Football, under French colonial rule, was built to exclude them. So Algerians built their own club.
When football fought colonial rule
Former Iraqi President Salih slated to lead UN refugee agency
Former Iraqi President Barham Salih is on course to become the next head of the United Nations refugee agency after Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recommended him for the job.
A signed letter from Guterres, dated Thursday and addressed to Atsuyuki Oike, Japan’s top diplomat in Geneva and chair of UNHCR’s executive committee, that was seen by news agencies, confirmed the appointment pending formal approval.
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All going according to plan, Salih, 65, will succeed Filippo Grandi, whose second five-year term as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees expires on December 31, becoming the first non-Western head of the Geneva-based agency in about half a century.
Alessandra Vellucci, chief spokesperson for the UN office, told reporters that the appointment would have to go through “a proper process” that includes consultations with the UNHCR committee, with a final decision taken by the UN General Assembly in New York.
“The process is ongoing. And once it’s finished, there will be an official announcement made by the United Nations,” said Vellucci.
Salih, who studied engineering in the United Kingdom to escape persecution under the rule of Saddam Hussein, served as Iraqi president from 2018 to 2022.
Originally from Iraq’s Kurdish region, Salih said during his campaign for the job that he believed deeply in the refugee agency’s mission “because I have lived it”.
“My vision is a UNHCR that places refugees at the centre, recognising that humanitarian aid is meant to be temporary,” he said.
The expected succession comes at the end of a devastating year, with UNHCR having slashed its 2026 budget by nearly a fifth to $8.5bn, with 5,000 job losses coming down the line, even as global displacement spikes amid conflicts in Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine.
Key donors like the US under President Donald Trump have cut contributions, and others have shifted funds to defence.
Salih aims to broaden funding sources, tap Islamic finance, and enlist private-sector partners through a proposed “Global CEO Humanitarian Council”.
He faces growing Western restrictions on asylum, amid anti-immigration sentiment, as well as frustration in poorer states sheltering refugees.
About a dozen candidates competed for the role, including politicians, an IKEA executive and a TV personality. More than half were European.
Nobel peace laureate Narges Mohammadi arrested in Iran, supporters say
Supporters of 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi say she has been arrested while attending a memorial ceremony in the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad.
The Narges Foundation said on Friday that Mohammadi, 53, was arrested during an event honouring a human rights lawyer who recently died in unclear circumstances.
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Iranian authorities have not commented on her reported detention, and it remains uncertain whether she will be returned to prison to complete a previous sentence.
The arrest comes amid a broader clampdown on activists and civil society figures as Iran faces sanctions, economic pressures and heightened regional tensions.
Her supporters described Mohammadi as having been “violently detained earlier today by security and police forces”, adding that several other activists were also taken into custody.
They had gathered to commemorate Khosrow Alikordi, a 46-year-old lawyer and rights advocate who was found dead in his office this month. Local officials said he suffered a heart attack, though more than 80 lawyers have signed a statement seeking further clarification.
“The Narges Foundation calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all detained individuals who were attending a memorial ceremony to pay their respects and demonstrate solidarity,” the group said. “Their arrest constitutes a serious violation of fundamental freedoms.”
Regular protests
Footage circulating online appeared to show Mohammadi addressing the crowd without a headscarf and leading chants referencing Majidreza Rahnavard, who was executed in public in 2022.
Mohammadi was granted temporary medical leave from prison in December 2024 after suffering longstanding health problems.
Although the leave was initially limited to three weeks, it was extended as she underwent treatment, including surgery for a bone lesion and ongoing cardiac care.
The Free Narges Coalition said earlier this year that doctors advised she should remain on medical leave for at least six more months.
“Mohammadi’s doctors recently prescribed an extension of her medical leave … and specialised cardiac care,” the group said, warning that a return to prison “could severely worsen her physical well-being”.
Aerial video shows the devastation from Indonesia floods, landslides
Nearly a million people have been displaced after flood waters devastated three provinces in Indonesia, including Aceh. Officials say rebuilding the affected areas will require $3.11 billion in reconstruction and recovery funds.
Liverpool vs Brighton: Premier League – teams, start time, lineups, Salah
Who: Liverpool vs Brighton
What: English Premier League
Where: Anfield in Liverpool, United Kingdom
When: Saturday, December 9, at 3pm (15:00)
How to follow: We’ll have all the buildup on Al Jazeera Sport from 12:00 GMT in advance of our text commentary stream.
All eyes will be on the Liverpool team sheet when it is released at roughly the same time the bus carrying the squad will arrive at Anfield for the Brighton match on Saturday.
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Speculation is rife that the Premier League match could be Mohamed Salah’s last for the defending champions, following the public fallout with the club.
The Reds, and their beleaguered manager Arne Slot, will hope the focus is very much on the football and turning around a form book that has seen the Merseyside club fall to 10th in the table.
