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Alexander Isak scored his maiden goal for Liverpool as the Reds ended their two-game EPL losing streak at West Ham.

Liverpool’s record signing Alexander Isak scored his first English Premier League goal for the Reds as the under-pressure football champions snapped a woeful run of form with a much-needed 2-0 win at West Ham United on Sunday.

Liverpool had endured their worst spell in over 70 years, losing nine of their previous 12 games, and manager Arne Slot took drastic measures, leaving Mohamed Salah out of his starting lineup for the first time in the Premier League.

Salah’s replacement Florian Wirtz looked sharp, though he squandered Liverpool’s best chance of the first half with his tame effort from close range, allowing goalkeeper Alphonse Areola to save.

Isak, who had looked short of form and fitness, spurned two opportunities before the break, drawing a fine reaction stop from Areola midway through the half.

But the Sweden striker slotted home a Cody Gakpo pullback on the hour mark to give the Reds the lead they marginally deserved and rarely looked like giving up.

Liverpool’s cause was helped by Lucas Paqueta, who was bizarrely booked twice for dissent within 60 seconds with less than 10 minutes to play, before Gakpo added a second goal in the 92nd minute to seal the three points.

Liverpool’s victory, only their second in eight league games, moved them up to eighth place with 21 points from 13 matches, while West Ham are 17th with 11 points, level with 18th-placed Leeds United.

Liverpool’s losing run ended by Isak

West Ham – whose players and fans paid tribute to former captain, coach and manager Billy Bonds, who died aged 79 on Sunday – came into the match after back-to-back home victories and had seemingly turned the corner.

But Liverpool ultimately had too much quality and, crucially for Slot, managed to keep their fifth clean sheet of the season after shipping 10 goals in their last three games.

Isak could have put Liverpool in front inside four minutes, but spooned his effort well over the bar, with his protracted move from Newcastle United still seemingly affecting him.

West Ham looked sharper after the break, with Paqueta sending an audacious half-volley from 30 yards narrowly wide as the home fans believed Liverpool were there for the taking.

In the 60th minute, however, Isak was left unmarked in the box as Liverpool recycled possession from a throw-in and the striker coolly side-footed into the bottom corner.

Paqueta saw red in the 83rd minute to make West Ham’s task all the harder before Gakpo sent the home fans streaming for the exits with a clinical finish.

Mikel Merino rescued Arsenal as the Premier League leaders battled to a 1-1 draw at 10-man Chelsea in a bad-tempered London derby.

Chelsea midfielder Moises Caicedo was sent off for a crude foul on Merino late in the first half at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Despite Caicedo’s dismissal, Trevoh Chalobah headed Chelsea into a second half lead, but Merino’s second half leveller ensured Arsenal emerged with a point from a bruising encounter between the title rivals.

Arsenal are five points clear of second-placed Manchester City, who beat Leeds United on Saturday, and sit six points above third-placed Chelsea.

When the dust had settled on a contest of relentless intensity, Arsenal were left to rue a missed opportunity to extend their lead over Chelsea in the title race, while the Blues were relieved to avoid a damaging defeat.

Arsenal remain the favourites to win their first Premier League crown since 2004, but Chelsea’s combative display suggested they could emerge as the biggest threat to the Gunners’ title aspirations.

Arsenal are unbeaten in 17 games in all competitions, winning 14 of those matches, while Chelsea have gone seven matches without losing in all competitions.

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca had played down his young side’s title hopes, but they went toe to toe with Arsenal, who were without injured centre-back William Saliba.

A thunderous first half included a rash of bookings as both teams tried to impose themselves.

Gunners midfielder Martin Zubimendi hauled down Reece James, Chelsea left-back Marc Cucurella crunched into Bukayo Saka, Mosquera pole-axed Joao Pedro and Riccardo Calafiori cynically tugged James.

Saka almost exacted immediate revenge on Cucurella with a stinging strike that Robert Sanchez saved at his near post.

Teenage sensation Estevao Willian started for Chelsea after his star role in their 3-0 midweek win over Barcelona.

