As the US-led talks to end the nearly four-year conflict dragged on, Russia fired missiles and drones at regions throughout Ukraine, killing at least three people and causing power outages in an area of the country.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed that a four-year-old from the Zhytomyr region was killed in a “midst of negotiations aimed at ending this war” in a social media post.
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He urged Ukraine’s Western partners to put pressure on Moscow, saying, “This Russian strike sends an extremely clear signal about Russia’s priorities.”
Zelenskyy added that a woman was killed in the Kyiv region and another person was killed in the Khmelnytskyi region.
Russia, which has invaded Ukraine in February 2022, has not made an immediate comment.
Ukrenergo, the power company in Ukraine, reported on Tuesday that the “massive missile and drone attack” had caused fires in several areas, causing “emergency power outages” across the nation, where winter temperatures are currently dipping toward freezing.
A burning cargo ship damaged in a Russian overnight attack on a port in the Odesa region is being rescued by firefighters.
According to Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, the overnight attacks, which included dozens of missiles and more than 600 drones, caused the most damage to the western region of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
As Russia’s air force continues to impose its attacks in the winter, putting pressure on logistics and the economy, and has issued air raid alerts for nearly all of Ukraine as of 06:20 GMT.
Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kiev, claimed that windows were harmed when debris fell near a residential building in the Sviatoshynskyi district. Russian strikes in the Black Sea city of Odesa sparked fires, but no injuries, according to emergency services.
After Russian strikes hit areas of western Ukraine close to its border, NATO member Poland reported that Polish and allies were stationed to protect its airspace as a result of Tuesday’s attacks.
The operational command of Poland stated in a statement that “these measures are preventive in nature and are intended to secure and protect the airspace.”
When strikes are deemed to pose a higher risk near its border, Poland scrambles jets during significant Russian missile-and-drone bombardments on western Ukraine.
No development.
The latest strikes came after two-track negotiations broke out in Miami, Florida, with separate meetings with Russian and Ukrainian delegations from US President Donald Trump’s envoys.
Zelenskyy stated on Monday that the revised drafts of the US ceasefire proposals appeared “quite solid at this point.” He said, “There are some things we are probably not prepared for, and I’m sure there are things the Russians are not prepared for either.”
He claimed that a 20-point plan had been used to incorporate “nearly 90%” of Ukraine’s demands into the draft agreements.
State media, however, reported that there had been “slow progress,” according to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov.
There were no indications of a breakthrough in the discussions Witkoff hailed as “productive and constructive” with both sides.
In the meantime, Ukraine has continued to wage a counterattack on Russia’s larger army by outnumbering Ukrainian troops and creating fear behind the front line, where they are trying to hold back.
In a string of strikes on Russian soil on Monday, Ukrainian forces claimed to have struck an oil terminal, a pipeline, two parked jets, and two ships.
After a “reckless” challenge from Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven, Liverpool manager Arne Slot has stated that Alexander Isak will need to spend “a few months” out injured.
As Isak scored for the Reds against Spurs with a 2-1 victory, Van de Ven slipped his left leg and suffered a fracture.
Liverpool described the Sweden international’s operation as “an ankle injury that included a fibula fracture.”
“It’s going to be a long injury, for a few months,” Slot predicted. He and, as a result, we are both deeply disappointed.
Van de Ven’s challenge did not receive punishment, and teammate Xavi Simons had already received a red card for catching Reds centre-back Virgil van Dijk on his calf with a late tackle.
Slot continued, “This was for me a reckless challenge,” regarding Van de Ven’s challenge.
I’ve said a lot about Xavi Simons’ tackle, which was completely unintentional, in my opinion. You won’t ever, in my opinion, sustain an injury from a tackle like that.
Jamie Carragher, a former Liverpool defender, described the Isak injury as a “huge blow” for the Reds but added that Van de Ven’s tackle was “a challenge I’d probably make.”
On Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, Carragher commented that “a lot of the players’ struggles in the game weren’t clever, and there has been a lot being made about them.”
“I set myself up in Van de Ven’s shoes, and I’d probably face that problem.”
He claims that he is only attempting to follow through. No one else seems to know where his foot is going, so I’m not sure where. That must be made by him. In that circumstance, you can’t just let the striker shoot away.
“Isak has bad luck,” he said. One of the first indications of his true prowess in a Liverpool shirt is probably this.
With Mohamed Salah in the Africa Cup of Nations with Egypt, Liverpool host Wolves on Saturday, and slot attackers will have limited options in addition to Isak.
Although Cody Gakpo has a muscle injury, the Netherlands forward might be able to play against Wolves.
