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President Donald Trump yesterday blamed Canada for wildfire smoke spreading across the US and said he would add the ‘incalculable cost’ of dealing with the pollution to existing tariffs on Canadian goods.Heavy smoke from hundreds of Canadian fires enveloped a swathe of the US from the Midwest to the Northeast on Thursday and yesterday, prompting warnings to residents to stay indoors. Trump, who has a combative relationship with Prime Minister Mark Carney, said he would be calling the Canadian leader to find out what he planned to do about the ‘totally unacceptable’ situation. ‘We are holding Canada responsible for the fact that they are not properly maintaining their Forests… and the US is being unnecessarily invaded by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air,’ he said in a Truth Social post. ‘This is Willful Negligence, and becoming a yearly occurrence, costing the US Billions of Dollars, which cost of this pollution must of necessity be added to the TARIFFS Canada is currently paying.’Shortly after taking office in 2025, Trump imposed tariffs on several key imports from Canada, prompting Carney to impose countermeasures.Carney's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Carney said on Thursday the US could do more to combat climate change that is leading to warmer and more extreme temperatures around the world.The two men are likely to meet at the FIFA World Cup final in New Jersey on Sunday.Most of the blazes are in the giant province of Ontario and are concentrated in the remote and sparsely populated northwest, where the only mode of transport is airplanes. Thousands of people have been evacuated and at least one community has burned to the ground.So far, 650,000 acres ( are on fire, compared with 600,000 acres at the same time last year.Premier Doug Ford on Friday said the province would buy 11 new aircraft to help counter the fast-spreading wildfires and pushed back against US politicians who have criticized the campaign as inadequate.The US is experiencing an above-average fire year, with 3.7 mn acres burned to date in 2026 compared with a 10-year average of 2.7 mn acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Source link
Lucas Herbert stormed into the lead at the British Open on Friday after the Australian and American Sam Burns equalled the record for the lowest round in major golf history on Friday with eight-under par 62s.Herbert leads by two shots from overnight leader Jackson Suber and world number four Cameron Young. But the world number 97 doubled over his putter in anguish as a short attempt for par on the 18th slipped by with the chance to become the first man to post a major round of 61.Burns followed suit less than an hour later after six birdies on the back nine, including a chip on from the bunker on 18, to move to five under for the tournament.Herbert, who has spent the last two years on the breakaway LIV tour, began the day at level par.Under glorious sunshine in Southport on England's north-west coast, the 30-year-old got off to a flying start with birdies on his opening three holes and added three more at the fifth, seventh and ninth to hit the turn in 28, a British Open record for the front nine.His momentum continued with birdies at the 12th and 13th before a perfect approach set up another three at the par-four 16th for a shot at history. WAYWARD TEE SHOTDespite a wayward tee shot at the last, he should still have scrambled for a par but the moment in front of huge crowds seemed to get to Herbert as two tentative putts resulted in his first bogey of the day.’I'm a golf nerd anyway, so I know all the numbers, all the records, everything like that,’ said Herbert, who claimed he thought a 61 was a possibility from as early as his third hole.’That's a really cool list to be a part of. Even that whole back nine today, it was not lost on me the amount of history in major championships and the opportunity I had to obviously break the record. To tie it as well is still something I'm really proud of.’Burns took the opposite route to 62 with a six-under 30 on the back nine to surge into contention.The world number 18 sank a 20-foot birdie at the 17th and then chipped in from the greenside at the last for his share of history.’I caught myself by surprise,’ said Burns. ‘I think the finish there the last three holes was just a bonus.’Both players equal the course record set by Branden Grace the last time the British Open was held at Birkdale in 2017, one of five previous rounds of 62 at majors.Those also included Xander Schauffele and Shane Lowry's rounds of nine under par at the 2024 PGA Championship at the 71-par Valhalla.SET TO MAKE CUTSuber shone on his first ever British Open round on Thursday and showed plenty of resilience to remain in contention during a rollercoaster second round.The American made three consecutive bogeys at the sixth, seventh and eighth to drop back to three under par at the turn.However, Suber picked up four birdies on the back nine to climb up to second place on six under heading into the weekend.Rory McIlroy recovered from a difficult opening round of 72, that included six bogeys, to at least put himself in position to mount a surge up the leaderboard over the weekendThe six-time major champion posted a 67 to move to one under for the tournament.McIlroy's playing partner Matt Fitzpatrick is one of the big names set to miss the cut.Fitzpatrick has been one of the form players on the PGA Tour this year to climb up to third in the world rankings.The Englishman has struggled to produce his best at the majors and slipped to four over par, four adrift of the projected cut mark. Source link
