LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hannah Green won LPGA Tour’s JM Eagle LA Championship for the second straight year Sunday, holing out twice from off the greens in a pivotal back-nine stretch at challenging Wilshire Country Club.

A year after making a 25-foot birdie on the final hole of regulation and winning on the second hole of a playoff, Green — with help from Maja Stark — took the late drama out of this one for her fifth LPGA Tour victory and second of the year.

“It’s really kind to me,” Green said about the course. “I felt like a couple times today almost got like a member bounce. I, obviously, really am fond of the golf club and joked that they didn’t approve it with me that they were making alterations. I love it here.”

Green closed with a 5-under 66 to beat Stark by three strokes. The 27-year-old Australian, also the winner early last month in Singapore, finished at 12-under 272 on the tree-lined layout with poa annua greens that become bumpy late in the day.

Green began the key run with a chip-in birdie on the par-3 12th and made a 6-foot birdie putt on the par-5 13th. Then, after Stark bogeyed the par-4 16th two groups ahead, Green ran in a 25-footer for eagle from the fringe on 15 to open a four-stroke lead, and made it 5 under in five holes with a birdie on 16.

“When I chipped in on 12 I kind of felt like I really snagged one there,” Green said. “I really like the 13th hole and also played the 15th really well. When I made eagle on 15 that kind of sealed the deal. I did see Maja got it to 9 under so I know what I needed to do. Usually, I make it really tricky on myself and only win by a shot.”

Stark finished with a 68, rebounding from the bogey on 16 to birdie the final two holes. The 24-year-old Swede also finished second last week outside Houston in The Chevron Championship, two strokes behind top-ranked Nelly Korda in the first major of the year.

“I’m really proud of the way I’ve played,” Stark said. “I feel like I’ve hit a lot of good shots and I feel like my nerves kind of took over for a little while, but I was always able to get back to the normal — my normal state of mind.”

Haeran Ryu (69) was third at 6 under, followed by fellow South Korean players Jin Young Ko (67) and Jin Hee Im (72) at 5 under.

Grace Kim, four strokes ahead entering weekend after opening rounds of 64 and 66 and tied with Green for the lead after a third-round 76, finished with a 77 to tie for 25th at 1 under. She failed to make a birdie the final two days.

Korda withdrew from the Los Angeles event Monday, a day after her record-tying fifth straight victory.

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

More than 1,000 protesters gathered in Hamburg, Germany to take part in an Islamist demonstration over the weekend, German media reported.

According to German newspaper Die Welt, the demonstration took place in the Steindamm neighborhood of Hamburg on Saturday afternoon.

Muslim protesters carried a variety of signs in support of Islamic fundamentalism. One of the signs read “Kalifat ist die Lösung,” which translates to, “Caliphate is the solution.”

The protesters also yelled “Allahu Akbar,” meaning “God is great,” in Arabic. Hamburg police told Die Welt that there were roughly 1,100 participants.

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The protest was reportedly organized by a group called Muslim Interaktiv. According to the organization’s social media, the protest was meant to stand against the “demoniz[ation of] all Islamic life in Germany.”

“We will raise our voices together, inshallah,” a translated post on X read. “Together against Islamophobic reporting, both in recent weeks and in recent months.”

The Hamburg protests came as anti-Israel protests have intensified across the world, while the Israel-Hamas war inches towards its eighth month. In the U.S., protesters at Columbia University, Harvard University, University of Texas at Austin and other schools have set up tents on their universities’ quads as a sign of solidarity with Palestinians.

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Participants at an Islamist demonstration hold up a poster with the slogan “Andersdenken? Not in Germany” in the air. (Axel Heimken/picture alliance via Getty Images)

The war began on October 7, when Hamas terrorists attacked Israel on the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah. Around 1,200 Israeli civilians were killed, igniting a fierce response from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

Israel’s military response has been criticized by anti-war groups for exacerbating a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which IDF supporters have blamed on Hamas. In December, police in Berlin banned a pro-Palestinian rally planned for New Year’s Eve out of fear of potential chaos and crimes.

Participants in an Islamist demonstration hold up posters. (Axel Heimken/picture alliance via Getty Images)

“The situation is emotional,” Berlin police chief Barbara Slowik said at the time. “An influx of troublemakers is to be expected who could use the meeting to commit crimes. No meeting leader could keep such a development under control. That’s why the police banned the demonstration.”

Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.

With the emphasis on job creation, green investments, and advancements in mini-reactors, the challenges accompanying this nuclear resurgence are manifold.

The President of the Republic had underscored this commitment during his re-election campaign in May 2022. Months earlier, during a visit to the Arabelle turbine manufacturing site in Belfort, Macron unveiled an ambitious nuclear program.

