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Nigeria will face Algeria or DR Congo in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations quarterfinal after a 4-0 win against Mozambique.

Victor Osimhen scored twice as Nigeria made short work of Mozambique at the Africa Cup of Nations, cruising into the quarterfinals with a comprehensive 4-0 victory in their last-16 tie.

Ademola Lookman, a former winner of the African footballer of the year award, like Osimhen, opened the scoring after 20 minutes in Fes on Monday and helped set up the other three goals on the night.

Osimhen had started the game without wearing his trademark mask, but restored the face covering before netting Nigeria’s second goal on 25 minutes. He then scored again just after half-time before Akor Adams sealed the win.

It is the biggest winning margin in an AFCON knockout tie since Egypt hammered Algeria 4-0 in the semifinals at the 2010 tournament in Angola.

Determined to make up for their failure to qualify for the World Cup, the Super Eagles march on to a last-eight tie on Saturday in Marrakesh against either Algeria or the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The teams clash in the last 16 on Tuesday, and a victory in the game for the DRC would offer Nigeria a chance to avenge their defeat on penalties against the Leopards in a World Cup qualifying playoff in November.

Mozambique appeared in the knockout phase of an AFCON for the first time after advancing as one of the best third-placed sides in the group stage.

They were no match for a Nigerian team that was much-changed from their final group game, when coach Eric Chelle offered a chance to several fringe players for a 3-1 victory against Uganda.

Atalanta forward Lookman, who scored in the 3-2 win over Tunisia in the second group match, was among those brought back into the lineup, and Africa’s best player in 2024 gave his team the lead as the midway point in the first half approached.

Alex Iwobi’s through ball released Adams on the left side of the box, and his cutback was converted first-time by Lookman.

The 28-year-old then turned provider, with his cross from the left in the 25th minute being helped on by Adams, for Osimhen to poke the ball in from close range.

The Galatasaray striker emerged unscathed soon after that, despite going into a challenge with Witi, which saw the Mozambique player knee Osimhen in the stomach.

Lookman’s low ball across the face of goal from the left was finished off by Osimhen to make it 3-0 in the 47th minute and end any prospect of a Mozambique comeback.

The 2023 African player of the year had gone seven AFCON matches without scoring before netting against Tunisia in the group stage. He now has three to his name at the tournament in Morocco.

Lookman was not finished for the night as he supplied Adams inside the box with a quarter of an hour remaining, and the Sevilla forward rifled a shot high into the net.

Earlier in the day, Egypt needed extra time to overcome Benin 3-1 to book their place in the next round, where either Ivory Coast or Burkina Faso await.

Venezuelan state TV footage shows Vice President Delcy Rodriguez being formally sworn in as interim president in Caracas days after President Nicolas Maduro was abducted to face narco-terrorism charges in New York.

Jan. 5 (UPI) — A Paris court found 10 people guilty of cyberbullying France’s first lady Brigitte Macron, wife of President Emmanuel Macron.

They were accused of spreading false claims about her gender and making “malicious remarks” about the 24-year age gap between the Macrons.

The false claims are from a 2017 conspiracy theory that Brigitte Macron was a transgender woman. The allegation was amplified in the United States, pushed by right-wing media personality Candace Owens. The Macrons have also filed a lawsuit in the United States against Owens.

All but one of the defendants in France were given suspended sentences of up to eight months. The other person was jailed for not showing up to court. Some also had their social media accounts suspended.

The judge said the defendants acted with a clear desire to harm Brigitte Macron with comments that were degrading and insulting.

“The most important things are the prevention courses and the suspension of some of the accounts” of the perpetrators, Jean Ennochi, Brigitte Macron’s lawyer, said.

Two of the defendants had been found guilty of slander in 2024 for claiming that the first lady had never existed. Natacha Rey, a self-proclaimed journalist, and Amandine Roy, who claims to be a psychic, said Macron’s brother Jean-Michel Trogneux had changed gender and began using Brigitte Macron’s name.

Their convictions were overturned on appeal because claiming that she is transgender isn’t an “attack on her honor.”

The Macrons are appealing the ruling.

Brigitte Macron’s daughter Tiphaine Auzière, 41, told the court that the false claims had damaged her mother’s quality of life. She said Brigitte Macron worried every day about the clothes she wore and how she stood.

Auzière said the social media posts had caused a “deterioration of her health” and a “deterioration of her quality of life.”

“Not a day or week goes by when someone does not talk about this to her … What is very hard for her are the repercussions on her family … Her grandchildren hear what is being said: ‘Your grandmother is lying’ or ‘Your grandmother is your grandfather.’ This affects her a lot. She does not know how to stop it. … She’s not elected, she has not sought anything, and she is permanently subjected to these attacks. I — as a daughter, a woman and a mother — would not wish her life on anyone,” Auzière said.

Trogneux, 80, lives in Amiens, where he grew up with Brigitte Macron and their siblings.

Jan. 5 (UPI) — Several South American countries announced new migration controls and border security measures in response to Venezuela’s political crisis following a United States operation that detained Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and transferred them to New York to face drug-related charges.

While Colombia said it will keep its border crossings with Venezuela open and ruled out closures, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador and Paraguay announced restrictions on the entry of people linked to the Venezuelan government amid regional uncertainty and diplomatic coordination.

