Infantino’s ‘Peace Prize’ to Trump raises questions about FIFA’s neutrality | Football News | Al Jazeera1 hour agoAl Jazeera Washington, DC – Players often face fines and bans from FIFA for displaying political messages, as the football governing body has long proclaimed a policy of political neutrality. But on Friday, the association’s chief Gianni Infantino handed United States President Donald Trump the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize, further cementing his embrace of the Republican leader. Critics pointed out that the award came less than 24 hours after the Trump administration carried out another deadly air strike in the Caribbean. Craig Mokhiber, a former United Nations official who has campaigned to suspend Israel from world football over its genocidal war in Gaza, called the award to Trump a “truly shameful development”.
[full article] [see deals]Trump wins FIFA’s new peace prize | Donald Trump News | Al Jazeera1 hour agoAl Jazeera United States President Donald Trump has been awarded FIFA’s newly created peace prize at the draw for the 2026 men’s football World Cup. Trump, who has campaigned aggressively for a Nobel Peace Prize, thanked FIFA on Friday and called the award “one of the great honours of my life”. He and FIFA president Gianni Infantino are close allies, and Infantino had made it clear that he thought Trump should have won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to broker a ceasefire in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. “This is your prize, this is your peace prize,” Infantino said at the glitzy, celebrity-studded ceremony at Washington’s Kennedy Center.
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Legendary architect Frank Gehry dead aged 966 hours agoBBC Frank Gehry, considered one of the most influential architects of the century, has died aged 96.Gehry is known for his avant garde, experimental style of architecture. His titanium-covered design of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain catapulted him to fame in 1997.
[full article] [see deals]Famed for sculptural structures, architect Frank Gehry dies at age 96 | Obituaries News | Al Jazeera4 hours agoAl Jazeera Frank Gehry, who designed some of the most imaginative buildings ever constructed and achieved a level of worldwide acclaim seldom afforded any architect, has died. Gehry passed away on Friday in his home in Santa Monica after a brief respiratory illness, said Meaghan Lloyd, the chief of staff at his firm Gehry Partners LLP. Gehry’s fascination with modern pop art led to the creation of some of the most striking buildings ever constructed. Among his many masterpieces are the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain; Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles; and Berlin’s DZ Bank Building. In 2006, years after Gehry had stopped designing ordinary-looking buildings, word surfaced that the pedestrian Santa Monica mall project he designed early in his career might be headed for the wrecking ball.
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England start World Cup against Croatia, Scotland to face Brazil7 hours agoBBC
[full article] [see deals]FIFA World Cup 2026 draw: Groups, teams, format, Trump, peace prize | Donald Trump News | Al Jazeera5 hours agoAl Jazeera After weeks of a politically charged build-up to the FIFA World Cup 2026 draw and amid the presence of United States President Donald Trump, the focus swiftly shifted to football as the fate of the participating teams was unveiled at the event in Washington, DC. President Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum were all in attendance as the leaders of the three co-host nations as the US capital played host for the event at the Kennedy Center on Friday. FIFA President Gianni Infantino awarded the US president the new FIFA Peace Prize, having been termed the favourite to receive it in the weeks since the award’s announcement in November.
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Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,381 | Russia-Ukraine war News | Al Jazeera1 hour agoAl Jazeera Here’s where things stand on Saturday, December 6: French leader Macron says he was ‘very touched’ by Xi’s gesture to accompany him to Chengdu – a departure from protocol. As peace efforts fail to bear fruit, the Russian leader threatens Odesa and Mykolaiv – and warns of wider war on Europe.
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Flavio Bolsonaro enters Brazil’s 2026 presidential race with father’s nod | Elections News | Al Jazeera1 hour agoAl Jazeera Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the eldest son of imprisoned former President Jair Bolsonaro, has announced he has received his father’s endorsement to run for the presidency in 2026. Brazil is scheduled to hold elections on October 4, 2026, and with his father’s nod, Flavio is now the heir apparent to represent the far-right Liberal Party (PL) at the ballot box. Jair Bolsonaro is considered the honorary leader of the PL, though he is barred from holding office through 2030. “As president of the PL, I inform you that Senator Flavio Bolsonaro is the name selected by Jair Bolsonaro to represent the party in the presidential race,” Costa Neta wrote in an official statement.
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'Life being stressful is not an illness' - GPs on mental health over-diagnosis2 hours agoBBC Hundreds of GPs across England have told the BBC they think mental health problems are being over-diagnosed. But they're also concerned about how hard it is to get help for patients with mental health conditions.Earlier this week, the Health Secretary ordered an independent review into the reasons for a rising demand for mental health, ADHD and autism services in England, and where the gaps in support are.
