Category World News

The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s government is being accused of not cooperating with its new policy regarding the return of undocumented immigrants and those who commit criminal offenses by the United Kingdom.

The measures were made public by the UK Home Office in a statement late on Saturday. Additionally, it stated that Namibia and Angola have come to a consensus to increase their citizen retribution.

The agreements, which were announced last month by Secretary of State for Home Department Shabana Mahmood, represent the first significant change to the home department’s broad reforms that would temporarily change refugee status and expedite deportation for those who arrive without identification.

The DRC, Angola, or Namibia did not respond right away.

According to the Home Office, the DRC was unable to fulfill the UK’s cooperation requirements and was now denied access to VIP visa services and preferential treatment.

If cooperation doesn’t quickly improve, Mahmood warned that the UK could escalate measures to put a total stop to the DRC’s need for visas.

“We anticipate that nations will adhere to the regulations.” They must remove one of their citizens from their country if they do not have a right to remain there, she said.

“I sincerely appreciate the cooperation between Namibia and Angola. The Democratic Republic of Congo needs to make the right decision right away. Respect your citizens, or you’ll lose your right to enter our country.

She continued, “This is just the beginning of the steps I am taking to secure our border and accelerate the removal of those with no right to be here.”

In a bid to stop the arrivals of irregular migrants, which have fueled rising anger on the far-right, Prime Minister Keir Streamer’s centre-left government announced radical changes to the UK’s asylum system, including significantly lowering protections for refugees and their children.

More than 39, 000 people have flown into the UK on small boats this year, many of whom are refugees from war, compared to the total number of boats in place in 2024. This is lower than the previous record set by the Conservatives in 2022.

According to Mahmood, the reforms, which are based on Denmark’s strict asylum system, will deter people from using small boats to cross the English Channel from France.

She referred to the current system as “out of control and unfair,” and said it was a “uncomfortable truth” that the government had to face.

Refugee status will be reviewed every 30 months under the reforms. Once those nations are determined safe, refugees will be forced to go back to their home countries.

They will also have to submit a permanent residency application for 20 years instead of the current five.

Additionally, the government has stated that it will pass legislation to make deportation of irregular migrants and foreign criminals more difficult.

Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Yvette Cooper stated that the UK has “removed more than 50, 000 people with no right to remain” and that it has instructed diplomats to make returns a top priority.

However, Mark Davies, a former Foreign Office adviser, has been critical of the policy, calling it “shameful” and “a departure from” Britain’s longstanding commitment to supporting refugees.

The policy is also being attacked by former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who added that it “appeases the most ghastly, racist right-wing forces all across Europe” and that it violates the UN Convention on Human Rights.

The refugee council’s chief executive, Enver Solomon, urged the government to reconsider, warning that “crossings” should be able to be able to build “secure, settled lives” thanks to the plan’s chief executive.

According to official data cited by the AFP news agency, there were 111, 000 asylum applications submitted in the UK in the year to June 2025, a record high.

However, from 2023 to 2024, the UK government made fewer initial positive decisions.

In a 2021 coup, Myanmar’s first general election was held in the country’s first democratically elected government since the military toppled Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratically elected government.

About a third of the 330 townships in Southeast Asia are being held for the heavily scrutinized election on Sunday, with significant portions of the area unaccessible as a result of a raging civil war between the military and various opposition forces.

On January 11 and January 25, two rounds of voting will be held in addition to the initial phase, with the cancellation of voting in all 65 townships.

According to Al Jazeera’s Tony Cheng, who is reporting from Yangon, the country’s largest city, “This means that at least 20% of the country is currently disenfranchised.” What will be the turnout like in the cities, according to the article?

Polling stations in Yangon opened at 6am on Sunday (23:30 GMT, Saturday), and Cheng reported that there was a “relatively regular flow of voters” once the sun was up.

“But the majority of voters are middle-aged, and there aren’t many young people,” she continued. There are only a few options on the ballot when you examine it. He claimed that the majority of those options are military-related.

The election has been derided by critics as an unfavorable exercise with no opposition to military parties, including the United Nations, some Western nations, and human rights organizations.

Aung San Suu Kyi, who was removed from power by the military months after her party’s National League for Democracy (NLD) won the previous general election in 2020 by a landslide, is still imprisoned and has been disbanded.

The most popular party is likely to be the pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP).

The country’s 55 million-strong military, led by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, has argued that the election represents a chance for a new start politically and economically for the country.

The military chief’s ballot was released shortly after the country’s capital, Naypyidaw, opened its polling places.