When Jeremie Frimpong started against Tottenham as a substitute, Slot claimed that he could now start if needed.
However, the Reds manager decided not to use Harvey Elliott’s attacking midfielder on loan from Aston Villa to help with his resources.
14 hours ago
14 hours ago
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Isak is still able to play slot for the Reds this season.
Isak’s injury is his most recent setback since joining Anfield from Newcastle United for a transfer fee of £125 million.
The 26-year-old struggled with form and fitness, scoring just three goals in 16 games for the Reds.
Isak was reportedly considering a move away, despite being credited with being “a really challenging and difficult period” for the Newcastle player during their pre-season tour of Asia. Slot also claimed that he had been left out of the squad due to what the club had described as a “minor thigh injury.”
After that, he left Real Sociedad for his former club, where he spent the day working alone, before eventually joining Liverpool.
When asked if Isak would still be a significant player for his team until the end of the season, Slot responded, “Yes.”
You join a new club, he continued, “and you’re very excited.” You wanted to immediately display all your qualities, but it was just [with him] impossible.
“Maybe no one understands, but if you’re playing in this league and haven’t trained for three or four months on a serious level, you need to be top of your game to have an impact.”
Before we could take him there, it took months. He’s been hurt, and we were always anticipating it would take him awhile, which is why he’s now unlucky.
Accidental or intentional harm?
Johnson, Dale
Football news correspondent
Isak’s injury may have an impact on people’s opinions, but it doesn’t have to be foul play; it can just be an unfortunate consequence.
It’s crucial to examine both how Isak recovers from the injury and how Van de Ven makes the challenge.
Van de Ven tries to block the shot as Isak releases it.
Crucially, Isak accidentally injures his shooting foot.
Van de Ven’s injury appears to have occurred when the foot lands between the Sweden striker’s legs.
This discussion would have been different if Van de Ven had confronted his opponent directly or through Isak’s standing foot.
However, Van de Ven enters Isak’s space by making a block. It should not be seen as a red card because it was a real challenge.
If a defender attempts to stop a shot but clatters into an attacker, that does not mean they can’t be sent off.
In a Champions League game against PSV Eindhoven in 2015, Luke Shaw suffered a double leg fracture.
Hector Moreno struck Shaw, taking his standing foot away in a scissors-style collision, before bursting into the area to take a shot.
Since it occurred before VAR, Moreno did not even accept a red card or a penalty. However, it is precisely the kind of blocking tackle that should prompt a player’s dismissal right away.
In their opening game of the Africa Cup of Nations on Tuesday, Tunisia defeated Uganda 3-1 thanks to Elias Achouri’s double.
In a game that was played in sluggish Rabat, Ellyes Skhiri scored the opening goal, and FC Copenhagen winger Achouri added two goals either side of half-time. Uganda’s late consolation came from Denis Omedi.
The AFCON Quest starts in 2025 with Nigeria’s Super Eagles flying past Tanzania.
After the Super Eagles defeated Tanzania 2-1 earlier in Fes, Tunisia is now top of Group C following the first round of matches.
“It was a strong performance,” the singer said. We can take many advantages, in my opinion. We scored three goals, according to Achouri, and we wanted to kick off the competition as effectively as possible. “We did it, and we’re very proud of it.”
Tunisia, who are currently qualifying for the upcoming World Cup, are competing in their 17th consecutive AFCON, eager to do better than they did at the 2024 edition in Ivory Coast, where they were knocked out of the group stage without winning a game.
At the end of Tunisia’s #7 Elias Achouri’s agoal in front of Uganda’s #23 Aziz Kayondo during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) Group C football match between Tunisia and Uganda at Rabat Olympic Stadium in Rabat on December 23, 2025, the Tunisian forward #07 Elias Achouri scored in the middle of the match. (Sebastien Bozon/AFP photo)
On a soaked pitch at the Rabat Olympic Stadium, the Carthage Eagles duly made a triumphant start, with French-born Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Skhiri scoring after just 10 minutes.
As the halfway point approached, Achouri took center stage by doubling the lead with a lovely cushioned finish from an Ali Abdi cross.
Soon after the hour mark, Abdi scored again for Tunisia after Jamal Salim, the country’s goalkeeper, saved his shot.
Omedi scored in stoppage time, deflecting the ball past Tunisian defender Yan Valery, who had been well beaten but still had some pride.
Video game juggernaut “Call of Duty,” co-creator of the acclaimed video game franchise, Vincent Zampella, passed away in a car crash, according to a report from Electronic Arts on Monday. He was 55.