Colombian Vice Foreign Minister Mauricio Jaramillo said keeping the border open is strategic given cross-border migration and commercial flows along some 1,370 miles of shared frontier.

“Colombia has no interest in closing the border. It is essential that it remain open,” Jaramillo said, adding that Migration Colombia activated a permanent monitoring plan to oversee the situation without disrupting the regular movement of people and goods.

At the same time, President Gustavo Petro ordered tighter security along the border through the deployment of more than 30,000 public security personnel, including military and police forces, as a preventive measure against possible disturbances to public order.

Argentina, Peru, Ecuador and Paraguay separately announced new migration controls and entry restrictions targeting government officials, military personnel and others linked to the Venezuelan government.

In Ecuador, the Foreign Ministry said it will apply migration restrictions to public officials, members of the armed forces and security services, business figures, and other people associated with the government of Nicolás Maduro, citing national security concerns.

Authorities said asylum and refugee protections will not be misused and must comply with principles and procedures established under national and international law.

In Argentina, National Security Minister Alejandra Monteoliva said the National Migration Directorate will impose limits on the entry of people connected to the Venezuelan government, including officials, members of the armed forces, business figures and sanctioned individuals, to prevent what she described as regime collaborators from using the country as a refuge or protective platform.

“Argentina will not grant protection to collaborators of the Maduro regime,” the ministry said in a statement. President Javier Milei welcomed the fall of the Venezuelan leader and voiced support for a political transition process in Venezuela.

In Peru, the Interior Ministry announced the immediate implementation of migration controls through the National Superintendency of Migration, in coordination with the National Police.

The measures target Venezuelan citizens linked to the Caribbean nation’s government who appear on international sanctions lists, particularly those issued by the United States, to prevent Peru from being used to evade judicial proceedings.

“Notified. Those who oppressed their country for years are not welcome,” interim President Jose Jeri said in a post on social media platform X.

In Paraguay, the National Migration Directorate said it adopted control and restriction measures, with support from state security agencies, to block the entry of people linked to the Venezuelan government or with alleged ties to drug trafficking, narcoterrorism or pending criminal cases.

Authorities said they will evaluate international cooperation mechanisms and database cross-checks to verify individuals’ links to the Venezuelan government.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro – recently abducted with his wife by US commandos from his home – has appeared in a federal courtroom in New York City for a hearing on alleged “narco-terrorism” and other charges.

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were brought before US District Judge Alvin K Hellerstein at 12pm (17:00 GMT) on Monday for a brief legal proceeding that kicks off a long legal battle over whether they can face trial in the United States.

Handcuffed and wearing blue jail uniforms, Maduro and his wife were led into the court by officers, and both put on headsets to hear the English-language proceeding as it was translated into Spanish.

Maduro pleaded not guilty in the US court, telling the judge: “I was captured. I am innocent and a decent man, the president of my country.”

Across the street from the courthouse, the police separated a small but growing group of protesters from about a dozen pro-intervention demonstrators, including one man who pulled a Venezuelan flag away from those protesting the US abduction.

The left-wing leader, his wife, son and three others could face life in prison if convicted of allegedly working with drug cartels to facilitate the shipment of thousands of tons of cocaine into the country. Some observers say there is no evidence linking him to cartels.

Maduro’s lawyers said they’ll contest the legality of his arrest, arguing he is immune from prosecution as a sovereign head of a foreign state, though he is not recognised as Venezuela’s legitimate leader by the US and other nations around the world.

Flores also pleaded not guilty to US charges against her during the arraignment. Hellerstein ordered the Venezuelan leader to next appear in court for a hearing on March 17.

‘Attacks’ against US people

Near the end of the hearing, Maduro’s attorney Barry J Pollack said his client “is head of a sovereign state and entitled to the privilege” that the status ensures.

Pollack said there were “questions about the legality of his military abduction”, and there will be “voluminous” pretrial filings to address those legal challenges.

Earlier, images showed the pair being led handcuffed and under heavy guard from a helicopter en route from a detention facility to the courthouse, two days after they were forcibly removed from Caracas in a brazen US special forces operation.

“The United States arrested a narco-trafficker who is now going to stand trial in the United States,” US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz told an emergency UN Security Council meeting about the US attack on Venezuela on Saturday.

Waltz accused Maduro of being “responsible for attacks against the people of the United States, for destabilising the Western Hemisphere, and illegitimately repressing the people of Venezuela”.

Samuel Moncada, Venezuela’s ambassador to the UN, accused the US of carrying out an illegal armed attack against his country.

Venezuela was subjected to bombing, the destruction of civilian infrastructure, the loss of civilian and military lives, and the “kidnapping” of Maduro and his wife, Moncada said.

The abduction of a sitting head of state breached a core norm of international law, the personal immunity of leaders in office, he added, warning that such actions set a dangerous precedent for all countries.

Vast oil wealth

All eyes are on Venezuela’s response to the swiftly moving events after US President Donald Trump said late on Sunday that the US is “in charge” of the South American nation, which has the world’s largest proven oil reserves.

