Europe

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen arrived for the first day of her appeal against a five-year ban from public office, saying she was hopeful the decision would be overturned. The outcome will determine if she can run for president in 2027. Last year she was found guilty of embezzling millions in EU funding.

“If we have to choose between the United States and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark,” said Greenland’s PM.

Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen has said the self-governed Danish territory wants to remain part of Denmark rather than join the United States, amid US President Donald Trump’s ongoing push to take over the island.

Speaking at a news conference in Copenhagen alongside Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Nielsen said the autonomous Arctic territory would prefer to remain Danish.

“We are now facing a geopolitical crisis, and if we have to choose between the United States and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark,” he said.

Frederiksen said it had not been easy to stand up to what she slammed as “completely unacceptable pressure from our closest ally”.

Nielsen’s comments came a day after the government of Greenland rejected Trump’s threats of a takeover.

“The United States has once again reiterated its desire to take over Greenland. This is something that the governing coalition in Greenland cannot accept under any circumstance,” said the island’s coalition government.

“As part of the Danish commonwealth, Greenland is a member of NATO, and the defence of Greenland must therefore be through NATO,” it added.

Trump has insisted that he will seize Greenland, threatening that the territory will be brought under US control “one way or another”.

Those threats have created a crisis for NATO, sparking outrage from European allies who have warned that any takeover of Greenland would have serious repercussions for ties between the US and Europe.

On Wednesday, US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will host a meeting with the foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland at the White House.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and his Greenlandic counterpart, Vivian Motzfeldt, told reporters in Copenhagen on Tuesday that they had requested the meeting with Rubio after Trump’s threats.

“Our reason for seeking the meeting we have now been given was to move this whole discussion … into a meeting room where we can look each other in the eye and talk about these things,” Rasmussen said.

Aaja Chemnitz, a Greenlandic politician in the Danish parliament, told Al Jazeera that a majority of Greenland’s 56,000 people did not want to become US citizens.

“Greenland is not for sale, and Greenland will never be for sale,” Chemnitz, from the Inuit Ataqatigiit party, said.

“People seem to think they can buy the Greenlandic soul. It is our identity, our language, our culture – and it would look completely different if you became an American citizen, and that is not something a majority in Greenland want.”

London, United Kingdom – Heba Muraisi, a Palestine Action-affiliated activist who has refused food for 72 days in prison, has told Al Jazeera that she “no longer feels hunger”, is suffering with pain and knows that her death may be imminent.

The 31-year-old responded to questions via a friend who regularly visits her in New Hall prison in northern England.

“Physically, I am deteriorating as the days go by. I no longer feel hunger, I feel pain,” Muraisi said. “I don’t think about my life, I think about how or when I could die, but despite this, mentally I’ve never been stronger, more determined and sure, and most importantly, I feel calm and a great sense of ease.”

Muraisi was arrested on November 19, 2024, over her alleged involvement in a break-in months earlier at the UK subsidiary of the Israeli defence firm Elbit Systems in Bristol.

If she survives, she will have spent at least a year and a half in prison before her trial date, which is reportedly due no earlier than June this year – well beyond the UK’s usual six-month pre-trial detention limit.

She is the longest-fasting hunger striker of a group of eight activists who have joined the rolling protest since early November. Four are currently refusing food, including Muraisi and Kamran Ahmed, a 28-year-old who has not eaten for more than two months.

“Even though the risks may be lifelong consequences or a devastating end, I think it’s important to fight for justice and for freedom,” she told Al Jazeera.

‘I can no longer read like how I used to’

In recent weeks, the British media has intensified its coverage of the prison protest, said to be the largest coordinated hunger strike in British history since 1981, when Irish Republican inmates were led by Bobby Sands. Sands died on the 66th day of his protest, becoming a symbol of the Irish Republican cause. Nine others also died of starvation.

“I’m choosing to continue this because for the first time in 15 months, I’m finally being heard,” said Muraisi.

A Londoner of Yemeni origin who had worked as a florist and lifeguard, Muraisi is reportedly suffering from muscle spasms, breathlessness, severe pain and a low white blood cell count. She has been admitted to hospital three times over the past nine weeks.

At times, she has lost the ability to speak, and her memory is declining, friends who have recently visited her have said.

“Since concentrating has become gradually more difficult, I can no longer read like how I used to, so now I listen to the radio a lot,” she told Al Jazeera via the intermediary. “I love music, and it’s a shame I can’t get the CDs I want, but nonetheless I’m grateful to have songs playing.”

Last week, an emergency physician who is advising the hunger strikers told Al Jazeera that he believes Muraisi and Ahmed have reached a critical phase in which death and irreversible health damage are increasingly likely.

Ahmed’s weight has dropped to 56kg from the healthy 74kg he entered jail at; he is suffering from cardiac atrophy, or heart shrinkage, chest pain and twitching, according to his sister, Shahmina Alam. His speech is slurred, he is now partially deaf in his left ear, and his heart rate has intermittently fallen below 40bpm in recent days, she said.

The group of hunger striking activists are among 29 remand prisoners being held in various jails over their alleged involvement in the Bristol incident and a break-in at the Royal Air Force (RAF) base in Oxfordshire. They deny the charges against them.

Their protest demands include bail, the right to a fair trial and the de-proscription of Palestine Action, which the UK in July designated a “terrorist organisation”, putting it on par with ISIL (ISIS) and al-Qaeda. They are calling for all Elbit sites to be closed in the UK and seek an end to what they call censorship in prison, accusing authorities of withholding mail, calls and books.

Muraisi has also asked to be returned to HMP Bronzefield in Surrey as HMP New Hall, where she was moved in October, is about 200 miles away – much further from home.

Palestine Action, which says it supports direct action without violence and accuses the UK government of complicity in Israel’s atrocities, is fighting against the proscription in courts as six of those charged in the Bristol case are currently on trial.

Asked if she can access news about Palestine from jail, Muraisi, who has family members in Gaza, accused prison officials of “systematically” blocking articles and newspapers “sent in for me”.

“Anything Palestine-related, including the book We Are Not Numbers [an anthology of emerging writers from Gaza], has been deemed inappropriate. I rely on those I call for news,” she said.

At the time of publishing, neither the UK Ministry of Justice nor New Hall prison had responded to Al Jazeera’s request for comment.

These are the key developments from day 1,419 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Here is where things stand on Tuesday, January 13:

Fighting

• At least two people have been killed and three others injured as Russia launched attacks on Ukraine’s northeastern city of Kharkiv, according to Regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov.

• Russia also initiated a separate missile attack on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and air defence units have been deployed to repel it, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram. Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv’s military administration, warned residents to take cover. There were no immediate reports on casualties or damage to properties and infrastructure in the attack.

• Russian drones struck two foreign-flagged vessels, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Kuleba said, the second such attack in four days on Black Sea shipping. Kuleba said the vessels were sailing under the flags of Panama and San Marino, and that one person was injured.