According to an opinion piece published on Saturday in the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar, the polls “will turn a new page for Myanmar, shifting the narrative from a conflict-affected, crisis-laden country to a new chapter of hope for building peace and reconstructing the economy.”

The elections are being held in a setting of violence and repression, according to UN human rights chief Volker Turk, with fighting still raging in many areas of the nation. There are no restrictions on the people’s ability to freely and meaningfully participate in the exercise of their rights to freedom of expression, association, or peaceful assembly, he claimed last week.

An estimated 90,000 people have been killed, 3.5 million have been displaced, and 22 million people have been left in need of humanitarian aid as a result of the coup in 2021.

More than 22, 000 people are currently being held for political offenses, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

Armed officers patrolled traffic intersections overnight while security staff was posted outside stations in downtown Yangon. Election officials installed electronic voting machines, which are the first to be used in Myanmar, and set up the necessary equipment.

Write-in candidates and spoiled ballots won’t be permitted by the machines.

Swe Maw, 45, who dismissed international criticism, was one of the city’s first-timers.

He told the AFP news agency, “It’s not an important issue.” “People always like and dislike one another.”

Moe Moe Myint, 40, said it was “impossible for this election to be free and fair” in the central Mandalay region.

When the military has ruined our lives, how can we support a junta-run election? she told AFP. We are “living between life and death,” she continued, “hiding in jungles.”

In two weeks, the third and final round of voting will take place on January 25.

No election results announcement dates or votes counting have been set.

Any military-controlled government, even one with a civilian appearance, is unlikely to receive significant international recognition, according to analysts, and the military’s effort to establish a stable administration in the midst of a protracted conflict is fraught with risks.

After two years of Israeli bombardment, tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians in Gaza, surrounded by tents and debris, are suffering from additional winter rain.

On Saturday, the Gaza Strip was swept over by a polar low-pressure system accompanied by heavy rain and strong winds. According to meteorologist Laith al-Allami, it is the third polar low to hit the Palestinian territory over the winter, with a fourth low-pressure system expected to hit the region starting on Monday.

Since the end of Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, many families have been residing in tents since late 2023.

Authorities warn that the downpour could become a full-blown storm as the enclave is set to experience freezing temperatures, rain, and strong winds.

In his thorny tent, displaced Palestinian Mohammed Maslah told Al Jazeera he had no choice but to remain in Gaza City.

He told Al Jazeera, “I could not find anywhere in Gaza, except Gaza Port.” Because of Israeli control over my home, I’m compelled to remain here. We were soaked after a brief period of rain.

Shaima Wadi, a mother of four children who fled Jabaliya in the north, spoke to the Associated Press in Deir al-Balah. We have been residing in this tent for two years, according to the statement. We try to put up new pieces of wood whenever it rains and the tent topples over our heads,” she said. We can barely afford clothing for our children or mattresses for them to sleep on because of how expensive everything has become and we don’t have any money.

Gaza’s tents and makeshift shelters were flooded by heavy rains earlier this month, causing the country’s largest city to lose most of its buildings to Israeli attacks.

At least 15 people have died from hypothermia in the past three months in Gaza as a result of rain and freezing temperatures, according to the authorities in Gaza. Israel should grant more shelters and other forms of humanitarian aid, according to aid organizations.

As the weather conditions in the areas where displaced people set up fragile tents deteriorated, Civil Defence’s field operations manager in the Gaza Port region, Ibrahim Abu al-Reesh, said that his teams responded to a number of distress calls.

After some of these ruined tents were flooded by rainwater, he told Al Jazeera, “We worked hard to cover some of these damaged tents with plastic sheets.”

According to Ibrahim Al Khalili of Al Jazeera, who is based in Gaza City, winter has been worse for the suffering of tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees who lack safe havens.

He claimed that “the same misery persists as each rain pours muddy water over neighborhoods.”

talks on a ceasefire

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to Washington, DC in the coming days as Palestinians battle the Gaza-imposed second stage of the ceasefire.

Slowly, the peace process has advanced. The deployment of an international stabilization force, a technocratic governing body for Gaza, Hamas’ proposed disarmament, and further Israeli troop withdrawals from the area are among the challenges facing phase two of the ceasefire.

Despite Israel’s repeated violations, the agreement has so far partially been enforced.

More than 414 Palestinians have died and 1,142 have been injured since the ceasefire was in effect, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.

Additionally, it stated that 679 people were killed when the rubble was removed during the same time because the truce makes it safer to search for the remains of those killed earlier.

Over the past 48 hours, 29 bodies, including 25 recovered from under the rubble, have been transported to nearby hospitals, according to the ministry on Saturday.