According to local broadcaster NBC4, the developer and executive died on Sunday while driving his Ferrari on a picturesque road north of Los Angeles.
Without naming the two victims, the California Highway Patrol said in a statement that “for unknown reasons, the vehicle veered off the road, struck a concrete barrier, and completely engulfed.”
The CHP added that both the driver and a passenger who were pulled from the car both suffered injuries.
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Witnesses on the mountain road posted video of the mangled cherry-red Ferarri engulfed in flames. The crash’s cause is still being investigated.
Zampella was regarded as an innovator in first-person military shooter-style video games, and his studios were the ones that made the best-selling titles in the world.
Despite having a long gaming career, Zampella expressed gratitude this year when his “Battlefield 6” video game set a new record for the franchise’s sales.
Over 100 million people have been playing the mass-combat game in its various iterations over the past 20 years.
That is not a first, though. More than 100 million active players are reported each month in “Call of Duty.”
In a 2016 interview with IGN, Zampella said, “You have that dream of the game being popular, but I don’t think you’re ever ready for that level of success.”
Profound and significant
Zampella is best known for co-creating the “Star Wars Jedi” games and founding Respawn Entertainment, which is the studio that produced “Titanfall,” “Apex Legends,” and “Star Wars Jedi.”
He co-founded Infinity Ward in 2002 and contributed to the launch of “Call of Duty” in 2003 after beginning his career in the 1990s as a designer on shooter games. Later, his studio was acquired by Active.
He left Activision in contentious circumstances and founded Respawn, which Electronic Arts purchased in 2017.
He eventually took over the “Battlefield” franchise at EA, earning him a reputation as one of the most influential figures in contemporary first-person shooter games.
Our thoughts are with Vince’s family, his loved ones, and everyone who has been affected by his work, according to Electronic Arts in a statement.
Vince’s impact on the video game industry was “deep and profound,” the company claimed, adding that “his work helped shape contemporary interactive entertainment.”
Respawn praised Zampella for “showing up every day, trusting his teams, encouraging bold ideas, and believing in Battlefield and the people building it,” according to a statement posted on the “Battlefield” X account.
Because it mattered, Zampella championed what he thought was best for the studio owners and our players.
According to Washington Post video game reporter Gene Park, “It was a bold, transgressive method of storytelling, of a time when it was political, violent, and that had an impact.”
He “truly understood how to tell stories and create experiences that really struck at the heart of the human experience, whether it was through heroism or dread.” Through the designs of the video games he created, in my opinion, he was able to kind of encapsulate that, Park said.
Many Congolese were hopeful that a permanent ceasefire would soon be established after Qatar assisted in signing a peace agreement last month to put an end to the conflict between the M23 rebel group and the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s (DRC) government.
Since late 2021, the group, which the United States and the United Nations say is backed by Rwanda, has clashed with the Congolese army in heavy offensives that have killed at least 7, 000 people , this year alone. Regional resolution efforts have failed in various instances. Still, when M23 representatives and Congolese government officials met for negotiations in Doha and proceeded to sign a peace deal in November, exhausted Congolese dared to hope. Some believed that this deal could be different.
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So when the rebels launched yet another offensive and temporarily seized the strategic city Uvira this month, hopes for lasting peace were painfully crushed, as some concluded that those at the helm of the talks were playing politics.
From the M23-held eastern city of Goma, Congolese lawyer and political analyst Hubert Masomera blaming both sides, “It’s obvious that they don’t have any will end this conflict.” “Despite the number of deaths and the extent of the destruction, there is still procrastination over the implementation of the peace agreements and compliance with the ceasefire. People in this place feel abandoned by their unhappy fate.
Fears that the conflict will not only continue, but that it could soon take on a regional dimension, are deepening, too – a sensitive prospect in a DRC where two civil wars in the past were prompted by its neighbours.
Following US pressure last week, the rebels’ withdrawal from the newly seized city of Uvira as a “trust-building measure” followed by a major transportation and economic hub in the enormous South Kivu province. It’s strategically located on the border with Rwanda and is just 30 kilometres from the Burundian capital, Bujumbura. The city was the last of the Congolese army’s eastern allies, which included local “Wazalendo” militias and about 3, 000 Burundian soldiers. Early this year, M23 also seized control of South Kivu’s capital city, Bukavu, as well as Goma, the capital of North Kivu province.
According to experts, M23’s advance on Uvira significantly widens the group’s area of control, places it directly in the mineral-rich Katanga region, and places Rwandan proxies directly on Burundi’s doorstep as both governments launch a rhetorical war of words and accuse one another of supporting rebels.
Rwanda, for its part, continues to distance itself from accusations that it backs M23.