• Russia attacked energy infrastructure in Ukraine’s southern Odesa region, causing blackouts that affected at least 33,500 families, Ukraine’s largest private energy firm DTEK said, describing the damage as “significant”.

• Emergency crews are struggling to restore heat and power to beleaguered Kyiv residents, more than three days after Russian strikes on energy infrastructure.

• Kuleba said on Telegram that 90 percent of Kyiv’s apartment buildings have had their heating restored, leaving fewer than 500 dwellings still to be connected. But Mayor Klitschko put the number with no heating at 800, with most living on the west bank of the Dnipro River.

• Last year was the deadliest for civilians in Ukraine since 2022, a record driven by intensified hostilities along the front line and the expanded use of long-range weapons, the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said. Conflict-related violence in Ukraine killed 2,514 civilians and injured 12,142 in 2025, a 31 percent rise in the number of victims from 2024, the monitor said in its monthly update.

• Russia’s Ministry of Defence said the target it hit last week with a hypersonic Oreshnik ballistic missile was a Ukrainian aircraft repair plant in Lviv. The Lviv State Aviation Repair Plant is located near the Polish border. Russia described the target as disabled.

• At an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, the United States decried Russia’s use of the nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile, calling it an “inexplicable escalation”.
• Russia’s Defence Ministry said its forces had captured the village of Novoboykivske in the Zaporizhia region of Ukraine.

Politics and diplomacy

• In his regular nightly address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the world has to help Iranian protesters free themselves from the oppressive government that “has brought so much evil to Ukraine and to other countries”. Iran’s government is a close ally of Russia.
• German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said he and his US counterpart Marco Rubio had agreed on the importance of a transatlantic alliance to secure a lasting peace in Ukraine.
• Wadephul added that Germany and the US were committed to Article 5 of the NATO treaty, which commits member states to rise to each other’s defence, should one state come under attack.
• The German foreign minister added that, at a time of “uncertainty and crises”, unity within NATO “is a clear signal to Russia that it should not try to threaten” the alliance.

• Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard has called for greater pressure on Moscow. She suggested the European Union should ban companies from providing any support to Moscow’s oil and gas shipping fleet, introduce sanctions against Russian fertilisers and stop the export of luxury goods to Russia.

• Norway has announced that it is providing 340 million euros ($397m) in emergency funding to support Ukraine’s energy sector and help the government maintain critical services, as part of its aid in 2026.

• Finnish police said they lifted the seizure of a Russia-linked ship, which had been held on suspicion of sabotaging an undersea telecommunications cable running across the Gulf of Finland, from Helsinki to Estonia.

• The investigation into the Russia-linked ship will nevertheless continue. Some of the ship’s crew remain under a travel ban, according to the head of the investigation at Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation, Risto Lohi.

Economy

• A US-linked investor group won the rights to develop Ukraine’s Dobra lithium deposit in the central Kirovohrad region, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced on Telegram. The deal is seen as a test case for drawing Western capital into a front-line economy, while trying to deepen ties with Washington.

A previous European route for passengers was axed back in 2018, but connections could be revived as soon as spring 2025. If launched, it would become the second-longest ferry route across Europe and take over 20 hours.

A proposed ferry route that would connect Scotland to France could launch as soon as spring 2026, with a 20-hour journey open for both passengers and freight.

Ferry operator DFDS has floated plans to offer a ferry services from Rosyth, about half an hour from Edinburgh, to Dunkirk on France’s Nord department.

It’s not the first time the Scottish port has had a European service. Until 2010, passengers could travel by boat to Zeebrugge in Belgium, which used to take 17 hours. The service, which ran four times a week, was axed for passengers in 2010 and turned into a freight service before being discontinued completely in 2018.

The plans, dubbed ‘Project Brave’ were first revealed in 2022, but soon hit red tape. There was initially a need to build new border control facilities at Rosyth to process certain goods. However, officials are now looking to remove the need for the facilities, which means the route could be ready to launch in as soon as spring.

Questions were also raised about whether Transport Scotland should subsidise the £3 million needed to open the route, with the government arguing it would be ‘anti-competitive’ to provide the funding. However, Labour MP Graeme Downie argued in Westminster in November that “It is estimated the direct ferry link would initially carry 51,000 passengers a year, rising to 79,000, bringing an additional £11.5 million (€14 million) of spend to the Scottish economy.”

The planned 20-hour route would run three times a week, and would become the second-longest ferry service in all of Europe, just behind the Portsmouth to Bilbao route which takes between 27 and 30 hours.

Graeme Downie also previously spoke in parliament about the delays faced in making the new route a reality, saying: “These matters can be complex but we have taken a huge stride towards making this ferry service a reality. I want to thank the secretary of state for Scotland and his officials for their work and assistance in finding a way to ensure a Border Control Post is not required at Rosyth. Their efforts make it more likely a passenger and freight ferry to Dunkirk could begin as soon as next year

“We are not quite there yet and, in particular, a small amount of infrastructure is needed at the Port of Rosyth. However, as the ferry is one of the projects in the strategy of the Forth Green Freeport I am hopeful we can overcome this problem as well.”

READ MORE: European city that tourists keep overlooking where ‘beer is cheaper than water’READ MORE: UK town that’s started an accidental rivalry with New Zealand over steep street

Dunkirk’s location makes it a handy port for those planning to drive on the continent. As well as being a gateway to France, it is close to the Belgium and just over an hour from the Netherlands.

Have a story you want to share? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com

US President Donald Trump has doubled down on his ambition to bring Greenland under US control. Trump said if the US didn’t control Greenland – China or Russia would. But Trump’s desire for Greenland goes beyond security ambitions. Al Jazeera’s Rory Challands explains.

These are the key developments from day 1,418 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Here is where things stand on Monday, January 12:

Fighting

• Russia launched an air attack on Kyiv overnight on Monday, sparking a fire in one of the city’s districts, according to the Ukrainian military. Ukrainian air defence units were trying to repel the attack, said Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv’s military administration.

• More than 1,000 apartment buildings in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, are still without heating three days after a devastating Russian attack, according to Ukrainian authorities.
• Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said in a statement on Telegram that not a single day passed this week without Russian attacks on energy facilities and critical infrastructure, which have totalled at least 44.
• A Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian city of Voronezh killed a woman and wounded three other people on Sunday, the region’s governor, Alexander Gusev, said.
• The governor said that more than 10 apartment buildings, about 10 private houses, a secondary school and several administrative buildings were also damaged in the attack on Voronezh.

• Ukraine’s military said it had made “direct hits” on three drilling platforms in the Caspian Sea belonging to Russia’s Lukoil oil firm. The military said it hit the V Filanovsky, Yuri Korchagin and Valery Grayfer platforms.

