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Tag: Middle East

  • Former Iran football team player challenges authorities’ ‘silence’ after death of man celebrating World Cup defeat | CNN

    Former Iran football team player challenges authorities’ ‘silence’ after death of man celebrating World Cup defeat | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    A former Iran national team football player has criticized authorities for their “silence” over the death of a man who celebrated the country’s World Cup defeat to the United States earlier this week.

    Mehran Samak, 27, died in Bandar Anzali city, northern Iran, during public celebrations by anti-government protesters following Tuesday’s match – in which the US beat Iran 1-0 to advance to the knockout stages of the competition.

    The Norway-based watchdog group Iran Human Rights has alleged, citing “several independent sources,” that he was shot in the head by security personnel.

    Police, however, have denied he was killed by authorities and have announced the arrests of several suspects in connection with his death, according to Iranian state media.

    In a video that circulated on social media on Saturday, Mohammad Ahmadzadeh, who played for Iran from 1988 to 1990 and coached Malavan F.C. from 2018 to 2020, challenged Bandar Anzali’s member of parliament Ahmad Donyamali and called for accountability from city officials.

    “Hello to all my fellow people of Anzali who are bereaved because we have lost yet another youth, Mehran Samak,” he said. “We’ve lost this dear one and all the people of Anzali are bereaved.”

    “I don’t know what their crime was. I want to ask the authorities of the city – what was their crime? Is it a crime, punishable by death, to honk your horn or to be happy for whatever reason? I want to ask Mr. Donyamali, who considers himself a representative of this city – why are you silent? Aren’t you a rep of this city? What reaction have you shown to the events so far?”

    The state-aligned Iran Students’ News Agency reported Thursday that the Bandar Anzali prosecutor had opened a case into the “suspicious” killing.

    Several videos were posted on social media Tuesday night showing people in cities across Iran, including in the capital Tehran, celebrating inside their homes following the match.

    “I am happy, this is the government losing to the people,” one witness to celebrations in a city in the Kurdish region told CNN on Wednesday. CNN is not naming the witness for security concerns.

    Activist outlet 1500tasvir also posted videos showing security forces, reportedly on Tuesday night, opening fire at people in Behbahan and beating up a woman in Qazvin. Both cities are south of Bandar Anzali where Samak is said to have been shot.

    CNN cannot independently confirm the information as Iran’s government is not allowing foreign media into the country, and has not been transparent in its reporting on protests and protest casualties.

    Demonstrations have rocked Iran for several months, sparking a deadly clampdown from authorities.

    The nationwide uprising was first ignited by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman who died in mid-September after being detained by the country’s morality police. Since then, protesters across Iran have coalesced around a range of grievances with the regime.

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  • Turkey says Kurdish armed groups in Syria ‘legitimate targets’

    Turkey says Kurdish armed groups in Syria ‘legitimate targets’

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    Ibrahim Kalin, the presidential spokesperson, tells Al Jazeera that Ankara will target the PKK, YPG and PYD Kurdish groups to protect its borders.

    The spokesperson for the Turkish presidency has told Al Jazeera that Kurdish armed groups in Syria are “legitimate targets”, and accused them of exploiting ties with the United States to justify their presence along Turkey’s border with Syria.

    In an interview with Al Jazeera, Ibrahim Kalin said Ankara is after the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and its offshoots the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) and Democratic Union Party (PYD) groups to protect its borders.

    Ankara has blamed the outlawed PKK, YPG and their affiliated groups for the November 13 Istanbul blast as well as previous attacks. The PKK has been waging a decades-long bloody armed rebellion for autonomy in Turkey’s southeast. Ankara, along with its NATO allies – the US and European Union – have declared the PKK a “terrorist” organisation.

    “For us, any and all PKK, PYD, YPG establishments, elements, posts, military points are legitimate targets for us,” Kalin said during the interview with the Talk to Al Jazeera programme, whether they are in Syria or Turkey.

    “They are legitimate targets because they are terrorist organisations,” he continued. “We go after them to protect our borders. We don’t target Russian or American soldiers or military posts in Syria or anywhere else.”

    Kalin went on to say that the PKK, PYD, and YPG “elements” have in the past used American and the Syrian regime flags to “protect themselves”.

    “That itself shows the extent of the PYD and YPG using their alliance with the United States to legitimise their own presence in northern Syria,” he said.

    The presidential spokesperson said that the recent “terrorist” attack on Istiklal Street in Istanbul prompted Turkey to respond. The perpetrator, a Syrian woman of Kurdish descent, was trained by Kurdish fighters there, the government said.

    “Our initial response was to coordinate and conduct a number of air operations,” Kalin said. “And of course, depending on the threat level as assessed by our intelligence and our air defence ministry and the related agencies, we will go after these terrorists, whether from the air or from the ground.”

    Turkey has ramped up its shelling and air raids on northern Syria in recent weeks and has been preparing a ground invasion against the YPG, a majority-Kurdish force that dominates the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) based in Syria. Ankara has reportedly targeted several military sites belonging to SDF in Syria’s Raqqa.

    Belghan Ozturk, a security analyst, said that the Istanbul bombing attack was “a red line for Turkey’s state stability and national security”.

    “So the YPG carried out rocket attacks in retaliation of the Turkish air raids,” Ozturk said from Denver, Colorado. “Turkey wants to make sure the YPG was in no capacity to undertake further attacks – within Turkey and cross border rocket attacks.”

    The delay could be because of the resistance Turkey has faced from several international powers involved in Syria, including Iran, Russia and the United States.

    On Friday, SDF, which controls territory in northern Syria, said it would no longer participate in joint counterterrorism operations with the US and other allies in the wake of the Turkish attacks. The SDF says it has documented about 70 attacks since the operation was announced.

    A spokesperson for the SDF said that “all coordination and joint counterterrorism operations” with the US-led coalition battling remnants of ISIL (ISIS) in Syria as well as “all the joint special operations we were carrying out regularly” had been halted.

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  • Tunisia trade union ‘no longer accepts’ president’s agenda

    Tunisia trade union ‘no longer accepts’ president’s agenda

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    The powerful UGTT says it will oppose Kais Saied’s reforms and defend freedoms ‘whatever the cost’.

    Tunisia’s powerful labour union has issued its clearest challenge to President Kais Saied yet, rejecting his political and economic agenda and saying it will not tolerate what it called a threat to democracy.

    “We no longer accept the current path because of its ambiguity and individual rule, and the unpleasant surprises it hides for the fate of the country and democracy,” Noureddine Taboubi, leader of the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT), said in a speech to thousands of supporters on Saturday.

    “We will not hesitate to defend rights and freedoms whatever the cost,” he added.

    Saied shut down the elected parliament last year and moved to rule by decree before writing a new constitution that was passed mid-year in a referendum with low turnout, setting up elections for a new, weakened legislature.

    The president’s critics have denounced his moves as a coup and have held repeated street protests. Saied has said his actions were necessary to save Tunisia.

    The parliamentary vote is set to take place on December 17 but most political parties are boycotting the poll, faulting procedures the president has decreed including bringing the electoral commission under his purview.

    Other electoral changes such as ending the public financing of campaigns will also make it difficult for women to run for office, the United States-based group Human Rights Watch warned.

    Taboubi, on Saturday, described the vote as having “no colour and taste,” and the product of a constitution that does not enjoy national unanimity.

    Though it repeatedly voiced concern, the one-million-member union had previously refrained from openly opposing the president’s agenda, except for a strike in the middle of the year over wages and spending cuts.