On February 5, 2025, a view shows the remains of a vehicle that was struck by heavy and light weapons during the battle that resulted in Goma being overthrown by M23 rebels.
DRC conflict’s complex history
According to conflict monitors, the recent events in eastern DRC appear to be a haunting playback of a tragic story.
Similar peace negotiations in late 2024, led by the African Union and Angola, seemed ready to deliver peace ahead of a new year. However, they fell apart after the presidents of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo called off a highly anticipated meeting. Both sides , accused each other of foiling the talks.
According to Nicodemus Minde, an analyst for East Africa at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), “there’s a sense of deja vu.” “It’s symbolic because we were exactly here last year … the prospects for peace are dire”.
A complex combination of ethnic grievances, subpar governance, and interference from its much smaller neighbours has long sparked conflict in the DRC. It goes back to the 1994 genocide of Tutsis and moderate Hutus in Rwanda, which displaced millions into neighbouring eastern DRC, making them a minority there. However, Rwanda’s hot pursuit of the Hutu genocidaires led to the first and second Congo wars (1996-2003), and it has since since seen the DRC as a hiding place for them. The UN also accused the Rwandan and allied Ugandan forces of looting the DRC’s vast mineral wealth, including gold, coltan and tin, during the conflict.
In the wars, many of which are still active in the DRC, hundreds of militias emerged as governments armed and counter-armed civilians. The M23 itself is only the latest iteration of a Tutsi militia that fought in the Congo wars, and whose fighters integrated into the DRC army. These fighters revolted in 2012 and complained of Congolese forces’ poor treatment. Now, the M23 claims to be fighting the marginalisation of ethnic Tutsis, some of whom say they are systematically denied citizenship, among other complaints. Despite members of the group’s frequent threats to advance on the capital, the M23 and its allies, the Congo River Alliance (AFC), have not stated their intentions to invade Kinshasa. Officially, the rebels claim to be “liberating” eastern DRC communities.
M23 initially emerged with sufficient force to seize Goma, but Congolese forces and a special UN intervention force made up of troops from South Africa, Tanzania, and Malawi forced them to retreat within a year. When the M23 resurfaced in late 2021, though, it was with much more ferocity, boosted by about 4, 000 Rwandan troops in addition to its own 6, 000 fighters, according to the UN. Since its light-ning, bloody offensives, which have included the major cities of Goma, Bukavu, and now, Uvira, have been under its control.
On the map, M23 appears to be eking out a slice of Congolese territory wedged between the DRC and neighbouring Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi. If it had complete control of the two Kivus, it would rule over a resource-rich, five-fold-the-size Rwandan region with easy access to Kigali and Kampala.
“They are trying to create some sort of buffer zone which the neighbouring countries, particularly Rwanda but also Uganda, have an interest in controlling”, analyst Paul-Simon Handy, also of the ISS, told Al Jazeera.
Despite being accused of supporting a Hutu rebel group, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), Kigali officially denies backing M23 and uses its justification to support its actions. The FDLR did exist for many years in the DRC, but it simply no longer poses a significant threat to Kigali, analyst Minde said.
Similar historical ties exist between Rwanda and Burundi, where the Hutus who carried out the 1994 genocide also emigrated, and where Kigali claims the government continues to support rebels. In 2015, Burundi accused Rwanda of sponsoring an abortive coup in Bujumbura. Kigali refutes this.
US President Donald Trump hosts the signing ceremony of a peace deal with the president of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, left, and the president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Felix Tshisekedi, right, at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, DC, on December 4, 2025]Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP]
Is there a chance the US deal will go through?
Several African countries have attempted to help solve the crisis, militarily and diplomatically, but all have failed. As part of the Kenyan-led Peace Process that was supposed to bring several rebel groups to an agreement, the East African Community, which includes the DRC, deployed about 6, 500 peacekeepers as part of the regional bloc’s efforts to stabilize eastern DRC. The agreement collapsed only a year later, however, after Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi grew frustrated over the force’s refusal to launch offensives against M23.
Then, in May 2023, the Southern African Development Community (SADC), to which the large DRC is a part, sent troops from South Africa, Tanzania, and Malawi. There was hope that the trio, which proved crucial in driving back the first M23 insurrection, would again record success. However, they withdrew this June because they didn’t seem to be up to par with the new M23.
Meanwhile, the Angola-led Luanda Peace Process collapsed after President Joao Lourenco stepped back in March, citing frustration with both sides amid constant finger-pointing.
