Thousands escaping the recent violence are seeking refuge in Chad, which already hosts more than 880,000 Sudanese refugees. Though now safe from immediate danger, many refugees struggle to survive as humanitarian funding continues to decrease. Chad currently shelters almost 1.3 million forcibly displaced persons, including at least 760,000 Sudanese refugees who have arrived since April 2023. Work continues to move more than 237,000 refugees from temporary settlements near Adre to locations with better healthcare and educational access. The dry conditions and ongoing arrival of new refugees from Sudan have worsened these shortages, with at least 41,000 new refugees arriving in 2025 alone.

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has said the United States remains Europe’s “biggest ally” despite stinging criticism of the continent in a major strategy document amid ongoing ceasefire talks on the Ukraine war. “I think we haven’t always seen eye to eye on different topics, but I think the overall principle is still there. We are the biggest allies,” she said, adding that the goal of the US should be to help Europe “correct its current trajectory”. “If aggression is rewarded, we will see it happen again, and not only in Ukraine or Gaza, but all around the world,” she said. Kallas said that Europe, which is nervous of a spillover from the war, had been “underestimating its own power”.

The RSF accused Sudan’s army of the attack on a vital corridor for aid and Sudanese fleeing the war. Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has accused the government-aligned Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) of waging an attack on a border town near Chad as war in the country rages on deep into its third year. The RSF alleged the SAF used drones in the attack at the Adre border crossing, according to a statement by the group on Telegram on Friday. The border crossing point between Chad and Sudan has been vital for humanitarian aid delivery during the ongoing brutal civil war. Throughout the conflict, Chad has received thousands of Sudanese people fleeing the bloodshed amid a devastating humanitarian situation.

Russia launched a massive drone and missile attack on Ukraine in the early hours of Saturday, as US and Ukrainian officials continue talks in Miami that the White House hopes will bring an end to the conflict. Russia has been relentlessly attacking Ukraine’s energy capabilities in recent weeks, in the hope of cutting supplies of heat, light and water as the country prepares for a fourth winter of full-scale conflict. Russia’s defence ministry said it had shot down 116 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory, while there were unconfirmed reports on Telegram that Ukraine had hit an oil refinery in the city of Ryazan. There is also no indication that Russia is ready to sign a deal on Trump’s suggested terms. “I think we haven’t always seen eye to eye on different topics, but I think the overall principle is still there.

Trans women will be barred from the main part of Labour’s women’s conference next year, the party has said, with entrance to the main conference hall and voting rights denied. The decision, first reported by LabourList, means trans women will be barred from voting on policy debates, motions and national women’s committee elections – and from hearing speeches in the main conference hall. Alongside the fringe programme, LabourList said a planned evening reception would be open to all – as will exhibition spaces. A Labour for Trans Rights group spokesperson told LabourList the move was “terrible”, urging the party’s national executive committee to reconsider. A Labour party spokesperson said: “National women’s conference will be held in 2026 after a comprehensive legal review.

It’s less than five years since David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros Discovery, negotiated what looked like the deal of his career. Now as Netflix plans a landscape-changing takeover of Warner Bros, he’s in the middle of an even bigger one. Such esteemed pillars of media are “better and more valuable together”, Zaz claimed as the plan for Warner Bros Discovery was unveiled. As president and CEO of Warner Bros Discovery, Zaslav maintained his status as one of the best-paid bosses in corporate America. Now Netflix is picking up the baton, with an $82.7bn (£62bn) deal to take assets including Warner Bros and HBO off Discovery’s hands.

‘It was extremely pornographic’: Cara Hunter on the deepfake video that nearly ended her political career View image in fullscreen Cara Hunter. Photograph: Polly Garnett/The Guardian The Irish politician was targeted in 2022, in the final weeks of her run for office. ‘It would take 11 seconds to hit the ground’: the roughneck daredevils who built the Empire State Building View image in fullscreen A construction worker connects two cables suspended high above New York during the construction of the Empire State Building. Catherine Slessor spoke to the author Glenn Kurtz, who has made it his mission to identify men like “The Sky Boy” who built the Empire State Building, and were captured in the photographs of Lewis W Hine. ‘It moved … it was hopping!’ One man’s search for a wild wallaby in the UK View image in fullscreen Sam Wollaston prepares to go wallaby hunting in Oxhill, Warwickshire.

