Storm Byron is set to hit Gaza as nearly 1.5 million Palestinians shelter in flood-prone camps with little protection. Aid groups say Israel’s restrictions on vital shelter materials — including timber and tent poles — have left families exposed to severe winds, rain, and disease.
Palestine’s historic run at the the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025 is over after a 2-1 defeat after extra time by Saudi Arabia in the quarterfinals at Lusail Stadium.
Mohamed Kanno’s stooping header settled matters in the 115th minute of Thursday’s match, which was level at 1-1 after normal time.
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Firas Al-Buraikan had given the Saudis a 58th-minute lead from the penalty spot, but Palestine – who earlier this year reached the AFC Asian Cup knockout stages for the first time – levelled six minutes later through Oday Dabbagh.
Jordan or Iraq, who play on Friday, await the Saudis in Monday’s semifinals.
In a tight first half, only one side managed a shot on target, a reflection of Saudi’s share of the play, which included four efforts off target compared with Palestine’s one.
It came when Salem Al-Dawsari very nearly provided the spark to open up the Palestine defence. The Saudi forward burst into the box via the inside right channel and squared his cross-come-shot that was only palmed away by Rami Hamada, who dived off his line but could only tip the ball towards the onrushing group of players.
Al Buraikan, Al-Dawsari’s strike partner, looked certain for a simple tap-in to break the deadlock, but was denied at the last moment by a toe poke from Hamed Hamdan to concede a corner.
Hamdan himself had been the closest to the target prior to that, with a drive from the edge of the box, but the effort continued to climb over the bar.
The breakthrough came after Al-Dawsari burst into the box from the left with a fine run only to be tripped by Mohammed Saleh before he could unleash a shot.
Al-Buraikan made no mistake from the resulting kick, sending the keeper the wrong way with a slotted, left-footed effort.
The reply did not take long, however, as Dabbagh produced a moment of brilliance to control a deep ball in from the right flank with his left foot.
The Palestinian striker then unleashed a drilled shot with his right in virtually the same movement, which left the keeper with no chance.
Ali Majrashi came closest to restoring the Saudi lead, as the right back’s fierce strike from outside the box clipped the top of the bar.
Palestine’s hearts were in their mouths once more, when Kanno slotted home in injury time, only to see the offside flag raised.
Although matters nearly were far worse when a penalty was awarded against Saleh for the second time in the match. After a VAR intervention, the on-field decision of handball was overruled as the defender’s slide to block the ball, which resulted in his arm being struck, was deemed accidental.
The second half, and extra time, were as nervy as the first half was tight, but a first appearance in the last four proved too great a feat for Palestine. Kanno’s header in extra time ended Palestine’s historic run, although Dabbagh spurned a wonderful chance on the volley in the closing seconds that could have taken the tie to penalties.
Earlier in the day, 10-man Morocco reached the last four as Walid Azaro’s 79th-minute strike was enough for his side to secure a 1-0 win against Syria.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has affirmed Moscow’s solidarity with Venezuela, a day after the United States seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the Latin American country’s coast.
Putin’s exchange with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro came during a call on Thursday, according to the Kremlin.
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“Vladimir Putin expressed solidarity with the Venezuelan people”, the Kremlin said in a readout.
The Russian leader “confirmed his support for the Maduro government’s policy aimed at protecting national interests and sovereignty in the face of growing external pressure”, it added.
Venezuela’s government said the pair “reaffirmed the strategic, solid, and growing nature of their bilateral relations”.
It added that Putin “reiterated that the channels of direct communication between the two nations remain permanently open and assured that Russia will continue to support Venezuela in its struggle to uphold its sovereignty, international law, and peace throughout Latin America”.
The warm words come as the administration of US President Donald Trump continues to up pressure on Venezuela. On Tuesday, US Navy Seals boarded and seized a US-sanctioned tanker in the Caribbean, where US military assets have surged.
Caracas has called the seizure an act of “international piracy”.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said she would not rule out future actions against sanctioned tankers.
“We’re not going to stand by and watch sanctioned vessels sail the seas with black market oil, the proceeds of which will fuel narcoterrorism of rogue and illegitimate regimes around the world,” she said.
Washington has not officially identified the tanker, but British maritime risk firm Vanguard said the vessel appeared to be the crude carrier Skipper. The tanker was sanctioned in 2022 for allegedly helping to transport oil for the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, and Iran’s Quds Force.
The US has for weeks been conducting strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, with Trump repeatedly threatening to take military action on Venezuelan territory.
The Trump administration has said any actions would be aimed at Venezuela’s illicit drug trade, despite experts dismissing claims that the country is a leading source of drugs smuggled into the US.
Maduro has said the pressure campaign is aimed at toppling his government.
The situation has brought renewed attention to Venezuela’s allies, which have dwindled in recent years. Currently, only Nicaragua and Cuba remain closely aligned with Venezuela in the region.
Caracas maintains close ties with Russia and China, and ties with Iran have strengthened in recent years amid shared opposition to US policy.
Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has announced that he is “returning power to the people”, moving to dissolve parliament and opening the door to elections earlier than previously planned.