• Russia’s Ministry of Defence claimed control of the village of Bilohirya in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhia region, according to the TASS state news agency.
• The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence’s main intelligence directorate said that Russia deployed the new jet-powered “Geran-5” strike drone against Ukraine this month, for the first time. The Geran is a Russian variant of the Iranian-designed Shahed. The drone can carry a 90kg (200-pound) warhead and has a range of nearly 1,000km (620 miles).

Military aid

• The United Kingdom announced that it will develop a new deep-strike ballistic missile for Ukraine to support the country’s war efforts against invading Russian forces. Under the project, named Nightfall, the UK seeks to develop missiles that could carry a 200kg (440 lbs) warhead over a range of more than 500km (310 miles).

• Sweden said it will spend 15 billion Swedish crowns ($1.6bn) on air defence, aimed at primarily protecting civilians and civilian infrastructure, as the country continues to ramp up its forces in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

• The European Union’s defence commissioner, Andrius Kubilus, said the bloc should consider setting up a combined military force that could eventually replace US troops in Europe. Kubilus, a former Lithuanian prime minister, said such a force, numbering up to 100,000, would be a possible option to better protect Europe.

Politics and diplomacy

• The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said it was now up to Russia to show it is interested in peace, after Kyiv and its allies agreed to implement a 20-point peace plan and security guarantees, which would take effect following a ceasefire.
• Von der Leyen said that, under the plan, Ukraine would rely first on its own armed forces, which she said were well-trained and battle-experienced. It would be the task of the Europeans to make sure the Ukrainian army is also well equipped, she said.
• Von der Leyen added that the second line of defence would be the so-called Coalition of the Willing – 35 states, including most EU countries as well as Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Turkiye.

Denmark is ready to defend its values, Mette Frederiksen says, as Trump renews threats to seize the Danish territory.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has said her country faces a “decisive moment” over the future of Greenland after US President Donald Trump renewed his threats to seize the Arctic territory by force.

Ahead of meetings in Washington, DC, from Monday, on the global scramble for key raw materials, Frederiksen said that “there is a conflict over Greenland”.

“This is a decisive moment”, with stakes that go beyond the immediate issue of Greenland’s future, Frederiksen added in a debate with other Danish political leaders.

“We are ready to defend our values – wherever it is necessary  – also in the Arctic. We believe in international law and in peoples’ right to self-determination,” the prime minister posted on Facebook.

Germany and Sweden backed Denmark against Trump’s latest claims to the self-governing Danish territory.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson condemned the US’s “threatening rhetoric” after Trump repeated that Washington was “going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not”.

“Sweden, the Nordic countries, the Baltic states, and several major European countries stand together with our Danish friends,” Kristersson told a defence conference in Salen, in which the US general in charge of NATO took part.

Kristersson said a US takeover of mineral-rich Greenland would be “a violation of international law, and risks encouraging other countries to act in exactly the same way”.

Germany reiterated its support for Denmark and Greenland ahead of the Washington discussions.

Before meeting his US counterpart, Marco Rubio, on Monday, German Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Johann Wadehpul held talks in Iceland to address the “strategic challenges of the Far North”, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

“Security in the Arctic is becoming more and more important”, and “is part of our common interest in NATO”, he said at a joint news conference with Icelandic Minister for Foreign Affairs Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir.

The United Kingdom’s Telegraph newspaper reported on Saturday that military chiefs from the UK and other European countries were drawing up plans for a possible NATO mission in Greenland.

The newspaper said that UK officials had begun early-stage talks with Germany, France and others on plans that could involve deploying UK troops, warships and aircraft to protect Greenland from Russia and China.

UK Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander told Sky News that talks on how to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Arctic were “business as usual”.

“It’s becoming an increasingly contested geopolitical region, with Russia and China… you would expect us to be talking to all our allies in NATO about what we can do to deter Russian aggression in the Arctic Circle,” Alexander said.

In an interview with the Reuters news agency, Belgian Minister of Defence Theo Francken said that NATO should launch an operation in the Arctic to address US security concerns.

“We have to collaborate, work together and show strength and unity,” Francken said, adding that there is a need for “a NATO operation in the high north”.

Francken suggested NATO’s Baltic Sentry and Eastern Sentry operations, which combine forces from different countries with drones, sensors and other technology to monitor land and sea, as possible models for an “Arctic Sentry”.

Trump claims that controlling Greenland is crucial for US national security because of the rising Russian and Chinese military activity in the Arctic.

A Danish colony until 1953, Greenland gained home rule 26 years later and is contemplating eventually loosening its ties with Denmark.

Polls indicate that Greenland’s population strongly oppose a US takeover.

Raphinha scores twice as Barcelona beat Real Madrid for a second year running in the Spanish Super Cup with a 3-2 win.

Barcelona have retained the Spanish Super Cup with a thrilling 3-2 El Clasico win over Real Madrid in Saudi Arabia.

Raphinha struck twice for the Catalans on Sunday, with Robert Lewandowski also on target as they beat Xabi Alonso’s team for a record-extending 16th triumph, despite Frenkie de Jong’s late red card.

After Raphinha sent Barcelona ahead, Vinicius Junior pulled Madrid level with a fine individual goal to kick-start a frenetic end to the first half in Jeddah.

Lewandowski chipped Barca back in front, but Gonzalo Garcia struck deep in stoppage time to send the teams level at the break.

The battle was decided by a deflected Raphinha effort after 73 minutes, as Barca claimed the fourth trophy of coach Hansi Flick’s reign.

His Madrid counterpart, Xabi Alonso, began with French superstar Kylian Mbappe on the bench after he missed the semifinal win over Atletico with a knee sprain.

Hansi Flick, who led Barca to four Clasico wins over Madrid last season in four clashes, opted for Lewandowski up front over Ferran Torres and brought teenage star Lamine Yamal back in on the right wing.

It was a scrappy start in the Saudi Arabian evening heat, with Barcelona keeping the ball and Madrid sitting deep to resist them while looking to find Vinicius Junior on the counter.

The Brazilian had not scored in his previous 16 matches, but offered a potent threat, flying down the left and forcing Joan Garcia into the first save.

Raphinha also sprinted back to slide in on his compatriot as Vinicius tried to break through.

Barca began to turn up the heat on Madrid, and Raphinha found a breakthrough after 36 minutes.

Moments after the winger fired a fine chance badly wide, he made up for it with a low, early strike from just inside the area, across Thibaut Courtois and into the bottom corner.

Madrid pulled level with a superb Vinicius strike, floating in from the left, nutmegging Jules Kounde and tucking past Garcia.

Barcelona went back ahead four minutes into first-half stoppage time, with Lewandowski dinking home after being played in by Pedri.

However, Madrid rapidly hit back just before the interval through Gonzalo Garcia, who finished well while falling after Dean Huijsen’s header bounced back to him off the crossbar.