Interim President Delcy Rodriguez, who took the place of her ally Maduro, initially took a defiant stand against the seizure of the president in what some observers labelled a return to “US gunboat diplomacy”. But she has now offered “to collaborate” with Washington.

Venezuela’s opposition appreciates US intervention to remove Maduro from power, but is alarmed by Trump’s comments about US plans to “run” Venezuela, apparently with members of his government, one analyst said.

“Trump doesn’t recognise the decision of the Venezuelan people. We are not a colony of the US. We are an independent country,” Jose Manuel Puente, a professor at the Instituto de Estudios Superiores de Administracion, a private university in Caracas, told Al Jazeera.

“We want to initiate a transition to democracy, to rebuild the institutions, to rebuild the economy, to rebuild the oil sector. And we don’t see that from Trump until now.”

Rodriguez has served as Maduro’s vice president since 2018, overseeing much of Venezuela’s oil-dependent economy and its feared intelligence service, and was next in the presidential line of succession.

She’s part of a band of senior officials in Maduro’s administration who now appear to control Venezuela, even as Trump and other US officials say they’ll pressure the government to fall in line with their vision for the oil-rich nation.

On Sunday, some 2,000 Maduro supporters, including rifle-wielding men on motorcycles, rallied in Caracas with crowds shouting and waving Venezuelan flags. The Venezuelan military, loyal to Maduro, announced it recognised Rodriguez and urged calm.

The White House indicated on Sunday that it does not want regime change, only Maduro’s removal and a pliant new government that will enable US companies to exploit the country’s vast oil reserves – even if the government is filled with his former associates.

DEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY,

Israel’s military launched attacks on what it described as Hezbollah and Hamas “targets” in Lebanon after issuing ⁠evacuation orders for four villages in the ​country’s east and south.

An ‍Israeli army spokesperson said earlier it was planning air strikes on Hezbollah and ‍Hamas “military infrastructure” ⁠in the villages of Hammara and Ain el-Tineh in eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley and Kfar Hatta and Aanan in the south.

An AFP news agency photographer in Kfar Hatta saw dozens of families flee the village after an Israeli warning was issued with drone activity in the area. Ambulances and fire trucks are on standby.

Israel and Lebanon agreed to a US-brokered ceasefire in 2024 ending ​more than a year ‌of heavy fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah. Israel has repeatedly violated the truce with bombardment and continues to occupy five areas in the country.

‌Lebanon ‌has faced growing pressure ⁠from the United States and Israel to disarm Hezbollah, and its leaders fear Israel could escalate strikes.

Lebanon’s army was expected to complete the disarmament south of the Litani River – 30km (12 miles) from the border with Israel – by the end of 2025. Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on Sunday called the disarmament efforts “far from sufficient”.

Jan. 5 (UPI) — The trial of former Uvalde school police officer Adrian Gonzales is underway Monday, four years after 19 students and two teachers were killed in a shooting at a Texas elementary school.

The jury selection process will begin the trial proceedings for Gonzales in Corpus Christi, Texas. He faces 29 felony charges, one for each of the 19 fourth-grade victims and 10 surviving students of the shooting on May 24, 2022.

Gonzales is accused of putting the children at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, in “imminent danger” when he failed to respond to an active shooting. He was one of the first officers on the scene, the prosecution says.

It took the nearly 400 officers who responded in various capacities 77 minutes to engage the shooter, 18-year-old Salvador Rolando Ramos. Ramos was armed with an AR-15-style rifle.

State and federal investigators reviewed bodycam footage, 911 calls and eyewitness accounts before determining that a series of failures in the law enforcement response contributed to the incident.

The jury is expected to view bodycam footage and hear from investigators and survivors during Gonzales’ trial.

The site of the trial was moved by a judge in October after his attorneys argued it would be unlikely to fill an impartial jury in Uvalde.

Gonzales is one of two law enforcement officers facing criminal charges related to their response to the shooting. Pedro Arredondo, former police chief of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Police Department, faces 10 counts of abandoning and endangering children.

Jan. 5 (UPI) — Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen has said “enough” on Monday to President Donald Trump‘s threats to take the country and urged him to let go of his “fantasies of annexation.”

Nielsen posted on Facebook that Trump should stop his claims that the United States will annex his country, which is a territory of Denmark, a member of NATO and the European Union.

“Alliances are built on trust. And trust requires respect,” Nielsen said in his post. “Threats, pressure and talk of annexation do not belong anywhere between friends. That’s not how you talk to a people who have repeatedly shown responsibility, stability and loyalty.”

“This is enough.”

After the invasion of Venezuela on Saturday, Trump told The Atlantic on Sunday that the United States needs Greenland for national security. The operation in Venezuela also renewed fears that Trump may actually move to take Greenland.

“They are going to have to view it themselves. I really don’t know … But we do need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for defense,” Trump said when asked if the action in Venezuela should be interpreted by other nations as a signal that his administration might use military action to pursue more goals.

Nielsen’s post told Trump to let it go.

“No more pressure. No more hints. No more fantasies about annexation,” he said.

“We are open for dialogue. We are open to conversations. But it has to be through the right channels and with respect to international law. And the right channels are not random and disrespectful posts on social media. Greenland is our home and our territory. And that’s how it continues to be.”