    Opponents of Tunisia’s President Kais Saied take part in a protest against what they call his coup on July 25, in Tunis [File: Zoubeir Souissi/Reuters]

    The new government appointed by Saied in October recently angered the UGTT by proposing subsidy cuts and the restructuring of state-owned companies, in a push for an IMF bailout needed to avert national bankruptcy.

    Last month, the union called for a general strike in the region of Sfax, a day after a demonstrator died from inhaling tear gas fired to disperse protests against the reopening of a landfill site.

    It demanded that the perpetrators be held accountable.

    The UGTT has proven capable of paralysing the economy with strikes that closed airports, public transport, ports and government offices.

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  • World Cup Viewer’s Guide: Americans face the Netherlands

    World Cup Viewer’s Guide: Americans face the Netherlands

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    DOHA, Qatar (AP) — Christian Pulisic became an American star with the winning goal — and the injury he got while scoring it — that lifted the United States into the round of 16 at the World Cup.

    He injured his pelvic bone, Pulisic insisted, when he collided with Iran’s goalkeeper on the goal that sent him to the hospital as the United States won 1-0 and advanced in soccer’s biggest tournament.

    Pulisic was cleared to play Saturday, when the Americans face the Netherlands in the knockout round.

    Everybody expected him to be on the field even before doctors gave him the medical go-ahead on Friday.

    “I will do everything in my power to work with this medical team and make sure that I can play,” Pulisic said of his intention to be on the field.

    The United States is trying to get to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2002 and continue to delight the American audience, which has tuned into the first three matches in record numbers.

    A win against the Netherlands might be enough to convince fans back at home that the United States can, indeed, compete on the biggest stage in soccer.

    “The support from the U.S. has been a bit surreal,” captain Tyler Adams said. “My dad’s a teacher at school, and they were all watching during their classes, the game and supporting me. And I was getting videos from the family, all the watch parties in my town and whatnot.

    “It’s really, really cool to see how much just a tournament can change that perspective on people supporting soccer.”

    The United States is winless in its last 11 World Cup games against European teams, a streak that includes five losses and six draws. On Saturday, the Americans face a Dutch squad that, like several other World Cup teams at this tournament, is battling the flu. The bug ran through the U.S. squad last week.

    Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal gave his team the day off on Thursday instead of running a typical 11-on-11 match.

    “I gave them a day of rest,” Van Gaal said Friday. “With this group, they communicate that to me. I listen to my players.”

    He declined to elaborate on how many players are affected, but by abandoning the typical training schedule Van Gaal created speculation that at least six players are ill.

    “We are not going to elaborate on that,” he said. “But if it goes around in the group, it is worrying.”

    Frenkie de Jong has said a scratchy throat disrupted his ability to communicate during a victory over Qatar, and Marten de Roon told reporters he had a cold earlier this week.

    Netherlands midfielder Cody Gapko is trying to become the first player from his country to score in four straight World Cup matches, and the Dutch team is on an 18-game winning streak that the United States is determined to snap.

    “We felt a responsibility to use this World Cup to create momentum in the United States for soccer,” U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter said. “And that’s why we want to keep going and we want to keep doing well and make the country proud.”

    AUSTRALIA-ARGENTINA

    Lionel Messi goes into yet another match that could be his last on the World Cup stage.

    “No one expects us to win,” Australia forward Mathew Leckie said. “So let’s shock the world.”

    Argentina was shocked by Saudi Arabia in its opening match and had to beat Poland earlier this week to ensure that Messi could continue in his fifth World Cup. One of the greatest players of all-time has never won this tournament, and this one in Qatar is expected to be his last.

    Argentina turned a corner with wins over Mexico and Poland and emerged as the winner of Group C to face Australia, ranked 38th in the world. Australia is in the knockout round for only the second time, its previous trip a 1-0 loss to Italy in 2006.

    Argentina won’t take Australia for granted, even though it has five wins, one draw and one loss in eight meetings dating to 1988. This is the first match between the two teams since 2007.

    “We know, at the moment, everything is very difficult,” Messi said. “All the opponents are complicated. We know it as well as anyone.”

    ___

    AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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  • Cameroon fans celebrate after historic 1-0 victory over Brazil

    Cameroon fans celebrate after historic 1-0 victory over Brazil

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    They might not have made it through to the next stage of the World Cup tournament but Cameroon’s supporters departed Lusail Stadium in Qatar knowing their team had made history by beating Brazil.

    Capping a series of stunning upsets football fans have now become accustomed to at the Qatar 2022 World Cup, Cameroon delivered a shock 1-0 defeat to Brazil on Friday night – the first time an African nation has beaten the Brazilians at the World Cup.

    Brazil has won all seven previous meetings with African teams at the World Cup, including beating Cameroon in 1994 and again in 2014.

    But the historic victory was not enough for Cameroon to qualify for the next Round of 16 after securing third place in Group G behind Brazil and Switzerland, who defeated Serbia 3-2 in the other final group match on Friday.

    “We feel great, don’t you feel great? It is so satisfying. I’m very happy. We finally beat Brazil,” John Epanty, who is from Cameroon, told Al Jazeera after the match.

    “Brazil is one of the best teams in the world. If you’re looking for a consolation win, you want this victory,” he said.

    Fellow Cameroonian Caleb Williams predicted celebrations would go on all night back in Cameroon.

    “They are already drinking and will be till morning,” Williams said. “I mean, we took out Brazil, that’s huge,” he told Al Jazeera.

    The winning goal from Vincent Aboubakar came in the closing 92nd minute of the game and apart from bringing victory, it also electrified supporters of the Indomitable Lions at Lusail Stadium who had likely expected the game to end in a draw.

    Players in action during the Cameroon vs Brazil, Group G match at the FIFA World Cup 2022, December 2, Lusail Stadium [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]

    After the match and though few in number, the Cameroon supporters made the very best of the special moment, singing the praise of their team while media cameras swarmed to record the aftermath of the historic win. Brazilian fans joined in the celebrations too, knowing they lost but had already qualified for the next stage which will see them face South Korea on December 5.

    Still, the shock of Cameroon’s goal in the dying minutes of the game was too much for some Brazil supporters.

    “I don’t feel so good,” Patricia Luze from Sao Paolo told Al Jazeera.

    “I was not expecting that goal,” said Luze, who has tickets for the World Cup final and is hoping to see her team compete in that match.

    “The final is here and I hope to be here again when we will, by God’s grace, raise the cup again,” she said.

    Before kick-off on Friday, the contingent of Cameroonian fans at Lusail were clearly outnumbered by the thousands of Brazil fans who turned Lusail into a sea of yellow and green.

    Brazil is seen by many as the greatest footballing nation in the world and the energy of their fans on Friday – decked out in T-shirts, scarves and waving flags – demonstrated how much they love their five-time World Cup winners.

    A Brazil fan in the stands holding a flag | Cameroon v Brazil, Group G, FIFA World Cup 2022, December 2, Lusail Stadium [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]
    A Brazil football fan during the Cameroon vs Brazil, Group G, FIFA World Cup 2022, on December 2, at Lusail Stadium [Sorin Furcoi/Al Jazeera]

    The victory was “bittersweet”, said Samuel Ngassam from Douala in Cameroon.

    “Yes, we beat Brazil. I am proud,” he said.

    “But there are many lessons from this we must take,” Ngassam told Al Jazeera while a group of nearby Brazilian fans called him to join them for a short video.

