LIVE: Tottenham vs Liverpool – Premier League
blinking-dotLive MatchLive Match, Follow our live build-up, with full team news coverage, before our text commentary stream of the EPL clash in London. Published On 20 Dec 202520 Dec 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Adblock test (Why?)
Israel launches new raids in Syria’s Quneitra, establishes checkpoints
Syrian state television denounces the Israeli incursion as another violation of the nation’s sovereignty. Israeli forces have advanced into the Quneitra area of Syria’s occupied Golan Heights and set up two military checkpoints, an Al Jazeera correspondent on the ground reports. The Israeli military operation on Saturday took place in the villages of Ain Ziwan and al-Ajraf in the southern part of the country. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list For months, Israeli forces have conducted near-daily incursions into southern Syria, particularly in the Quneitra governorate, carrying out arrests, erecting checkpoints, and bulldozing land, all of which have prompted growing public anger and unrest. Syrian state television said the Israeli incursion was a violation of Syrian sovereignty, noting that the army used five military vehicles to set up the checkpoint in Ain Ziwan. The latest raid comes one day after Israeli forces advanced towards the towns of al-Asha, Bir Ajam, Bariqa, Umm al-Azam and Ruwayhina in the southern Quneitra countryside, according to the Syrian News Agency (SANA). Dozens of Syrians on Friday protested the Israeli incursion in the city of al-Salam in the Quneitra Governorate, condemning the ongoing Israeli attacks against citizens and their properties. The demonstrators, part of a group called “Syrians with Palestine”, held banners denouncing what they stated were repeated Israeli violations of Syrian lands. Despite a reduction in direct military threats, the Israeli army continues to carry out air raids that have caused civilian casualties and destroyed Syrian army sites and facilities. Over the past year, Israel has launched more than 600 air, drone or artillery attacks across Syria, averaging nearly two attacks a day, according to a tally by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED). Advertisement Israeli military incursions have become more brazen, more frequent and more violent since Israel expanded its occupation of southern Syria following the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. Disengagement accord After al-Assad’s fall, Israel declared the 1974 Disengagement Agreement – brokered after the 1973 war, in which Syria failed to regain the occupied Golan Heights – void. The agreement had established a UN-patrolled buffer zone, which Israel has since violated, advancing deeper into Syrian territory. Citing al-Assad’s flight, Israel says the accord no longer applies, while carrying out air raids, ground incursions, reconnaissance flights; setting up checkpoints; and arresting or disappearing Syrians. Syria has not responded with attacks. In September, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa stated that Israel had conducted more than 1,000 air attacks and more than 400 ground incursions in Syria since al-Assad was overthrown, describing the actions as “very dangerous”. Syrians believe that the continuation of these violations hinders efforts to restore stability in the region and undermines attempts to improve the economic situation in southern Syria. Al Jazeera visited Quneitra in recent weeks and spoke to Syrians about Israeli incursions and abductions there, which have stoked fears. Syria and Israel are currently in talks to reach an agreement that Damascus hopes will secure a halt to Israel’s air raids on its territory and the withdrawal of Israeli troops who have pushed into southern Syria. In the background, the United States has been pushing diplomatic efforts to restore the 1974 deal. Adblock test (Why?)
US aerial bombardment strikes ‘ISIS thugs’ in Syria
NewsFeed In a ‘declaration of vengeance’ for a deadly attack on US soldiers last week, the US military launched more than 70 strikes on alleged ISIL targets in Syria. Published On 20 Dec 202520 Dec 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Adblock test (Why?)