The EU backs Nielsen and Denmark on the matter.

“The EU will continue to uphold the principles of national sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders,” EU foreign policy spokesperson Anitta Hipper told reporters. “These are universal principles, and we will not stop defending them, all the more so if the territorial integrity of a member state of the European Union is questioned.”

Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said it made “absolutely no sense to talk about the U.S. needing to take over Greenland.” She said the United States has “no right to annex any of the three countries in the Danish kingdom.”

The Danish Kingdom also includes the Faroe Islands.

“The principle of the inviolability of borders is enshrined in international law and is not up for negotiation,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in Berlin after a meeting with Frederiksen in June. “We stand firmly alongside our Danish friends on these issues and that will remain the case.”

On Air Force One, Trump told reporters he didn’t want to discuss Greenland saying he would talk about it “in 20 days.” He then mocked Greenland and Denmark.

“You know what Denmark did recently to boost security in Greenland? They added one more dog sled. It’s true. They thought that was a great move,” Trump said.

“Right now, Greenland is full of Chinese and Russian ships everywhere. We need Greenland for national security reasons. Denmark will not be able to handle the task.”

Sweden, Norway and Finland have all said they support Denmark.

“Only Denmark and Greenland have the right to decide on issues concerning Denmark and Greenland,” said Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. “Sweden fully supports our neighboring country.”

Jan. 5 (UPI) — U.S. President Donald Trump issued a warning to Venezuela’s new president, Delcy Rodriguez, to “do what’s right,” or face a similar or worse fate than President Nicolas Maduro, who is in a U.S. prison after being seized by U.S. Special Forces over the weekend.

“If she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro,” Trump told The Atlantic, adding that regime change remained on the table, saying that it was preferable to the present state of affairs and the situation “can’t get any worse.”

Rodriguez, who was due to be sworn in as president in Caracas at 7 a.m. EST with the support of the country’s military and the supreme court, has said she is willing to cooperate with the United States after initially condemning the arrest of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and demanding their release.

“We invite the U.S. government to collaborate with us on an agenda of cooperation orientated towards shared development within the framework of international law,” she told her cabinet at her first meeting in charge on Sunday.

Trump said U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had spoken with Rodriguez and that she was “essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again.”

Amid conflicting messaging, it was unclear if that was Trump’s meaning when he said in his news conference Saturday announcing the military operation that the United States was “going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition.”

“We’re going to be running it with a group, and we’re going to make sure it’s run properly,” Trump said.

Rubio clarified Sunday that Trump was talking about exerting control from outside the country to bring about major policy shifts.

He said sanctions were one of the tools at the administration’s disposal to ensure the cooperation of the acting leadership, saying in an American broadcast TV interview that a blockade on Venezuela’s oil exports, being enforced by the U.S. military, would remain in place.

“We continue with that quarantine and we expect to see that there will be changes not just in the way the oil industry is run for the benefit of the people, but also so that they stop the drug trafficking, so that we no longer have these gang problems, so that they kick the [Columbian insurgent groups] FARC and the ELN out, and that they no longer cozy up to Hizballah and Iran in our own hemisphere,” Rubio said.

Meanwhile, Maduro was due to make his first appearance in Federal Court in New York later Monday, where he and Flores will be read a 25-page indictment accusing the pair of accumulating vast wealth from a narco-terrorism conspiracy.

They also face three related charges of cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.

They are due to be transferred from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, which houses defendants accused of regular crimes, to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in White Plains, N.Y., to appear at 12 p.m. EST.

‘It is my mission to teach Palestinian students, even if I must build a classroom, brick by brick,’ Bader Slaih says.

Bader Slaih is one of many Palestinian scholars from Gaza who had to put down his books amid Israel’s genocidal war on the enclave.

Slaih, who was displaced multiple times from Bureij in central Gaza with his family, started baking bread to feed them during the war, but he still has dreams to enrich the minds of students in Gaza, who have suffered deaths in their families, a loss of their homes and the decimation of their schools and education.

“The war was hard on everyone. We were tormented and humiliated,” he said.

“Out of a dire need, we built a brick oven to make bread for our children,” Slaih told Al Jazeera.

“We had to bake to feed our children and others,” he added.

Palestinians have always been deeply committed to learning.

Before Israel’s war, the education sector in Gaza was thriving, and literacy rates were reported to be among the highest in the world.

According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the illiteracy rate stood at 2.1 percent among Palestinians aged 15 and older in 2023.

Slaih said he was always committed to his studies since early childhood into adolescence before he got his master’s and doctorate degrees in Egypt, and returned to Gaza to serve his homeland.

“[After I came back] I filed all my certificates with universities, hoping to start my teaching career,” he told Al Jazeera.

“But then disaster struck – the war began.”

Slaih’s wife and son left Gaza for medical reasons as he was left behind during the war.

“It was difficult for me. My son’s medical needs were more important, so I stayed behind with my other family members,” he said.

Educational system devastated

According to a UNICEF report released in November, Gaza’s education system “stands on the brink of collapse”, with more than 97 percent of schools damaged or destroyed.

The report said 91.8 percent of all education facilities require either full reconstruction or significant rehabilitation to become functional again.

