Olympic Council of Asia says Saudi Winter Games ‘on schedule’
The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) says that preparations for the 2029 Asian Winter Games in Saudi Arabia are “on schedule” after South Korea and China emerged as potential replacements.Saudi Arabia is supposed to host the next edition of the regional winter competition in a move derided by environmental groups.The OCA in 2022 unanimously approved the desert kingdom’s bid to stage the Games at its $500 billion megacity NEOM, part of Saudi Arabia’s splurge on major sporting events, including the 2034 football World Cup.The futuristic and under-construction NEOM will feature a year-round winter sports complex in the mountains of Trojena.However, the Financial Times last week reported that Saudi Arabia was “struggling to deliver” the ski resort on time and had discussed staging the event four years later than planned.The Saudis were mulling approaching South Korea and China to instead play host in 2029, the newspaper said.South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported that the OCA asked Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) president Ryu Seung-min if the country would be willing to replace Saudi Arabia.On Sunday the Kuwait-based OCA said that it was “pleased with the strong progress being made, as we closely monitor the on-schedule work from the LOC (local organising committee).”We appreciate the bold ambition of the venue and the opportunities it will create as a new winter sports destination serving the future of sport in Asia,” the statement added.South Korea and China have been mooted as potential replacements because they hosted the Winter Olympics in 2018 and 2022 respectively.China also staged the Asian Winter Games in its northern city of Harbin in February.Asked about China potentially stepping in for 2029, foreign ministry spokesman Mao Ning said on Friday: “I haven’t heard of the situation you mentioned.”We support Saudi Arabia in hosting the next Asian Winter Games.”
Asian markets rise on US rate cut hopes
Asian markets kicked off the week with a rally Monday morning, tracking gains made by Wall Street on Friday after the US central bank chief suggested coming interest rate cuts.Investors weighing the prospects of a September cut had been closely eyeing the speech by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell at an annual symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.”The balance of risks appears to be shifting,” Powell said, noting a slump in employment even as inflation remains above target.He added that the “unusual” situation “may warrant adjusting our policy stance”.Wall Street stocks surged following Powell’s speech, rebounding from a tech sell-off earlier in the week. European markets also ticked upwards.During the first trading sessions in major Asian markets following the comments, stocks made notable gains.Hong Kong’s main index was up nearly 1.3 percent one hour after opening, while benchmarks in Tokyo, Shanghai, Sydney, Seoul and Taipei also rose.”By hinting that the Fed could cut even without pristine inflation numbers, (Powell) transformed caution into conviction,” Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management wrote in a note Monday.”Expectations for a September cut now hover near certainty,” he added.Powell has come under intense public pressure this year from US President Donald Trump to lower rates.But the independent central bank has kept benchmark interest rates steady at a range of between 4.25 percent and 4.50 percent since its last reduction in December.In keeping rates unchanged, policymakers cited resilience in the labor market as they monitored the effects of Trump’s wide-ranging tariffs on the world’s biggest economy.Reacting to Friday’s news, the dollar fell against currencies such as the euro, pound and yen, as lower returns make the greenback less appealing to foreign investors.Oil markets were nearly flat Monday, following price increases made last week as investors considered the potential for a peace deal in Ukraine more than three years after Russia’s invasion.Traders are now eagerly awaiting a quarterly earnings report from US chip juggernaut Nvidia on Wednesday, which is expected to shed light on how its strong push into artificial intelligence is faring.- Key figures at around 0215 GMT -Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 0.7 percent at 42,933.34Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 1.3 percent at 25,661.10Shanghai – Composite: UP 0.7 percent at 3,854.086Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1696 from $1.1722 on FridayPound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3493 from $1.3523Dollar/yen: UP at 147.47 yen from 146.94 yenEuro/pound: DOWN at 86.68 pence from 86.69 penceWest Texas Intermediate: FLAT at $63.65 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: FLAT at $67.71 per barrelNew York – Dow: UP 1.9 percent at 45,631.74 (close)London – FTSE 100: UP 0.1 percent at 9,321.40 (close)
SpaceX calls off Starship megarocket launch in latest setback