The 18-year-old could not replicate his stunning goal against Barca however as he lashed over from 9 metres (10 yards) to squander Chelsea’s first serious chance.

Enzo Fernandez tested Arsenal keeper David Raya from the edge of the area as Chelsea began to exert pressure on the visitors’ reshuffled defence.

The war of attrition turned ugly in the 38th minute when Caicedo caught Merino on the ankle with a nasty foul that was upgraded from a booking to a dismissal after a VAR review.

It was the Blues’ sixth red card in all competitions this season.

The Ecuador midfielder’s premature exit was followed by a dangerous Hincapie elbow on Chalobah, provoking Chelsea cries for a red card that went unheeded.

Gabriel Martinelli nearly added to Chelsea’s angst on the stroke of half-time with a fierce blast that forced a fine save from Sanchez.

Arsenal arrived as the best set-piece team in the league with 10 goals in 12 matches.

But Chelsea ranked second with eight and Chalobah grabbed their ninth in the 48th minute.

It was a goal straight from the Arsenal playbook as James curled a corner to the near post and Chalobah rose highest inside the six-yard box to glance his header into the far corner.

Arteta responded by sending on Martin Odegaard and Noni Madueke, who was jeered and barraged with chants of “Chelsea reject” on his return to his former club.

The Arsenal changes reaped an instant reward as Merino snatched the 59th minute equaliser.

Saka danced past Cucurella with a mesmerising run and cross, picking out Merino for a powerful close-range header that flashed past Sanchez.

It was Merino’s fourth goal this season as Arteta once again used the Spain midfielder as a makeshift striker.

A frantic finale featured Sanchez making superb stops to deny Saka and Merino, but Arsenal could not land the knockout blow.

Chelsea’s captain Reece James told Sky Sports that he was “disappointed” not to come away with the three points but that the sending off limited his side.

“Arsenal have been on the top for the last few years. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Their midfield is tough. We done what we could today to play our game and hurt them off the ball,” he said.

He added: “[Maresca] changed the formation slightly, and he knew they were going to come at us. So we tried to soak up the pressure, and then try to catch them [on the counter].

“I am proud of the boys. It was electric at the Bridge today. We are happy to take the point.”

Merino said Arsenal were also disappointed not to get the win.

When you wear this shirt, you want to win every game.” he told Sky Sports. “This is a really tough stadium to come and take a point. We could have done things better but the team showed good mentality.”

Elsewhere on Sunday, Liverpool’s record signing Alexander Isak scored his first Premier League goal for the Reds as the under-pressure football champions earned a much-needed 2-0 win at West Ham United.

Manchester United ended Crystal Palace’s nine-month unbeaten home run with a 2-1 comeback victory, Aston Villa climbed into the top four with a 1-0 victory over lowly Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Brighton won 2-0 at Nottingham Forest to go fifth.

British playwright Tom Stoppard, a playful, probing dramatist who won an Academy Award for the screenplay for 1998’s Shakespeare In Love, has died. He was 88.

In a statement on Saturday, United Agents said Stoppard died “peacefully” at his home in Dorset in southern England, surrounded by his family.

“He will be remembered for his works, for their brilliance and humanity, and for his wit, his irreverence, his generosity of spirit and his profound love of the English language,” they said. “It was an honor to work with Tom and to know him.”

When it comes to the world of comic invention and linguistic pyrotechnics, few dramatists of the 20th century could match Stoppard’s scope and sustained success.

From his earliest hit, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, in 1966, through to 1993’s, Arcadia, and, Leopoldstadt, in 2020, Stoppard engaged and amused theatre-goers with a highly individual brand of intellect.

His writing was often philosophical or scientific, but consistently funny, a distinctive style that gave rise to the term Stoppardian. It refers to the use of verbal gymnastics while addressing philosophical concepts.

“I want to demonstrate that I can make serious points by flinging a custard pie around the stage for a couple of hours,” the Czech-born Stoppard said in a 1970s interview.

“Theatre is first and foremost a recreation. But it is not just a children’s playground; it can be recreation for people who like to stretch their minds.”