All of Gaza’s 12 universities have been totally or partly destroyed and are in unusable condition, according to local reports.

Slaih said he was determined to pursue his career as there was a ceasefire in place in Gaza, adding: “Patience and resolve are part of our DNA.”

“I will serve as a teacher, even in a tent. It is my mission to teach Palestinian students, even if I must build a classroom, brick by brick,” he said.

“With my hopes still high, I am certain I will make my dream come true very soon.”

SEOUL, Jan. 5 (UPI) — Korea Land and Housing Corp. said the state-run company selected several private-sector enterprises as preferred bidders for a large-scale city development project in Vietnam.

Among them were the country’s leading contractors, Hyundai E&C and POSCO E&C, along with JR Asset Management. Public-sector involvement is also expected through the Korea Overseas Infrastructure and Urban Development Corp.

The Vietnamese government is seeking to attract investment to move forward with a multibillion-dollar project to construct a new city in the fast-growing Southeast Asian country.

The initiative is designed to transform a 2,000-acre site in Bac Ninh Province, about 12 miles northeast of Hanoi, into a self-sufficient urban center capable of accommodating more than 100,000 residents.

Midway through 2024, LH signed a memorandum of understanding with Bac Ninh Province to pursue the development. Last August, it asked the provincial government to issue an investment policy approval.

Once the approval is secured and related administrative procedures are completed, LH plans to establish a special purpose company with Vietnamese partners to implement the 50-year phased initiative, which is scheduled to conclude in 2076.

Early last year, LH estimated the project’s value at $4.1 billion, but the company noted that the figure would be subject to change depending on project scope and other factors.

The Seoul administration has expressed high hopes for the initiative. For example, President Lee Jae Myung cited it during a meeting with To Lam, general secretary of Vietnam’s Communist Party, in Seoul last August.

“We will provide full support to advance cooperation on the Bac Ninh new town development,” Lee said at the time.

The Israeli military has spent the past 24 hours expanding the so-called “yellow line” in eastern Gaza, particularly in eastern Gaza City’s Tuffah, Shujayea, and Zeitoun neighbourhoods, according to Al Jazeera teams on the ground, squeezing Palestinians into ever smaller clusters of the enclave.

The Israeli army’s actions on Monday are also pushing it closer to the key artery of Salah al-Din Street, forcing displaced families sheltering near the area to flee as more of them come under intensive threat, as Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza shows no signs of abating.

Israel now physically occupies more than 50 percent of the Gaza Strip.

Since the ceasefire took effect, Israeli attacks have killed at least 414 Palestinians and injured 1,145 in daily truce violations despite the ceasefire deal mediated by the United States on October 10.

Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Gaza City, said, “The ongoing Israeli attacks on the ground, the expansion of the ‘yellow line’ are meant to eat up more of the territory across the eastern part, really shrinking the total area where people are sheltering.”

“Everyone is cramped here. The population here not just doubled but tripled in many of the neighbourhoods, given the fact that none of these people is able to go back to their neighbourhoods. We’re talking about Zeitoun, Shujayea, as well as Tuffah,” he added.

“It was not until the past few minutes that the sounds of hums, the drones buzzing, faded away, but it had been going on for the past night and all of yesterday. Ongoing explosions that could be heard clearly from here,” Mahmoud said.

Intense artillery bombardment and helicopter fire also resumed on Monday in the areas south of the besieged enclave, north and east of the cities of Rafah and Khan Younis.

On Sunday, Israel launched more attacks into parts of Gaza outside its direct military control. At least three Palestinians were killed in separate Israeli attacks in Khan Younis, medical sources told Al Jazeera.

A five-storey building belonging to the al-Shana family in the Maghazi camp in central Gaza collapsed. It had been subjected to Israeli bombing at the end of 2023.

Civil Defence teams are searching for missing people under the rubble. The Wafa news agency reported that at least five people were injured.

Israeli push to make Rafah crossing ‘one-way exit’

Expectations have heightened around the possible reopening of the Rafah crossing, fuelling both desperate hope and deep fear.

For many in Gaza, there is some hope it could offer a lifeline, allowing the sick and wounded to access medical care, reuniting separated families, and giving some people a rare chance to move in or out of the Strip. Some also see it as a potential sign of easing restrictions.

But fears remain strong. Many worry the opening will be limited and temporary, benefitting only a few. Others fear it could become a one-way exit, raising concerns about permanent expulsion, effectively Israeli ethnic cleansing, and whether those who leave will be allowed to return.

“Until this moment, there’s nothing on the ground other than the headlines we’ve been reading over the past couple of days, the expectation now that within days the Rafah crossing is going to open and allow for movement in and out of Gaza. So far, we know the Israeli military is pushing for Rafah to be just a one-way exit,” Al Jazeera’s Mahmoud reported.

After months of uncertainty, people in Gaza who have suffered unimaginable loss and destruction are cautious. Even the possibility of relief comes with questions and little trust in what will happen next.

At least 71,386 Palestinians have been killed and 171,264 injured since the start of the war in October 2023, according to the latest figures from Gaza’s Ministry of Health. At least 420 people have been killed since the ceasefire was agreed upon three months ago.