Venezuela’s dictator, Nicolás Maduro, says the real motive behind the massive US military buildup in the Caribbean is oil: his country has the largest proven reserves in the world. But analysts familiar with how Venezuela’s oil sector operates say it is not that simple. Meanwhile, its oil sector has been hamstrung by decades of corruption, mismanagement and underinvestment. View image in fullscreen President Nicolás Maduro looks through binoculars during a protest to support him on 1 December in Caracas, Venezuela. “If Trump wanted to strike a monopoly deal over Venezuela’s oil, he would have accepted Maduro’s offer,” said Hernández.

The Palestinian ambassador to the UK has called for “comprehensive protection” after his embassy was targeted by masked men waving Israeli flags and union jacks. The building had before then served as the Palestinian mission to the UK. The officials said the failure to provide diplomatic protection had been “inexplicable and unacceptable”. The Palestinian embassy falls into the first category, despite Middle East tensions continuing after the fragile ceasefire in Gaza. Security arrangements at diplomatic premises, overseen by the Met’s parliamentary and diplomatic protection command, are based on an assessment of risk and are constantly reviewed.”

The Coalition chair, Brad Schneider, and national security working group chair, Gil Cisneros, accused the defense secretary of lying, deflecting and scapegoating subordinates while refusing to take accountability. Senator Rand Paul suggested Hegseth had lied about the September boat attack, saying the defense secretary either “was lying to us or he’s incompetent and didn’t know it had happened”. The Republican congressman Don Bacon told CNN he had “seen enough” to conclude Hegseth was not the right leader for the Pentagon. View image in fullscreen Trump with Hegseth in the Cabinet Room this week. Since the Senate is controlled by Republicans and Trump is maintaining his support, Hegseth is unlikely to face meaningful consequences.

The entire US childhood vaccine schedule is now open for scrutiny, experts say, after government vaccine advisers took up discussions of the safety and efficacy of the vaccines and their components and changed its recommendations on one crucial prevention. The panel’s landmark vote to change the hepatitis B recommendation will create confusion and access issues for families, and questions about routine vaccines more widely indicate a worrying trend, experts said. “The specific elephant, in this case, has to do with cumulative risk across the entire childhood vaccine schedule – and that is a risk for which we do not have adequate data,” he said. Even so, 2 million people in the US have hepatitis B, indicating the need to continue the vaccination program, Ault said. Changing the vaccine recommendations will “generate lots of confusion for parents”, said Wang.

NewsFeed Civilians killed in DRC fighting, a day after peace deal signingChildren were among at least 23 people reported killed in fighting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, just a day after the signing of a US-backed peace agreement between the leaders of the DRC and neighbouring Rwanda.

At Doha Forum, Qatar PM warns Gaza ceasefire is at ‘critical moment’NewsFeed At Doha Forum, Qatar PM warns Gaza ceasefire is at ‘critical moment’At the Doha Forum, Qatar’s PM said Gaza talks remain at a “critical moment,” stressing the current arrangement is only a pause, not a full ceasefire. He said key conditions including Israeli withdrawal, are still unmet, leaving the deal incomplete despite recent progress.

NewsFeed Colombia signs peace-building deal in Qatar with Clan del Golfo drug gangColombia has signed a peace-building agreement in Qatar with the country’s largest drug-trafficking group, the Clan del Golfo or EGC, which is accused of shipping hundreds of tonnes of cocaine to the US and Europe each year.