SpaceX called off a planned test flight for its Starship megarocket on Sunday, saying it needed time to troubleshoot problems, in the latest setback for Elon Musk’s behemoth after a series of explosive failures.The recent problems have led some observers to doubt whether the world’s biggest and most powerful launch vehicle will be capable of taking humans back to the Moon — or achieving Musk’s dreams of colonizing Mars.The rocket had been scheduled to blast off on its tenth flight from the company’s Starbase in southern Texas at 6:30 pm local time (2330 GMT).However around 15 minutes before lift-off, SpaceX scrubbed the flight, which is a relatively common event for space launches.”Standing down from today’s tenth flight of Starship to allow time to troubleshoot an issue with ground systems,” it said on X, without elaborating. SpaceX did not immediately announce a new launch date, but a countdown on the company’s website suggested there would be another attempt at the same time on Monday evening. Road closures nearby Starbase indicated that Monday and Tuesday had been cleared for potential attempts.The hour-long mission had been planned to put the rocket’s upper stage through a series of trials before the lower stage booster splashed down in the Indian Ocean.An hour before lift-off was scrapped, Musk posted on X that “Starship 10 launching tonight.” The normally prolific poster remained quiet on X after the postponement.SpaceX had also earlier flagged a “technical update on Starship” which did not appear to take place.- String of explosions -Starship is central to billionaire SpaceX founder Musk’s ambition of colonizing Mars, while NASA is counting on a modified version to return Americans to the Moon.However the rocket’s upper stage — which is the spacecraft intended to carry crew and cargo — has exploded in all three previous test flights in 2025.Two of the failed tests sent debris raining down over Caribbean islands, while the other reached space before breaking up. Then in June, another upper stage exploded on the ground during a “static fire” test.The 403-feet (123-meter) rocket is designed to eventually be fully reusable, but the company has not yet managed to get the upper stage to deliver a payload to space or return to the launch site.After an investigation into the previous failed flight in May, SpaceX said it would “intentionally stress the structural limits” of the upper stage, in the hopes of sounding out a successful return. SpaceX has succeeded in catching the lower stage booster with giant “chopstick” launch tower arms three times, but the tenth flight will not attempt the feat.The company’s “fail fast, learn fast” ethos has long been credited with its remarkable track record, giving the US company a commanding global lead in launches thanks to its Falcon rocket family. But the Starship setbacks have raised doubts over whether the company can repeat that success with easily the biggest rocket in history.- ‘Lot of pressure’ – Dallas Kasaboski, a space analyst for consulting firm Analysys Mason, told AFP before the canceled launch that the recent failures were beginning to take the sheen off SpaceX’s golden reputation. “I think there is a lot of pressure on this mission,” he said. “We’ve had so many tests and it hasn’t proven itself reliable — the successes have not exceeded the failures.”Will Lockett, a former engineer turned commentator went further, arguing on his Substack newsletter that the rocket’s failure to deliver a payload to orbit yet suggested “the concept of Starship is fundamentally flawed.” The world’s richest man has staked the company’s future on Starship, planning to eventually retire its current generation of rockets and spacecraft in favor of the new system.Even if the tenth test eventually succeeds, formidable technical hurdles remain — from making the system fully and rapidly reusable at low cost to proving it can refuel super-cooled propellant in orbit, a prerequisite for deep-space missions.Still, SpaceX is pressing ahead, increasing the frequency of launches despite criticism from environmental groups over ecological impacts.
Ligue 1: Giroud offre la victoire à Lille contre Monaco
Alors qu’on se dirigeait vers un match nul et vierge, Olivier Giroud a surgi pour offrir la victoire à Lille (1-0) contre Monaco dimanche soir au Stade Pierre-Mauroy, en inscrivant son deuxième but de la saison en autant de matches de Ligue 1.Débutée il y a quelques semaines, par un retour en France que peu avaient vu venir au début de l’été, l’histoire entre Lille et le meilleur buteur de l’histoire de l’équipe de France (57 buts en 137 sélections) a déjà tout du conte de fées.Alors que l’enceinte de la banlieue lilloise n’avait vu, jusqu’à présent, qu’un match terne, rempli d’approximations entre deux équipes clairement encore en rodage, elle a soudainement exulté, quand Giroud a inscrit le but de la victoire.D’un geste de pur buteur: un contrôle en pivot puis une frappe puissante hors de portée de Lukas Hradecky, après un centre de Matias Fernandez-Pardo (90e+1).La preuve, s’il en fallait une, que le grand attaquant (1,93 mètre) n’a, à bientôt 39 ans, rien perdu de son talent, malgré une expérience ratée au Los Angeles FC.Et qu’importe si le natif de Chambéry a raté un pénalty quelques minutes plus tard (90e+9), sans doute émoussé par ce match disputé, comme la semaine dernière, en entier: il avait réussi son coup.”On a su être patients, résilients, on y a cru jusqu’au bout, et moi aussi”, a-t-il d’abord salué, relevant “un petit bémol sur le pénalty” manqué.L’entraîneur du Losc Bruno Genesio a félicité son buteur, notant sa “maîtrise technique, en fin de match, malgré la fatigue”.Ce succès permet aux Dogues de grimper au cinquième rang (quatre points), tandis que Monaco glisse au huitième (trois points) au terme de la deuxième journée de Ligue 1.