Al Jazeera Sport takes a closer look at a game that will be the focus of the Saturday agenda in the English top flight, and beyond.
What is the latest on Salah’s future at Liverpool?
Salah has not started a game for Liverpool since the 4-1 defeat at PSV Eindhoven in the UEFA Champions League on November 26.
The Egyptian forward was benched for the following three Premier League games and, following fierce criticism of the club’s treatment of him, was then dropped from the squad that travelled to Italy to face Inter Milan on Tuesday – a game the Reds won 1-0.
Speculation has mounted surrounding a move to the Saudi Pro League since Salah’s outburst following last Saturday’s 3-3 draw at Leeds United, when the 33-year-old claimed he had been “thrown under the bus” for their recent woes on the field.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot said on Friday morning that he would speak with Salah to decide whether the forward would return to the match-day squad for the Brighton game.
The eyes and ears of the world, and in particular in Saudi Arabia, will be on the Anfield club for news of the team and the squad before kickoff against Brighton on Saturday.
What has Liverpool’s form been in the Premier League this season?
The Reds have lost six of their games in the Premier League this season – part of a run that saw them lose nine of 12 games in all competitions.
The struggling title holders have taken five points from their last three league games, however, starting with a 2-0 win at West Ham – the first game of Salah’s exile from the starting lineup.
The last two matches, though, have seen the Reds held to a 1-1 home draw by newly promoted Sunderland, before the draw at Leeds that led to Salah’s outburst.
What has Brighton’s form been in the Premier League this season?
Brighton’s solid season sees them sit two places above Liverpool on goal difference.
A win for either side could result in them climbing as high as fourth.
One league win in five to begin the season left the Seagulls sitting slightly perilously, but a run of only two defeats in 11 in the English top flight followed, with six wins in that time.
That form had expectations flying high on the south coast before two home games, but a 4-3 defeat by Aston Villa was followed by a 1-1 draw with West Ham in their last match.
We go again. pic.twitter.com/2tFFXx1Bh9
What happened the last time Liverpool played Brighton?
Brighton were 3-2 winners in a Premier League fixture on May 19, in the last encounter between the sides.
Liverpool twice took the lead in the first half of the game at Amex Stadium through Harvey Elliott and Dominik Szoboszlai.
Yasin Ayari’s 31st-minute goal kept the Seagulls in the game at the break before Kaoru Mitoma and Jack Hinshelwood, who netted five minutes from time, turned the game around in the second period.
What happened in the corresponding fixture between Liverpool and Brighton last season?
Liverpool were 2-1 winners in the preceding match at Anfield last season, but were forced to come from behind after Ferdi Kadioglu gave the away team the lead in the 14th minute.
The Seagulls held the lead until the 70th minute, when Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah scored twice in three minutes to set up the win.
Head-to-head
This is the 44th meeting between the sides, with Liverpool winning 23 of those encounters and Brighton emerging victorious on 8 occasions.
The fixture dates back to 1907 and an FA Cup tie at Anfield, where Brighton secured a 1-1 draw. Liverpool made no mistake in the reply, however, winning 3-0 on the south coast.
Brighton would have to wait a further six games for their first win against Liverpool, a 3-1 victory in the old second division of English football (now known as the Championship).
Liverpool team news
There is a question mark over Alexander Isak’s status for Saturday, with Slot saying the forward picked up a knock in the first half against Inter Milan, and that he will be evaluated on Friday before they decide whether or not he can start.
Slot is pleased with how Isak and Hugo Ekitike have played together, saying their partnership will continue to improve.
“The more they play together, the more they will adapt to each other and the better they will cooperate,” Slot said. “I saw promising things from the both of them, it’s only the second time they’ve played together. We will see more of them playing together in the future.”
Slot will have Federico Chiesa available on Saturday after he recovered from illness, while Wataru Endo and Cody Gakpo are expected to be out for a “few weeks”.
Brighton team news
Stefanos Tzimas, Solly March, Adam Webster are all absent with knee injuries, while James Milner is also out for several months with a muscle problem.
Kaoru Mitoma will have a fitness test as he attempts a comeback from an ankle problem which has kept him out since September.
Yasin Ayari and Tom Watson could both return from knocks, but both are still being monitored at this stage.
Predicted Liverpool starting lineup:
Alisson; Gomez, Konate, van Dijk, Kerkez; Jones, Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Szoboszlai, Isak, Wirtz
Predicted Brighton starting lineup:
Flooding destroys few remaining possessions of Palestinians in Gaza
“The tents are gone, the clothes are gone, our food is gone.” Displaced Palestinians in Gaza fled Israeli bombardment with what little they could carry. Those items are now waterlogged and destroyed by flooding, as one man in Deir el-Balah told Al Jazeera’s Ibrahim al-Khalili.