The Tower of London has been closed to visitors on a busy Saturday after food was thrown at a display case containing the crown jewels in an apparent protest against inequality in the UK. It said custard and apple crumble was flung at the case, which contained the imperial state crown. Scotland Yard said: “Four protesters have been arrested following criminal damage at the Tower of London. Police were called at 09.48hrs on Saturday 6 December to the Tower of London following reports of criminal damage to a display case, containing the state crown. Officers worked closely with City of London police and security officers and four people have been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage.

Nigel Farage is emboldening attacks on people of colour, according to a journalist allegedly subjected to racial slurs by a Reform UK council leader who the party has been forced to expel. Cooper, a two-time Reform UK parliamentary candidate, was forced to stand down as leader of the council after the party revoked his membership on Friday. In a social media post three years ago, he appears to have said: “Dr Shaga Bing-Bong…. The Reform UK leader said this week he had never been racist or antisemitic with “malice”. “But Nigel Farage has managed to shift what we consider normal in the UK political environment and it is dangerous.

For those who remember the Manchester nightclub Sankeys in its heyday 30 years ago, the venue was a clubbing mecca. “It was an atmosphere like nothing else I’d really seen.”It closed in 2017 but now, against a tide of closing venues, Sankeys is back. Photograph: fotofacade.com/AlamySankeys will reopen in late January in a 500-capacity venue in Manchester city centre. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The GuardianSankeys first opened in 1994 as Sankeys Soap in the basement of the Beehive Mill, a former soap factory in the industrial area of Ancoats. With the reopening, Vincent hopes that spotlighting new DJs will draw in a new, younger crowd.

Arrests made after President Aoun met UNSC delegation, which will visit south to get ‘real picture’ of what is going on. The Lebanese army arrested six people after gunmen attacked international peacekeepers patrolling in the south of the country, as a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) delegation was to embark on a visit to the zone. For nearly five decades, its peacekeepers have acted as a buffer between Israel and Lebanon, with further monitoring of a ceasefire struck in November last year between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah. Last year’s truce was supposed to see Israeli forces withdrawing from Lebanon as Hezbollah disarmed. UNIFIL has also recently complained of Israeli forces firing at or near its peacekeepers.

In this article BRK.BBRK.A Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT(This is the Warren Buffett Watch newsletter, news and analysis on all things Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway. Just before Warren Buffett surprised shareholders in early May with his plan to step down as CEO at the end of the year, Berkshire Hathaway's B shares were outperforming the benchmark S&P 500 by 22.4 percentage points in 2025. They had been down 12.2 percentage points on October 29 and came with 0.6 percentage points of drawing even on November 20. That gives the index another 1.4 percentage points for a total YTD gain of 18.2%, almost 7 percentage points ahead of Berkshire. A Giving Pledge spokesperson called the report "misleading" with incomplete data that excludes "significant forms of charitable giving," including contributions to foundations.

That's when she discovered that there was over $200,000 in debt under her name that she didn't know anything about — including several student loans and credit card balances. Annie Nova: How did you feel when you learned your mother had taken out all this debt in your name? It took a broader understanding of addiction and of the student loan industry's predation to recognize the harm that was also done to her. Had the private student loan industry acted responsibly, they would have noticed something was off with my credit history. AN: Did you know your mother had a gambling addiction?

Many people neglect to account for cryptocurrency in their estate plans, or they don't let their heirs know how to access their crypto holdings. These ETFs allow investors access to the crypto asset class without actually owning crypto outright, helping reduce the chances of actual crypto getting lost. Nevertheless, estate planning mistakes among crypto owners are common and can be avoided. Putting crypto assets into a revocable trust to avoid probate can prevent a lot of headaches, he said. Many crypto investors fail to keep track of cost basis, which can be problematic for many reasons, including if you're considering gifting digital assets during your lifetime.

