FOZ Do IGUA&Ccedil;U: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Saturday that US military action in Venezuela would spark a &quot;humanitarian catastrophe,&quot; as he opened a summit of the South American Mercosur bloc.&nbsp;&quot;The South American continent is once again haunted by the military presence&quot; of a foreign power, Lula said in the southern city of Foz do Iguacu.&nbsp;In an interview with NBC News conducted Thursday, US President Donald Trump said he could not rule out the possibility of war with Venezuela.

Americas

Brazil’s President Lula warned a Mercosur summit that any US military action against Venezuela would trigger a humanitarian catastrophe, criticizing military presence in South America after Donald Trump said war could not be ruled out.

Brazil warns military action in Venezuela would be 'humanitarian catastrophe'

MANCHESTER: Erling Haaland fired Manchester City to the top of the Premier League by beating West Ham 3-0, while Chelsea fought back to salvage a 2-2 draw at Newcastle on Saturday.&nbsp;Arsenal can retake top spot for Christmas when they visit Everton later, but City ramped up the pressure on the Gunners with a seventh consecutive win in all competitions.&nbsp;The Hammers feared a rout when Haaland smashed home after just five minutes.&nbsp;Alphonse Areola saved the Norwegian&#39;s first effort before the ball broke kindly for Haaland to fire into the top corner.&nbsp;Haaland turned provider for City&#39;s second just before half-time as Tijjani Reijnders scored his first goal at the Etihad.&nbsp;West Ham missed a number of chances to halve the deficit early in the second period as they remain in the relegation zone.&nbsp;Haaland, by contrast, was ruthless as he netted his 38th goal of the season already for club and country when the ball broke his way 21 minutes from time to move City one point ahead of Arsenal.&nbsp;Chelsea remain in fourth as a second-half fightback rescued manager Enzo Maresca from more speculation over his future.&nbsp;The Italian claimed after last weekend&#39;s win over Everton that he and his players had not received enough support during a difficult run of results.&nbsp;Maresca was then linked with being Pep Guardiola&#39;s successor at City in recent days.&nbsp;Newcastle aggrievedChelsea have won just once in their last five league games to see ambitions of a title challenge wilt.&nbsp;But it could have been even worse for Maresca as Nick Woltemade&#39;s double put Newcastle 2-0 up in a dominant first half from the Magpies.&nbsp;A brilliant Reece James free-kick brought the Blues back into the game before Joao Pedro pounced on an error from Malick Thiaw to equalise.&nbsp;Newcastle felt aggrieved as two late appeals for penalties and for James to be sent off were dismissed to leave Eddie Howe&#39;s men languishing in 11th.&nbsp;&quot;My last week has not been complicated, it has been good. We beat Everton, we beat Cardiff (in the League Cup) and we drew with Newcastle away, so in terms of results, I&#39;m happy,&quot; said Maresca.&nbsp;&quot;Again, there are things that for sure we can do better, but I think we&#39;re going in the right direction.&quot;&nbsp;

Football

Erling Haaland scored twice as Manchester City beat West Ham 3-0, moving top of the Premier League. Chelsea salvaged a 2-2 draw at Newcastle with a second-half comeback, easing pressure on manager Enzo Maresca.