    Ngassam said the Cameroon team “should have shown more heart” and that, in their earlier games, it appeared as though they would have settled for draws.

    Tonight, however, was not about qualifying for the next round of the World Cup, it was all about Brazil, he said.

    “Today we beat Brazil. That’s all that matters,” he added.

    “I’ll worry about everything else when I wake up.”

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  • Israeli journalists experience chilly reception at Qatar World Cup | CNN

    Israeli journalists experience chilly reception at Qatar World Cup | CNN

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    Editor’s Note: A version of this story first appeared in CNN’s Meanwhile in the Middle East newsletter, a three-times-a-week look inside the region’s biggest stories. Sign up here.


    Jerusalem and Doha
    CNN
     — 

    When special direct flights were announced from Tel Aviv to Doha for the FIFA World Cup, the scene at Ben Gurion airport was festive – the company chartering the flight brought out a cake festooned with Qatari and Israeli flags.

    But Israeli reporters sent to cover the tournament say they’re experiencing a less than welcoming atmosphere.

    Moav Vardi, chief international correspondent for the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation “KAN,” told CNN he was expecting some hostility from Palestinian and Arab fans – but not the level he has experienced in Qatar.

    Most Arab fans he tries to interview, Vardi says, will just turn away when they discover he is Israeli even if they had been having a friendly conversation beforehand. But a small and vocal minority is engaging in “violent verbal assaults,” Vardi said.

    “You are not welcome here, go away, there is only Palestine, there is no such thing as Israel, Israel does not exist,” Vardi said he’s told almost every day by football fans in Qatar.

    Vardi said the impression he has gotten is that the “hatred and resentment” is not just about the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. Rather “it’s about the very existence of Israel.”

    While he says he hasn’t felt physically threatened, KAN has removed its logo from his microphone, after he was recognized from encounters in Doha that had gone viral on social media.

    Former Israeli football star, and now a commentator Eil Ohana posted a video showing a Qatari police officer driving him in a golf cart. After initially getting a shocked reaction from telling the policeman he is Israeli, he says instead that he was joking and that he is actually from Portugal. The police officer says he would have stopped the cart and kicked him off if the commentator was Israeli. When the commentator asked the driver why, he replied, “I’m Palestinian” and goes on to explain that Arabs cannot fly to Israel.

    Videos have gone viral in Israel and the Arab world showing football fans yelling at Israeli reporters, refusing to speak to them because of where they are from. Other videos show people hoisting Palestinian flags in the background of Israeli reporters’ live shots, taunting the reporters.

    While country flags are generally allowed at matches, clothing or banners with political statements – like LGBTQ rights or those supporting Iranian protesters – have at times led to fans being kicked out of stadiums. But some Arab attendees say the Palestinian cause, which Qatar officially supports, seems to be an exception – in one early match fans held up a giant Palestinian flag with the message “Free Palestine.”

    According to sources briefed on the matter, 8,000 Palestinians and 3,800 Israelis applied for World Cup tickets, although thousands more may have entered Qatar on secondary passports.

    Israel and Qatar have no diplomatic relations – but under the FIFA rules, Israelis must be allowed to attend the tournament and a small, temporary Israeli consular team is in Doha to assist citizens, who have been advised by the Israeli foreign ministry to keep a low profile.

    Omar Barakat, the Palestinian national football team coach, told Reuters in Doha that he was encouraged to take Palestinian flags into matches. He said that he was only allowed by security to take an oversized flag into a stadium on revealing it to be a Palestinian flag. “It’s a political statement, and we’re proud of it,” he said.

    On Wednesday, a football fan wearing a Tunisia shirt invaded the pitch with a Palestinian flag during a match between France and Tunisia. When he was apprehended by security personnel, crowds in the stand could be heard chanting “Palestine! Palestine!”

    For Farah Hamam, a Palestinian-Jordanian football fan, some Arab fans’ refusal to engage with Israeli journalists reflects the Arab world’s frustration with “the continued atrocities taking place” against the Palestinian people. That was the “real sentiment” toward Israel “despite normalization efforts of Arab governments,” she told CNN.

    “For perhaps the first time in history, Arabs around the world are unapologetically showing their lack of patience with Israel,” she said.

    Israel in recent years normalized relations with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco, a move that was seen as a major diplomatic feat for the nation and a way out of its regional isolation.

    Talal Hizami, a Saudi football fan at the World Cup, linked Arab attitudes toward Israelis in Doha to a pushback against Israel’s recognition by those states. “It’s a rejection of the normalization of Israel in the Middle East…. many Arab citizens see this as a betrayal,” he told CNN.

    He said Israeli journalists may have mistakenly assumed that the normalization trend toward Israel in the Arab world “is a reflection of what the people of those nations feel towards them when in reality, many are extremely angered by it.”

    Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), the tournament organizers, didn’t respond to CNN’s requests for comment on the treatment of Israeli reporters or the display of political symbols at the World Cup.

    Reacting to how he says he was treated by Arabs in Doha, Raz Shechnick, a reporter for the Israeli Yediot Ahronoth newspaper, posted a long Twitter thread in Hebrew about his experience, saying “I was always a centrist, liberal and open [with] a will to make peace above all. I always thought the problem was governments, the rulers, ours too. But, in Qatar I came to realize how hatred is present with people on the street. How much they want to wipe us off the face of the earth. To what extent everything related to Israel arouses intense hatred in them.”

    Roy Jankelowitz, a correspondent for the IsraelSport website, said he has not had as many problems in Doha but that he does not “go around walking with a microphone in Hebrew.”

    “As an Israeli, I understand that there may be a problem over here for people to accept that Israelis are here because of the fact that they do not know much about Israel. All they see is what the media, the local Arab media reports to them about Israel,” he told CNN. “All they see is, when they see something in Hebrew they think it is something bad.”

    Jankelowitz said he’s taken the Israeli Foreign Ministry advice to all Israeli attendees to keep a low profile and does not necessarily tell fans he is from Israel unless he feels it is safe to do so.

    “You have to understand that you’re in an Arab country and not everybody likes you,” he said.

    But not all Arabs in Doha agree that the football tournament is an appropriate place to show support for Palestinians. Munser Al Shibly a fan from Libya at the World Cup, told CNN it was “nice” to see fans support Palestinians but added that football should be “separate from politics… even if it’s the Palestinian cause.”

    Vardi, the Israeli KAN reporter, said despite some hostility, he’s also had some fascinating interactions – like after being recognized while watching a match and being told to “go away” by one fan, a different fan from Saudi Arabia sitting near him turned and said, “Oh Israel? Why don’t you get rid of Iran for us please.”

    With additional reporting by Nadeen Ebrahim, Celine Alkhaldi, Zeena Saifi and Mariam Dirar Alqasem.

    Iranian security forces kill anti-government protester celebrating World Cup defeat, rights group says

    A man is reported to have been killed by security forces in northern Iran during public celebrations by anti-government protesters following the national football team’s defeat against the United States on Tuesday.

    • Background: Several videos were posted on social media Tuesday night showing people in cities across Iran, including in the capital Tehran, celebrating inside their homes and residential buildings after the US defeated Iran 1-0 in the World Cup. Demonstrations have rocked Iran for more than two months, sparking a deadly clampdown by authorities.
    • Why it matters: Football has become the latest arena for pro- and anti-regime Iranians to express their views. A source told CNN earlier that the families of Iran’s team had been threatened with imprisonment and torture if players failed to “behave” after they refrained from singing the country’s national anthem in an earlier game. Some Iranian activists had accused the players of whitewashing the government’s crimes.