Business: Barrick Mining , formerly Barrick Gold Corporation, is a gold and copper producer, which is engaged in the production and sale of gold and copper, as well as related activities, such as exploration and mine development. It has ownership interests in producing gold mines in Argentina, Canada, Cote d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Dominican Republic, Papua New Guinea, Tanzania and the United States. Its copper mines are in Zambia, Chile and Saudi Arabia. Its operations include Nevada Gold Mines, Bulyanhulu, Hemlo, Jabal Sayid, Kibali, Loulo-Gounkoto, Lumwana, North Mara, Porgera, Pueblo Viejo, Tongon, Veladero and Zaldivar. Behind the scenesBarrick Mining is a Toronto-based global mining company focused predominantly on gold, operating 14 gold mines, as well as three additional cooper mines.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit Downing Street on Monday for an in-person meeting with Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz in a show of support for Ukraine. Starmer will use the meeting with the leaders from Ukraine, France and Germany to discuss the ongoing talks between US and Ukrainian officials aimed at finding an agreement on guaranteeing Ukraine’s postwar security. The draft peace deal, quietly brokered between US and Russian officials, has been criticised for leaving Ukraine in a weak and vulnerable position. The peace plan was significantly amended by Ukraine last month, removing some of Russia’s maximalist demands. Meanwhile, US and Ukrainian officials are set to conduct a third day of talks in Florida as Donald Trump’s administration pushes Kyiv to accept an American-backed peace plan.

Frank Gehry once had a cameo in The Simpsons in which he designed buildings by scrunching up pieces of paper. In his prime, Gehry’s architecture was a rebuff to modernist imperators such as Mies van der Rohe and his po-faced injunction, “less is more”. View image in fullscreen Exhilarating: Athletic Bilbao fans in front of Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum wait to celebrate when their team appears on the Nervión estuary in Bilbao, Spain. Photograph: NurPhoto/GettyBut as time wore on, in the effort to emulate the success of Bilbao, Gehry became fixated with chasing ill-conceived museum projects around the world. View image in fullscreen Handbag house: Gehry’s Fondation Louis Vuitton building in Paris received mixed reviews.

In recent days, the US president has made sweeping statements, claiming that there were “a lot of problems with Afghans”, and went on a tirade against Somali immigrants, calling them “garbage” whose country of origin “stinks”. Then, in a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Trump described Somali immigrants as “garbage” who “contribute nothing”. after newsletter promotionIn a joint statement this week, several Democratic lawmakers described Trump’s comments as “xenophobic and unacceptable”. When Trump described several African nations, as well as Haiti and El Salvador in 2018 as “shithole countries”, a number of Republicans condemned the remarks. Lynne Tirrell, who specializes in the intersections of language with social and political philosophy at the University of Connecticut, described Trump’s statements as “reckless speech”.

NewsFeed Francesca Albanese tells Al Jazeera US sanctions have made her ‘non-person’At the Doha Forum, UN special rapporteur Francesca Albanese outlined how US sanctions imposed over her Gaza reports have effectively removed her from the global financial system. She said the measures, which she calls unlawful, have had a major impact on her everyday life.

Ukraine official warns of a ‘new law of power’ after Russian aggressionNewsFeed Ukraine official warns of a ‘new law of power’ after Russian aggressionAt the Doha Forum, Ukraine’s representative warned Russia’s invasions have created a ‘new law of power’ that will allow strong states to occupy weaker ones unless the international system is restored. He urged experienced mediators and stronger, enforceable rules to deter aggression.

Pattie Gonia, the drag queen and environmentalist, arrived in San Francisco on Friday afternoon where she crossed the Golden Gate Bridge with $1m more than when she set out on her journey last week. The diversity and inclusion advocate completed the 100 mile trek from Point Reyes national seashore to San Francisco in full drag with her voluminous red wig and smokey eye. The effort was part of a campaign she launched to raise $1m for eight non-profits that aim to expand access and make the outdoors a more “equitable place”. She is set to perform her final show of the year in San Francisco on Saturday, “That is if I can make it in time,” she said. By Friday, a GoFundMe for the project had raised more than $1m from almost 35,000 individual donations.

blinking-dot Live Match Live Match,LIVE: Real Betis vs Barcelona – La LigaFollow our live build-up, with full team news coverage, ahead of our text commentary stream of the La Liga match.