The Israeli military continues to block a large amount of international humanitarian aid amassing at the Gaza crossings, while maintaining that there is no shortage of aid despite testimonies by the United Nations and others working on the ground.

United States President Donald Trump has promised to “take back” Venezuela’s oil reserves and unleash them onto the global market after abducting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

But exploiting the Latin American country’s vast reserves would face a host of big hurdles, from decrepit infrastructure and legal obstacles to leadership uncertainty in Caracas and an excess supply of oil in the global market, experts say.

Venezuela possesses the world’s largest known oil reserves – estimated to be some 303 billion barrels – but currently produces only a tiny fraction of global output. Its estimated output was 860,000 barrels per day (bpd) in November, less than 1 percent of the world’s total, compared with 3.7 million bpd during peak production in 1970.

The oil sector’s decline has been blamed on the combined effects of US sanctions and years of underinvestment, mismanagement and corruption under Maduro and his left-wing predecessor, Hugo Chavez.

While the Trump administration could boost supply in the short term by lifting sanctions, restoring Venezuela’s output to anything near peak levels would require huge investment and likely take years, according to energy analysts.

‘Venezuela’s oil infrastructure is in poor shape’

Oil prices moved only slightly in trading on Monday amid market expectations that output would remain largely unchanged for the foreseeable future.

“Venezuela’s oil infrastructure is in poor shape overall, due to lack of maintenance for both equipment and oilfield wells,” Scott Montgomery, a global energy expert at the University of Washington, told Al Jazeera.

“The state oil company, PDVSA, is well known to suffer from corruption and lack of expertise – many well-trained people have left the country to work elsewhere – and has been unable to invest in the country’s petroleum sector,” Montgomery added.

Thomas O’Donnell, an energy and geopolitical analyst based in Berlin, Germany, estimated that Venezuela could return to peak production in five to seven years in the “absolute best” circumstances, including a peaceful transfer of power.

“Longer term, if things are sorted out, yes, Venezuela can become one of the world’s biggest producers of oil. As far as how long that takes, that has all to do with the transition and what is put in place to manage that – both the country’s security and also to manage the investments,” O’Donnell told Al Jazeera.

Mixed messaging from Trump administration

Trump’s administration has provided conflicting messages on Washington’s exact plans for Venezuela and its oil reserves.

On Saturday, Trump said the US would “run” Venezuela and that US oil companies were ready to invest billions of dollars to build up the country’s dilapidated infrastructure and “get the oil flowing”.

In interviews with US media on Sunday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to downplay Trump’s remarks about controlling the country, saying the president was referring to “running policy” and his plans related to spurring private investment, “not securing the oilfields”.

Trump later on Sunday said Washington was “in charge” of the country and was “dealing with” members of the acting administration without providing details.

Under international law, the US has no claim of ownership over Venezuela’s oil reserves, as sovereign states possess the right to control and use their natural resources under the United Nations-endorsed Principle of Permanent Sovereignty over Natural Resources.

Foreign investors, however, can claim compensation when authorities seize their assets.

ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips were awarded $1.6bn and $8.7bn, respectively, in international arbitration following the Chavez government’s 2007 nationalisation of the oil sector. Caracas did not pay out in either case.

US oil giants, including Chevron, ExxonMobil, and ConocoPhillips, have not commented directly on Trump’s claims about planned investments in Venezuela.

Chevron is the only large US oil company currently operating in Venezuela, the result of an exemption to US sanctions first granted by the administration of former President Joe Biden.

Consultancy Rystad Energy, based in Oslo, Norway, has estimated that Venezuela’s oil sector would need about $110bn in capital investment to return to its mid-2010s output of about 2 million bpd.

Patrick De Haan, an analyst at energy price tracker GasBuddy, said companies may be reluctant to commit to large investments in the country when global oil prices are hovering around $60 a barrel due to a glut of supply.

“It will take a longer amount of time than many likely realise. Oil companies in a low-priced environment of today would likely be cautious investing billions with oil prices already low,” De Haan told Al Jazeera.

“In addition, Trump seizing Maduro could lead to loyalists sabotaging efforts to increase output. A lot would have to go right to yield the most optimistic timelines.”

US companies are likely to carefully weigh political developments in Venezuela following their experiences with the Chavez government’s expropriation of their assets.

“Oil companies are not likely to rush into a situation where the state is in turmoil, security is lacking, and no clear path forward for political stability exists,” the University of Washington’s Montgomery said.

Maduro due in court in New York

Interim President Delcy Rodriguez, who was Maduro’s deputy, is now leading the country following a ruling by Venezuela’s Supreme Court.

Maduro is scheduled to appear in a New York court on Monday to face charges related to alleged drug trafficking and working with criminal gangs.

Venezuela’s government has condemned the Trump administration over Saturday’s bombing and overthrow of Maduro, labelling his capture a “cowardly kidnapping”.

Russia, China, Iran and Brazil, among other countries, have accused Washington of violating international law, while nations including Israel, Argentina and Greece have welcomed Maduro’s forced removal.

OPEC, which sets limits on production for its 12 members, including Venezuela, is another factor in the Latin American country’s potential oil output.

“Venezuela is a member of OPEC, and like many countries, may become more actively subject to quotas if output climbs,” De Haan said.