Anutin has submitted a request for the dissolution of parliament to the king, local media reported on Thursday.
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If the monarch approves the dissolution, elections must be held within 45-60 days, according to the Thai constitution.
Government spokesman Siripong Angkasakulkiat told the news agency Reuters that the move followed a dispute with the opposition People’s Party, the largest bloc in the legislature.
“This happened because we can’t go forward in parliament,” Siripong said, describing a legislative impasse that has paralysed the government’s agenda.
The political rupture comes as Thailand faces a fourth consecutive day of heavy fighting with Cambodia along their shared border. At least 20 people have been killed and nearly 200 wounded in clashes across more than a dozen locations, some involving artillery exchanges.
Anutin insisted the dissolution would not disrupt security operations. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, he said military deployments along the border would continue uninterrupted.
He later repeated his stance on social media: “I am returning power to the people.”
Anutin, Thailand’s third prime minister since August 2023, has struggled to stabilise an economy hampered by high household debt, sluggish consumption and pressure from United States tariffs. Political uncertainty has added to the strain on Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy.
Anutin had initially said he planned to dissolve parliament by the end of January, with elections scheduled for March or early April.
His rise to power followed his Bhumjaithai Party’s withdrawal from the ruling coalition and a new agreement with the People’s Party, which demanded several concessions, including a referendum on constitutional reform, in exchange for supporting him.
Siripong said the coalition fractured when those demands were not met. “When the People’s Party couldn’t get what they want, they said they will submit a no-confidence motion and asked the PM to dissolve parliament immediately,” he told Reuters.
Palestinians in Gaza celebrated after Israeli-backed militia leader Yasser Abu Shabab was killed.
United States Senators have rejected duelling health bills aimed at helping Americans deal with rising insurance costs in the new year.
On Thursday, Republicans blocked a Democrat-led measure that would extend COVID-era subsidies for three years under the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare.
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The proposal was the congressional Democrats’ solution to address rising healthcare premiums next year. But the legislation failed to attract enough Republicans and fell short of the chamber’s 60-vote threshold to advance.
All Democrats voted for the bill alongside four Republicans: Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan of Alaska, as well as Susan Collins of Maine and Josh Hawley of Missouri.
Without the subsidies, premiums could more than double in cost on average, according to KFF, a health policy organisation.
For some, like Nicole Sheaff, a mother of four in New Hampshire, her prices would quintuple.
“I’m terrified we won’t be able to keep up with our mortgage. At the same time, going without health insurance is not an option. My husband has a chronic condition that he needs medication to manage, and he wouldn’t be able to afford it without health coverage. He’s lost family members to the same condition, and we simply can’t take that risk,” Sheaff said in testimony in front of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee earlier this month.
A Republican-led proposal earlier in the day also failed to pass. The measure would have sent up to $1,500 to those making less than 700 percent of the federal poverty line, which would be $110,000 for a single person and $225,000 for a family of four.
The payments are intended to help cover out-of-pocket costs for “Bronze” or “Catastrophic” plans on the healthcare marketplace to help meet the threshold they need to pay before their insurance kicks in.
The funds come with limitations that Democrats have long objected to, including verification of citizenship status and that the funds could not be used for abortion or gender transition treatment.
All Democrats voted against the measure and were joined by Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky.
The proposed funds are far below the plans’ deductibles, meaning that even after that payment, a patient would be on the hook for up to $7,500 in out-of-pocket medical expenses before their insurance would start to pay for part of their care.
Those costs can rack up quickly for people with lower-cost plans, with a visit to a US emergency room costing between $1,000 and $3,000, while an ambulance ride can cost anywhere from $500 to more than $3,500.
Underscored by higher costs in food and housing, Felicia Burnett, national director for health care for MomsRising, a family advocacy organisation, said the families around the country are running out of ways to cut costs and higher healthcare bills only further the strain.
“The thing that I’m hearing, honestly, is fear. Families have reached the end of what they’re able to cut, and they’re fearful about their future. They don’t know what to expect when they’re not able to afford to go to the doctor or get the care that they need,” Burnett told Al Jazeera.
“Families are going to be having to make really difficult choices between receiving treatment for their ongoing health issues or buying prescriptions and affording their other basic needs like food and housing.”
Approximately 2.2 million Americans could lose their health insurance premium subsidies if they are not extended, according to the Congressional Budget Office, leaving low- and middle-income families struggling to maintain coverage.
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll found Americans back a healthcare subsidy continuation. Some 51 percent of respondents — including three-quarters of Democrats and a third of Republicans — said they support extending the subsidies. Only 21 percent said they were opposed.
Insurance companies have warned customers of the rising premiums in the new year, and Democrats argue there is not enough time to do anything but a clean extension of the tax credits. Congress is set to leave Washington at the end of this week and will not return until January 5.
With more people forgoing insurance altogether because of the cost, experts like Dr Bruce Y Lee, professor of public health at CUNY Graduate School of Public Health, says there will be additional strains on emergency rooms, which have an obligation to treat people with or without a way to pay for care.