Slowing down

The second half was a calmer affair, with fewer chances as the teams slowed down.

Garcia saved from Rodrygo Goes’s low effort, while Courtois beat away a Yamal strike.

Mbappe was warming up on the sideline when Barcelona nosed ahead, with Raphinha’s shot from outside the box deflecting in off Raul Asencio to leave Courtois with no chance.

The Brazilian is in superb form, and it was his seventh goal in his last five matches across all competitions.

Alonso sent on Mbappe for the last 15 minutes, trying to find a third goal and force a penalty shootout.

The French forward could not get sight of the goal, but Barca midfielder De Jong was sent off for a high lunge on him.

Despite Madrid’s numerical advantage, Barca had the best chance in stoppage time, with Marcus Rashford firing wide when through on goal.

Asencio might have grabbed an equaliser at the death, but headed straight at Garcia.

The last four winners of the Spanish Super Cup have gone on to claim La Liga, and Barcelona will be hoping it proves a platform for success once again.

America First foreign policy means that the United States is becoming a country that opposes the rule of law, free trade and collective security, argues Ian Bremmer, president of the risk analysis firm Eurasia Group.

Bremmer tells host Steve Clemons that the international system built by the US over decades “was going to reach a geopolitical bust” regardless of the advent of President Donald Trump.

Washington’s decision to project power in Venezuela, coupled with rhetoric threatening Greenland, “makes the US more unreliable for its allies”, according to Bremmer, “and a much bigger driver of geopolitical risk on the global stage”.

Medical estimates put survival without food at 45 to 61 days. Three Palestine Action activists in the UK are now pushing beyond that boundary.

Three British activists from the proscribed Palestine Action group are on hunger strike seeking bail and a fair trial, with friends and relatives warning they are close to death but determined to continue until their demands are met.

Heba Muraisi and Kamran Ahmed have refused food for 70 and 63 days respectively as part of a rolling hunger strike that began in November. A third prisoner, Lewie Chiaramello, is also refusing food on alternating days due to type 1 diabetes.

Five of the eight people who took part in the protest have ended their hunger strikes due to health concerns.

They are held in different jails over their alleged involvement in break-ins at the United Kingdom subsidiary of Israeli defence firm Elbit Systems in Bristol, where equipment was damaged, and at a Royal Air Force base in Oxfordshire, where two military aircraft were sprayed with red paint.

They deny all charges.

The group is demanding:

• Bail and the right to a fair trial, and the reversal of the UK government’s July designation of Palestine Action as a “terrorist organisation”, placing it alongside ISIL (ISIS) and al-Qaeda.
• Closure in the UK of all Elbit sites, which are facilities operated by Israel’s largest defence company, manufacturing military technology used by the Israeli armed forces and other governments.
• An end to what they describe as censorship inside prison, including the withholding of mail, phone calls and books.

All eight will have spent more than a year in custody without trials, exceeding the UK’s usual six-month pre-trial detention limit.

What does prolonged hunger do to the body?

In the early stages of starvation, after several days without food, the body begins breaking down muscle to produce energy.

As the fast continues, metabolism slows down. The body loses its ability to regulate temperature, kidney function deteriorates, and the immune system weakens, reducing the body’s ability to heal from injury.

Once the body’s reserves are depleted, it can no longer prioritise nutrients for vital organs. The heart and lungs become less efficient, muscles shrink and profound weakness sets in.

Eventually, as protein stores are depleted, and the body begins to break down its own tissues. At this stage, death may be imminent.

Scientific research on prolonged starvation is limited due to ethical reasons; however, estimates suggest that a healthy, well-nourished adult could survive without food for between 45 and 61 days, which means the three activists have now reached, or exceeded, that threshold, placing them in extreme, life-threatening danger.

International concern

Hunger strikes have long been used as an extreme, non-violent form of protest, relying on moral pressure to compel those in power to act. Historical records trace the practice to ancient India and Ireland, where people would fast at the doorstep of someone who had wronged them as a form of public shaming.

In modern times, hunger strikes remain powerful political statements, often drawing international attention to cases of imprisonment, injustice or repression, even at the cost of the striker’s life. Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners incarcerated without any charges by Israel have resorted to hunger strikes to bring attention to their cases.

United Nations experts said hunger strikes are “often a measure of last resort by people who believe their rights to protest and effective remedy have been exhausted”. They added that the state’s duty of care towards hunger strikers is heightened, not diminished, and that authorities must ensure timely access to emergency and hospital care, refrain from pressure or retaliation, and respect medical ethics.

Kerry Moscogiuri, director of campaigns and communications at Amnesty International UK, called the situation alarming. She said it was “shocking that these activists have been forced to resort to such desperate measures to bring attention to their plight”, adding that the crisis reflects a “gross misuse of counterterrorism powers”.

Follow our live build-up with team news coverage before our live text commentary stream of Spain’s Super Cup final.

New Delhi, India – Joint naval drills involving several members of the BRICS bloc, including China, Russia and Iran, have kicked off near South Africa’s coast with South Africa describing the manoeuvres as a vital response to rising maritime tensions globally.

The weeklong Will for Peace 2026 exercises, which started on Saturday, are being led by China in Simon’s Town, where the Indian Ocean meets the Atlantic Ocean. They will include drills on rescue and maritime strike operations and technical exchanges, China’s Ministry of National Defence said.

The drills involving warships from the participating countries come amid frayed ties between South Africa and the United States. Washington sees the bloc as an economic threat.

The BRICS acronym is derived from the initial letters of the founding member countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – with South Africa serving as the current chair. India and Brazil, however, opted out of the drills.

So why do the drills matter, and what is their aim? And why are some founding members not participating?

Who is participating in the drills?

China and Iran sent destroyers, Russia and the United Arab Emirates sent corvettes and South Africa deployed a mid-sized frigate.

Chinese officials leading the opening ceremony on Saturday south of Cape Town said Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia and Ethiopia were joining the drills as observers.

Speaking at the ceremony, South Africa’s joint task force commander, Captain Nndwakhulu Thomas Thamaha, said the drills were more than a military exercise and a statement of intent among the BRICS group of nations.

The host country described this as a BRICS Plus operation aimed at ensuring “the safety of shipping and maritime economic activities”. BRICS Plus is an expansion that enables the geopolitical bloc to engage with and court additional countries beyond its core members.

South African officials said all members of the bloc were invited to the drills.

Iran joined the group in 2024. The bloc was simultaneously expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Why do the drills matter?

South Africa has previously carried out naval drills with China and Russia.

“It is a demonstration of our collective resolve to work together,” Thamaha said. “In an increasingly complex maritime environment, cooperation such as this is not an option. It is essential.”

The South African Department of Defence said in a statement that this year’s exercise “reflects the collective commitment of all participating navies to safeguard maritime trade routes, enhance shared operational procedures and deepen cooperation in support of peaceful maritime security initiatives”.