    US tells Turkey it opposes new military operation in Syria

    United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told his Turkish counterpart Wednesday that his country strongly opposes a new military operation in Syria and that he was concerned about Turkish airstrikes that threatened US personnel in the region.

    • Background: On Tuesday, the Pentagon said the US has reduced the number of patrols with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) against ISIS in Syria as the SDF has said an invasion by Turkey seems “imminent.” It said the US has not redeployed forces in the region and has “no diminished capability” in the region.
    • Why it matters: Turkey has been warning for months about a potential incursion into Syria targeting Kurdish groups it opposes there. Both Russia and the US have stakes in the country. Last week, a Turkish airstrike against a base in northern Syria used by the US-led coalition to defeat ISIS threatened the safety of US personnel working in the area. The US has approximately 900 troops in Syria.

    ISIS acknowledges the death of its leader, announces his successor

    ISIS affiliate al-Furqan media published an audio message by the jihadist group’s spokesman announcing the death of its leader, who was appointed in March. It didn’t make clear who killed the group commander or where. ISIS announced his successor, who goes by the name Abu al-Husain al-Husaini al-Quraishi. Little is known about him, but the group described him as an “old fighter” without providing further details. Syria’s army took credit for his killing, Reuters cited state media as saying.

    • Background: The deceased leader was appointed by ISIS in March 2022 after US President Joe Biden announced the death of Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi in a military operation in the northwest of Syria.
    • Why it matters: Analysts have said that ISIS is in disarray. If the Syrian regime’s claims are true, the killing would a rare occasion where a top ISIS leader has been killed in a non-US-led operation.

    Qatar’s Energy Minister Saad Al Kaabi told CNN’s Becky Anderson on Wednesday the country will not let politics affect business after it signed a deal to provide Germany with 2 million tons of LNG annually, starting in 2026.

    This comes amid heightened tensions with Germany, which ramped up its criticism of Qatar ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, questioning its human rights record and later opposing the Gulf country’s ban on the rainbow-colored armband.

    Watch the interview here:

    After Tunisia beat France in a stunning 1-0 victory on Wednesday, Morocco on Thursday beat Canada 2-1, becoming the only Arab nation to reach the knockout rounds. Saudi Arabia, which galvanized Arab audiences with its early win against Argentina, was knocked out of the tournament after losing against Mexico on Wednesday.

    • Canadian pop star Justin Bieber launched clean water company Generosity at Qatar’s World Cup, to provide premium alkaline water in refillable fountains across the globe.
    • The pitch invader who waved a rainbow flag on the field during Portugal’s World Cup match with Uruguay on Monday said FIFA president Gianni Infantino came to the Qatari police station to free him in order to “avoid more controversy.”
    • Thursday’s Group E FIFA World Cup match between Costa Rica and Germany saw an all-women refereeing team for the first time in men’s World Cup history. Stephanie Frappart, from France, led the refereeing team, making her the first woman to referee a men’s World Cup match.

    .

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  • Japan beats Spain 2-1 as both teams advance at World Cup

    Japan beats Spain 2-1 as both teams advance at World Cup

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    DOHA, Qatar — Same stadium. Same result. Similar shocking victory for Japan at the World Cup.

    After beating Germany in the team’s opener, Japan worked its way into the round of 16 of the World Cup on Thursday by defeating Spain 2-1 — the same score as last week.

    Spain also advanced despite the loss, knocking Germany out of the tournament.

    Japan scored twice early in the second half to come from behind and defeat another European powerhouse and make it to the knockout stage for the second straight World Cup. It’s the first time Japan has advanced past the group stage in back-to-back tournaments.

    “For Asia and for Japan, our victories over Spain and Germany, two of the top teams in the world, is something that give us great confidence and we are very pleased,” Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu said. “Of course, there are many things we still have to learn, but Asia can win in the world stage, Japan can win in the world stage.”

    Ao Tanaka scored the winning goal from close range early in the second half. It took about two minutes for video review officials to confirm the ball hadn’t gone out of bounds before the goal at Khalifa International Stadium, where Japan had shocked Germany in its opener.

    Players from both teams looked surprised when it was announced that the goal counted, and the Japanese started running toward their bench again to celebrate with their teammates.

    “From my angle I think the ball was clearly half out, but more than that I could not see because of the speed,” Tanaka said. “I was concentrating in scoring. There was always a possibility that it was out … But in the end it was a goal, so that was great.”

    Japan finished at the top of Group E and will next face Croatia. Spain will take on Group F winner Morocco.

    Spain and Germany — which beat Costa Rica 4-2 in a simultaneous match — both had four points in the group. But Spain had a superior goal difference.

    The group standings bounced back and forth during both matches. Costa Rica was beating Germany at one point. If that result had stood, Costa Rica would have eliminated Spain.

    Spain coach Luis Enrique said he didn’t know that at one point Costa Rica was winning.

    “If I had known about it, I could have had a heart attack,” he said.

    Álvaro Morata scored for Spain in the 11th minute and the 2010 champions were in control until Japan rallied after halftime. Ritsu Doan equalized in the 48th with a left-footed shot from outside the box and Tanaka added the second three minutes later.

    Luis Enrique said Spain “got into collapse mode.”

    “We totally lost control during those five minutes. We panicked,” Luis Enrique said. “If they had to score more goals, they would have been able to do it. They got past us like an airplane.”

    Morata became the first Spain player to score in the team’s first three matches at the World Cup since Telmo Zarra in 1950.

    Spain had opened with a 7-0 rout of Costa Rica before conceding late in a 1-1 draw against Germany.

    Japan, which lost to Costa Rica in its second match, was eliminated by Belgium in the last 16 four years ago in Russia. The Japanese have never gotten past the round of 16 at the World Cup.

    By finishing second in the group, Spain may avoid facing Brazil in the quarterfinals and Argentina in the semifinals.

    “There is nothing to celebrate,” Luis Enrique said. “I’m not happy. We wanted to finish in first place with a victory.”

    The coach said he was surprised that the second goal by Japan was confirmed by VAR. He said he was shown a photo of the ball out of bounds.

    “That photo they showed me must have been altered,” Luis Enrique said. “That’s the only explanation.”

    ———

    Tales Azzoni on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tazzoni

    ———

    AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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  • Justin Bieber launches clean water company Generosity at Qatar’s World Cup | CNN

    Justin Bieber launches clean water company Generosity at Qatar’s World Cup | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    Justin Bieber is on a mission to make the world’s drinking water more sustainable.

    Bieber and Micah Cravalho have evolved bottled water brand Generosity into a water technology company that is providing premium alkaline water in refillable fountains across the globe. They showcased 150 water fountains this month at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Bieber spoke about the brand’s social impact initiative in a statement to CNN.

    “I want the world to have access to the best water. I also want countries to know how to best protect their people. The overuse of plastic is hurting us, we need to be more sustainable,” Bieber said.

    Generosity is aimed at not just providing premium water but reducing the usage of single-serve plastic.

    “We aspire to be the global leader in water technology, empowering consumers with refillable products as an alternative to single-use packaging,” said co-founder Cravalho.

    Bieber and Cravalho recently visited Qatar and met with Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the sister of country’s emir.

    Having participated in beach clean-up efforts in Qatar for many years, I have witnessed first-hand the effect of pollution on our natural environment. Through initiatives such as those undertaken by Generosity and the Supreme Committee, and projects such as the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Art water bottles, which bring together the global artistic community to advocate for a more sustainable future, we are all encouraged to play our part during the World Cup and beyond,” Al Mayassa said in a press release.