Early years

Stoppard was born Tomas Straussler on July 3, 1937, in what was then Czechoslovakia, the son of Eugen Straussler, a doctor, and Marta (or Martha), nee Beckova, who had trained as a nurse.

The Jewish family fled the Nazis and moved to Singapore when he was an infant.

But Singapore also became unsafe, and, with his mother and elder brother Peter, he escaped to India. His father stayed behind and died while fleeing after Singapore fell to the Japanese.

In India, Marta Straussler married a British army major, Kenneth Stoppard, and the family moved to England.

Boarding school followed at Pocklington in Yorkshire, northern England, before Stoppard left school at age 17.

He decided not to go to university. Instead, he went straight to work as a reporter on a local newspaper in Bristol, in western England.

While he found reporting daunting, he threw himself into working as a theatre and cinema critic, and his love of drama took hold.

Award-winning career

His breakthrough came with the overnight success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe of, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, a tragicomedy centred around two minor characters from Shakespeare’s, Hamlet.

It moved to London’s West End, before winning a Tony Award for best play in the United States.

“What’s it about?” was a frequent response from bemused theatre-goers about the play. Tired of being asked, Stoppard is said to have replied to a woman outside a theatre on Broadway: “It’s about to make me very rich.”

He later questioned whether he had said “very”, Hermione Lee wrote in Stoppard’s authorised biography, but he had undoubtedly managed to transform his previously precarious finances.

Indeed, Stoppard would go on to win numerous awards on both sides of the Atlantic for his work.

He was knighted in 1997, and in 2014, he was crowned “the greatest living playwright” by the London Evening Standard Theatre Awards.

To non-theatre-goers, he is best remembered for his work in cinema, which included the Indiana Jones and Star Wars franchises.

In 1999, he won an Oscar for his screenplay for, Shakespeare in Love, which scooped a total of seven Academy Awards that year.

“He has no apparent animus towards anyone or anything,” said film and theatre director Mike Nichols, who directed the Broadway premiere of Stoppard’s tale of marriage and affairs, The Real Thing.

“He’s very funny at no one’s expense. That’s not supposed to be possible.”

‘I am a terrorist’

A UK activist group has released a video of protesters who were arrested by police for supporting Palestine Action, as part of a campaign calling on the government to lift the ‘disproportionate’ ban. A major legal challenge is currently underway on whether the ban was lawful.

South Africa secured a declaration from the rest of the G20, despite United States objections.

Washington boycotted the meeting over President Donald Trump’s accusations that South Africa persecutes its white minority, a claim widely rejected.

The document calls for more funding for renewable energy, fairer critical mineral supply chains and debt relief for poorer nations.

The first G20 summit on African soil broke with tradition by releasing the document at the start.

And there was no ceremonial handover between the outgoing South African and incoming American chairs.

Also, can Britain’s Labour government satisfy both businesses and households?

Plus, the weight-loss drug booming industry.

Judges are reviewing the UK government’s decision to ban the activist group Palestine Action under counter-terror laws. Al Jazeera’s Sonia Gallego was at the court where police were arresting people for displaying pro-PA signs.

British Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the latest budget on Wednesday, setting out sweeping tax hikes which are projected to raise 26.1 billion pounds ($34.4bn) for the public purse by 2030.

The budget had been highly anticipated as a “make or break” moment for the UK’s governing Labour party, which has grappled with poor polling over the past year. Earlier this year, an opinion poll by YouGov found that if an election were to be held now, the far-right Reform UK Party, which takes a hard line on immigration, would come to power.

In an embarrassing turn, the country’s Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) published its economic outlook as a result of the budget on its website two hours before the announcement – something it never normally does until afterwards. Reeves called the blunder “deeply disappointing” and a “serious error”.

Reeves acknowledged that the tax rises – to be paid in large part by freezing existing income tax thresholds, meaning more people will pay higher tax as their incomes rise with inflation – would adversely affect working people. This breaks a key pledge Labour made in its manifesto before last year’s general election.

“We are asking everyone to make a contribution,” Reeves told parliament.