According to the President, this is the main solution to meet the burgeoning electricity demand driven by increased electrification, to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, and sustain competitive electricity prices to support French businesses. 

Macron has unabashedly hailed nuclear power as a “technology of the future”. France’s current fleet of electricity production reactors comprises 56 pressurised water reactors (PWR), classified as “generation II”, along with an EPR (European Pressurised Water Reactor) reactor presently under construction in Flamanville, Manche, designated as “generation III” .

In January, President Emmanuel Macron declared his intention to outline “the primary directions for the next 8” EPR reactors from the summer onwards, as part of the nuclear power revival, following the launch of six new EPR reactors, during a press conference. 

Nuclear controversy in Germany

Whilst 65 to 70 percent of electricity in France is generated by nuclear, Germany’s figure was only 1.4 percent in 2023. It is indicative of a complicated relationship between Germany’s political parties and nuclear power. 

Amid concerns over gas supplies following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, three policy options were considered by the government: extending the use of existing nuclear fuel, purchasing new fuel elements, or reopening the recently shut-down plants. The Green Party strongly opposed restarting nuclear power stations.

The handling of Germany’s nuclear phase-out during the 2022 energy crisis has drawn scrutiny towards the country’s economic and environment ministries, both under Green Party leadership, for their approach to closing the last three nuclear power plants.

German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Robert Habeck, found himself redirected to the Bundestag’s energy committee to defend his controversial policy amid the energy crisis. 

Despite internal discussions and assessments supporting the feasibility of extending the nuclear plants’ lifespans, a change in direction occurred within the environment ministry, citing “reasons of nuclear safety”. 

Minister Habeck defended his ministry’s actions, emphasising the need to focus on replacing Russian natural gas rather than relying on nuclear energy for electricity.

The decision to extend the life of the last three nuclear power plants was eventually reached several months later, reflecting a compromise pushed by the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP) . 

The handling of this matter has faced criticism from Germany’s conservative opposition, who argue that the process lacked transparency and openness.

Spain’s ongoing debate

Spain’s energy strategy remains a subject of debate, with differing viewpoints on the role of nuclear and renewable energies in achieving sustainability and energy independence.

The Spanish government announced in December plans to phase out the country’s nuclear reactors, with the first plant shutdown scheduled for 2027.

The energy landscape is influenced by Russia’s strategic leveraging of its gas production capacity and the disruption caused by disputes such as the recent gas supply cut-off by Algeria to Morocco, affecting one of Spain’s gas supply routes.

Greenpeace Spain calls for an accelerated transition away from nuclear energy, critiquing Spain’s energy plan for not prioritising a rapid shift towards 100% renewable energy. 

José Luis García, responsible for Greenpeace’s Climate Emergency program, challenges the classification of nuclear energy as ‘green’, emphasising the need to address broader environmental risks associated with nuclear power .

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While France looks to bolster its energy security by embracing nuclear power alongside renewables, Spain remains steadfast in its commitment to achieve complete denuclearisation by 2035, as outlined in its Comprehensive National Energy and Climate Plan 2021-2030 (Pniec). Including two nuclear powerplants 100 kilometres from the Portuguese border.

Portugal’s  phasing out nuclear, Italy phasing in

Over the past few years, Portugal has taken significant step towards dismantling its long-serving nuclear reactor, which had been instrumental in scientific research and education for over five decades. 

Portugal has taken a firm stance against nuclear energy, with former Minister of Environment and Climate Action, João Pedro Matos Fernandes, highlighting its perceived shortcomings during the 26th United Nations climate conference (COP26) in Glasgow. 

He emphasised that nuclear energy is deemed unsafe, unsustainable, and economically burdensome. 

Italy’s nuclear history saw all four plants closed following a 1990 referendum. A subsequent attempt to reintroduce nuclear power was halted by a 2011 referendum.

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Italy’s Chamber of Deputies has launched an inquiry into the role of nuclear energy in its energy transition. The country, the only G7 nation without operating nuclear power stations, shut down its last plant over 30 years ago.

The inquiry aims to explore nuclear energy’s potential contribution to Italy’s decarbonisation by 2030 and climate neutrality by 2050. It was supported by pro-nuclear members but faced abstention from others.

Minister of Environment in Italy, which is hosting the G7 meeting this year, said in a recent speech, “We have continued to work with important private companies both on the fission front, therefore on the new generation NUCLEAR with small reactors, and on the fusion front”

Last March, the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport and Deputy Prime Minister Salvini also said that a modern and industrialised country “cannot say no to nuclear energy.”