Israel, Lebanon officials meet as pressure mounts to disarm Hezbollah
Talks come as Israel launches near-daily attacks across Lebanon in what Hezbollah says is disarmament pressure campaign. The committee tasked with overseeing a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah has held talks in southern Lebanon, as Israel and the United States ramp up pressure to disarm the Lebanese group. Civilian and military delegations from Israel and Lebanon met in the southern Lebanese town of Naqoura on Friday for closed-door discussions, the 15th such gathering since the truce was signed in November 2024. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list The US embassy in Beirut said military participants offered “operational updates” and agreed on the need to strengthen the Lebanese army as a guarantor of security south of the Litani River. “Civilian participants, in parallel, focused on setting conditions for residents to return safely to their homes, advancing reconstruction, and addressing economic priorities,” the embassy said in a statement. “They underscored that durable political and economic progress is essential to reinforcing security gains and sustaining lasting peace.” The talks come as Israel has repeatedly violated the ceasefire with Hezbollah, carrying out near-daily attacks across Lebanon, most notably in the south. The Israeli military launched a series of air strikes across the country a day before the Friday meetings, claiming in a statement that it was targeting the Lebanese group’s military operatives and infrastructure. Reporting from Naqoura, Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr said the talks were expected to focus on solidifying what has largely been a one-sided truce. “At least that is what Lebanon wants,” she said. “The Israeli army still occupies more than 10 square kilometres [about 4sq miles] of Lebanese territory along the border.” Next meeting in January After the meetings, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met Lebanese diplomat Simon Karam, who has been appointed as the country’s top civilian negotiator. Advertisement A statement by the Lebanese presidency said Aoun stressed that allowing tens of thousands of Lebanese civilians who have been displaced as a result of Israel’s attacks to return to their villages and homes was “an entry point for addressing all other details”. Aoun said the committee’s next meeting is scheduled for January 7. He also welcomed a separate diplomatic agreement reached in Paris between the US, France and Saudi Arabia to organise an international conference in early 2026 to support the Lebanese army and the country’s internal security forces. Israel’s National Security Council Deputy Director for Foreign Policy Yosef Dreznin represented the country in the civilian talks. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the meeting as a “continuation of the security dialogue aimed at ensuring the disarmament of Hezbollah by the Lebanese army”. “During the meeting, ways to promote economic projects were discussed in order to underscore the mutual interest in removing the Hezbollah threat and ensuring sustainable security for residents on both sides of the border,” it said in a statement. For its part, Hezbollah has rejected the prospect of laying down its weapons while Israel continues to regularly launch attacks on Lebanon and occupy parts of its territory. Naim Qassem, who became Hezbollah’s secretary-general after his predecessor Hassan Nasrallah and most of the group’s military and political leadership were assassinated by Israel, has accused the Lebanese government of giving concessions without receiving anything in return. Paul Salem, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, told Al Jazeera that the talks remain limited at the moment but may, in the future, evolve into broader topics, including a full cessation of hostilities. “I doubt it will get into anything related to peace, certainly not now,” he said. Adblock test (Why?)
Three killed in Taipei stabbing, smoke bomb attack
Officials say suspect, who died after falling from a building during police chase, carried out ‘indiscriminate attacks’. By News Agencies Published On 19 Dec 202519 Dec 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share At least three people have been killed and five injured after a knife-wielding attacker went on a rampage in central Taipei, before dying during a police chase, local authorities say. Taiwan’s Premier Cho Jung-tai said in a statement on Friday that the suspect had let off smoke bombs at Taipei’s main train station, and then ran to a nearby subway station in a busy shopping district, attacking people on the way. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list The attacks were “a deliberate act”, although the motive was not immediately clear, Cho said. “He deliberately threw smoke bombs and wielded a long knife to carry out indiscriminate attacks on the public,” the premier added. The suspect then died during a police chase after falling from a building, according to local officials. Mayor Chiang Wan-an told reporters that the attacker had apparently jumped off the building “to evade arrest and has been confirmed dead”. This picture taken and released by Taiwan’s Central News Agency (CNA) on December 19 shows police patrolling at a metro station in Taipei, after attacks at two stations in the city [AFP] Images released by Taiwan’s Central News Agency showed a canister on the ground at the Main Station, with officers examining potential evidence at the scene. Identifying the deceased suspect only by his last name, Chang, Premier Cho told reporters that he had a prior criminal record and outstanding warrants and said his house has been searched. “We will investigate his background and associated relationships to understand his motives and determine if there are other connected factors,” he added. Advertisement Taiwan police ramped up security across the island in response to the attacks. “All important locations … including railway stations, highways, subway stations and airports are maintaining a high level of alert and vigilance,” Cho said. Meanwhile, President William Lai Ching-te told reporters that the Taiwanese authorities would “quickly clarify the details of the case”. “There will be no leniency and we will do everything in our power to ensure the safety of our citizens,” he said. Violent crime is rare in Taiwan, though an attack in 2014 horrified residents when a man went on a stabbing spree on Taipei’s metro, killing four people. He was executed for the killings in 2016. Adblock test (Why?)
