Prosecutors in Italy are examining claims that Italians travelled to Bosnia during the war in the 1990s to join ‘sniper safaris,’ paying fees to shoot at civilians from Serb-held hills above besieged Sarajevo.
UFC boss Dana White had to separate a tense staredown between welterweight title holder Jack Della Maddalena and Islam Makhachev before their fight this weekend, as the defending champ pledged to beat the mixed martial arts “legend” to bring the belt home to Australia.
The fighters came nose-to-nose and refused to break eye contact during a face-off after their news conference on Thursday at Madison Square Garden, New York, where they will headline UFC 322 on Saturday night, eventually leading White to prise them apart.
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Della Maddalena (18-2) will mount his first title defence after beating Belal Muhammad by unanimous decision to become champion in May. The 29-year-old Australian is undefeated in the UFC and is now on an 18-fight win streak overall.
The 34-year-old Makhachev (27-1), who is regarded as a pound-for-pound great and is on a 15-win streak, vacated his lightweight belt to move up a weight class.
Della Maddalena was taciturn but appeared unfazed as he received a chorus of boos from the crowd at Thursday night’s news conference, with his Dagestani opponent the clear fan-favourite.
“This is what I got in this sport for – big challenges, big moments. I’m excited for the challenge and I’m looking forward to it,” Della Maddalena said.
“I’m going to bring this belt back home to Australia, no doubt,” he added.
“Obviously, Islam’s a legend. A big win over him would be a big name on the resume and it would definitely put me up on the pound-for-pound list.”
Makhachev responded by saying he would go 4-0 against Australian fighters – although he may have been lumping the New Zealander Dan Hooker in that list, as his only previous Aussie opponent was Alexander Volkanovski, who Makhachev beat twice.
“Australia, it’s a good place. I was there, I like it and now it’s 3-0, I will make it four,” he said.
Della Maddalena hit back by saying several Australian fighters were thriving in the UFC.
“I am very proud to be Australian, very proud to raise the Australian flag,” he said.
“Australia is very competitive, it has a fighting culture and that’s why we’re doing so well. We have two champions and after this weekend we will still have two champions.”
Although Della Maddalena and Makhachev are both well-rounded fighters, the Australian is renowned for his boxing while the Dagestani is famed for his ferocious ground game.
Makhachev smiled and said he “didn’t know” when asked if Della Maddalena was the best boxer in the UFC.
“Jack is one of the best, but I am also a good striker, so let’s see who is better,” he said.
Della Maddalena, meanwhile, told reporters he would “absolutely” be able to defend Makhachev’s takedown attempts for the entire fight, as he did so effectively in his victory over Muhammad.
The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has accused Israel of deliberately crippling its operations and blocking the entry of vital aid to Gaza amid its more than two-year genocidal war, as Palestinians face the onset of heavy rains and winter with sparse shelter or relief.
“Safeguarding UNRWA’s mandate and operations is required under international law; it is vital to the survival of millions of Palestinians; and it is essential for a political solution,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini told the UN General Assembly Fourth Committee on Thursday, citing recent findings by the UN Commission of Inquiry and rulings by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) obligating Israel to lift restrictions on the agency.
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Lazzarini also told a news conference at the UN headquarters in New York that severe funding shortfalls were threatening UNRWA’s essential services, urging donor nations for more money, so that it could continue its operations in Gaza despite funding cuts by the United States.
“We run week by week, month by month. I know that as of today, we will be able to process our salaries in November, but have no idea if or no visibility if we will be able to process our salaries in December,” said Lazzarini.
Israel has barred UNRWA from operating on its soil after baselessly accusing some of its employees of participating in the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, which triggered the war.
Israel has repeatedly accused UNRWA employees of involvement in the October 7 attack without providing proof.
Following those allegations, the US – historically the agency’s biggest donor – suspended its support.
In the wake of Israel’s decision, UNRWA was forced to repatriate its international staff from Gaza and the occupied West Bank, limiting its food aid distribution abilities.
But it still employs 12,000 people in the Palestinian territory, and its services are vital to Palestinians, Lazzarini insisted.
“About 75,000 people were sheltered in 100 of our premises across the Gaza Strip,” he said.
“We have, over the last two years, provided more than 15 million primary health consultations. Today, the average is about 14,000 a day,” he added, also noting the agency’s joint vaccination campaign with UNICEF and the World Health Organization. UNRWA also provides education for tens of thousands of children.
“In the absence of a significant influx of new funding, the delivery of critical services to millions of Palestinian refugees across the region will be compromised,” Lazzarini added.
While US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said UNRWA will have no role in post-war Gaza, in sync with Israeli demands, Lazzarini noted that since the US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas took hold, “we have expanded our services”.
Under the ceasefire, which took effect on October 10, and which Israel has violated hundreds of times, aid deliveries were supposed to be significantly ramped up, with at least 600 trucks a day due to enter Gaza to fulfil the population’s needs.