Reform UK has gained its first peer after a defection a from the Conservative party. Malcolm Offord was unveiled as Reform UK’s latest recruit by party leader Nigel Farage during a rally in Falkirk on Saturday. The businessman served as a Scotland Office minister under the last government and until recently was treasurer of the Scottish Conservatives. Offord confirmed his intentions to stand for Reform UK in next May’s Holyrood elections. Farage said he was “delighted” to welcome Offord to the party.

Qatar’s PM, Turkish FM speaking at Doha Forum urge urgent progress to next phase as Gaza truce violations mount. Doha, Qatar – Qatar’s prime minister has warned that the Gaza ceasefire is at a “critical moment” and could unravel without rapid movement towards a permanent peace deal, as Turkiye’s foreign minister also cautioned that the process could lose momentum. Israel has killed at least 360 Palestinians since the October 10 ceasefire began, according to Gaza authorities. The ceasefire’s second phase – calling for an international stabilisation force (ISF), a technocratic Palestinian government, Hamas disarmament and full Israeli withdrawal – has yet to begin. Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has killed at least 70,125 Palestinians since October 2023.

blinking-dot Live updates Live updates,LIVE: Israel kills 3 Palestinians in Gaza as deadly violations intensifyQatar and Egypt call for the immediate withdrawal of Israeli troops and deployment of an international military force.

But for the rest of us, taking a simplified approach can free up time and energy to do other things while keeping us on track to reach our financial goals, she says. In a recent article for Morningstar, Benz called this the "good enough" approach to managing finances. But you needn't move your money around in search of a few tenths of a percentage point either, Benz says. "Reducing the number of financial relationships is such a good practice, which doesn't mean you want to be completely lazy," she says. "But if you can try to skinny down the number of entities that you need to connect with, it's good all around."

The Tower of London has been closed to visitors on a busy Saturday after food was thrown at a display case containing the crown jewels in a protest against inequality in the UK. Four people were arrested after the action, which was claimed by Take Back Power – a self-described new non-violent civil-resistance group. It said custard and apple crumble was flung at the case, which contained the imperial state crown.

South Africa, grappling with entrenched crime and corruption, has one of the world’s highest murder rates. Gunmen have killed at least 12 people, including a three-year-old boy, in a mass shooting at a bar near the South African city of Pretoria, according to police. Police said three minors were among the dead in the shooting, including the three-year-old, a 12-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl. South Africa, the continent’s most industrialised nation, is grappling with entrenched crime and corruption driven by organised networks. Many people in South Africa own licensed firearms for personal protection, but there are many more illegal guns in circulation.

In the meeting, which was attended by the New York Times and Agence France-Presse, an official accused journalists of tainting the government. Hong Kong has been on edge since the fire on 26 November in an apartment complex, which left at least 159 people dead. The blaze at the eight-tower Wang Fuk Court in northern Hong Kong is the city’s worst disaster in 75 years, and the world’s most fatal residential building fire since 1980. “The office will not tolerate the actions of all anti-China and trouble-making elements in Hong Kong,” adding: “Don’t say we didn’t warn you.”Semi-autonomous Hong Kong was returned from the UK to China in 1997 and operates under a “one-country, two-systems” framework. Saturday’s statement accused some in the media of having “attacked and interfered with” the legislative election, which will be held on Sunday.

In Guadalajara, the road to the World Cup is paved with erasure of the missing. The city of Guadalajara in Mexico is scheduled to host four World Cup matches next year, and labourers are working around the clock to revamp infrastructure in time for the tournament. The official tally of Jalisco’s disappeared is close to 16,000, out of a total of more than 130,000 countrywide. Now, with the World Cup fast approaching, Mexican authorities are also working overtime to sanitise Guadalajara’s image. Remarking on the expansive measures the government is pursuing to provide security for the World Cup, Cedeno demanded: “But where is our security?