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Failed Sarah Ferguson-backed app received £1m taxpayers' money2 hours agoBBC
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US Supreme Court to consider Trump’s bid to end birthright citizenship | Courts News | Al Jazeera4 hours agoAl Jazeera The United States Supreme Court has agreed to decide the legality of President Donald Trump’s bid to end birthright citizenship, as the Republican administration continues its broad immigration crackdown. Several lower courts have blocked as unconstitutional Trump’s attempt to put restrictions on the law that states that anyone born on US soil is automatically an American citizen. Lower courts have ruled the order to be a violation of the 14th Amendment, which states: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”
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Egypt’s economy stabilises, but poverty challenges persist | Business and Economy News | Al Jazeera4 hours agoAl Jazeera Egypt found itself back on the international front pages in the second half of this year. Shortly after, in November, Cairo invited world leaders to attend the spectacular opening of the new Grand Egyptian Museum next to the pyramids. Most notable were Egypt’s parliamentary elections, with the first round held in November, and runoffs planned for early December. The elections have been dominated by a coalition of pro-government parties running unopposed for the party list seats, which are half of the parliamentary seats being voted for. “They are even less important than under [former President Hosni] Mubarak, it is not the talk of the day,” said a businessman in the textile industry, who did not wish to give their full name for fear of reprisals.
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Experts say US boat strikes are illegal killings. Can they be stopped? | Conflict News | Al Jazeera4 hours agoAl Jazeera Since early September, the United States has carried out at least 22 declared military strikes targeting alleged drug-trafficking vessels off the coast of Latin America. Legal experts and international officials say that the attacks, which have killed at least 86 people, are a violation of the law and represent acts of extrajudicial killing. But despite what scholars describe as clear-cut illegality, Trump’s lethal campaign has shown few signs of slowing down, and critics see an alarming shift towards the use of military force against criminal activities. “It shows that the Trump administration has no respect for international law or conventions around the use of force.” “Certainly, trying to rein in a superpower like the United States is something very difficult,” Saul said.
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Starbucks, union workers face off as old tensions over wages spill over | Labour Rights News | Al Jazeera5 hours agoAl Jazeera New York City, United States – A passionate crowd of a few hundred people lined the heavily trafficked Fifth Avenue in New York City, cascading with picket signs calling on coffee giant Starbucks to negotiate a contract with its union. Picketers held signs saying “No Contract, No Coffee” and “Baristas on Strike” as they lined the sidewalk, blocking the front doors of the Empire State Building, the single most iconic landmark in the United States and which houses an office for the company alongside one of its more high-end signature stores called Starbucks Reserve. “Stop stalling contracts, negotiate with the workers and sign a contract for fair wages,” Elon, one of the detained baristas, told Al Jazeera as he was loaded into an NYPD bus.
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Meghan 'has reached out' to estranged father after amputation reports5 hours agoBBC The Duchess of Sussex has attempted to contact her estranged father, Thomas Markle, who is reported to be seriously ill in hospital in the Philippines.A spokesman for Meghan said: "I can confirm she has reached out to her father."Mr Markle is reported to have had his leg amputated during surgery. The BBC understands that Meghan tried to contact him earlier today, but it is not clear whether the attempt was successful. The relationship between Meghan and her father broke down in the run-up to her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018.
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Xenophobia runs the world | Opinions | Al Jazeera5 hours agoAl Jazeera Their country is no good for a reason …” This is what United States President Donald Trump had to say about Somali migrants on the first day of an immigration crackdown targeting their community. He insisted that Somali migrants have turned the US state of Minnesota, where some 2 percent of the population is of Somali descent, into a “hellhole” and should be “out of here”. Since Trump’s rise to power, hostility to migrants has become not just a mainstream component of contemporary politics in the United States but a governing principle.
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Frank Gehry, legendary Canadian-American architect, dies aged 966 hours agoThe Guardian Frank Gehry, one of the most influential and distinctive talents in American architecture, died on Friday at his home in Los Angeles following a brief respiratory illness, his chief of staff confirmed. Gehry, the most recognizable American architect since Frank Lloyd Wright, was one of the first to embrace the potential of computer design, and pioneered a distinctively exuberant style of bravura power, whimsical and arresting collisions of form. Other famous works included the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, completed in 2003; Miami’s New World Center, a concert hall finished in 2011; and the Fondation Louis Vuitton, an ethereal museum in Paris completed in 2014.