However, only “around 150 trucks” have been entering Gaza daily, carrying supplies that are not sufficient for the “two million Palestinians that are currently displaced and homeless”, said Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary, reporting from Deir el-Balah, in central Gaza.
“There are a lot of Palestinian families who have said that there are no tarps, no tents, and they didn’t receive any humanitarian aid”, despite the arrival of the aid trucks, said Khoudary.
The lack of supplies, coupled with the onset of winter, is a “terrifying nightmare for a lot of families and especially for those who are living in makeshift camps”, said Khoudary.
The lack of supplies has prompted the UN to warn that the hunger crisis in Gaza remains catastrophic, particularly in the north, where famine was declared in August, due to the slow and difficult route aid convoys face from the south.
Trucks carrying humanitarian aid and commercial cargo resumed passage through the northern Zikim border crossing earlier this week.
Israel had closed the crossing, the main entry point into the hard-hit northern Gaza Strip, for two months, with its reopening welcomed by Palestinians and UN aid agencies.
Palestinian truck driver Abdulkarim Abu Daqqa said on Thursday that they had loaded approximately 80 trucks and hoped that the crossings would continue the following day to alleviate Gaza’s humanitarian crisis.
A spokesperson for COGAT, the Israeli Defence Ministry body that oversees civilian affairs in the occupied Palestinian territory, told the AFP news agency that the crossing would remain open permanently.
The October ceasefire also provided for the release of captives and prisoners held by Israel and Hamas.
Israel on Thursday received the body of one of the last four captives held by Hamas from the Red Cross, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said.
The coffin was handed over in the Gaza Strip to the Israeli army and Shin Bet security service, the office said.
It later said forensic experts had confirmed the body was that of Israeli captive Meny Godard, 73, who was killed in the Hamas-led October 2023 attack on southern Israel.
Hamas said the body was found in Khan Younis in the south of the territory.
The search for the remaining three bodies is going to be “complicated” and “will take time”, said Khoudary.
According to an announcement by Hamas’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, they require “more tools, more equipment … more technicians” as the location where the bodies are located is “very unreachable”, Khoudary added.
The remaining bodies are located beyond the so-called Yellow Line, according to Khoudary, which are “dangerous areas”.
The Yellow Line is a boundary dividing the Gaza Strip into Israeli-occupied and Hamas-controlled zones, established as part of the October ceasefire. Israel has been routinely firing at and killing Palestinians venturing to check on the ruins of their homes in areas it controls in recent weeks.
Palestinians are eagerly waiting for the three remaining bodies to be handed over to the Israeli authorities, “because their lives are on hold. Palestinians want reconstruction, they want to know from where they could start their lives all over,” said Khoudary. “There are a lot of Palestinians who need medical evacuations, and these won’t happen until the three bodies” have been delivered to Israel via the Red Cross.
At the start of the truce, Hamas held 20 living captives and 28 bodies of the deceased.
In exchange, Israel has released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in its custody and returned the bodies of hundreds of deceased Palestinians.
Gaza’s health officials have said many of the returned bodies showed signs of torture, mutilation and execution.
Gaza health officials said on Friday they had received the bodies of 15 Palestinians returned by Israel. Their remains were delivered to Nasser Medical Complex, according to an Al Jazeera correspondent. This brings the total number of bodies recovered through the deal to 330.
“Identifying these bodies [of Palestinians] has been very challenging,” said Khoudary.
Ireland coach Heimir Hallgrimsson has said Cristiano Ronaldo was wrong to blame him for the red card he received as Portugal fell to a World Cup qualifying defeat.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner exchanged words with Hallgrimsson after being sent off during Portugal’s 2-0 defeat in Dublin on Thursday.
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Ronaldo said before the game the Ireland coach had tried to put pressure on the referee by telling the officials not to be influenced by the superstar striker.
With his team trailing by two goals in the second half, the 40-year-old was frustrated and elbowed Dara O’Shea in the back as the Ireland player marked him in the box.
“He complimented me with putting pressure on the referee, but listen, it had nothing to do with me, it was his action on the pitch that cost him a red card,” Hallgrimsson told reporters.
“It had nothing to do with me unless I got into his head.”
He added, “This was just a moment of a little silliness for him, I would say.”
It was Ronaldo’s first sending off in 226 appearances for the national side.
At the very least, Ronaldo will serve a mandatory one-game ban, but FIFA disciplinary rules require its judges to impose a ban of “at least two matches for serious foul play”.
Despite the blatant elbow, Portugal manager Roberto Martinez said the red card was harsh.
“I thought it was a bit harsh because he cares about the team,” Martinez told reporters. “He was almost 60 minutes in the box being grabbed, pulled, pushed and obviously he tries to get away from the defender.
“I think the action looks worse than what it actually is. I don’t think it’s an elbow; I think it’s a full body, but from where the camera is, it looks like an elbow. But we accept it.”