In June of this year, Qatar and the US intervened by using a unique two-pronged strategy to broker peace. The Doha peace talks, on the one hand, have focused on negotiations between the DRC and M23, while the Washington talks focus on the DRC and the Rwanda governments. According to some experts, Washington’s motivation was a condition of the agreement that guarantees US extraction of rare earth minerals from both nations, aside from President Donald Trump’s fixation on being a global peacemaker figure. The agreement was unlikely to hold on that basis, rights groups said.
The M23 finally accepted the Doha framework  on November 15 after a few stumbling blocks and stumblings. The agreement includes eight implementation protocols, including one on ceasefire monitoring and another on prisoner exchange. As all three agreed to the US-peace agreement, which forbids both Rwanda and the DRC from supporting armed groups, President Trump sat next to Paul Kagame and Tshisekedi as they signed it in Washington on December 4. There were pockets of fighting as the signatures were penned, but all was supposed to be largely peaceful from then on.
The opposite was the reality of what transpired in Uvira just one week later. The Congolese government said at least 400 people were killed and 200, 000 others displaced as M23 fighters pressed on the city. Burundi, where 200 000 Congolese refugees are currently residing, had displaced thousands of people there. Fleeing Uvira residents shared accounts of bombed villages, summary killings and widespread sexual violence by both sides, according to medical group Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
Exists a chance for peace?
Even though M23 began withdrawing from Uvira on Thursday, analysts are still scrambling to understand what the group was hoping to achieve by taking the city, shattering the peace agreements and angering Washington.
After Uvira was captured, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio directly criticized Rwanda, claiming Kigali had broken the deal. Last week, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau met with DRC Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner in Washington and promised that the US “is prepared to take action to enforce adherence” from Rwanda.
What exactly will happen is a mystery, but Minde claimed that the agreement seemed to favor Kigali more than Kinshasa.
“If you look at the agreement, the consequences]of either party breaching] were not forthright, and this points to the weakness of the deal”, he said, adding that there is much more at stake for DRC if there is a breach, including escalating conflict and mass displacement within the country. The analyst explained that, however, was not taken into account.
Uvira’s fall, albeit on hold, is not only a blow to Trump’s peacemaker reputation but also sharpens tensions between Burundi and Rwanda, with analysts saying it could lead to direct clashes.
Rwanda and the rebels deny the accusations made by Bujumbura that Kigali supports the anti-government Red Tabara rebels, and tensions between the two governments have caused border closures since last year. Last week, M23 announced that it captured hundreds of Burundian soldiers during the Uvira offensive.
The UN Security Council decided to extend the MONUSCO peacekeeping mission’s mandate by a year in advance of its December 20 expiration due to concerns about a regional spillover. The 11, 000 troop force has been in place since 1999, but has a complicated relationship with the DRC government, which says it has not done enough to protect civilians. In response to the M23 offensive’s escalating expansion, UNO forces initially began pulling back in 2024 before putting a stop to it in July. Ituri, the force’s headquarters, is held by M23, meaning the troops are unable to do much.
According to analysts, the Congolese people are feeling the most depressed at the start of the year amid the chaos, finger-pointing, and political games. After more than three decades of war that has turned the green, undulating hills of eastern DRC into a perpetual battlefield, Masameko in Goma said it’s locals, more than anyone else, with the most at stake.
The Tax Reform Acts passed by the lawmakers have been requested by the National Assembly by Chukwuemeka Eze, a tax expert, Chukwuemeka Eze, and Godwin Oyedokun, a member of the Governing Council of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria.  ,
The duo asserted this on Tuesday’s episode of Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily show, saying that the publication will address concerns over the alleged amendments to some bills.
According to Eze, “one of the lessons Nigerians must learn is that their website should contain and publish the harmonized version without delay,” putting the National Assembly to the test. When you visit several countries’ websites and see all of their information, this happens.
Nigerians are left to speculate when we don’t receive enough information from our institutions. We will still encounter this issue if the National Assembly doesn’t publish the harmonized legislative bills on its website even if the issue is resolved.
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Godwin Oyedokun, a second guest on the breakfast program, requested that lawmakers release information about the tax laws that they passed.
How do you explain that there are no websites that can provide you with all the information you need about Nigeria’s activities given our position in the Committee of Nations?
As a fraud examiner and forensic accountant, I want to let you know that complex transactions favor fraudulent activities. Oyedokun  said that when things are kept secret, fraud and similar things occur.
This kind of fraud is legislative fraud, or “legislative fraud,” but the problem is that when you are supposed to provide information but aren’t, it is an omission.
And when it is deliberate, you put the other party in danger if you want to benefit symmetrically from someone else’s knowledge of the truth.