Football icon Lionel Messi’s second day in India passed smoothly yesterday, after a chaotic opening to his three-day tour, as the World Cup winner kicked balls into the crowd and met cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar.Messi greeted excited fans decked out in Argentina football jerseys at a packed Wankhede stadium in India’s financial hub Mumbai, as supporters chanted his name.The 38-year-old Argentina and Inter Miami superstar took centre stage in the presence of India’s sporting royalty including Tendulkar and football star Sunil Chhetri.Messi along with his Inter Miami teammates Luis Suarez and Rodrigo de Paul are part of a so-called GOAT Tour of a cricket-crazy nation.Cricket great Tendulkar presented Messi with his iconic number 10 jersey from India’s 2011 World Cup triumph at the same venue.”I have spent some incredible moments here,” said batting star Tendulkar.”Mumbai is a city of dreams and number of dreams have seen the finish line here on this very venue and without your support we could never have seen those golden moments in 2011.”And today having all three greats of game here is indeed a golden moment for Mumbai, Mumbaikars and India.”Although a cricket powerhouse, the nation of 1.4 billion struggles on the football pitch and are 142nd on the FIFA rankings.”Thank you for being here and encouraging youngsters,” said Tendulkar. “I hope football here in India also reaches the heights that we all aspire.”The Mumbai event went smoothly compared to Saturday’s in the eastern city of Kolkata where heavy security left fans struggling to catch a glimpse of Messi.Frustrated fans, many having paid more than $100 for tickets, broke down barricades and stormed the pitch after the superstar abruptly left the arena.Spectators also ripped out stadium seats and hurled water bottles onto the track.One person has been arrested for the incident.Before the chaos erupted, Messi unveiled a 21-metre (70-foot) statue which shows him holding aloft the World Cup in 2022.The footballer was in Hyderabad city later on Saturday where he addressed the crowd briefly in Spanish.Messi wraps up his India tour on Monday, with a possible meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The footballer won his second consecutive Major League Soccer Most Valuable Player award this week after propelling Inter Miami to the MLS title and leading the league in goals.The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward will spearhead Argentina’s defence of the World Cup in June-July in North America. Source link
The stage is set for absorbing semi-finals of the FIFA Arab Cup on Monday. The semi-finals are set to be thrilling affairs with three Asian sides looking to lift the coveted trophy.Standing in their way are Morocco, who are aiming to keep the trophy in Africa following the elimination of defending champions Algeria in the quarter-finals. Morocco v United Arab EmiratesUAE showed steely resolve in defeating Algeria in the quarter-finals and will have to produce more of the same against Morocco.While penalties were needed to decide UAE's passage to the last four stage, Morocco saw off the challenge of Syria in 90 minutes, winning 1-0.UAE's hero in the 7-6 penalty shootout win was goalkeeper Hamad Al Meqbali, who denied Yassine Benzia and Mohamed Khacef from the spot.The Shabab Al Ahli shot-stopper paid tribute to UAE head coach Cosmin Olaroiu after his heroics against Algeria.“We deserved the win, and this success has brought us immense joy despite a tough match. The coach instilled positive energy in us, he motivated us in the right way and showed a lot of faith in us, like we were his own sons. That helped us to fight for our flag, for ourselves and for the coach,” said Meqbali.Morocco will be another tough test but Meqbali, who is normally Khalid Eisa's understudy, and his teammates are looking forward to locking horns with the African side.With just days to recover, Lucas Pimenta said it was crucial for UAE to quickly refocus.“We need to prepare and recover in time to face Morocco, and hopefully we’ll manage to win again,” said the centre-back. Saudi Arabia v JordanThese are thrilling times for Jordan and they will head into their semi-final against Saudi Arabia with confidence.Their runners-up finish at the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023 was followed by a first-ever qualification for the FIFA World Cup and Jordan are now just two wins away from lifting the FIFA Arab Cup trophy.They showed grit in the 1-0 win against Iraq in the quarter-finals, soldiering on despite losing the creative Yazan Al Naimat to injury in the first half, with his teammates attributing the victory to their determination to continue showcasing Jordanian football.“The injury to Al Naimat was a blow to our morale after he had to leave the match so early but everyone showed real responsibility, and in the end we were rewarded with the win,’ said left-back Mohammad Abu Hashish.“We deserve to be in the semi-finals; we didn’t get here by chance. The next match will be tough, and we’ll prepare for it properly. We hope to deliver a performance worthy of the Jordanian national team.”Saudi Arabia had to work hard to earn their semi-final spot, needing extra-time to see off the challenge of a resilient Palestine.Midfielder Mohammed Kanno was their hero, netting the winner in the final minute of the match for his third goal of the tournament.Head coach Herve Renard has a talent-laden squad at his disposal and will expect to see his side progress. Semi-finals on Monday:Morocco v United Arab EmiratesVenue: Khalifa International Stadium (Al Rayyan)Kick-off: 17:30 (UTC+3)Saudi Arabia v JordanVenue: Al Bayt Stadium (Al Bayt)Kick-off: 20:30 (UTC+3) Source link