Phil Flynn, a market analyst at the Price Futures Group, said reviving Venezuela’s oil production would face “significant challenges”, but he was more bullish about the near-term prospects than other analysts.

He said the market could conceivably see a couple of hundred thousand more barrels a day coming online in the coming months.

“We’ve not had a free Venezuela, and sometimes the US energy industry has the capability to do a lot more than people give them credit for,” Flynn told Al Jazeera.

Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodriguez met with the country’s cabinet of ministers following the abduction of Nicolas Maduro. She has expressed willingness to work with the US, while Donald Trump warned of serious consequences if she fails to cooperate.

Jan. 4 (Asia Today) — Corporate lending at South Korea’s five largest commercial banks grew at about half the pace of the previous year, despite government calls for “productive finance” aimed at steering money toward businesses, industry data showed.

Outstanding corporate loans at KB Kookmin Bank, Shinhan Bank, Hana Bank, Woori Bank and NH Nonghyup Bank totaled 844.7 trillion won (about $650 billion) at the end of December, up 2.94% from a year earlier, the data showed. The increase of 24.1 trillion won (about $18.5 billion) compared with 2024’s 6.95% rise, when balances increased 53.3 trillion won (about $41.0 billion).

The lending trend diverged between the first and second halves of the year. Corporate loan balances rose 9.1 trillion won (about $7.0 billion) in the first half as banks prioritized asset quality amid higher rates and more financially strained firms. Growth accelerated in the second half, rising 15.0 trillion won (about $11.5 billion), as the government that took office in June pushed banks to expand credit to companies and advanced industries while tightening household lending.

Even so, growth in loans to small and medium-sized firms slowed sharply. SME lending at the five banks increased 12.2 trillion won (about $9.4 billion) last year, down from 31.3 trillion won (about $24.1 billion) in 2024, the data showed. Loans to large companies rose 11.9 trillion won (about $9.2 billion), down from 22.0 trillion won (about $16.9 billion) the prior year, but large-company loan growth still outpaced SME growth, with rates of 7.52% and 1.84%, respectively.

Loans to the self-employed declined. Balances fell 1.2 trillion won (about $915 million) to 324.4 trillion won (about $249.6 billion) from 325.6 trillion won (about $250.5 billion) a year earlier, according to the data.

Bankers cited higher delinquency risks among SMEs and the self-employed and said lenders have leaned toward higher-quality corporate borrowers to protect capital, including common equity tier 1, or CET1, ratios.

Authorities are expected to intensify pressure this year to expand corporate credit. Banks have said they broadly agree with the policy direction but want regulatory relief, including lower risk weights on corporate loans, to increase supply while meeting capital rules.

In September, financial authorities said they would adjust capital regulations, including raising the minimum risk weight on mortgage loans and lowering risk weights on banks’ stock holdings. The move could expand corporate lending capacity by up to 73.5 trillion won (about $56.5 billion), the report said.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Jan. 5 (UPI) — All 40 victims of a Swiss bar fire that erupted New Year’s Eve have been identified, according to police, who continue to investigate the deadly blaze.

Forty people were killed and 119 were injured in the fire at the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana in the Swiss Alps early Thursday.

Valais Cantonal Police announced in a statement Sunday that an additional 16 victims of the fire have been identified, meaning all deceased have been named.

The victims identified Sunday range in age from 14 to 33, with the youngest being a boy from France.

Among the deceased were nine minors, including four aged 15, two girls from Switzerland, one girl from Italy and a boy with French, Israeli and British citizenship. Two 16-year-olds, both Italian, one boy and one girl; and two 17-year-olds, one Belgian girl and a French boy, were also identified Sunday.

The adults were from France, Switzerland and Portugal. One victim identified Sunday was a dual Swiss-French national.

Of all 40 victims, 20 were minors: two 14-year-olds, six 15-year-olds, nine 16-year-olds and three 17-year-olds.

The oldest adult victim was 39.

Police have opened a criminal investigation into the fire and have charged two managers of the bar with negligent homicide, negligent bodily harm and negligent arson.

The two suspects have not been detained as they do not pose a flight risk and there is no suspicion that they intend to evade the criminal proceedings, authorities said Sunday.

“The investigation is continuing in order to determine any other potential criminal liabilities,” Valais Cantonal Police said in a separate Sunday update on the investigation.

Preliminary evidence indicates that the fire was caused by pyrotechnic devices called “fountains” that produce sparks and flames. They are designed to be placed on the ground or held by hand.

Uncorroborated video of the fire published online shows fire spreading across the bar’s ceiling, apparently lit by the fountain devices that had been attached to the mouths of alcohol bottles that were being paraded around the facility as part of bottle service.

Witnesses told police that the fire spread rapidly, generating a lot of smoke and intense heat.

“Everything is said to have happened quickly,” Valais Cantonal Police said.

According to authorities, the next phase of the investigation will focus on whether the facility was in compliance with local laws and fire safety regulations over materials used in the building, the existence and condition of emergency exits and the presence of firefighting equipment.

UN Security Council to meet on Maduro’s abduction as Trump insists US in control of Venezuela.

Jan. 4 (UPI) — The International Bar Association on Sunday expressed concerns over the United States military intervention in Venezuela, stating it “raises serious questions under international law.”