Haaland sends Man City top, Chelsea fightback frustrates Newcastle

AFGHANISTAN: Three Afghans died from exposure in freezing temperatures in the western province of Herat while trying to illegally enter Iran, a local army official said on Saturday.&nbsp;&quot;Three people who wanted to illegally cross the Iran-Afghanistan border have died because of the cold weather,&quot; the Afghan army official told AFP on condition of anonymity.&nbsp;He added that a shepherd was also found dead in the mountainous area of Kohsan from the cold.&nbsp;The migrants were part of a group that attempted to cross into Iran on Wednesday and was stopped by Afghan border forces.&nbsp;&quot;Searches took place on Wednesday night, but the bodies were only found on Thursday,&quot; the army official said.&nbsp;More than 1.8 million Afghans were forced to return to Afghanistan by the Iranian authorities between January and the end of November 2025, according to the latest figures from the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR), which said that the majority were &quot;forced and coerced returns&quot;.&nbsp;&quot;These mass returns in adverse circumstances have strained Afghanistan&#39;s already overstretched resources and services&quot; which leads to &quot;risks of onward and new displacement, including return movements back into Pakistan and Iran and onward&quot;, UNHCR posted on its site dedicated to Afghanistan&#39;s situation.&nbsp;This week, Amnesty International called on countries to stop forcibly returning people to Afghanistan, citing a &quot;real risk of serious harm for returnees&quot;.&nbsp;Hit by two major earthquakes in recent months and highly vulnerable to climate change, Afghanistan faces multiple challenges.&nbsp;It is subject to international sanctions particularly due to the exclusion of women from many jobs and public places, described by the UN as &quot;gender apartheid&quot;.&nbsp;More than 17 million people in the country are facing acute food insecurity, the UN World Food Programme said Tuesday.

Asia

Three Afghans died from cold exposure while attempting to cross illegally into Iran from Herat, highlighting migrant risks as mass forced returns strain Afghanistan, already reeling from disasters, sanctions, and widespread food insecurity, nationwide crisis.

Three Afghan migrants die of cold while trying to cross into Iran

ISTANBUL: A drone of unknown origin has been found in Turkey, less than a day after another unmanned aerial vehicle of suspected Russian origin crashed in the northwest, Turkish media reported on Saturday.&nbsp;According to several independent television networks and the Cumhuriyet newspaper, the drone was found in an empty field near the town of Balikesir, some three hours southwest of Istanbul.&nbsp;The Turkish authorities had yet to react to the news, but the Halk TV and Haberturk broadcasters reported that the drone was transported to Ankara for analysis.&nbsp;Citing farmers, several media outlets reported that the crash appeared to have taken place days ago.&nbsp;The incident, the third of its kind since Monday, comes after Turkey warned both Russia and Ukraine against letting their ongoing war spill over elsewhere in the region.&nbsp;The authorities have pointed the finger at Russia for an unmanned aerial vehicle discovered on Friday near the city of Izmit, around 30 kilometres (18 miles) south of the Black Sea, which has seen strikes on ships in recent weeks.&nbsp;According to the Turkish interior ministry, which has opened an investigation, the drone &quot;is believed to be of Russian-made Orlan-10 type used for reconnaissance and surveillance purposes according to initial findings&quot;.&nbsp;President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned against the Black Sea becoming an &quot;area of confrontation&quot; between Russia and Ukraine, which occupy the opposite shores of the body of water to Turkey.

Middle East

Europe

Turkey found a second unidentified drone crashed in northwest Balikesir within 24 hours. It follows another suspected Russian Orlan-10 near Izmit, prompting investigations and renewed warnings by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over Black Sea spillover.

