho' buried in golden coffin

Infamous Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as "El Mencho", was buried in a golden casket...

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Football is life! Cristo Fernandez from 'Ted Lasso' trying out for USL team

In the category of "life imitates art," it appears Dani Rojas is looking to take his talents to a real soccer field.

Rojas lines up at center forward for AFC Richmond in the wildly popular Apple TV show "Ted Lasso."

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Now the actor who portrays Rojas, Cristo Fernández, is on trial with USL Championship side El Paso Locomotive, per multiple reports.

Fernández, 35, has been training with El Paso since last week and,per KTSM 9 News, he played 30 minutes in Saturday's preseason scrimmage against New Mexico United.

The Mexican actor can be seen prominently in the club's Instagram post following the matchup against New Mexico.

byDaniel Coleman

in

March 03, 2026

Football is life! Cristo Fernandez from 'Ted Lasso' trying out for USL team

In the category of "life imitates art," it appears Dani Rojas is looking to take his talents to a real soccer f...

Read More