The United States removed Venezuela’s authoritarian president, Nicolas Maduro, and arrested his wife on Saturday in a clandestine military operation following months of speculation amid a U.S. military build in the region.

The Trump administration has framed its military action as a law enforcement operation as Maduro was indicted in the United States on narco-terrorism and drug conspiracy charges in 2020.

While Maduro’s claim to the presidency has been challenged for years following widely disregarded elections, his arrest in Venezuela by the United States has drawn allegations, including from ally France, that his detainment is illegal under international law.

In a statement emailed to UPI on Sunday night, the International Bar Association, the world’s largest association of lawyers, said it “expresses concern” over the U.S. military action in the South American country, while citing the United Nations Charter, which prohibits intervention in matters within domestic jurisdiction, the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.

“Measures or policies aimed at coercing political change in another state, when undertaken outside internationally recognized legal frameworks, are inconsistent with these obligations and risk normalizing conduct that international law was designed to prevent,” the IBA said.

“Even in the face of ongoing reprehensible conduct by state leaders, adherence to international law remains essential to preserving the integrity of the rules-based international order.”

Maduro is a long-time foe of U.S. President Donald Trump, who tried to oust the South American leader during his first term.

During his reign as Venezuela’s leader, Maduro has been accused of committing human rights violations against his own people, millions of whom have left the country over the last decade.

The IBA said it is aware of the allegations and conduct of Maduro’s regime that have led to widespread suffering and that they warrant “robust scrutiny and accountability both under domestic and international law, pursued through lawful mechanisms, including international or independent domestic judicial processes.”

“The IBA encourages a democratic transition in Venezuela that respects the rule of law,” it said.

Jan. 4 (UPI) — Saudi-backed government forces have reclaimed oil-rich territory from United Arab Emirates-supported, armed separatists in Yemen.

The Southern Transitional Council, which seeks to create a new state called South Arabia, seized the provinces of Hadramout and al-Mahra in Southern Yemen last month.

But Yemeni information minister Moammar al-Eryani, who represents the Presidential Leadership Council, told The New York Times by phone Sunday that government forces have since re-taken Hadramout, “assumed positions” in al-Mahra and are optimistic about securing the de facto capital of Aden soon.

Al-Eryani also urged the separatists in the region to surrender as “the state reasserts authority.”

Al Jazeera said the Yemeni government has invited the STC to a conference in Saudi Arabia and that STC representatives see this as a “genuine opportunity for serious dialogue.”

The tension between Saudi Arabia and the UAE is taking place more than a decade after the two powerful countries joined forces to stop the Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen.

Over the years, however, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have supported different factions and agendas within Yemen.

The UAE is helping the separatists’ crusade for independence, while Saudi Arabia wants its neighbor Yemen to be unified and stable.

DEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY,

Havana declares two days of mourning for the Cubans killed in US’s operation to capture Nicolas Maduro.

The government of Cuba has announced that 32 ⁠of its ​citizens were ‍killed during the raid by the United States to abduct Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas.

It said on Sunday that there would be two days of mourning on ‌January 5 and ‌6 in ⁠honour of those killed and that ‌funeral arrangements would be announced.

More soon…

Jan. 4 (UPI) — Former New York City cop, U.S. Secret Service agent and conservative media personality Dan Bongino has exited his post as deputy director after less than a year in the office.

“It was a busy last day on the job. This will be my last post on this account. Tomorrow I return to civilian life,” Bongino, 51, posted on X Saturday.

“It’s been an incredible year thanks to the leadership and decisiveness of President [Donald] Trump. It was the honor of a lifetime to work with Director [Kash] Patel, and to serve you, the American people. See you on the other side.”

On Bongino’s last shift Saturday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia were captured by U.S. special forces and FBI agents, and flown to New York where they are to be arraigned on weapons and drug charges on Monday.

“Dan heads back to the private sector after helping orchestrate a record year for the @fbi,” Patel wrote on X Sunday.

“-Historic 20% drop in nationwide murder rate-100% increase in arrests year to year -1,800 gangs and criminal enterprises disrupted (210% increase)-2,000+ kilos of Fentanyl seized (up 31%) enough to kill 130 million Americans-Nihilistic Violent Extremism arrests up 490%-Over 6,000 child victims located (up 22%),” Patel continued.

“-Espionage arrests up 35%-Multiple successful surges including Summer Heat which had almost 9,000 arrests in just three months This FBI is saving lives, protecting innocent kids, and taking deadly drugs off our streets at levels not seen in decades. None of it would’ve been possible without Dan’s leadership and support. And he paved the way for even better things to come. Thank you @dbongino.”

Bongino replied to Patel, stating: “Thank you my friend, it was an honor to serve with you. You’re doing an incredible job and I KNOW you’re focused, resolute, and over the target. We got a lot done in a year and there’s a lot more coming.”

Bongino announced last month that he was planning to leave.

At the time, Trump told reporters Bongino had done a “great job,” but wants to “get back to his show.”

CNN said Bongino exited because he frequently clashed with Attorney General Pam Bondi and because the job was taking a toll on his personal life.

Fox News said Andrew Bailey is now the only deputy director at the FBI.