- Monaco ne convertit pas les offrandes -L’ASM quittera Villeneuve-d’Ascq avec les regrets de ne pas avoir su convertir en buts, bien plus tôt dans le match, les nombreux cadeaux offerts par les Lillois.Ceux d’Ayyoub Bouaddi (3e), Alexsandro (37e) et Nathan Ngoy (39e), qui ont noirci une performance du bloc lillois globalement décevante, loin de la solidité qui en a fait la deuxième meilleure défense de Ligue 1 la saison passée.Le manque de réalisme monégasque témoigne du fait que cette équipe n’est pas encore prête aux échéances européennes qui l’attendent dans quelques semaines, ni à lutter pour décrocher un billet pour la prochaine Ligue des champions.Lille non plus. Avant le but de Giroud, le club nordiste a eu du mal à impulser du rythme dans son jeu, ou même à se créer des occasions, en particulier en première période, où il n’a pas cadré la moindre frappe.Seule action à signaler: le face-à-face manqué par Hakon Haraldsson (21e), pourtant très bien lancé en profondeur.Alors qu’il avait l’initiative en première période, Monaco l’a laissé à Lille en seconde, mais le match a encore baissé en niveau. Pire, Ngal’ayel Mukau est sorti à l’heure de jeu sur un brancard, remplacé par Fernandez-Pardo.Jusque-là excellent dans le jeu de remise, le combat entre Eric Dier et Christian Mawissa, Olivier Giroud s’est alors créé une première occasion nette, au bout d’un sprint dans la surface, mais son tacle pour reprendre un centre est passé à côté (73e).Ce n’était que partie remise. Déjà buteur et précieux dans sa capacité à faire jouer des feux follets comme Hakon Haraldsson ou Félix Correia autour de lui à Brest, Giroud a récidivé.Alors que “l’attaquant polyvalent” que souhaitait Bruno Genesio lors de ce mercato ne devrait pas arriver, selon le président du club Olivier Létang, Giroud, buteur N.1, surprend en dépassant les attentes que l’on pourrait avoir d’un joueur au crépuscule de sa carrière. Mais c’est bien connu, les grands joueurs sont éternels.
Israeli strikes in Yemen’s capital kill six, Huthis say
Israeli strikes in Yemen’s capital Sanaa on Sunday killed at least six people, according to the country’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels, who have repeatedly launched missiles and drones at Israel throughout the Gaza war.AFP images showed a large fireball lighting up the skies over the rebel-held capital, leaving behind a column of thick, black smoke.The Huthi-run Saba news agency reported six people killed and 86 wounded in the Israeli raid, with more than 20 in critical condition, citing the health ministry.A Huthi security source told AFP the strikes had targeted a building in central Sanaa. The group’s Al-Masirah TV reported they had also hit an oil company facility and a power station in Sanaa’s south which was already struck last Sunday.The Israeli army said it had hit a military compound where the presidential palace is located, along with two power stations and a fuel depot. The strikes were “in response to repeated attacks by the Huthi terrorist regime against the State of Israel and its civilians”, including “in recent days”, it said.Late Friday, the Huthis fired a missile that Israeli authorities said had “most likely fragmented in mid-air”.Media outlets the Times of Israel and Ynet, citing the Israeli military, reported the missile had carried a cluster warhead, the first of its kind known to have been fired from Yemen.- ‘Heart of the capital’ -The Israeli defence ministry released a photo on Sunday showing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Israel Katz and military chief Eyal Zamir following the strikes in Yemen from a command bunker. Netanyahu said the air force had struck “the presidential palace in the heart of the capital Sanaa, the city’s power plant and the fuel tanks that supply it”, according to a statement released by his office.”The terrorist Huthi regime is learning the hard way that it will pay — and has paid already — a very high price for its aggression against the State of Israel,” he said, adding “the whole region” was also learning a lesson in Israeli power.In a statement from their political bureau, the Huthis vowed to respond, saying they would “not deviate from the fight” against Israel and its ally the United States “until the aggression stops and the (Israeli) blockade on Gaza is lifted”.Iran’s foreign ministry on Sunday condemned the Israeli strikes.- ‘Compound interest’ -Since the October 2023 start of the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, the Huthis have repeatedly fired missiles and drones at Israel, claiming to be acting in solidarity with the Palestinians.Most of the Huthi attacks have been intercepted, but they have prompted retaliatory Israeli air strikes on rebel targets in Yemen.On August 17, Israel said it targeted an energy infrastructure site in Sanaa linked to the Huthis, with Al-Masirah reporting at the time the capital’s Haziz power station was hit.The Israeli military said the Haziz facility was also struck on Sunday.Katz said earlier this month that the Huthis would “pay with compound interest for every attempt to fire at Israel”.Beyond attacks on Israel itself, the Huthis have also targeted ships they say are linked to the country in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