Victor Osimhen led Nigeria to victory in Fes, helping them to move into the Africa Cup of Nations knockout stage after Egypt, by surviving a late Tunisian assault with a score of 3-2.

On Saturday, the Super Eagles won 3-0 thanks to goals from Wilfred Ndidi, Ademola Lookman, and Osimhen, the team’s captain.

In the top-of-the-table Group C encounter, Tunisia refused to concede, and Montassar Talbi and Ali Abdi scored to set up a tense conclusion.

In the seventh minute of added time, Tunisia had two chances to equalize, but Ferjani Sassi’s header and Ismael Gharbi’s shot were both just off target.

The final group game of Tuesday will feature Nigeria with six points, Tunisia three, and Tanzania and Uganda one each.

The Super Eagles and Carthage Eagles squared off in an AFCON for the seventh time.

Tunisia won once, and Nigeria won three. Following penalty shootouts, each nation won one of the two meetings.

After falling far short of what they needed in the opening round, Nigeria turned heads in the first 30 minutes of play in Tunisia.

Tunisia had to fight back against the three-time champions frequently, especially in aerial duels, while Osimhen excelled.

The Galatasaray striker, who is sporting his signature mask, headed just over after nine minutes before rising to meet a corner kick.

After 17 minutes, Osimhen was awarded an offside penalty. The 2023 African player of the year was filmed on big-screen replays before his run was too early.

After reacting furiously when a Nigerian made a foul throw and flung the ball into the ground, Tunisia midfielder Hannibal Mejbri was fortunate to escape a yellow card for dissent.

Osimhen left the pitch temporarily so that the medical staff could spray a shot to his leg after another headed goal attempt.

On 32 minutes, Tunisia finally forced a corner after breaking out of a defensive shell. The ball was returned to Abdi after the set-piece, and his shot soared well over.

The goalless deadlock was broken after 44 minutes, with Osimhen, as one might expect, being the scorer in a number of Tunisian raids, which failed to yield any results.

Two former African players of the year, Lookman and Osimhen, both advancing past the halfway point, volleyed powerfully into the net.

Nigeria increased their lead to two goals just five minutes into the second half as they once more showed the defense’s aerial weaknesses.

Ndidi soared to beat goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen for his first international goal, but Atalanta striker Lookman was the architect once more as he hung a corner into the goalmouth.

On 67 minutes, Lookman scored the third goal after Osimhen had already set up the first two goals. Before slamming the ball off the post, he had some control over the situation.

With 16 minutes left, Tunisia won the game. After a successful aerial battle, Talbi ducked a Mejbri free-kick into the net.

Tunisia took control of the match and scored it again with three minutes remaining when Abdi converted a penalty after a VAR review revealed Bright Samuel had handled the ball.

Tanzania defeated by Uganda’s penalty chance.

At the Africa Cup of Nations earlier on Saturday, Uganda’s Allan Okello was forced to settle for a 1-1 draw against Tanzania, which was East Africa’s neighbor.

After Uche Ikpeazu scored a late equaliser for the Cranes in front of 10, 540 fans at Rabat’s Al Medina Stadium, Okello’s failure to convert from the spot gave Uganda a priceless victory in Group C.

Before that, it appeared as though Tanzania, which has lost all but 10 of its previous AFCON matches, might finally win when Simon Msuva scored from the penalty spot.

With 10 minutes left, Ikpeazu, who plays for St Johnstone in the Scottish second division, headed in a cross from fellow substitute Denis Omedi to bring the score level.

“I feel terrible because I don’t believe this draw was merited.” Coach Paul Put of Uganda, “I believe we had more opportunities.”

He remarked about the missed penalty, saying, “That is very, very painful, but that is also football.”

The regional rivals’ odds of making it to Group C’s last 16 are slim because of the impasse, which will see Kenya hosting the 2027 Cup of Nations.

Both teams are currently tied for first place in their previous matches, Nigeria and Tunisia, with the two former champions facing off in Fes on Saturday.

Despite their best efforts, Put, whose team will next face Nigeria, said, “It is not in our hands, but we must believe it.”

Uganda, who have won just one AFCON championship game win in three games since 1978’s final, came closest to scoring in the first half.

Rogers Mato’s head hit a left-angled Aziz Kayondo cross, which bounced back after the effort fell off the crossbar.

Just before the hour mark, Alphonce Msanga’s shot struck the arm of Ugandan Baba Alhassan, who was awarded a spot-kick.

The seasoned Msuva, who plays for club football in Iraq, was unaffected when he first started scoring goals at three different AFCON competitions.