Syria’s interim president has accused Israel of fighting “ghosts” and exporting its crises to other countries after the war in Gaza. President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s comments come amid persistent airstrikes and incursions by the Israeli military into southern Syria. Tampering with the deal “and seeking other agreements such as a demilitarised zone ... could lead us to a dangerous place with unknown consequences”. Israel has seized the 400 sq km (155 sq miles) of demilitarised buffer zone in southern Syria. Sharaa insisted: “Syria is a developed country”, pointing to the recent People’s Assembly elections.

One of the most senior civil servants in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has placed the blame for the carer’s allowance benefits crisis on victims, many of who have been left with life-changing debts. The review, by the disability rights expert Liz Sayce, concluded that senior DWP leaders had for a decade failed to grip or fix problems with the benefit, despite repeated warnings by whistleblowers, auditors and MPs. But he suggests these overpayments ultimately occurred because individual carers failed to report fluctuations in their earnings that breached benefit rules. Because at the heart of the overpayment issues in CA [carer’s allowance] is a failure to report changes of circumstances,” Couling wrote. Six years ago, Schofield refused three times to apologise to MPs over carer’s allowance failures.

Doha, Qatar – Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa accused Israel of heightening regional tensions and fabricating external threats to divert attention from the “horrifying massacres” it has committed in Gaza. The accord established a ceasefire following the October 1973 Yom Kippur war, creating a United Nations-monitored buffer zone on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. “Therefore, who has more right to claim a buffer zone and a pullout?”Unity in SyriaOn the question of unity, al-Sharaa said there was progress and ongoing challenges. On what the role of women looks like in Syria today, al-Sharaa said they were “empowered” under his rule. “I believe you should not fear for Syrian women, fear for Syrian men,” Sharaa joked.

The West Virginia national guard soldier who was wounded in the 26 November shooting that killed a colleague of his in Washington DC is “slowly healing”, according to West Virginia’s governor. “Overall, the family expects that Andy will be in acute care for another 2-3 weeks but have been optimistic about his progress.”Wolfe joined the West Virginia national guard in 2019 and has earned multiple commendations since. In the days after the shooting attributed to Lakanwal, the Trump administration announced a number of restrictive immigration policies. after newsletter promotionMorrisey has fallen under criticism by his state’s Democratic lawmakers for deploying its national guard to Washington DC. After Wolfe and Beckstrom were attacked, another national guard soldier shot Lakanwal.

A US senator has condemned the Trump administration after she alleged that an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) “attack dog” mauled one of her constituents. Democratic senator Patty Murray of Washington state said Wilmer Toledo-Martinez suffered “horrific” injuries while ICE agents detained him in November. “Following the attack, Wilmer was left shaking and dizzy, and at one point his vision went black, yet he was denied medical care for hours,” Murray said. after newsletter promotionNews of the attack came as police in Vancouver, Washington, said they were investigating an incident during which an ICE agent appeared to run over a man’s foot during an arrest. Oregon Live reported that an ICE agent struck Jose Guadalupe Paniagua Calderon, 27, with his own vehicle during an arrest.

Talks held on trade as Washington wants New Delhi to stop buying Russian oil. From limo diplomacy to a ceremonial guard, Vladimir Putin got a red-carpet welcome in India this week. He was there to talk trade ties and energy supply with Narendra Modi – and make a statement that his country is far from a global pariah. But as New Delhi tries to walk a tightrope between Moscow and Washington, what is at stake and who stands to benefit the most? Presenter: Adrian FinighanGuests:Brahma Chellaney – Professor of strategic studies at the Center for Policy ResearchThomas Pickering – Former diplomat and US ambassador to India and RussiaAleksei Zakharov – Fellow at Observer Research Foundation focusing on Russia’s foreign policy towards South Asia and its relations with India

In Frank Gehry’s world, no building was left untilted, unexposed or untouched by unconventional material. Below, take a look at how his work wrapped around and shaped the neighborhoods and urban centers of California. Walt Disney Concert HallView image in fullscreen The Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles. So I decided to give them a comfort zone.”Gehry houseView image in fullscreen The Gehry residence in Santa Monica. Binoculars BuildingView image in fullscreen The Binoculars Building in Venice.