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US health panel ditches guidance to give hepatitis B vaccine to newborns | Donald Trump News | Al Jazeera6 hours agoAl Jazeera A top-level vaccine panel in the United States government has voted to peel back guidance that newborn babies should receive a vaccine to shield against hepatitis B, a virus that can cause chronic liver problems. On Friday, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted eight to three to rescind the medical advice, which has helped make hepatitis B vaccines a routine part of post-natal care. Instead, ACIP approved new guidance that encourages parents who have no history of hepatitis B infection to speak with their healthcare provider about whether to administer the vaccine to their infants. The change is considered the biggest move so far under Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F Kennedy Jr to change vaccination practices in the US.
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Five key takeaways from Trump’s National Security Strategy | Donald Trump News | Al Jazeera6 hours agoAl Jazeera DR Congo-Rwanda peace deal: Leaders sign accord alongside US in Washington DC Washington, DC – A periodic document spelling out the United States’s foreign policy and security has emphasised the need for US “preeminence” in the Western Hemisphere, reflecting President Donald Trump’s push for regional dominance. The National Security Strategy (NNS), released on Friday, also called for balancing trade with China and deterring it from seizing Taiwan. But unlike the previous assessment, which was published during the Joe Biden presidency in 2022, the new NNS did not focus primarily on China or mark competition with Beijing as the top challenge for the US.
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EU hits Musk’s X with $140m fine for ‘deceptive’ blue tick, ad transparency | European Union News | Al Jazeera6 hours agoAl Jazeera The European Union has slapped a 120 million euro ($140m) penalty on Elon Musk’s social media platform X for breaching digital transparency rules, igniting a transatlantic clash over tech regulation. Brussels announced the fine on Friday in its first enforcement action under the Digital Services Act, legislation designed to rein in social media companies. X was fined another 35 million euros ($40.7m) for failing to maintain transparent advertising records that would help identify scams and fake political advertisements, while blocking researchers from accessing public data cost the company 40 million euros ($46.6m).
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US federal judge orders release of Epstein grand jury materials6 hours agoThe Guardian A federal judge in Florida ordered the release of grand jury transcripts from the Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell sex-trafficking cases on Friday, citing the recently enacted federal law that overrides traditional secrecy protections. US district judge Rodney Smith ruled that the Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed into law last month by Donald Trump, overrode federal rules prohibiting the disclosure of grand jury materials. The Friday ruling approved the justice department’s request to unseal documents from the 2006-2007 federal grand jury investigation into Epstein in Florida.
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World Cup 2026 draw: England face two 2018 reunions, Scotland land Brazil7 hours agoThe Guardian England will face a rematch of their 2018 semi-final in the opening fixture of their World Cup campaign next summer, after they were drawn alongside Croatia in Group L. England will also play Panama, another side they faced at the Russia World Cup, and Ghana. Croatia beat England 2-1 in extra time to end an unexpected run for Gareth Southgate’s side in Russia.
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AI deepfakes of real doctors spreading health misinformation on social media7 hours agoThe Guardian TikTok and other social media platforms are hosting AI-generated deepfake videos of doctors whose words have been manipulated to help sell supplements and spread health misinformation. The factchecking organisation Full Fact has uncovered hundreds of such videos featuring impersonated versions of doctors and influencers directing viewers to Wellness Nest, a US-based supplements firm. All the deepfakes involve real footage of a health expert taken from the internet. However, the pictures and audio have been reworked so that the speakers are encouraging women going through menopause to buy products such as probiotics and Himalayan shilajit from the company’s website.
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Fighting flares in DR Congo within hours of Trump’s peace deal ceremony | Conflict News | Al Jazeera8 hours agoAl Jazeera Fighting has flared up again in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo between the M23 rebel group and government forces, a day after United States President Donald Trump hosted DRC and Rwanda leaders in Washington as they signed a peace deal aimed at ending decades-long conflict in the country. The warring sides blamed each other for Friday’s renewed fighting, with the M23 group saying in a statement that 23 people were killed and several others wounded in bombardments by the DRC’s army. M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka said in a post on X that Congolese forces and allies launched “attacks on densely populated areas in North Kivu and South Kivu, using fighter jets, drones, and heavy artillery”.