After a break of more than six weeks, drifting competitions returned to the spotlight with the second round of the Qatar Drift Championship for the 2025/2026 season.The round was held under the patronage Qatar Racing Club Chairman HE Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad al-Thani and witnessed a large crowd that filled the club’s grandstands, alongside the participation of an elite group of drift champions from the Gulf countries and the wider region.In the local category, Abdullah al-Mouhtasib topped the qualifying standings, ahead of Yasser al-Shater and Mohammed al-Jaber in second and third respectively, while last season’s local category champion Yazan Jabshah finished fourth.The tandem battles also featured strong and intense matchups. Qualifying leader Ali Makhseed advanced to the second round after defeating Meysiar Abu Shaiba. The second matchup was an all-local duel between Yasser al-Shater and Mohammed al-Jaber, which ended in favor of al-Shater, who progressed to the next round.Last round’s runner-up Riyadh al-Mabsali continued his campaign by overcoming Mohammed Al-Azmi, while Salem al-Sarraf secured his place in the second round after defeating Mazen Nasser.On the other side of the elimination bracket, Mohammed Khourshid, who finished second in qualifying, defeated Saleh al-Rumaihi, making his first appearance in the championship, to advance to the second round. Meanwhile, last season’s local category champion Yazan Jabshah moved on after overcoming Bakheet al-Hajri. The matchup between opening round champion Ahmed al-Amri and Saoud al-Abdulhadi produced no surprises, with al-Amri advancing. The final first-round duel brought together Abdullah al-Mouhtasib and Saoud al-Attiya in an all-local contest that ended in favor of al-Mouhtasib.In the second round, Ali Makhseed and Salem al-Sarraf qualified for the first semifinal, with Makhseed defeating Yasser al-Shater and al-Sarraf overcoming Riyadh al-Mabsali. On the other side, Mohammed Khourshid advanced to the second semifinal after defeating Yazan Jabsha, while Ahmed al-Amri completed the semifinal lineup by beating Abdullah al-Mouhtasib.The semifinal battles were extremely tense and evenly matched, with both encounters initially ending in draws, forcing the judges to order reruns to determine the winners. In the first semifinal, last season’s champion Ali Makhseed faced his former runner-up Salem al-Sarraf. Makhseed managed to edge ahead with difficulty to become the first finalist of the second round.In the second semifinal, Mohammed Khourshid defeated last round’s champion Ahmed al-Amri, who later finished fourth overall after losing the third-place playoff to al-Sarraf, allowing the latter to climb onto the podium in third place for the second consecutive round.Attention then turned to the final showdown between qualifying leader Ali Makhseed and qualifying runner-up Mohammed Khourshid. The duel delivered the highest level of excitement seen in the round, but victory ultimately went to Makhseed, who secured his first win of the season, while Khourshid settled for second place and his first podium appearance of the season.QRC Director General Sheikh Jabor bin Khalid al-Thani crowned the top three finishers on the podium. Third round will take place in two weeks’ time. Source link
A superb drive from a bunker with a wood set up Jayden Schaper to beat fellow South African Shaun Norris on the first hole of a play-off and win a European Tour event in Johannesburg.Schaper’s second shot, after a wayward drive on the par five 18th, landed just off the green and he used his putter to claim an eagle and a first victory on the circuit.”That was one of the shots of my career. I had a good angle and a nice lie,” the 24-year-old Johannesburg-born champion told reporters.Norris, 19 years older than Schaper, applauded the shot by raising his hands and clapping for several minutes.Defending champion Norris, seven shots behind going into the final round of a tournament reduced to 54 holes by flooding on Saturday, also had an eagle chance, but his putt veered well left.Schaper, runner-up at another European event in Sun City last weekend, could have clinched first place on the 18th in regulation play, but found a greenside bunker and two putted for a par.He posted rounds of 67, 64 and 67 while Norris, after rounds of 67 and 69 appeared to rule him out of contention, fired a 62, then waited in the clubhouse for some time while Schaper completed his round.”It was a grind, really tough,” said Schaper, who turned professional five years ago, after his triumph at Royal Johannesburg.”Having my family here to see me achieve a historic victory was special. It is unreal, awesome, amazing.”After coming so close last weekend at Sun City I had to keep fighting. Now I am a champion. That is a fantastic feeling.”Spaniard Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra, who took a two-stroke lead into the final round, carded a 70 to finish one shot behind Schaper and Norris.South African Louis Oosthuizen, the sole major winner in the field, finished with a 66 to tie for fourth place.Leading final round scores(RSA unless stated):198 – Jayden Schaper 67-64-67, Shaun Norris 67-69-62Schaper won at first play-off hole199 – Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra (ESP) 63-66-70201 – Oliver Bekker 66-67-68, Christiaan Burke 63-71-67, Louis Oosthuizen 67-68-66202 – Martin Couvra (FRA) 70-69-63, John Parry (ENG) 66-66-70203 – Christiaan Bezuidenhout 67-69-67, Branden Grace 65-67-71, Michael Hollick 70-63-70, Aldrich Potgieter 67-69-67, Samuel Simpson 65-71-67Note: Event reduced to three rounds after course was flooded on Saturday Source link
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