The state poison control system has identified 21 cases of amatoxin poisoning, likely caused by death cap mushrooms, the health department said Friday. The toxic wild mushrooms are often mistaken for edible ones because of their appearance and taste. Wet weather fuels the growth of death cap mushrooms, and officials warn against any wild mushroom foraging to avoid confusion. Another cluster of cases were in the San Francisco Bay Area, but state health officials warned that the risk is everywhere. Though gastrointestinal symptoms may improve, health officials warn that patients can still develop serious complications, including liver damage, that surface later.

Barcelona extend their lead at the top of La Liga to four points but Real Betis give defending champions a late scare. Ferran Torres hit a first-half hat-trick for Barcelona as they eased the woes on their travels with a 5-3 win in La Liga at Champions League chasing Real Betis. AdvertisementThe rise of Torres has been remarkable as he has grown from a bench player to become Hansi Flick’s most-used striker. Torres leads Barcelona in scoring with 13 goals, 11 coming in La Liga. Fermín Lopez, meanwhile, returned as a second-half substitute after the Barcelona midfielder missed two games with a leg injury.

The Trump administration said on Saturday it will waive an $11m fine imposed on Southwest Airlines as part of a $140m settlement over the carrier’s meltdown in December 2022 during a busy holiday travel period. Southwest in December 2023 agreed to pay a $35m cash fine over three years over the airline’s handling of the meltdown that stranded more than 2 million passengers. It also agreed to provide $90m in travel vouchers of $75 or more to passengers delayed at least three hours getting to final destinations because of an airline-caused issue or cancellation. Southwest decided to invest more than $1bn in its operations to improve performance and reliability since the 2022 meltdown. And the US transportation department in a written order cited that decision by the airline in explaining why it was waiving off the remaining $11m of the fine that was due by the end of January.

At least seven Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks as military pushes deeper beyond truce demarcation line. An elderly woman and her son were among at least seven Palestinians killed in the latest Israeli attacks in Gaza, as the military continues to operate across the “yellow line” ceasefire demarcation. Health officials reported the killings on Saturday in Beit Lahiya, Jabalia, and Zeitoun, including a 70-year-old woman and her son, who were hunted down and killed by a drone in Gaza City. The Israeli military said it killed three people in separate incidents, claiming they had crossed the “yellow line” – an unmarked boundary where the Israeli military repositioned itself when the ceasefire with Hamas came into effect on October 10. He added that in areas close to the yellow line, many Palestinians may unwittingly cross the boundary because it is not visible.

Qatar and Egypt, the guarantors of the Gaza ceasefire, called on Saturday for the withdrawal of Israeli troops and the deployment of an international stabilisation force as the necessary next steps in fully implementing the fragile agreement. The measures were spelt out in the US- and UN-backed peace plan that has largely halted fighting, though the warring parties have yet to agree on how to move forward from the deal’s first phase. Turkey, also a guarantor of the truce, has indicated it wants to take part in the stabilisation force, but its efforts are viewed unfavourably in Israel. The ceasefire plan calls for Gaza’s Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt to be reopened to allow in aid. Israel said it would open the checkpoint, but “exclusively for the exit of residents from the Gaza Strip to Egypt”.

The impasse underscores the gulf between diplomatic efforts and the grinding reality on the ground, where Russian forces continue advancing in eastern Ukraine. At least eight people were wounded in the attacks, which Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko confirmed hit 29 separate locations. Macron condemned Russia’s “escalatory path” and insisted that “we must continue to put pressure on Russia to force it to make peace”. The talks in Miami followed a Tuesday meeting between Witkoff, Kushner and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, which failed to produce an agreement. Putin has signalled he will not soften his territorial demands, ordering Russian forces to prepare for continued winter combat operations.