The ongoing exercises come amid heightened geopolitical tensions. They started just three days after the United States seized a Venezuela-linked Russian oil tanker in the North Atlantic, saying it had violated Western sanctions.

The seizure followed a US military operation that abducted President Nicolas Maduro from the capital, Caracas, with his wife, Cilia Flores and a pledge from US President Donald Trump to “run” Venezuela and exploit its vast oil reserves.

The Trump administration has also threatened military action against countries such as Cuba, Colombia and Iran and the semiautonomous Danish territory Greenland.

How does Trump see BRICS?

Trump has accused some BRICS members of pursuing “anti-American” policies.

While Washington’s relations continue to be sour with China and Russia, Trump has attacked Iran and imposed punishing tariffs on India, which it has accused of funding Russia’s war against Ukraine by buying Russian oil.

After taking office in January 2025, Trump had threatened all the BRICS members with an additional 10 percent tariff.

“When I heard about this group from BRICS, six countries, basically, I hit them very, very hard. And if they ever really form in a meaningful way, it will end very quickly,” Trump said in July before the annual summit of the developing nations. “We can never let anyone play games with us.”

In their joint statement from July, the BRICS leaders took a defiant tone and called out global concern over a “rise of unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures” without naming the US and condemned the military strikes on Iran.

Who opted out of the joint drills and why?

Two of the founding members of the BRICS alliance, India and Brazil, are not participating in the naval drills.

While Brasilia joined the exercises as an observer, New Delhi stayed away.

Since Trump returned to the White House, New Delhi has seen its stock crash in Washington.

India’s purchase of Russian oil is among the biggest flashpoints in their bilateral ties with a trade deal hanging in the balance.

For New Delhi, opting out of the drills is “about balancing ties with the US”, said Harsh Pant, a geopolitical analyst at the New Delhi-based think tank Observer Research Foundation. “But these so-called wargames are also not the BRICS mandate.”

BRICS essentially is not a military alliance but an intergovernmental partnership of developing nations focused on economic cooperation and trade aimed at breaking an overreliance on the West.

Pant told Al Jazeera that for China, Russia, Iran and to some extent South Africa, the joint military exercise “helps [a narrative] about positioning themselves vis-a-vis the US at this juncture”.

“India would prefer not to be tagged in the BRICS wargames,” Pant said, adding that New Delhi would also not be comfortable with the gradual evolution of BRICS’s foundational nature. “This is not really something that India can take forward, both pragmatically and normatively.”

On top of that, Pant argued, there are key differences between countries in BRICS Plus – like the UAE and Iran, or Egypt and Iran – for the bloc to become a formidable military alliance.

When did South Africa last host joint drills?

South Africa conducted Exercise Mosi, as it was previously called, twice with Russia and China.

The first Exercise Mosi, which means “smoke” in the Sesotho language, took place in November 2019. The second iteration, Exercise Mosi II, was held in February 2023, coinciding with the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

South Africa had faced heat from the West for hosting the joint drills then.

A third edition was scheduled for late 2025, but it overlapped with a Group of 20 summit that was held in South Africa in November. Washington did not send any delegates. The ongoing Will for Peace 2026, now rebranded, is the third edition of the drills.

What’s at stake for South Africa?

The exercises in South African waters will likely further raise tensions with Washington.

Since Trump took office again, South Africa-US ties have deteriorated over a range of issues, and Trump has imposed 30 percent tariffs on South African goods.

A part of the fallout is also rooted in the South African government’s decision to bring a genocide case against Israel, a top US ally, before the International Court of Justice in The Hague. It accuses the Israeli government of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. In a preliminary ruling, the world court found it plausible that Israeli actions amounted to genocide.

When South African President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the White House in May, hoping to mend ties, Trump falsely claimed that white South African farmers were facing systematic killings.

Ramaphosa rejected the claims. None of South Africa’s political parties says there is a “white genocide” happening in the country as the Trump administration claims.

Hosting the wargames at a time of global geopolitical upheaval has its own risks, given that the US sees some of the participants as a military threat.

Ramaphosa’s government also faces criticism from one of its largest coalition partners, the liberal Democratic Alliance (DA). A DA spokesperson, Chris Hattingh, said in a statement that the bloc has no defensive role or shared military plans to warrant such exercises.

The party said BRICS had “rendered South Africa a pawn in the power games being waged by rogue states on the international stage”.

Emma Truscott has opened up on her unique lifestyle and the savings that come with it

For the past three years, Emma Truscott has been travelling the UK and Europe as a full-time traveller, living for the most part entirely rent-free. The 38 year old has revealed the one travel hack that has saved her £12,000 each year, which she’s able to splurge on experiences and luxury pursuits during her travels instead.

Originally from Cornwall, Emma dabbled in house-sitting for strangers during a trip to London in July 2022. It was then that she realised becoming a full-time house-sitter could allow her to stay in other people’s homes at no cost while she globe-trotted.

The role does come with its share of duties. House-sitters are expected to look after the home while the owners are away, including tasks like bin duty, watering the plants, and pet care, all in return for free lodging. As a freelance writer and virtual assistant, Emma can work from strangers’ homes too, making her full-time travelling lifestyle financially viable as she earns money without shelling out for accommodation.

She said: “The biggest perks are being able to live like a local in neighbourhoods around the world, see places I didn’t know existed, and pay nothing for accommodation. To me, there are no cons, and I’ve had nothing but positive experiences so far. I understand it won’t be for everyone, but I love living like this.

“It’s not exhausting like backpacking – you’re in a comfortable home, you can do a big grocery shop and unpack. Sure, there’s usually a day or two of travel every month, but that’s a small sacrifice to pay.”

Emma has no intention of ending her house-sitting lifestyle anytime soon, saying she feels like she’s “really living” and can’t see any advantage to settling in one location whilst spending the bulk of her earnings on household expenses.

She continued: “Perhaps I’ll be lucky enough to make it to 70 years old and still be house sitting – what a life I would have had!”

Nevertheless, she’s hoping to put the £12,000 she’s banked from last year’s bill savings towards holidays that don’t involve house-sitting duties. She revealed: “I’d love to spend a month in Sri Lanka, and perhaps think about rescheduling an adventure through South America that I had to cancel in 2020 because of the pandemic.”

Emma relies on an application to find properties for her full-time arrangement, with most of her earnings going towards “fun rather than overheads”.

She explained: “Without the pressure of big monthly bills, I’m also able to pursue work I genuinely enjoy, take more risks in my freelance business and work fewer hours overall.”

For 2025, Emma worked out she’ll spend roughly £22 on utilities, including her mobile contract, and £195 on work-related costs. Meanwhile, temporary lodging for occasional breaks between house-sits sets her back £86 monthly.

Her other outgoings include roughly £188 on high-end groceries, £63 on experiences such as festivals and an average of £78 per month shopping for non-essentials.