Second drone in 24 hours found crashed in northwest Turkey

MIAMI: Former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua knocked out YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in their controversial Netflix-backed bout in Miami on Friday.&nbsp;The fight at the Kaseya Center, which saw both men reportedly splitting a mammoth purse of $184 million, had triggered alarm across boxing due to the gulf in physical size and class between Britain&#39;s two-time former world champion Joshua and Paul, an internet personality who has forged a lucrative career through a handful of novelty boxing contests.&nbsp;In the event, however, Joshua made hard work of defeating his vastly less accomplished opponent, before his superior size and power eventually told in the later stages of the eight-round fight, with a sixth-round knockout.&nbsp;A lackluster contest descended into farce at times, with Paul repeatedly dropping to the canvas and grappling at Joshua&#39;s legs.&nbsp;At one stage even referee Christopher Young appeared to be losing patience, warning the fighters in the fourth round: &quot;The fans did not pay to see this crap.&quot;&nbsp;As Paul tired, the 6ft 6in (1.85m) tall Joshua began to land punches with more regularity, and after knocking down the 6ft 1in American twice in the fifth round, the end came swiftly in the sixth.&nbsp;Joshua backed the 28-year-old into a corner and, after teeing up Paul with a crunching left, delivered the knockout blow with a right to the chin that sent his opponent crashing to the canvas.&nbsp;&quot;It wasn&#39;t the best performance,&quot; Joshua, 36, admitted afterwards. &quot;But the end goal was to get Jake Paul, pin him down and hurt him.&nbsp;&quot;That was the request leading up, and that was on my mind. It took a bit longer than expected but the right hand finally found its destination.&quot;&nbsp;&nbsp;Praise for PaulJoshua meanwhile praised Paul for lasting into the later rounds.&nbsp;&quot;I want to give him his props -- he got up time and time again,&quot; Joshua said. &quot;It was difficult in there for him, but he kept on trying to find a way. It takes a real man to do that.&quot;&nbsp;Paul, meanwhile, his mouth bloodied from Joshua&#39;s final assault, said he believed his jaw had been broken -- but was satisfied with his performance.&nbsp;&quot;That was fun. I gave it my all,&quot; Paul said. &quot;I had a blast. I think my jaw is broken by the way. But Anthony&#39;s one of the best to ever do it so. I&#39;m gonna come back and get a world championship.&nbsp;&quot;I just got tired to be honest -- like it was so much handling his weight. I think with better cardio I could have kept it up and kept on fighting. But he hits really hard.&quot;&nbsp;Friday&#39;s made-for-streaming contest, which came just over a year after Paul had fought a 58-year-old Mike Tyson in a much-derided Netflix fight, had been widely panned throughout boxing, with many warning that Paul risked serious injury.&nbsp;Yet the devastating first or second round knockout by Joshua that most had predicted failed to materialize as Paul scrambled desperately to stay outside of the 2012 Olympic champion Joshua&#39;s range.&nbsp;Joshua, fighting for the first time in 15 months, always looked the more threatening fighter, landing 48 of 146 punches thrown compared to Paul&#39;s meagre total of 16 punches landed.&nbsp;The Briton is now turning his attention towards a money-spinning bout against compatriot and fellow former world champion Tyson Fury next year.&nbsp;&quot;We shook off the cobwebs and I can&#39;t wait to roll into 2026,&quot; Joshua said. &quot;And if Tyson Fury is as serious as he thinks he is, let&#39;s put on some gloves and fight.&quot;<figure class="fr-media" style="line-height: 2;"> </figure>

Boxing

Anthony Joshua stopped Jake Paul with a sixth-round knockout in a controversial Netflix fight in Miami, earning a massive purse and turning focus toward a potential Tyson Fury bout.

Joshua knocks out Paul to win Netflix boxing bout

DHAKA: Tens of thousands of mourners gathered in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka on Saturday for the funeral of a student leader, after two days of violent protests over his killing. Huge crowds accompanied the funeral procession of Sharif Osman Hadi, a key figure in last year&#39;s pro-democracy uprising who died in a hospital in Singapore on Thursday after being shot by masked gunmen while leaving a Dhaka mosque. Police wearing body cameras were deployed in front of the parliament building where the funeral prayers were held. &lsquo;You are in our hearts&rsquo;&nbsp;Hadi&#39;s body, which was brought to the capital on Friday, was buried at the central mosque of Dhaka University. &quot;We have not come here to say goodbye,&quot; interim leader Muhammad Yunus said in an emotional speech.<figure class="fr-media"><img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/a031d5fb-dcdc-4179-905a-eb9b670038b6-Untitled(5).jpg" alt="Untitled(5).jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib" style="width: 1000px; height: 563px;"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">Bangladesh Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus spoke at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban in Dhaka, prior to the Namaz-e-Janaza held for Sharif Osman Hadi. (Photo: BSS News)</figcaption></figure> &quot;You are in our hearts and you will remain in the heart of all Bangladeshis as long as the country exists.&quot; Outspoken critic of India&nbsp;Hadi, 32, was an outspoken critic of India and was set to contest the general elections in February. Iqbal Hossain Saikot, a government employee who travelled from afar to attend the prayers, said Hadi was killed because he staunchly opposed India. He will continue to live &ldquo;among the millions of Bangladeshi people who love the land and its sovereign territory&rdquo;, Saikot, 34, told AFP. Hadi&rsquo;s death has triggered widespread unrest, with protesters across the South Asian nation demanding the arrest of those responsible. Late Thursday, people set fire to several buildings in Dhaka including the offices of leading newspapers Prothom Alo and the Daily Star. Critics accuse the publications of favoring neighboring India, where Bangladesh&rsquo;s ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina has taken refuge since fleeing Dhaka in the wake of the 2024 uprising.&nbsp;