However, Tanzania wasted the lead after a dramatic end to the game in the midst of a pouring downpour before breathing a great sigh of relief as Uganda missed a chance to win.

When James Bogere fell as his shirt was pulled by Tanzanian defender Haji Mnoga of Salford City, Ikpeazu won the penalty, 1-1.

Okello stepped up just before the 90th minute when the game was in the 90th, perhaps offended by a massive thunderclap that sent his kick over the bar.

Coach Miguel Angel Gamondi expressed his disappointment with the outcome, noting that the team attempted to win but had also the opportunity to lose in the final five minutes.

Unai Emery’s remarkable track record of turning around games, which has secured his side a place in the Premier League title race, has been highlighted by Aston Villa’s most recent comeback victory.

Villa have won their 12th league games since winning on Saturday, winning 2-1 at Chelsea, more than any other team, for the first time this season. They have now scored 18 points from losing positions.

The Spaniard has been having a significant impact on his decision-making not just this year. According to data firm Opta, Villa have won more points from games in which they have lost than any other Premier League team over the past three seasons.

With Chelsea leading 1-0 at the break and looking in control, Emery made a triple substitution in the 58th minute, adding winger Jadon Sancho and midfielder Amadou Onana, who both had attacking firepower.

Robert Sanchez was beat in the Chelsea goal by Morgan Rogers on a through ball five minutes later.

Villa appeared transformed from the position they were held back by their hosts for the majority of the first hour, buoyed by their equalizer and change of personnel.

With an angled header from Sanchez in the 84th minute, Watkins, who was hoping to make the England World Cup squad for the upcoming summer, met a Youri Tielemans corner.

When Sky Sports inquired about Emery’s ability to alter the tone of matches, Watkins responded, “He’s a tactical genius.”

The coach made an effort to sound less obnoxious. When asked about Villa’s ability to turn defeat into victory, Emery responded, “It’s something, of course, that makes us proud of everything we are doing.”

Despite their blistering form, he wanted to minimize his side’s chances of winning the title.

Emery responded, “I am not feeling it.” “Wow, we are now the third team in the league with two teams, Manchester City and Arsenal,” said one player.

Villa, who struggled badly at the start of the campaign, needs to show more consistency, he said, with the season only halfway through.

On Tuesday in London, Villa takes on league leader Arsenal.

Enzo Maresca, Chelsea’s manager, was concerned about his young side’s much less impressive statistics, which included four points from winning positions in Premier League games this season, four more than any other team.

The Italian told reporters, “We need to understand why we struggle a little to manage the game when we concede a goal.”

Before Villa’s comeback, he had to rue Chelsea’s failure to create a bigger lead.

I believe we should have scored two to three goals by the time they scored the goal, Maresca said.

Form continues at Arsenal, Man City, and Liverpool.

Arsenal continued their festive fixtures with a 2-1 defeat over Brighton & Hove Albion to keep themselves top of the Premier League on Saturday after Manchester City threw down the gauntlet for the second consecutive weekend, and they did so without fail.

Rayan Cherki and Rayan Cherki grabbed a goal and an assist to move quickly to the top of the pile in City’s 2-1 victory over Nottingham Forest.

However, as they did last week when they defeated Everton at home to West Ham United, Martin Odegaard’s captain scored his first goal of the season for Mikel Arteta’s side, just like they did last week.

The halfway point of the Premier League season was in need of an own goal and a spectacular save by keeper David Raya to keep Arsenal in the game.

City leads the league with 40 points from 18 games while the London team has 42.

It should have been a straightforward three points for the hosts when Odegaard scored the opener in the 14th minute and Georginio Rutter’s own goal from a Declan Rice corner made it 2-0 shortly after the break.

However, Diego Gomez’s response to Brighton altered the tone of the match, and Arsenal came away with a victory at the end of the match.

Arteta compared a victory that should have been easier to say, “The knock-on effect of winning is incredibly powerful.”

“The Premier League should never be 2-1,” he said. We have a lot of issues, but we’re handling them in an incredible way, which is what I like. You can see the effort that Jurrien put in to defeat us in the warm-up, but today we lost [Riccardo] Calafiori, and you can see how well he played as a full-back. So our players’ players’ players’ desire is that spirit, and that is it.

On a heartfelt Anfield afternoon, when both sets of fans remembered the late Diogo Jota, who passed away in a car crash in July, Florian Wirtz scored his first Liverpool goal.

Although Wolves rallied in the second half and scored again with Santiago Bueno, Wirtz doubled Liverpool’s lead shortly after Ryan Gravenberch had given them the lead.

Liverpool, the reigning champion, moved fourth with 32 points, while Wolves’ misery continues at the bottom.