UN Security Council to vote on embattled Lebanon peacekeepers
The United Nations Security Council will vote Monday on the future of the blue helmet peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon that has faced US and Israeli opposition.The Council will vote on a French-drafted compromise that would keep the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), deployed in 1978 to separate Israel and Lebanon, in place for one more year while it prepares to withdraw.In the latest draft text seen by AFP, the Council would signal “its intention to work on a withdrawal of UNIFIL with the aim of making the Lebanese Government the sole provider of security in southern Lebanon.”Under a truce that ended a recent war between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, Beirut’s army has been deploying in south Lebanon and dismantling the militant group’s infrastructure there.Lebanon has been grappling with the thorny issue of disarming Hezbollah, with the cabinet this month tasking the army with developing a plan to do so by the end of the year. The Iran-backed militant group has pushed back.Under the truce, Israel was meant to completely withdraw from Lebanon, though it has kept forces in several areas it deems strategic and continues to conduct strikes across Lebanon. The resolution would extend the force’s mandate until August 31, 2026.It was not clear if Washington, which wields a veto on the Security Council, would accept the compromise language, with a State Department spokesman previously telling AFP it would not comment on Council deliberations.The text also contained language “condemning the incidents that affected United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon premises and forces, injuring several peacekeepers” — a reference to strikes by US ally Israel on UNIFIL positions that have caused injuries and damage. Israel was not specifically named.Ahead of the vote, a senior UN official warned that “to completely eliminate (UNIFIL’s) capacity at this point, or very quickly, would not serve anybody in the region,” calling any abrupt withdrawal risky.The official said UNIFIL had facilitated the deployment of 8,300 Lebanese armed forces troops to 120 locations, assisting with logistics, funds and even fuel as well as training support.UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric last week called the force’s support of Lebanon’s army “critical,” adding “we have always felt and known that UNIFIL is a presence of stability along the blue line.”
UN Security Council to vote on embattled Lebanon peacekeepers
The United Nations Security Council will vote Monday on the future of the blue helmet peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon that has faced US and Israeli opposition.The Council will vote on a French-drafted compromise that would keep the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), deployed in 1978 to separate Israel and Lebanon, in place for one more year while it prepares to withdraw.In the latest draft text seen by AFP, the Council would signal “its intention to work on a withdrawal of UNIFIL with the aim of making the Lebanese Government the sole provider of security in southern Lebanon.”Under a truce that ended a recent war between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, Beirut’s army has been deploying in south Lebanon and dismantling the militant group’s infrastructure there.Lebanon has been grappling with the thorny issue of disarming Hezbollah, with the cabinet this month tasking the army with developing a plan to do so by the end of the year. The Iran-backed militant group has pushed back.Under the truce, Israel was meant to completely withdraw from Lebanon, though it has kept forces in several areas it deems strategic and continues to conduct strikes across Lebanon. The resolution would extend the force’s mandate until August 31, 2026.It was not clear if Washington, which wields a veto on the Security Council, would accept the compromise language, with a State Department spokesman previously telling AFP it would not comment on Council deliberations.The text also contained language “condemning the incidents that affected United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon premises and forces, injuring several peacekeepers” — a reference to strikes by US ally Israel on UNIFIL positions that have caused injuries and damage. Israel was not specifically named.Ahead of the vote, a senior UN official warned that “to completely eliminate (UNIFIL’s) capacity at this point, or very quickly, would not serve anybody in the region,” calling any abrupt withdrawal risky.The official said UNIFIL had facilitated the deployment of 8,300 Lebanese armed forces troops to 120 locations, assisting with logistics, funds and even fuel as well as training support.UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric last week called the force’s support of Lebanon’s army “critical,” adding “we have always felt and known that UNIFIL is a presence of stability along the blue line.”