    Generosity connects to any water source and is able to create premium refillable alkaline water dispensed through their sustainable fountains which the company says will be found commercially at major venues, festivals and in homes in 2023.

    The Grammy Award winner has been at the forefront of social impact initiatives in Hollywood with his involvement in organizations like Pencils of Promise, which builds schools in third world countries. He also raised over $3 million dollars for the First Responders Children’s Foundation with Ariana Grande in 2020 with their “Stuck with U” collaboration.

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  • The Killing of Shireen Abu Akleh

    The Killing of Shireen Abu Akleh

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    From: Fault Lines

    Fault Lines investigates the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh by Israeli military forces.

    On May 11, 2022, Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was reporting from the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank when an Israeli soldier shot and killed her.

    The Israeli military would eventually admit it was “possible” she was killed by their fire.

    But Abu Akleh was also an American citizen and her killing has brought into sharp focus the United States’s handling of her case.

    In The Killing of Shireen Abu Akleh, Fault Lines spoke with witnesses from that day and took questions to the White House and State Department about whether the US will investigate her shooting.

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  • Big moments for women at the men’s World Cup | CNN Politics

    Big moments for women at the men’s World Cup | CNN Politics

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    A version of this story appears in CNN’s What Matters newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here.



    CNN
     — 

    An unexpected result of the US Men’s National Team reaching the knockout round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar is that the US Women’s National Team will get its largest collective payday, equally splitting $13 million in winnings with the men.

    It’s a big deal for American women who have long sought pay equity, and it amplifies the extreme sliding scale of women’s rights around the globe.

    Consider that this payday for US women was won when the US men’s team defeated Iran, a country where authorities are brutally tamping down protests by women who want basic human rights.

    The US Women’s National Team excels at soccer and fought hard for years for equal pay.

    The earnings they’ll split with the American men could grow if the men continue to advance in the World Cup.

    It’s the result of an unprecedented equal pay agreement finalized earlier this year. Read more about the prize money.

    FIFA pays bigger awards to the men’s tournament, which draws in more revenue to the international soccer governing body, than to the women’s. The agreement between the US men and women is unique.

    “To everyone it should indicate how big the disparity is that FIFA has made between their value of women’s soccer and men’s soccer, and this is the only way that equity could be achieved, if all parties agreed – and they did,” said Briana Scurry, a former US goalkeeper, appearing on CNN Wednesday.

    Not only did the US Men’s National Team advance to earn the payday, but they also agreed to this unprecedented pot-splitting with the top American women earlier this year.

    “These are Title IX males,” said Christine Brennan, the sports columnist and CNN analyst, referring to the US men’s team during an appearance on “CNN Tonight” on Tuesday. She was referring to the landmark 1972 law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs or activities receiving federal funds. It has revolutionized women’s sports in the US and, Brennan argued, influenced male athletes too.

    “They weren’t raised like their dads or their grandfathers. And they have a much different outlook, not only about women’s equality in terms of pay, but these are the same men who’ve been talking about standing with the Iranian protesters,” Brennan said.

    She praised the US Soccer Federation and the Men’s National Team, who have distinguished themselves not only by advancing, but “even more so in terms of our culture and the stands they have taken.”

    Iranian women, as you’ll know from following coverage of protests in that country and at the World Cup, are fighting for basic rights.

    CNN reported on celebrations in Iran at the national team’s loss to the US. From that report:

    “I am happy, this is the government losing to the people,” one witness to celebrations in a city in the Kurdish region, who CNN is not naming for security concerns, told CNN on Wednesday.

    The Norway-based Iranian rights group Hengaw posted several videos of similar scenes. “People in Paveh are celebrating Iran’s national team lose over America in World Cup in Qatar, they are chanting ‘Down with Jash (traitors),” Hengaw said in a post.

    Meanwhile, back in Doha, Qatar, another landmark moment for women in the world’s most popular sport will come Thursday, when the first all-women refereeing team in men’s World Cup history debuts in a pivotal match between Germany and Costa Rica.

    Stéphanie Frappart, the French lead official, has already overseen matches at the top levels of European club soccer, so, “I know how to deal with it,” she said in a statement released by FIFA. This match, with a potential audience of billions, will show a woman in charge.

    If the US men and women are on the road to some sort of parity – the men still make much, much more from their clubs – there are some women in the Middle East who are just gaining access to the pitch.

    Saudi Arabia’s men’s team put in a solid show at this World Cup with their defeat of storied Argentina in the opening round. But the Saudis failed to advance past the group stage after losing to Mexico Wednesday.

    Meanwhile, women in Saudi Arabia were only allowed inside soccer stadiums in 2018, much less play.

    As Saudi Arabia weighs a joint bid to co-host the 2030 men’s World Cup, the kingdom is also in the beginning stages of building a national women’s team. It’ll surely be many years before the Saudi women can be competitive on the world stage, but simply being able to play is certainly progress.

    CNN’s Becky Anderson, who is reporting from Doha during this World Cup, talked to the German women’s team legend Monika Staab, who is coaching the nascent Saudi women’s team. She said the kingdom is developing its women through three development academies and wants to host an international tournament in 2026.

    Staab said the all-women referee team in Thursday’s match in Qatar will be a powerful symbol for Muslim women watching.

    “The women can do like the men,” Staab said on CNN International Wednesday night. “I think that is a big sign for the whole world. We in Saudi Arabia, we play football. That has a great impact on every Muslim girl who wants to play,” Staab said.

    In the US, women’s soccer has at times been a bigger draw than the men’s game.

    About 14 million American viewers watched the women’s World Cup final, featuring the winning US team, in 2019. That was more than watched the men’s World Cup final between France and Croatia in 2018, but far below the 20 million who watched the US take on England in the group stage last Saturday across Fox and Telemundo.

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  • In Ukraine, seeing World Cup, playing soccer pose challenges

    In Ukraine, seeing World Cup, playing soccer pose challenges

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    IRPIN, Ukraine — Ukrainian video-game vendor Roman Kryvyi, fresh from a soccer game on a snow-blanketed field in suburban Kyiv, sat up close to a TV in a kebab shop as intermittent city power returned just in time for Tuesday’s World Cup game between Wales and England.

    For the 22-year-old soccer buff, there was no question about which side to support in the matchup: He remembers how he was crestfallen — rolling on the floor in despair and on the verge of tears — when Wales ousted his beloved Ukraine in the qualifiers. The grudge hasn’t worn off.

    “Only England! England has supported us in a military way,” Kryvyi said, overlooking the fact that England and Wales are both part of the United Kingdom — whose government has generously backed Ukraine with firepower and other support as it tries to repel Russia’s invasion. He wants England to go all the way.

    With their team not having made the finals this year, many Ukrainian soccer fans are throwing their support behind European countries that have backed Ukraine’s fight against Moscow’s forces, or teams with greats like Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi of Argentina. Others just want to see top-notch play, out of appreciation for the game.

    For Ukrainians these days, soccer trails well behind mere survival in the order of priorities. But the sport — as in many places around the world — can offer an escape from the troubles of daily life. For players, running around a field can offer up camaraderie and churn up body heat, and in this war-battered, says simply: Life must go on. Watching the World Cup in Qatar gives a sense of connection to the rest of the world.