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Netflix to acquire Warner Bros Discovery, raising antitrust concerns | Media News | Al Jazeera9 hours agoAl Jazeera Netflix has agreed to buy Warner Bros Discovery TV, film studios and streaming division for $72bn, a deal that would hand control of one of Hollywood’s most prized and oldest assets to the streaming pioneer. The streaming giant offered $28 per share, while Paramount offered $30 per share, according to CNBC, which cited sources familiar with the matter. Under the Netflix deal, each Warner Bros Discovery shareholder will receive $23.25 in cash and about $4.50 in Netflix stock per share, valuing Warner at $27.75 a share, or about $72bn in equity and $82.7bn with debt. Netflix has offered Warner Bros Discovery a $5.8bn breakup fee, while Warner Bros Discovery would pay Netflix $2.8bn if the deal collapses.
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Former Dulwich college pupil alleges Farage told him ‘that’s the way back to Africa’9 hours agoThe Guardian A former Dulwich college pupil who claims a teenage Nigel Farage told him “that’s the way back to Africa” has said he felt compelled to speak out after the Reform leader’s attempt at “denying or dismissing” the hurt of his alleged targets. Yinka Bankole, who claims he had just started at the school when a 17-year-old Farage singled him out for abuse, said he had decided to tell his story in full after watching the Reform leader’s press conference on Thursday. Farage told reporters that he had never been racist or antisemitic with “malice”.
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Brighton owner Tony Bloom faces questions over allegations he bet on his own teams9 hours agoThe Guardian Tony Bloom, the billionaire owner of Brighton & Hove Albion FC, is facing questions over claims he was an anonymous gambler behind $70m (£52m) in winnings – which allegedly included bets on his football teams. Bloom – one of the world’s most successful professional gamblers – is claimed to be the “John Doe” referred to in a US legal case that tried to unmask who has benefited from the lucrative winning streak. Approached by the Guardian, Bloom declined to answer whether he was the “John Doe” in the court filing issued earlier this year. Bloom denied betting on his own teams or competitions that involve them, and a source close to him described the allegations as “entirely false”.
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Labour launches child poverty strategy but hints costly welfare system needs reform9 hours agoThe Guardian The UK welfare system is not helping enough people into work and has significantly rising costs, and no one should think the government is backing away from reforming it, the work and pensions secretary has said. He said the aim of the strategy was to improve young lives for the long term and that those lifted out of hardship are likely to have improved prospects for employment in the future. McFadden added that further changes to the welfare system to encourage work were important for improving children’s lives, arguing that getting people into jobs will make families better off and save money on the benefits bill.
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Woman jailed for murdering her baby has conviction overturned9 hours agoBBC A mother jailed for murdering her eight-week-old son and attempting to murder his toddler sister is to have her convictions quashed, the Court of Appeal has ruled.The woman, whose identity is protected by an anonymity order, accepted having stabbed the children, but denied the charges.On Friday, senior judges held that the guilty verdicts over the double stabbing back in July 2021 were unsafe.No further details about their decision can be published at this stage for legal reasons.
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Sudan’s Khartoum needs ‘urgent’ help due to severe food shortages: Report | Sudan war News | Al Jazeera9 hours agoAl Jazeera The report, released this week by the humanitarian organisations Medical Teams International and Norwegian Church Aid, found that three-quarters of families in Khartoum consume fewer than 1,800 calories daily. Khartoum has been devastated by fighting between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023. Medical Teams International’s country director Birhanu Waka said the new data should guide efforts to restore health systems amid what he called “unimaginable hardship”. United States President Donald Trump has said his administration would lead efforts to end the conflict, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling Trump the “only leader in the world capable of resolving the Sudan crisis”.
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Irish police investigating drone activity during Zelensky visit10 hours agoBBC An Garda Síochána (Irish police force) has launched an investigation after drones were detected in Irish skies on the night the Ukrainian president arrived in Ireland.Volodymyr Zelensky flew into Dublin late on Monday night for a one-day official visit with his wife, First Lady Olena Zelenska.Senior Irish government figures, including Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Micheál Martin, have been briefed on the issue. Martin confirmed it would be discussed at a National Security Council meeting later this month.In a statement, gardaí said its Special Detective Unit (SDU) is investigating the matter and will be liaising with the Defence Forces and international security partners.
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Catherine's Christmas carol concert honours charity helpers10 hours agoBBC The Princess of Wales is hosting her annual Christmas carol concert at Westminster Abbey, with guests including royals, celebrities and local heroes who have helped their communities.The 1,600 guests will hear a mix of carols, music and readings from actors such as Kate Winslet and Chiwetel Ejiofor.The theme of the service, held in the candle-lit Abbey on Friday afternoon, is kindness and showing love to others.Among the guests will be Anna and Jonathan Cordiner, whose daughter died of a brain tumour, and who set up a charity, Kayleigh's Wee Stars, to support families who have a child with a terminal illness.
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