Bangladesh

Huge crowds accompanied the funeral procession of Sharif Osman Hadi, a key figure in last year's pro-democracy uprising who died in a hospital in Singapore on Thursday after being shot by masked gunmen while leaving a Dhaka mosque.

Tens of thousands attend funeral of killed Bangladesh student leader

MUMBAI: Indian selectors dropped Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill on Saturday from the T20 squad for the World Cup in February after a prolonged form slump.&nbsp;Gill, 26, has scored only 291 runs in his past 15 matches in the game&#39;s shortest format at an average of 24.25.&nbsp;&quot;Shubman Gill is short of runs at the moment,&quot; chief selector Ajit Agarkar told reporters in Mumbai.&nbsp;However, batter Suryakumar Yadav was retained as captain despite similar concerns over his form.&nbsp;A T20 specialist, Suryakumar has managed just 244 runs across his last 22 innings in the format, without a single fifty.&nbsp;&quot;We have full faith in our captain to deliver during the World Cup,&quot; Agarkar said.&nbsp;Suryakumar acknowledged that his &quot;rough patch&quot; had been going on for too long.&nbsp;&quot;I know what to do. I have time to fix it. We will definitely see Surya the batter,&quot; the captain said.&nbsp;All-rounder Axar Patel was named as Suryakumar&#39;s deputy.&nbsp;Wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan was rewarded for his stellar form in domestic cricket with a spot in the 15-member squad.&nbsp;Kishan last played for India in 2023.&nbsp;The same team will also play five home T20Is against New Zealand from January 21, the last round of international matches before the World Cup.&nbsp;The 10th edition of the tournament, hosted by Sri Lanka and India, will feature 20 nations.&nbsp;India are the defending champions, having beaten South Africa in a thrilling 2024 final in Barbados.&nbsp;World T20 squadSuryakumar Yadav (capt), Axar Patel (vice-capt), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Washington Sundar, Ishan Kishan.

Cricket

Gill, 26, has scored only 291 runs in his past 15 matches in the game's shortest format at an average of 24.25.


India drop Shubman Gill from T20 World Cup squad

MOSCOW: Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev said on Saturday he was heading to Miami, where another round of talks to settle the Ukraine war was set to take place. Ukrainian and European teams were also in the sunny American city for the negotiations mediated by Donald Trump&#39;s envoy Steve Witkoff and the US president&#39;s son-in-law Jared Kushner. &lsquo;On the way to Miami&rsquo;&ldquo;On the way to Miami,&rdquo; Dmitriev wrote in an X post, adding a pigeon emoji and attaching a short video of a morning sun shining through the clouds on a beach with palms. &ldquo;As warmongers keep working overtime to undermine the US peace plan for Ukraine, I remembered this video from my previous visit -- light breaking through the storm clouds,&rdquo; he added.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2002247452825440352&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fsections%2F&sessionId=1de18ebc49bf61c3bd3b6890b602e575d3f1e94b&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 875px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;"></iframe></div></div>Russian and European involvement in the talks marks a step forward from an earlier stage, when the Americans held separate negotiations with each side in different locations. However, it is unlikely Dmitriev would hold direct talks with Ukrainian and European negotiators as relations between the two sides remain extremely strained. &lsquo;Pro-war&rsquo; leaders&nbsp;Moscow, which sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022, argues that Europe&rsquo;s involvement in the talks would only hinder the process and tends to paint the continent&rsquo;s leaders as pro-war. The weekend talks come after President Vladimir Putin vowed to press ahead with his military offensive in Ukraine, hailing Moscow&rsquo;s battlefield gains nearly four years into his war in an annual news conference on Friday. Trump&rsquo;s envoys have pressed a plan in which the United States would offer security guarantees to Ukraine, but Kyiv will likely be expected to surrender some territory, a prospect resented by many Ukrainians.