Hadi’s killing “chilling turning point” for Bangladesh
[unable to retrieve full-text content] Lawyer Taqbir Huda says Sharif Osman Hadi’s killing and violence in Bangladesh signal a shift and security failure
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,394
These are the key developments from day 1,394 of Russia’s war on Ukraine. Published On 19 Dec 202519 Dec 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Here is where things stand on Friday, December 19: Fighting Three people, including two crew members of a cargo vessel, were killed in overnight Ukrainian drone attacks on the Russian port of Rostov-on-Don and the town of Bataysk in the country’s southern Rostov region, local governor Yury Slyusar said. Russian strikes near Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa killed a woman in her car and hit infrastructure. Odesa’s Governor Oleh Kiper said a Russian drone killed a woman crossing a bridge in her car, and three children were injured in the incident. Kiper also asked residents whose homes have been affected by extended power outages to be patient and to end blocking roads in protest against the blackouts. “As a result of enemy attacks, the energy infrastructure in Odesa region has suffered extensive damage,” Kiper said. About 180,000 consumers have been left without electricity across five Ukrainian regions after Russian attacks, Ukraine’s acting energy minister, Artem Nekrasov, said. Nekrasov said the southern regions of Mykolaiv and Zaporizhia, the central regions of Cherkasy and Dnipropetrovsk, and the northeastern region of Sumy have been impacted. Russia has formed a military brigade equipped with Moscow’s new hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile, Russian chief of the general staff, Valery Gerasimov, said. Russia fired the Oreshnik at Ukraine for the first time in November 2024, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has boasted that the missile is impossible to intercept and has destructive power comparable to that of a nuclear weapon. Sanctions Advertisement European Union leaders have agreed to provide an interest-free loan to Ukraine to meet its military and economic needs for the next two years, EU Council President Antonio Costa has said. EU leaders avoided “chaos and division” with their decision to provide Ukraine with a loan through borrowing cash rather than use frozen Russian assets, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said. “We remained united,” De Wever added after EU leaders discussed for hours how to provide Ukraine with the money it needs to sustain its fight. Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk had earlier said the EU leaders had agreed in principle at a summit in Brussels to work on financing Ukraine in 2026 and 2027 through the use of frozen Russian assets rather than EU borrowing. But attempts to overcome differences over the plan, including talks to reassure Belgium and other concerned countries that Europe would share the legal and financial risks, failed to seal the deal. The new draft had offered Belgium and other countries unlimited guarantees for damages should Moscow successfully sue them for using Russian assets to finance Ukraine. The deal also offered EU countries and institutions, whose assets may be seized by Russia in retaliation, the possibility to offset such damages against Russian assets held by the EU. Earlier, Russia’s central bank said it would extend legal action beyond its lawsuit against Belgium-based depository Euroclear and sue European banks in a Russian court over attempts the EU’s plans to use frozen Russian assets as loans for Kyiv. Britain has imposed more sanctions targeting Russian oil companies, including 24 individuals and entities, in what it described as a move against Russia’s largest remaining unsanctioned oil companies: Tatneft, Russneft, NNK-Oil and Rusneftegaz. Peace talks Ukrainian peace negotiators are en route to the United States and plan to meet Washington’s negotiating team on Friday and Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said. US President Donald Trump said he believes talks to end the war in Ukraine are “getting close to something” as Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner plan to meet a Russian delegation in Miami this weekend. Aid The Ukraine-US reconstruction fund, established as part of a Trump-pushed minerals deal the two countries signed in April, has approved its asset policies and is poised to begin reviewing its first investment opportunities in 2026, the US body overseeing the fund said. The Development Finance Corporation (DFC) said the fund’s second meeting “reached final consensus necessary to bring the fund to full operational status”. Potential deals could focus on critical minerals extraction and energy development as well as on maritime infrastructure, the DFC said. Ukraine is facing a foreign aid shortfall of 45-50 billion euros ($53-$59bn) in 2026, President Zelenskyy said, adding that if Kyiv did not receive a first tranche of a loan secured by Russian assets by next spring, it would have to cut drone production. Ukraine has clinched a long-awaited deal to restructure $2.6bn of growth-linked debt, with creditors overwhelmingly accepting a bonds-and-cash swap offer – a key step for the country to emerge from the sovereign default it suffered in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Politics and diplomacy Advertisement President Zelenskyy said he saw no need to change Ukraine’s constitution enshrining its aim to become a NATO member state. A block on Ukraine joining the military alliance has been a core Russian demand to end its war. “To be honest, I don’t think we need to change our country’s constitution,” Zelenskyy said. “Certainly not because of calls from the Russian Federation or anyone else,” he said. Earlier this week, Zelenskyy said Ukraine could compromise on NATO membership if given bilateral security guarantees with protections similar to NATO’s Article 5, which considers an attack on one member as an attack against all. Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergiy Kyslytsya met Chinese foreign ministerial aide Liu Bin in Beijing, where the pair “discussed ways to strengthen trade and economic cooperation, and issues of co-operation within international organisations”, the Foreign Ministry said. Russian affairs Sergei Yeremeyev, a Belarusian man accused by Russia of blowing up two trains in Siberia for Ukraine, has been jailed for 22 years. Yeremeyev was found guilty of carrying out an act of terrorism and of planting explosives on two freight trains in 2023. British man Hayden Davies, who fought for Ukraine against Russia, has been
Australia PM Albanese launches gun ‘buyback’ plan after Bondi Beach attack
Albanese said Australia has more guns now than 30 years ago, when the country’s deadliest-ever mass shooting took place. Australia will launch a national gun buyback scheme, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced, as the country continues to come to terms with the deadly attack on a Jewish holiday event at Sydney’s Bondi Beach that left 15 people dead. Albanese called the plan the country’s biggest gun buyback since 1996 – the year of Australia’s deadliest mass shooting in modern history, the Port Arthur massacre in the island state of Tasmania – and said authorities will purchase surplus, newly-banned and illegal firearms. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list “Right now, there are more guns in Australia than there were during Port Arthur. We can’t allow that to continue,” Albanese told a news conference on Friday, adding that there are currently more than four million firearms in the country. “Non-citizens have no need to own a gun. And someone in suburban Sydney has no need to own six … The terrible events of Bondi show we need to get more guns off our streets,” he said. Albanese added that authorities in Australia’s states and territories will be tasked with collecting the weapons and processing payments for surrendered firearms under the scheme. Federal police will then be responsible for destroying them. “We expect hundreds of thousands of firearms will be collected and destroyed through this scheme,” Albanese added. Aided by some of the toughest gun restrictions globally, Australia has one of the lowest gun homicide rates in the world. Restrictions were tightened after a lone gunman, armed with semiautomatic weapons, killed 35 people at the Port Arthur tourist site almost 30 years ago. Advertisement The massacre shocked the country, with authorities soon after launching a major gun amnesty and buyback scheme that removed more than 650,000 newly-prohibited firearms from circulation. ‘We need to do more to combat this evil scourge’ Sunday’s shooting in Sydney’s Bondi Beach area – in which two attackers, named as father and son Sajid Akram and Naveed Akram, went on a shooting spree and killed 15 people – has had a similarly jolting impact on Australian society as the Port Arthur massacre and prompted self-reflection. Albanese said 50-year-old Sajid – who was shot dead at the scene – and 24-year-old Naveed – who was charged with “terrorism” and murder offences after he awoke from a coma on Tuesday – were inspired by “Islamic State ideology”. On Thursday, Albanese announced tougher hate speech laws as he acknowledged the country had experienced a rising tide of anti-Jewish hate since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel, and Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. Albanese said rising anti-Semitism in Australia “culminated on Sunday in one of the worst acts of mass murder that this country has ever seen”. “It was an attack on our Jewish community – but it was also an attack on the Australian way of life,” he said. “Australians are shocked and angry. I am angry. It is clear we need to do more to combat this evil scourge, much more,” he added. The prime minister also announced on Friday that Australia will hold a national day of reflection this Sunday – one week after the mass shooting. Albanese urged Australians to light candles at 6:47pm (07:47 GMT) on Sunday, December 21 – “exactly one week since the attack unfolded”. “It is a moment to pause, reflect, and affirm that hatred and violence will never define who we are as Australians,” he told reporters. Earlier on Friday, hundreds of people plunged into the ocean off Bondi Beach in another gesture to honour the dead. Swimmers and surfers paddled into a circle as they bobbed in the gentle morning swell, splashing water and roaring with emotion. “They slaughtered innocent victims, and today I’m swimming out there and being part of my community again to bring back the light,” security consultant Jason Carr told the AFP news agency. “We’re still burying bodies. But I just felt it was important,” the 53-year-old said. “I’m not going to let someone so evil, someone so dark, stop me from doing what I do and what I enjoy doing,” he said. Surfers and swimmers congregate in the surf at Bondi Beach as they participate in a tribute for the victims of Sunday’s Bondi Beach attack, in Sydney, on December 19, 2025 [David Gray/AFP] Adblock test (Why?)