    Like many fans in Ukraine, Kryvyi and teammate Hlib Kuian, 21, were far from certain that they would be able to see the England-Wales match. Russian military strikes in recent weeks have devastated power plants, rendered internet services uncertain and affected basics like water and heating — on top of the deaths and injuries they have caused.

    Only minutes before Tuesday evening’s match, which England ended up winning 3-0, Mazza Cafe kebab-stand operator Mashrabjan Haydarov spotted that the lights had come back on in an apartment building across the street, so he turned off the generator outside that had been powering his bulbs and TV, and switched back to the local grid.

    Then, even though the electricity was back, the internet popped off momentarily. The friends, accustomed to daily setbacks large and small, shrugged off the delay until the service rebooted. They also had to return home right when the match was set to end because of an 11 p.m. wartime curfew.

    “In my house. I have no internet, so it’s a big problem for me,” said Kuian, an economics student. The only alternative to going out to see the match, he said, was watching it on his mobile phone’s small screen.

    For all their interest in watching the World Cup, Kuian and Kryvyi prefer being on the field themselves.

    As night fell, their team joined up with two others on a fenced-in field in a public park in Irpin, a town that Russian forces occupied earlier this year — and their pullout exposed suspected atrocities committed against civilians.

    In yet another sign of the Ukrainian resourcefulness that has become legendary in their war-battered country, the teams purchased and strung up lights to illuminate the field, and powered them up with an old — and recharged — car battery on the sideline. One player got up on a motorized scooter to shovel off the field, as snowflakes continued to fall.

    Time was that they would have preferred to play in Irpin’s larger stadium, but it was pockmarked by craters and a nearby cultural center gutted as Ukrainian and Russian forces battled for control of the town.

    As for the obstacles to soccer-playing, electricity shortages and other woes, Kuian is taking them in stride.

    “I have to live with it. I know who made this (happen),” he said. “I know that the Russian Federation wants that I live like this.”

    ———

    Vasilisa Stepanenko in Irpin, Ukraine, contributed to this report.

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  • IS says leader Abu al-Hassan al-Qurayshi killed in battle

    IS says leader Abu al-Hassan al-Qurayshi killed in battle

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    BEIRUT — The leader of the Islamic State group, Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, was killed in a battle recently, the group’s spokesman said in audio released Wednesday without giving further details.

    Little had been known about al-Qurayshi, who took over the group’s leadership following the death of his predecessor, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, in a U.S. raid in February in northwest Syria.

    The death will be a blow to the group as al-Qurayshi is the second leader to be killed this year. The announcement by IS spokesman Abu Omar al-Muhajer came at a time when IS has been trying to carry out deadly attacks in parts of Syria and Iraq the extremists once declared a caliphate.

    Al-Muhajer said that a new leader, Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurayshi, was named as the group’s new leader.

    Al-Qurayshi is the third leader to be killed since its founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was hunted down by the Americans in a raid in northwest in October 2019.

    No one claimed responsibility for the killing.

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  • Photos: Rashford brace downs Wales and sends England to last 16

    Photos: Rashford brace downs Wales and sends England to last 16

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    Forward Marcus Rashford’s second-half double propelled England to a 3-0 win over neighbours Wales, sending them into the World Cup last 16 as Group B winners and ending Welsh hopes of reaching the knockout stage.

    The match on Tuesday came to life when Rashford curled home a free kick from the edge of the area in the 50th minute before Phil Foden arrived unmarked at the far post to side foot Harry Kane’s cross into the net a minute later.

    Rashford then inflicted a final blow when he cut inside and somehow managed to find the net with a shot that went through the legs of goalkeeper Danny Ward in the 68th minute.

    The win moved England to seven points and set up a tie against Senegal in the next round, while Wales finished bottom with one point as their first World Cup in 64 years ended without a victory and only one goal scored in three games.

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  • U.S. World Cup team pelted with political questions in tense press conference ahead of crucial Iran game

    U.S. World Cup team pelted with political questions in tense press conference ahead of crucial Iran game

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    USA’s midfielder Tyler Adams (R) and coach Gregg Berhalter give a press conference at the Qatar National Convention Center in Doha on November 28, 2022, on the eve of the Qatar 2022 World Cup football match between Iran and USA.

    Patrick T. Fallon | Afp | Getty Images

    The U.S. men’s soccer team faces its make-or-break World Cup match Tuesday night against Iran. If it wins, it advances to the next stage – and if it loses, it’s heading home.

    But despite needing to focus on the most important game this team of players has ever faced, the lead-up has been fraught with political drama. On Monday, Team USA’s players sat through a surreal and politically-charged press conference, during which they were bombarded with questions and criticism of their country.

    In response to months of violent crackdowns on anti-government protests in Iran, the U.S. Soccer Federation over the weekend briefly made an alteration in its social media posts, showing the Iranian flag without its emblem of the Islamic Republic. The change, the federation said, was made for 24 hours to show support for women protesting for their rights in Iran.

    Iranian media reacted swiftly, with state media agency Tasnim calling for the U.S. team to be kicked out of the tournament.

    Iran’s flag was changed to its current version in 1980, after the 1979 Islamic Revolution ushered in a theocracy led by conservative Muslim clerics. The U.S. and Iran have been ideological foes with severed diplomatic ties since then.

    While many Iranians and activists supportive of the protesters welcomed the U.S. Soccer Federation’s move, saying they associate the Islamic Republic’s emblem with oppression and torture, Iran’s state media slammed it, accusing the U.S. of hypocrisy and grilling the team’s players with political questions during the Monday press event.

    A reporter from Iran’s state-controlled Press TV criticized U.S. team captain Tyler Adams for mispronouncing Iran, and asked him how he felt about representing a country that the reporter described as being rife with racial discrimination. Adams is mixed race.

    “Are you okay to be representing your country that has so much discrimination against Black people in its own borders?” the Press TV reporter asked.

    “My apologies on the mispronunciation of your country,” Adams responded. “That being said, there’s discrimination everywhere you go … in the U.S. we’re continuing to make progress every single day … as long as you make progress that’s the most important thing.”

    USA leave a team huddle led by Tyler Adams of USA during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group B match between England and USA at Al Bayt Stadium on November 25, 2022 in Al Khor, Qatar.

    Simon M Bruty | Anychance | Getty Images

    Another Iranian state media reporter asked U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter: “What percentage of the world’s population will be happy if Iran wins this match [versus the U.S. team]?”

    Berhalter replied, “For us it’s a soccer game against a good team — it’s not much more than that.” 

    The coach and players seemed intent on avoiding getting into political topics and keeping the discussion on the game, but their efforts were repeatedly ignored. 

    Iranian coach Carlos Queiroz similarly has tried to keep his comments soccer-focused, despite pointed questions from reporters from various nations, including one on whether the flag drama would serve as motivation for his team.

    “If after 42 years in this game as a coach, I still believe I can win games with those mental games, I think I’ve learned nothing about the game,” Queiroz, a Portuguese national, said. “This is not the case.”

    Players quizzed on U.S. military policy

    The political questions continued, however, even going as far as geopolitics and the U.S. military.

    One of the Iranian reporters asked Berhalter: “Sport is something that should bring nations closer together and you are a sportsperson. Why is it that you should not ask your government to take away its military fleet from the Persian Gulf?”

    The U.S. team coach replied: “I agree, sport is something that should bring countries together… you get to compete as brothers.”

    Ahmad Nourollahi of Iran in action during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group B match between England and IR Iran at Khalifa International Stadium on November 21, 2022 in Doha, Qatar.

