
-
Trump tariffs to test resiliency of US consumers
-
Clamping down on 'forever chemicals'
-
Prominent US academic facing royal insult charge in Thailand
-
Yana, a 130,000-year-old baby mammoth, goes under the scalpel
-
'Don't want to die': Lesotho HIV patients look to traditional medicine
-
Curry scores 37 as Warriors outgun LeBron's Lakers
-
Crops under threat as surprise March heatwave hits Central Asia: study
-
Japan PM says Trump tariffs a 'national crisis'
-
Security 'breakdown' allows armed men into Melbourne's MCG
-
Norris fastest in Japan GP first practice, Tsunoda sixth on Red Bull debut
-
Albon says Thailand taking bid for F1 race 'very seriously'
-
'It's gone': conservation science in Thailand's burning forest
-
Protest as quake-hit Myanmar junta chief joins Bangkok summit
-
EU leaders push for influence at Central Asia summit
-
Asian stocks extend global rout after Trump's shock tariff blitz
-
Lewandowski, Mbappe duel fuelling tight La Liga title race
-
Liverpool march towards title as Man City face Man Utd
-
Finland's colossal bomb shelters a model for jittery Europe
-
Athletes frustrated as France mulls Muslim headscarf ban in sport
-
Korda downs Kupcho to stay alive at LPGA Match Play
-
German industry grapples with AI at trade fair
-
Irish school trains thatchers to save iconic roofs
-
'Frightening': US restaurants, producers face tariff whiplash
-
Cuba looks to sun to solve its energy crisis
-
Experts warn 'AI-written' paper is latest spin on climate change denial
-
PSG eye becoming France's first 'Invincibles'
-
Late birdie burst lifts Ryder to Texas Open lead
-
Five potential Grand National fairytale endings
-
Trump purges national security team after meeting conspiracist
-
More work for McIlroy even with two wins before Masters
-
Trump hopeful of 'great' PGA-LIV golf merger
-
No.1 Scheffler goes for third Masters crown in four years
-
Where Trump's tariffs could hurt Americans' wallets
-
Trump says 'very close to a deal' on TikTok
-
Trump tariffs on Mexico: the good, the bad, the unknown
-
Postecoglou denies taunting Spurs fans in Chelsea defeat
-
Oscar-winning Palestinian director speaks at UN on Israeli settlements
-
With tariff war, Trump also reshapes how US treats allies
-
Fernandez fires Chelsea into fourth as pressure mounts on Postecoglou
-
South Korea court to decide impeached president's fate
-
Penguin memes take flight after Trump tariffs remote island
-
E.T., no home: Original model of movie alien doesn't sell at auction
-
Italy's Brignone has surgery on broken leg with Winter Olympics looming
-
City officials vote to repair roof on home of MLB Rays
-
Rockets forward Brooks gets one-game NBA ban for technicals
-
Pentagon watchdog to probe defense chief over Signal chat row
-
US tariffs could push up inflation, slow growth: Fed official
-
New Bruce Springsteen music set for June 27 release
-
Tom Cruise pays tribute to Val Kilmer
-
Zuckerberg repeats Trump visits in bid to settle antitrust case

Kevin Johnson: US boxer fighting for Putin's Russia
US heavyweight Kevin Johnson came close to the top of the boxing world before his star dimmed. Now, he wants to relaunch his career from Russia, where he has become a cheerleader for President Vladimir Putin.
Relations between the West and Russia have hit record lows over Moscow's almost three-year Ukraine offensive -- also hitting the sporting world hard.
But the 45-year-old American from New Jersey says he has found a "recipe" for success in his new home, where he was granted citizenship this year in a decree from Putin.
"It's all about the ingredients. Life is ingredients. And the ingredients in Russia are abundant. They make a good recipe," he told AFP ahead of a highly publicised fight on Friday against mixed martial arts champion Vitaly Minakov.
Johnson has become a feature at car shows and in the celebrity pages in Russia, and has even appeared on a cooking show.
He often vaunts his admiration for Putin and wears a T-shirt bearing the president's image as "a sign of respect".
He also likes to quote from a song by pro-Kremlin pop star of the moment Shaman, entitled "I Am Russian".
- A decade of defeats -
The idea of moving to Russia was inspired by his promoter and friend Vladimir Khryunov, who invited him in 2023 to try to give his boxing career a second wind and ease the international isolation around Russia's sporting world.
Johnson was unbeaten until 2009, when he lost against Ukraine's Vitali Klitschko in a WBC championship match in Bern, Switzerland.
He went on to win the IBF Australasian heavyweight title in 2012, but his career dipped after that, with around 20 defeats and only 10 victories in the next 10 years.
He arrived in Russia alone with his dog, a Cane Corso.
After winning his first fight in Russia in April 2023, he said he wanted Russian citizenship -- a move his promoter praised as "an act of courage".
Relations between Russia and global sporting organisations have been tense ever since the state-sponsored doping scandal following the Winter Olympics in Sochi in 2014.
They worsened after Russia's decision to send troops into Ukraine in February 2022, which led to a ban on Russian athletes.
Putin granted Johnson nationality with a decree under an express procedure used for others including US actor Steven Seagal.
"It's the biggest honour in the world to be a Russian citizen," said Johnson, who speaks only a few words of Russian.
He has taken on the patronymic Vladimirovich "in honour of our president".
- 'Officer Vladimirovich' -
The boxer, who lives in a Moscow suburb, has also registered with the military for potential mobilisation -- a requirement under Russian law.
AFP was invited to attend his registration at the military conscription office, which he turned into something of a show, arriving dressed in khaki with a military fur hat on.
"I thought they will give me a gun today. I was ready. Yes! Officer Vladimirovich. I am ready," he joked.
In theory, he could now be mobilised but is not obliged to do military service because of his age.
In an interview with AFP, he said he was devoted to his new homeland, but declined to talk about the conflict in Ukraine.
He views Putin favourably compared to US President Joe Biden.
"Putin in Russia is the president; he is the chief commander. He stands for his country!" he said, echoing popular ways to describe Putin by his Russian supporters, while criticising Biden.
L.Mesquita--PC