EU delays trade deal with South America’s Mercosur bloc as farmers protest
EU delays Mercosur trade deal until January amid farmer protests and opposition from France and Italy. The European Union has delayed a massive free-trade deal with South American countries amid protests by EU farmers and as last-minute opposition by France and Italy threatened to derail the agreement. European Commission chief spokesperson Paula Pinho confirmed on Thursday that the signing of the trade pact between the EU and South American bloc Mercosur will be postponed until January, further delaying a deal that had taken some 25 years to negotiate. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was expected to travel to Brazil on Saturday to sign the deal, but needed the backing of a broad majority of EU members to do so. The Associated Press news agency reported that an agreement to delay was reached between von der Leyen, European Council President Antonio Costa and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni – who spoke at an EU summit on Thursday – on the condition that Italy would vote in favour of the agreement in January. French President Emmanuel Macron had also pushed back against the deal as he arrived for Thursday’s summit in Brussels, calling for further concessions and more discussions in January. Macron said he has been in discussions with Italian, Polish, Belgian, Austrian and Irish colleagues, among others, about delaying the signing. “Farmers already face an enormous amount of challenges,″ the French leader said. The trade pact with Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay would be the EU’s largest in terms of tariff cuts. But critics of the deal, notably France and Italy, fear an influx of cheap commodities that could hurt European farmers, while Germany, Spain and Nordic countries say it will boost exports hit by United States tariffs and reduce reliance on China by securing access to key minerals. Brazil’s President Lula says Italy’s PM Meloni asked for ‘patience’ The EU-Mercosur agreement would create the world’s biggest free-trade area and help the 27-nation European bloc to export more vehicles, machinery, wines and spirits to Latin America at a time of global trade tensions. Advertisement Al Jazeera’s Dominic Kane, reporting from Berlin, said Germany, Spain and the Nordic countries were “all lobbying hard in favour of this deal”. But ranged against them were the French and Italian governments because of concerns in their powerful farming sectors. “Their worry being that their products, such as poultry and beef, could be undercut by far cheaper imports from the Mercosur countries,” Kane said. “So no signing in December. The suggestion being maybe there will be a signing in mid-January,” he added. “But there must now be a question about what might happen between now and mid-January, given the powerful forces ranged against each other in this debate,” he added. Farmers wear gas masks at the Place du Luxembourg near the European Parliament, during a farmers’ protest on December 18, 2025 [Nicolas Tucat/AFP] Mercosur nations were notified of the move, a European Commission spokeswoman said, and while initially reacting with a now-or-never ultimatum to its EU partners, Brazil opened the door on Thursday to delaying the deal’s signature to allow time to win over the holdouts. Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Italy’s Meloni had asked him for “patience” and had indicated that Italy would eventually be ready for the agreement. The decision to delay also came hours after farmers in tractors blocked roads and set off fireworks in Brussels to protest the deal, prompting police to respond with tear gas and water cannon. Protesting farmers – some travelling to the Belgian capital from as far away as Spain and Poland – brought potatoes and eggs to throw and waged a furious back-and-forth with police while demonstrators burned tyres and a faux wooden coffin bearing the word “agriculture”. The European Parliament evacuated some staff due to damage caused by protesters. Adblock test (Why?)
Police in Sydney detain men over possible ‘violent act’
NewsFeed Australian police say they intercepted two cars in Liverpool, southwest Sydney, over a possible “violent act”, with videos showing armed officers in fatigues detaining several people. Authorities say investigations are ongoing and there is currently no link to the Bondi Beach shooting. Published On 18 Dec 202518 Dec 2025 Click here to share on social media share2 Share Adblock test (Why?)