Emma’s travel expenses are among her most costly necessities. Significant flights cost around £148 per month and daily transport sets her back £14 per month.

FA Cup holders and Premier League club Crystal Palace are beaten 2-1 by team six leagues lower, Macclesfield Town.

Minnow Macclesfield Town beat title holder Crystal Palace 2-1 in one of the biggest upsets in FA Cup history to reach the fourth round.

Macclesfield is a team playing in the sixth tier of English football, five levels below its Premier League opponent, and took the lead on Saturday when captain Paul Dawson headed in a cross from Luke Duffy in the 43rd minute.

Isaac Buckley-Ricketts made it 2-0 in the 60th, prompting wild celebrations.

Following a scramble in the penalty area the ball pinged to Buckley-Ricketts, who came through the Manchester City academy, and he deftly clipped the ball with the outside of his right foot past goalkeeper Walter Benítez.

Macclesfield is coached by John Rooney, who started and ended his playing career as a midfielder with the club and is in only his first season coaching. He is the younger brother of former England and Manchester United star Wayne Rooney.

Yeremy Pino curled in a last-minute free kick over the wall to leave Macclesfield facing a nervous six minutes of stoppage time as home fans broke out into chants of “Silkmen! Silkmen!” — the club’s nickname.

Macclesfield held on against a Palace side whose dismal afternoon was summed up when United States central defender Chris Richards did a foul throw in the final minute of stoppage time, giving possession back to Macclesfield.

The fans sprinted onto the field at Moss Rose – a modest 5,900-capacity stadium in northwest England – in celebration at the final whistle while Dawson and Duffy were carried aloft.

The FA Cup has long been regarded as the greatest cup competition in the world, with a long history of giant killings.

Macclesfield, toppling the holders, sits towards the top of those achievements and may well come to be regarded as the most famous yet with Palace having enjoying a successful campaign in the English top flight this season where they at one stage were challenging for the Champions League qualification positions.

Macclesfield are currently 14th, 11 points above the relegation zone, in National League North – two leagues below professional level in English football.

South African official says drills with Russia, Iran, China and others key to protecting ‘maritime economic activities’.

South Africa has defended weeklong naval drills with Russia, Iran, China and other countries as “essential”, describing the manoeuvres off its coast as a vital response to rising maritime tensions globally.

The “Will for Peace 2026” exercises that began on Saturday off the coast of Cape Town come just days after the United States seized a Venezuela-linked Russian oil tanker in the North Atlantic, saying it had violated Western sanctions.

The seizure, part of a continued US pressure campaign against Venezuela, followed US attacks on the South American country and the abduction of its president, Nicolas Maduro.

The naval exercises also come at a time of heightened tensions between US President Donald Trump’s administration and several BRICS Plus countries, including China, Iran, South Africa and Brazil.

Captain Nndwakhulu Thomas Thamaha, South Africa’s joint task force commander, told the opening ceremony on Saturday that the drills were more than a military exercise and a statement of intent among the BRICS group of nations.

“It is a demonstration of our collective resolve to work together,” Thamaha said. “In an increasingly complex maritime environment, cooperation such as this is not an option, it is essential.”

The exercises also aimed to “ensure the safety of shipping lanes and maritime economic activities”, he added.

Expanding bloc

BRICS, originally made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, has expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Indonesia.

Lieutenant Colonel Mpho Mathebula, acting spokesperson for joint operations, told the Reuters news agency that all member states had been invited to this week’s naval exercises.

China and Iran deployed destroyer warships to South Africa, while Russia and the United Arab Emirates sent corvette vessels and South Africa dispatched a frigate. Indonesia, Ethiopia and Brazil have joined as observers.

Asked about the timing of the event, South Africa’s Deputy Defence Minister Bantu Holomisa said on Friday that the drills were planned long before the current spike in global tensions.

“Let us not press panic buttons because the USA has got a problem with countries. Those are not our enemies,” Holomisa said.

“Let’s focus on cooperating with the BRICS countries and make sure that our seas, especially the Indian Ocean and Atlantic, they are safe,” he said.

Previously known as Exercise Mosi, the drills were initially scheduled for November but postponed due to a clash with the G20 summit in Johannesburg, which was boycotted by the Trump administration.

Washington has accused the BRICS bloc of “anti‑American” policies and warned that its members could face an additional 10-percent tariff on top of existing duties already applied worldwide.

South Africa has also drawn US criticism for its close ties with Russia and a range of other policies.

That includes the South African government’s decision to bring a case against top US ally Israel to the International Court of Justice, accusing the Israeli government of committing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

South Africa also drew criticism for hosting naval drills with Russia and China in 2023, coinciding with the first anniversary of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

The three nations first conducted joint naval drills in 2019.

These are the key developments from day 1,417 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Here is where things stand on Sunday, January 11:

Fighting:

• Russian forces launched artillery and drone attacks on Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region on Saturday, killing a 68-year-old man, wounding three others and causing fires to break out in residential buildings, according to Ukraine’s emergency service.
• Russian shelling also killed another person in the Kramatorsk district of Ukraine’s Donetsk region, the service said.
• Three other Ukrainians were killed, and nine more were wounded, in Russian attacks on the areas of Yarova, Kostyanynivka and Sloviansk in Donetsk, according to Governor Vadym Filashkin.
• Ukraine’s General Staff reported 139 combat clashes on Saturday and said that Russia launched 33 air strikes, deployed more than 4,430 drones and carried out 2,830 attacks on Ukrainian troops and settlements.
• Russian forces advanced near the villages of Markove and Kleban-Byk in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, according to the Ukrainian battlefield monitoring site DeepState, but no other major changes were reported.
• In the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, engineers are working “around the clock” to restore electricity to residents after thousands of apartments lost power during Russia’s Thursday attacks, said Tymur Tkachenko, the head of the city’s military administration.
• Heat supplies have been returned to roughly half the homes that lost power, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko added.
• Russia’s TASS news agency reported that two people were wounded in a Ukrainian drone attack on the southwestern Russian city of Voronezh.
• The governor of Russia’s Belgorod ‍region, which ‍borders Ukraine, said on Saturday that 600,000 people in the area were without electricity, heating and water after a Ukrainian ⁠missile strike.
• Ukrainian forces also carried out a drone strike on Russia’s Volgograd region, sparking a fire at an oil depot in the Oktyabrsky district, regional authorities said.
• The Ukrainian military said ‌on Saturday it had struck the Zhutovskaya oil depot in Volgograd overnight.
• Russian air defence systems, meanwhile, intercepted and destroyed 33 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions, the agency reported.