Trump’s envoys have pressed a plan in which the United States would offer security guarantees to Ukraine, but Kyiv will likely be expected to surrender some territory, a prospect resented by many Ukrainians.

Russian envoy to join Ukraine talks in Miami

BEIRUT: A Syria monitor said Saturday that at least five Islamic State group members including a cell leader were killed in US strikes overnight in retaliation for an attack last weekend that left three Americans dead. Washington said a lone gunman from the IS jihadist group carried out the Dec. 13 attack in Palmyra, home to UNESCO-listed ancient ruins and once controlled by jihadist fighters, which killed two US soldiers and a US civilian. In response, the United States &quot;struck more than 70 targets at multiple locations across central Syria with fighter jets, attack helicopters and artillery,&quot; US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement. Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP that &quot;at least five members of the Islamic State group were killed&quot; in eastern Syria&#39;s Deir Ezzor province, including the leader of a cell responsible for drones in the area. A Syrian security source told AFP that the US strikes targeted IS cells in Syria&#39;s vast Badia desert including in Homs, Deir Ezzor and Raqa provinces, and did not include ground operations. Most of the targets were in a mountainous area running north of Palmyra including towards Deir Ezzor, the source said, requesting anonymity. Using another acronym for IS, CENTCOM said &quot;the operation employed more than 100 precision munitions targeting known ISIS infrastructure and weapons sites.&quot; President Donald Trump said in a post on his Truth Social network that the United States is &quot;inflicting very serious retaliation, just as I promised, on the murderous terrorists responsible,&quot; and that those who attack Americans &quot;WILL BE HIT HARDER THAN YOU HAVE EVER BEEN HIT BEFORE.&quot;

The strike come after a lone gunman from the IS jihadist group carried out the Dec. 13 attack in Palmyra, home to UNESCO-listed ancient ruins and once controlled by jihadist fighters, which killed two US soldiers and a US civilian.

Syria monitor says US strikes killed at least five IS members

NEW DELHI: A passenger train smashed into a herd of elephants in India&#39;s northeast, killing seven animals on the spot, officials said Saturday. No travelers were injured in the accident in Assam state, home to more than 4,000 of the roughly 22,000 wild elephants in India. Senior Assam police official VV Rakesh&nbsp;Reddy told AFP that seven jumbos were killed, and one elephant sustained an injury. Five coaches of the train, which was headed to New Delhi from remote Mizoram state, were derailed. Authorities have introduced speed restrictions along routes designated elephant corridors, but the latest accident occurred outside of these zones, Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, an Indian Railways spokesman said. &ldquo;The loco pilot, on observing the herd of elephants, applied emergency brakes. However, elephants dashed with the train,&rdquo; he said. Deforestation and construction activity near their habitats force elephants to stray further afield for food, often bringing them into conflict with humans. According to parliamentary figures, 629 people were killed by elephants across India in 2023-2024.

India

No travelers were injured in the accident in Assam state, home to more than 4,000 of the roughly 22,000 wild elephants in India; seven jumbos killed and one elephant sustains an injury.

Brazil warns military action in Venezuela would be 'humanitarian catastrophe'

Latest News

Haaland sends Man City top, Chelsea fightback frustrates Newcastle

Brazil warns military action in Venezuela would be 'humanitarian catastrophe'

Three Afghan migrants die of cold while trying to cross into Iran

Second drone in 24 hours found crashed in northwest Turkey

Joshua knocks out Paul to win Netflix boxing bout