    Richard Sellers | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images

    Berhalter was also asked about the U.S.’s strict laws on visas for Iranian nationals, to which he replied: “I don’t know enough about politics, I’m a soccer coach. I’m not well versed on international politics so I can’t comment on that.”

    U.S. team apologizes for Iranian flag change, says it was oblivious

    The U.S. team’s coach also apologized for the Iranian flag change, saying that he and his players had no role in the decision and knew nothing about it.

    “Sometimes things are out of our control,” Berhalter said. “We’re not focused on those outside things and all we can do is apologize on behalf of the players and the staff, but it’s not something that we were a part of.”

    “We had no idea what U.S. Soccer put out. The staff, the players, we had no idea. For us our focus is on this match … Of course our thoughts are with the Iranian people, the whole country, and everyone,” he added.

    Protesters gather to demonstrate against the death of Mahsa Amini in Iran on September 23, 2022 in Berlin, Germany.

    Sean Gallup | Getty Images News | Getty Images

    U.S. defender Tim Ream said during the conference, “We support women’s rights, and what we’re doing as a team is supporting that while also trying to prepare for the biggest game that this squad has had to date.”

    Protests have taken place all over Iran since mid-September, triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in police custody. Amini, a Kurdish Iranian woman, was arrested for allegedly breaking Iran’s strict rules on wearing the hijab, the Islamic head covering for women. 

    A picture obtained by AFP outside Iran on September 21, 2022, shows Iranian demonstrators burning a rubbish bin in the capital Tehran during a protest for Mahsa Amini, days after she died in police custody. –

    – | Afp | Getty Images

    Many Iran analysts are calling the uprising the biggest challenge to the Islamic Republic in decades. Ahead of its first World Cup match on Nov. 21, which was against England, the Iranian team refused to sing their national anthem, standing in stoic silence instead. The team did sing the anthem for their second match on Nov. 25, but reports have emerged that they were forced to do so under threat.

    Positive words

    The coaches of both teams made references to the last time the U.S. and Iran competed on a World Cup stage, which was in 1998 in France. Iran beat the U.S. 2-1 in a tough game that was dubbed at the time “the mother of all football matches.” The coaches each complimented the other team’s performance. 

    Iran’s team coach, Queiroz, also said positive things about the U.S. squad’s performance so far in Qatar, where it tied with both Wales and England. He said that the American team had made a “jump from soccer to football.”

    “We play a very, very good team, very well organized with the same dream and same goal in mind,” Queiroz said.

    Iran players line up for the national anthem prior to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group B match between England and IR Iran at Khalifa International Stadium on November 21, 2022 in Doha, Qatar.

    Julian Finney | Getty Images

    “I hope tomorrow my boys will be able to put together their heads, their souls, their skills and the will to win. I hope that they will get the result that gives us a passport for the second round.”

    Berhalter similarly praised the Iranian team’s 1998 performance. “Iran wanted to win the game with everything — they played really committed, really focused from the first whistle. For us to win the game tomorrow that’s going to have to be the mindset of our group … We don’t want to make the mistakes of the past.”

    As for Tuesday’s match, Berhalter said: “We win or we’re out of the World Cup. Anytime you’re in a World Cup and you get to go into the last group game in control of your own destiny, that’s a pretty good thing.”

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  • Palestinians say 3 men killed by Israeli fire in West Bank

    Palestinians say 3 men killed by Israeli fire in West Bank

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    JERUSALEM — Three Palestinian men were killed by Israeli fire during separate incidents in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry said Tuesday.

    They were the latest deadly incidents in a mounting surge of Israeli-Palestinian violence and soaring tensions, less than a week after a bombing in Jerusalem killed two Israelis.

    The official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that clashes erupted between Israeli forces and residents north of the city of Hebron in the West Bank.

    The Israeli military said soldiers shot at Palestinians who hurled rocks and improvised explosive devices at the forces operating in the town. The army said the Palestinians also shot at the troops, and two army vehicles got stuck due to mechanical issues.

    The Palestinian Health Ministry identified the man killed near Hebron as Mufid Khalil, 44, and said at least eight other people were wounded by live fire in the incident.

    In a separate incident, two brothers identified by Wafa as Jawad and Dhafr Rimawi, 22 and 21, were killed by Israeli fire during clashes with troops near the village of Kafr Ein, west of Ramallah in the northern West Bank early Tuesday.

    The Israeli military said troops operating in the village came under attack from suspects throwing rocks and firebombs, and soldiers responded with live fire. It said it was reviewing the incident.

    Later on Tuesday, a Palestinian driver rammed his car into an Israeli pedestrian near a West Bank settlement north of Jerusalem in what the army said was a deliberate attack. Paramedics said they treated a 20-year-old woman for serious injuries. Police said officers pursued and shot the driver. The driver’s condition was unknown.

    Tensions between Israelis and Palestinians have been surging for months amid nightly Israeli raids in the West Bank, prompted by a spate of deadly attacks against Israelis that killed 19 people in the spring.

    More than 138 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli-Palestinian fighting in the West Bank and east Jerusalem this year, making it the deadliest year since 2006. The Israeli army says most of the Palestinians killed have been militants. But stone-throwing youths protesting Israeli army incursions and others not involved in confrontations have also been killed.

    In a new report, the army described a fragile situation in the West Bank, where it has carried out nearly nightly arrest raids since March. It said it has mobilized thousands of troops and arrested some 2,500 Palestinians and confiscated around 250 weapons since March

    Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war, along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. The Palestinians seek those territories for their hoped-for independent state.

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  • Niece of supreme leader asks world to cut ties with Iran

    Niece of supreme leader asks world to cut ties with Iran

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    BAGHDAD — The niece of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameni is calling on people to pressure their governments to cut ties with Tehran over it’s violent suppression of anti-government protests.

    In a video posted online by her France-based brother, Farideh Moradkhani, urged “conscientious people of the world” to support Iranian protesters. The video was shared online this week after Moradkhani’s reported arrest on Nov. 23, according to U.S.-based rights monitor HRANA.

    Moradkhani is a long-time activist who’s late father was an opposition figure married to Khamenei’s sister is the closest member of the supreme leader’s family to be arrested. The branch of the family have opposted Khamenei for decades and Moradkhani has been imprisoned on previous occasions for her activism.

    “I ask the conscientious people of the world to stand by us and ask their governments not to react with empty words and slogans but with real action and stop any dealings with this regime,” she said in her video statement.

    The protests, now in their third month, have faced a brutal crackdown by Iranian security forces using live ammunition, rubber bullets and tear gas to suppress demonstrations. At least 451 people have been killed, including 63 minors, according to HRANA. Another 18,173 have been detained, the rights monitor reports.

    Despite the crackdown, demonstrations are ongoing and scattered across cities.

    The unrest was sparked by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody in Tehran for violating the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code. It has quickly morphed into the most serious challenge to Iran’s establishment since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

    Iran also said it would not cooperate with any U.N. fact-finding mission to investigate the deadly crackdown on protests, Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said on Monday. The U.N. Human Rights Council voted to set up the mission last week.

    “The Islamic Republic of Iran will not engage in any cooperation, whatsoever, with the political committee called the ‘fact-finding committee’” Kanaani said.