Politics and diplomacy

• The United Nations Security Council will host an emergency meeting on January 12 to “address Russia’s flagrant breaches of the UN Charter”, after Russia fired an Oreshnik hypersonic missile near the Polish border, Ukrainian ‍Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha wrote on X.
• The foreign minister also spoke out about the antigovernment protests rocking Iran, saying that “Iran’s support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its oppression of its own citizens are part of the same policy of violence and disrespect for human dignity”.
• The deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, insisted that Russia will not accept European or NATO troops in Ukraine and that “European dimwits want a war in Europe after all”.
• “Well, come on then. This is what you’ll get”, the deputy chairman added, accompanied by a video of the Oreshnik strike.
• The Institute for the Study of War wrote in its latest report that Russia’s Oreshnik strike was likely “aimed to scare Western countries from providing military support to Ukraine, particularly from deploying forces to Ukraine as part of a peace agreement”.
• Ukraine’s lead negotiator, ⁠Rustem Umerov, “once again reached out to our American partners”, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. “We continue communication with the American side practically every day,” he said.
• South Africa kicked off a week of naval drills, also attended by Russia, Iran and China.
• Captain Nndwakhulu Thomas Thamaha, South Africa’s joint task force commander, told the opening ceremony that the drills are “a demonstration of our collective resolve to work together”.

Sanctions

• Zelenskyy pledged on X that “we will continue strengthening the sanctions toolkit” and that “all lines of pressure on Russia and individuals associated with it must be maintained”.
• In reference to recent news that US President Donald Trump has greenlit a bill to sanction countries that buy Russian oil, Zelenskyy said: “What is important is that the US Congress is back in motion on tougher sanctions against Russia – targeting Russian oil. This can truly work.”

Energy

• Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev said Russian oil products have “significantly increased” after Bloomberg reported that Russian refined fuel flows hit a four-month high in December, driven by stronger diesel shipments from ports in the Baltic Sea. Dmitriev added on X that “fake warmonger narratives are bad for decision-making”.
• Separately, Bloomberg also reported that Russia’s crude oil production dropped to its lowest level in a year and a half in December, hitting 9.32 million barrels per day.

Who: Barcelona vs Real Madrid
What: Spanish Super Cup final
Where: King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
When: Sunday, January 11, at 8pm (19:00 GMT)
How to follow: We will have all the buildup on Al Jazeera Sport from 15:00 GMT, in advance of our text commentary stream.

One of sport’s greatest matchups will grace the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah on Sunday as Barcelona face fierce rivals Real Madrid in the final of the Spanish Super Cup.

Barca, the defending champions who beat Real in last year’s final, are the team to stop once more in Spain’s top flight, La Liga.

Real, on the other hand, are under increasing pressure, especially their new manager, Xabi Alonso.

Al Jazeera Sport takes a look at a final that carries so much more weight when it holds the tag: El Clasico.

Why are Real Madrid and Xabi Alonso under pressure?

Alonso has steadied Real Madrid’s ship in recent weeks after a tumultuous period, but the Spanish Super Cup final seems a make-or-break moment for the beleaguered coach.

On the brink of the sack after a dire run of form, Alonso responded by leading Madrid to five consecutive victories, the fifth coming on Thursday against Atletico Madrid in the semifinals.

Beating Super Cup holders Barcelona would bring Alonso the first trophy at the helm.

A second victory in two matches against Barcelona would buy Alonso time and breathing room.

But succumbing to Hansi Flick’s side would give Real president Florentino Perez a further excuse to remove a coach he hired in June but has never appeared convinced by.

Spanish media reported that Perez was set to sack Alonso if the team lost against Manchester City in the Champions League on December 10, which they did, but the team’s improved performance bought the coach another chance.

What happened in last year’s Super Cup final between Real and Barca?

Barcelona trounced Real Madrid 5-2 in last year’s final, which was also in Jeddah.

It was a damaging blow for then-manager Carlo Ancelotti, while proving a springboard for Hansi Flick – fresh in his role as Barca boss.

How important is Spanish Super Cup to Real Madrid and Barcelona?

Lifting the Super Cup worked for Flick’s fledgling tenure at Barcelona last season, galvanising his team to claim La Liga and the Copa del Rey.

In the three seasons prior to that, the Super Cup winners also went on to win the Spanish top flight.

“Two things are clear – as it’s the tournament we’re playing for 1768083015, it’s the most important,” said Alonso.

“If you ask me about it in terms of order of priority in the season, it’s the fourth.”

What’s the latest on Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe?

Real are boosted by the return of Mbappe to the squad after he missed the 2-1 win over Atletico and Sunday’s 5-1 thrashing of Real Betis in La Liga while recovering from a knee sprain.

The coach said Mbappe has as much chance of starting against Barcelona as anyone else and is confident the forward has recovered, even though he was expected to miss another week.

With 29 goals in 24 appearances across all competitions, Mbappe is Real Madrid’s top goal scorer this season and their clear, stand-out performer.

The striker has netted six goals against Barcelona in five games since joining Real Madrid.

His return could make life trickier for Alonso because the team does not seem to function at its best when Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham line up together.

How are Real Madrid’s Brazil forwards, Vinicius and Rodrygo, faring?

One player who has become essential for Alonso in recent weeks is Brazilian winger Rodrygo.

After a miserable run of 32 games without scoring, the right-winger has burst into life with three goals and three assists in his last five matches.

On the opposite flank, Vinicius is struggling for form.

Since finishing second in the 2024 Ballon d’Or rankings, he has dipped far from his top level.

Vinicius has not scored in his last 16 outings for Real Madrid, and Alonso must decide whether to line up with him against Barca.

What happened the last time Barcelona played Real Madrid?

The Catalans beat Madrid four times in four encounters last season, but Alonso’s side beat their rivals 2-1 in October in La Liga.

“We have to win; we lost two finals against them last year,” urged Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

“They have to win, too. After losing the Clasico in La Liga, they’ll want revenge.”

Barcelona ready for Mbappe return for Real Madrid

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said Mbappe is the man of the moment, but backed his team to succeed despite his arrival in Saudi Arabia.

“At the moment, Mbappe is the best striker… he’s scored many, many goals, and he’s a world-class player, that’s what I can say,” admitted Flick, whose side hammered Real Betis 5-0 in their semifinal on Wednesday.

However, the German coach was eager to point out that last season, his side beat Mbappe’s Madrid on all four occasions they met.

Barca thrashed them 5-2 in last season’s Spanish Super Cup final, as well as winning both La Liga Clasicos and the Copa del Rey final.

In their one meeting with Alonso’s side this season, Madrid secured a 2-1 league win.

“How many Clasicos have we played in the last year and a half? And how many did we win? We lost one,” said Flick.

“I know he’s a fantastic player, and for him, with space behind the [defence], he’s really great…

“We will adapt something, like we always do, but it’s not especially about Mbappe, it’s about Real Madrid, it’s about how we want to play and how we expect they want to.”

What’s the Spanish Super Cup?

The Super Cup pits together the winners and runners-up of both the Spanish domestic league, La Liga, and Spain’s domestic cup competition, Copa del Rey.