Martinez also questioned Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson’s comments about Ronaldo “controlling the referee” in the reverse fixture in Lisbon last month, which Portugal won 1-0.
“The only thing that leaves a bitter taste in my mouth is at the press conference yesterday, Ireland coach was talking about the aspect of the referees being influenced, and then a big centre half falls on the floor so dramatically at the turn of Cristiano’s body,” Martinez said.
Portugal, who are assured at least a playoff spot, are two points clear of Hungary at the top of Group F with a superior goal difference. The Irish are one point further back.
Bangladesh has been hit by a wave of violence before a court verdict due against the toppled longtime Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, with her party calling for a nationwide “lockdown” to protest the case.
Schools in the capital Dhaka and other major cities went online on Thursday amid severe transport disruption, following a sharp rise in attacks.
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As tensions mounted, the country’s authorities recorded 32 crude bomb explosions on Wednesday, with dozens of buses set on fire across the country.
No casualties were reported when two more crude bombs went off near Dhaka airport on Thursday night.
The interim government of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus has increased security measures, deploying 400 soldiers from the paramilitary Border Guard across the capital.
Meanwhile, checkpoints have been strengthened and public gatherings heavily restricted.
The recent violence has included a fire bomb being thrown at a government office in Gopalganj district, which is Hasina’s ancestral home. Local media also reported that an office of Grameen Bank, which Yunus founded, was torched in eastern Bangladesh on Wednesday.
Police have arrested dozens of supporters of Hasina’s Awami League party over their alleged involvement in explosions and sabotage.
Hasina, who fled to India last August during deadly antigovernment protests, is being tried in absentia for crimes against humanity. She denies any wrongdoing, claiming the trial is politically motivated.
The 78-year-old is accused of being the “mastermind and principal architect” behind Bangladeshi security forces’ violent suppression of demonstrations last year, which were prompted by a controversial government job-quota system.
As many as 1,400 people may have been killed in the violence, according to the United Nations.
The daughter of Bangladesh’s founding father, former President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Hasina first came to power in 1996, six years after she led a pro-democracy uprising that toppled the military ruler Hossain Muhammad Ershad.
After becoming prime minister again in 2009, Hasina ruled for 15 years until last August. Rights groups say her second premiership was autocratic, pointing to abuses such as arrests, disappearances and extrajudicial killings.
Yunus, the interim prime minister, said he inherited a “completely” broken political system from her.
The 85-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner announced on Thursday that the nation of 170 million would hold a referendum on a national charter signed last month. It will take place on the same day as parliamentary elections in February, he said.
The United States and South Korea have released details of a trade agreement that includes a $150bn Korean investment in the US shipbuilding sector, and both countries agree to “move forward” on building nuclear-powered submarines.
Under the agreement, President Lee Jae Myung said on Friday that South Korea will build nuclear-powered submarines as part of a new partnership with Washington on shipbuilding, artificial intelligence and the nuclear industry.
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A fact sheet released by the White House said the US gave approval for Seoul to build nuclear-powered submarines and that South Korea will invest an additional $200bn in US industrial sectors in addition to the $150bn in shipbuilding.
South Korea’s official Yonhap news agency said Seoul’s investment was in return for Washington’s lowering of trade tariffs on Korean goods to 15 percent from 25 percent.
“One of the greatest variables for our economy and security – the bilateral negotiations on trade, tariffs and security – has been finalised,” President Lee said at a news conference on Friday, adding the two countries had agreed to “move forward with building nuclear-powered submarines”.
“The United States has given approval for the ROK [Republic of Korea] to build nuclear-powered attack submarines,” Lee said.
Seoul also secured “support for expanding our authority over uranium enrichment and spent-fuel reprocessing”, he said.
The joint fact sheet outlining the deal said both sides would “collaborate further through a shipbuilding working group” to “increase the number of US commercial ships and combat-ready US military vessels “.
Yonhap also reported that South Korea is seeking to acquire “four or more 5,000-ton conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines by the mid-2030s “.
South Korea’s development of nuclear-powered vessels would provide a significant boost to its naval and defence industries, allowing Seoul to join a select group of countries with such technological capabilities, analysts say.
China had already voiced concern over a Washington-Seoul deal on nuclear submarine technology.
Such a partnership “goes beyond a purely commercial partnership, directly touching on the global nonproliferation regime and the stability of the Korean Peninsula and the wider region,” China’s Ambassador in Seoul Dai Bing told reporters on Thursday.
North Korea did not immediately comment on the development, but is likely to respond. Pyongyang has consistently accused Washington and Seoul of building up military forces on the North’s borders in preparation for an invasion one day.
Details remain murky on where the nuclear submarines will be built.
US President Donald Trump said on social media last month that “South Korea will be building its Nuclear Powered Submarine in the Philadelphia Shipyards, right here in the good ol’ U.S.A”.
However, Seoul’s national security adviser Wi Sung-lac said on Friday that “from start to finish, the leaders’ discussion proceeded on the premise that construction would take place in South Korea”.