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  • Portugal looks to deny ‘underdog’ Uruguay a repeat of 2018 upset

    Portugal looks to deny ‘underdog’ Uruguay a repeat of 2018 upset

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    Who: Portugal vs Uruguay

    Where: Lusail Stadium

    When: Monday, November 28, 10pm (19:00 GMT)

    FIFA ranking: Portugal (9), Uruguay (14)

    Uruguay midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur said on Sunday that the two-time former champions are relishing their status as underdogs as they prepare to face Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal at the World Cup on Monday.

    If that comment reflected quiet confidence, there’s a reason for it.

    Four years ago, an Edinson Cavani brace helped the South Americans stun the then-European champions 2-1 in the last 16 of the World Cup. Portugal were the favourites ahead of that game too.

    And following their drab 0-0 draw with South Korea on Thursday, the Celeste — as Uruguay are known — are once again looking forward to trying to overturn the odds in their Group H clash.

    “We respect everyone, but the less you know about Uruguay the better it turns out for us,” said Tottenham player Bentancur. “It’s better not to attract attention, to be humble, respect our opponents, and play all the same.

    “At the last World Cup we did it really well, starting from behind.”

    Indeed, much attention will be focused on Portugal’s impressive array of attacking talent that includes João Félix, Rafael Leão, Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva, as well as Ronaldo. The Portugal talisman’s goal against Ghana made him the first player to score in five World Cups.

    In veteran centre-back Pepe, Portugal have one of the most experienced players in the tournament. Coach Fernando Santos said 39-year-old Pepe would play on Monday, which would make him the second-oldest outfield player ever to appear in a World Cup match, after Cameroon great Roger Milla.

    Bentancur is looking forward to coming up against the Brazilian-born Porto defender.

    “We all know Pepe, I played against him in 2018, he’s a great player, he’s had an incredible career,” said Bentancur.

    39-year-old Pepe is expected to start against Uruguay [Bernadett Szabo/Reuters]

    “Playing him will be a good test for us, but we also have our weapons. They have experience, we do too, and we’ll try to attack their weaknesses.”

    Portugal have identified midfielder Federico Valverde as Uruguay’s danger man.

    “He’s a tough player to stop. He is a good team player, a strong player,” said Bernardo. “He’s one of the best midfielders in the world, not just with the ball but without the ball too. He does a lot to create space for his team mates.”

    Valverde, 24, was named man of the match against South Korea in his first ever World Cup match and has already won the Champions League and La Liga with Real Madrid.

    He has really kicked on this season, scoring more goals in 20 matches than in his previous 148 games for the club across four campaigns. “He’s still the same lad, humble, a companion, always participating very naturally,” said Uruguay coach Diego Alonso. “His performance is stupendous, extraordinary, we’re very happy to have him.”

    The Portuguese will qualify for the second round if they beat Uruguay. But if Uruguay win, they will leapfrog Ronaldo’s side in the points table, and bolster their own chances of qualifying for the Round of 16. If that happens, they won’t be underdogs any more.

     

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  • Yemen’s government signs $1B aid package with UAE-based fund

    Yemen’s government signs $1B aid package with UAE-based fund

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    CAIRO (AP) — Yemen’s internationally recognized government signed a deal with the Arab Monetary Fund on Sunday, state media said, paving the way for the Saudi-backed administration to receive $1 billion of economic aid.

    The Abu Dhabi-based fund, a sub-organization of the 22-member Arab League, will pay out the $1 billion program from 2022 to 2025. The economic deal aims to help the Yemeni government establish monetary and fiscal stability through wide-ranging economic reforms, Saba news agency said.

    Yemen’s civil war, which is entering its eighth year, has decimated the country’s economy and pushed half of the population to the brink of famine. More than 150,000 people have been killed in the conflict, including over 14,500 civilians. On average food is 60% more expensive than it was last year, largely due to the war in Ukraine that has cut off the country’s critical wheat imports from Eastern Europe.

    The conflict began in 2014 when the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels seized the capital of Sanaa, along with much of northern Yemen, forcing the government into exile. A Saudi Arabia-led coalition, including the United Arab Emirates, intervened in 2015 to try to restore the internationally recognized government’s power. The country’s central bank has since been divided between the warring sides.

    The Aden branch of Yemen’s central bank falls under the control of Saudi coalition forces. In recent years, the Aden branch has helped fuel inflation by printing new banknotes to pay off its debts and cover public sector salaries. Aden-printed notes are not excepted in Houthi-controlled areas, whose central bank operates from Sanaa.

    Sunday’s deal was signed by the governor of the Aden branch of Yemen’s central bank, Ahmed al-Maabqi, in the presence of Saudi Arabia’s Finance Minister, Mohammed Al-Jadaan.

    In a statement issued by the Houthi’s Finance Ministry following the signing, the rebel group denounced the agreement and said the fund will only “serve the countries of aggression, not Yemeni society.”

    The Saudis have invested billions of dollars in propping up Yemen’s internationally recognized government over the years, with the Kingdom having previously pledged $3 billion in April to help its war-battered economy.

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  • Australia reduces national terrorism threat to ‘possible’

    Australia reduces national terrorism threat to ‘possible’

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    CANBERRA, Australia — Australia’s terrorism threat level has been downgraded from “probable” to “possible” for the first time since 2014, the head of the main domestic spy agency said Monday.

    The defeat of the Islamic State group in battle in the Middle East and an ineffective al-Qaida propaganda machine failing to connect with Western youth has resulted in fewer extremists in Australia, Australian Security Intelligence Organization Director-General Mike Burgess said.

    “This does not mean the threat is extinguished,” Burgess said.

    “It remains plausible that someone will die at the hands of a terrorist in Australia within the next 12 months,” he added.

    However, there have been increases in radical nationalism and right-wing extremist ideology in Australia in the past couple of years, Burgess said.

    “Individuals are still fantasizing about killing other Australians, still spouting their hateful ideologies in chat rooms, still honing their capabilities by researching bomb-making and training with weapons,” Burgess said.

    There have been 11 terrorist attacks and another 21 plots have been disrupted since the threat assessment was elevated from “possible” to “probable” in 2014, he said. Half of the foiled plots were in the first two years of the upgraded risk when the Islamic State group was more prominent.

    There have also been 153 terrorism-related charges stemming from 79 counterterrorism operations in Australia since 2014.

    Burgess warned it was almost guaranteed that the threat level will increase again. But this would not necessarily be the result of a terrorist attack, with the overall security assessment taking into account individuals acting alone, he said.

    People are being radicalized online at an extreme pace, sometimes in as short as weeks or months, he said.

    But there are fewer groups planning months- or years-long sophisticated terrorist attacks with the aim of maximum destruction, he said.

    More than 50 people convicted of terrorist offenses are also due for release in the future, but only a small number will be freed by 2025, Burgess said.

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  • Croatia send Canada out of World Cup with 4-1 victory

    Croatia send Canada out of World Cup with 4-1 victory

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    Alphonso Davies gave Canada a second-minute lead but Croatia’s quality shone through to put them top of Group F.

    Croatia overcame a spirited Canada on Sunday evening to register an impressive 4-1 victory, sending themselves top of Group F and eliminating their North American rivals from the World Cup.

    Canada took a rapid lead in the second minute through the scintillating Alphonso Davies, but Croatia’s quality told as the Khalifa International Stadium encounter developed with the Adriatic nation drawing level courtesy of Andrej Kramaric in the 36th minute.

    Marko Livaja made it 2-1 shortly before half-time with a low-driven effort from the edge of the box, before Kramaric added a third in the 70th minute.

    Lovro Majer made it 4-1 at the death via a breakaway counter-attack as Canada continued to press for a consolation goal.

    More to follow…

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