Although first played in 1982, between the league and cup winners alone, it was expanded to four teams in 2020.

Barcelona are the current league champions, with Real Madrid finishing second. They were also the finalists of the Copa del Rey, resulting in Athletic Madrid and Athletic Bilbao lining up in the semifinals, following their third and fourth-place finishes in the league last season.

Where will the Spanish Super Cup final be played?

The Super Cup is being staged in Saudi Arabia for the second year running, with all three matches staged at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah.

The venue plays host to the Saudi Arabian national team, and will be part of the 2034 World Cup.

Riyadh played host to the final the year before, with Real Madrid emerging victorious with a 4-1 defeat of Barcelona.

Head-to-head

This will be the 262nd meeting between the teams, with Real Madrid winning 106, and Barcelona winning 104, of the encounters.

Barcelona team news

Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Gavi and Andreas Christensen are all absent, with the latter two troubled by knee problems and the former out with an unspecified complaint.

Yamal is expected to return to the starting eleven, having not been fit enough to start the semifinal against Atletico. The winger did, however, come off the bench to find the net.

Ronald Araujo has returned to full training, but is only expected to be named among the subs.

Real Madrid team news

Whether Mbappe makes the team sheet, even as a starter or as a sub, is the headline news, following a week of speculation about the forward’s knee injury.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Eder Militao and Brahim Diaz remain absent, but there is a chance that Rodrygo, Antonio Rudiger and Raul Asencio could pass fitness tests after knocks sustained in the semifinal against Atletico.

Dean Huijsen returned to the bench for the Atletico match and could return to the starting eleven in place of Rudiger, should his fellow defender fail to make the grade.

Barcelona’s predicted starting lineup

J Garcia, Kounde, Cubarsi, E Garcia, Balde, Pedri, De Jong, Yamal, Raphinha, Fermin, F Torres

Real Madrid’s predicted starting lineup

Courtois, Valverde, Asencio, Huijsen, Carreras, Camavinga, Tchouameni, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Mbappe, Vinicius

Barcelona and Real Madrid form guides

• Barcelona: W-W-W-W-W
• Real Madrid: W-W-W-W-W

Cloudlflare CEO threatens withdrawal of Milano-Cortina Olympics funding following fine by Italian communications watchdog.

United States internet company Cloudflare has threatened to pull its services in Italy, including for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, after being fined 14 million euros ($16m) for failing to tackle online piracy.

Italy’s independent communications watchdog, Agcom, announced the fine on Thursday for “ongoing violation of the anti-piracy law”, notably failing to disable content flagged under its “Piracy Shield” system.

The system allows rightsholders of livestreamed events to report pirated content through an automated platform, with providers required to block the content within 30 minutes.

In a lengthy post on X late Friday, Cloudflare chief executive Matthew Prince condemned what he said was a “scheme to censor the internet”.

He said the system had “no judicial oversight”, no appeal process and no transparency, and required services to block content not just in Italy, but globally.

Cloudflare had already launched legal challenges against the scheme and would now fight the fine, which he called “unjust”.

He also said his company was considering “discontinuing the millions of dollars in pro bono cyber-security services we are providing the upcoming Milano-Cortina Olympics”.

Prince said he would be discussing the issue with US officials in Washington, DC, next week and would then head to Lausanne for talks with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which is organising the February 6-22 Winter Games in northern Italy.

He also warned his company could discontinue its free cybersecurity services for Italy-based users, remove all servers from Italian cities and scrap plans to invest in the country.

Cloudflare is a platform that provides services including security, traffic management and optimisation for websites and applications.

It claims to manage about 20 percent of global internet traffic.

Agcom says that since its adoption in February 2024, Piracy Shield has led to the disabling of at least 65,000 fully-qualified domain names (FQDN) and approximately 14,000 IP addresses.

Thousands of Irish farmers have taken to the streets to protest against a trade agreement between the European Union and the South American bloc Mercosur, a day after a majority of EU member states gave provisional approval to the long-negotiated accord.

In the central town of Athlone, tractors streamed onto roads on Saturday as farmers from across Ireland gathered to demonstrate against the deal, holding placards reading “Stop EU-Mercosur” and shouting slogans accusing European leaders of sacrificing their interests.

The protests came after Ireland, France, Poland, Hungary and Austria voted against the agreement on Friday but failed to block it.

The deal, more than 25 years in the making, would create one of the world’s largest free-trade areas, boosting commerce between the 27-nation EU and Mercosur countries Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

Under the agreement, Mercosur would export agricultural products and minerals to Europe, while the EU would export machinery, chemicals and pharmaceuticals under reduced tariffs.

While the deal has been welcomed by business groups, it has been met with strong pushback from European farmers, who fear their livelihoods will be undercut by cheaper imports from South America, particularly agricultural powerhouse Brazil.

Irish farmers have been especially vocal in their opposition, warning that the deal could allow an additional 99,000 tonnes of low-cost beef to enter the EU market, disrupting Ireland’s farming sector.

Beef and dairy are major employers in Ireland, and many farmers say they already struggle to make a sustainable income.

The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA), the country’s main farming lobby group, described the EU states’ decision this week as “very disappointing”.

The group said it would renew its efforts to stop the deal in the European Parliament, which must still approve the accord before it can take effect.

“We expect Irish MEPs to stand behind the farming community and reject the Mercosur deal,” IFA President Francie Gorman said in a statement.

‘Severe implications’

At Saturday’s protest in Athlone, farmers voiced anger and anxiety about the future of rural Ireland.

Joe Keogh, a farmer from the nearby village of Multyfarnham, told the Reuters news agency that the agreement would devastate farming communities.

“It’s an absolute disgrace on behalf of the farmers and people that have put Europe where it is today,” he said. “It’s going to close down the whole countryside.”

Others raised concerns about food quality and production standards.

Earlier in the week, Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin said he was worried that beef imported under the Mercosur deal might not be produced to the EU’s strict environmental standards.

“We have to be confident” that rules and obligations imposed on Irish farmers would not be undermined by imports produced under less stringent regulations, he said.

Protesters echoed those concerns. Placards on Saturday read, “Our cows follow the rules, why don’t theirs?” and “Don’t sacrifice family farms for German cars,” reflecting fears that agriculture is being traded off to benefit other European industries.

The demonstration followed similar protests in Poland, France and Belgium on Friday, underscoring widespread unease among farmers across Europe.

Although opponents have secured some concessions and compensation measures for EU farmers, Ireland and France have pledged to continue fighting the deal as it moves to a potentially tight and unpredictable vote in the European Parliament.

For many farmers on the streets of Athlone, the issue goes beyond trade.

“It’s about the quality of the food we are eating,” Niamh O’Brien, a farmer who travelled from Athenry in western Ireland, told Reuters. “It has severe implications for both the farmer and the consumer.”