However, she said the tax rises would help pay for nearly 22 billion pounds ($28.9bn) in fiscal headroom within five years. Reeves also said government borrowing would fall each year. Borrowing in 2025-26 is expected to be 138.3bn pounds ($183bn), falling to 112.1 billion pounds ($148.3bn) the year after and to 67.2 billion pounds ($88.9bn) by 2031.

While the UK’s budget deficit is forecast at 28.8 billion pounds for the financial year 2026/2027, Reeves said this would move to surplus in 2028 and forecast a 24.6 billion pound ($32.55) surplus for 2030/2031.

That will pay for welfare spending and means there “will be no return to austerity measures”, Reeves said.

“I said there would be no return to austerity, and I meant it. This budget will maintain our investment in our economy and our National Health Service. I said I would cut the cost of living, and I meant it. This budget will bring down inflation and provide immediate relief for families. I said that I would cut debt and borrowing, and I meant it,” Reeves said.

Here are five key takeaways from this budget.

1. Labour broke its promise not to raise taxes for working people

Reeves raised taxes by about 40 billion pounds ($52.6bn) in last year’s budget – the biggest hike in revenue-raising measures in decades – in what she said would be a one-off needed to put the government’s finances on an even keel.

This time around, while she did not increase income tax or National Insurance Contributions for working people, she did extend a freeze on the income thresholds at which tax must be paid.

This means that more people will be dragged into higher tax brackets as their income rises with inflation. The move will pull 780,000 more people into paying basic-rate income tax for the first time by the 2029-2030 fiscal year along with 920,000 more higher-rate taxpayers and 4,000 additional-rate payers.

“This ‘fiscal drag’ means that hundreds of thousands will start paying income tax for the first time, and all existing taxpayers will face higher liabilities,” Irem Guceri, associate professor of economics and public policy at Oxford University’s Blavatnik School of Government, said.

The previous Conservative government had already frozen these thresholds until 2028. Reeves, who was highly critical of that action at the time – saying it hurt working people – now plans to extend that to 2031.

“I know that maintaining these thresholds is a decision that will affect working people,” she said. “I said that last year, and I won’t pretend otherwise now.”

“I can confirm that I will not be increasing National Insurance, the basic, higher or additional rates of income tax or VAT [value added tax]”, the chancellor added.

Reeves said she will also target wealthier people via a “mansion tax” on those who own property worth more than 2 million pounds ($2.65m) and is reducing the amount of tax relief some higher earners can obtain on pension contributions. She also announced a 2 percentage point increase in tax rates on rental income, dividends and capital gains.

Nigel Green, chief executive of the financial advice firm DeVere, said these moves will have wider “behavioural impacts”. “People make long-term decisions about where to work, where to build wealth and where to retire,” he said.

“When rules around pensions tighten sharply, it undermines confidence in the broader system. Wealth moves where governments show stability over decades, not sudden extractions,” he added.

Following the announcement, Kemi Badenoch, leader of the opposition Conservative party, described Reeves decision to raise taxes, despite promising not to do so again, as “a total humiliation”.

2. Labour will spend money on welfare

One of the highly anticipated announcements of the budget was the scrapping of the two-child benefit cap from April 2026. Currently, parents can only claim special tax credits worth about 3,455 pounds ($4,571) per child for their first two children. The cap was imposed by the previous Conservative government. Reeves said this would lift thousands of children out of poverty.

“The removal of the two-child limit in child benefit is likely to provide significant support to families currently living in poverty,” Guceri said.

Experts said the move would appeal strongly to Labour Party backbenchers. “The two-child benefit cap is widely despised among rebellious Labour MPs as a major contributor to child poverty,” said Colm Murphy, senior lecturer in British politics at Queen Mary University, London. “Repeal was critical for Reeves to have any chance of political survival.”

Gregory Thwaites, research director at Resolution Foundation (RF), a British think tank that focuses on improving living standards, also said the move was a positive step towards reducing child poverty in the UK.

“That’s something that we’ve been campaigning for RF for some time, and we’re very pleased to see that. And then there are some welcome reforms to the tax system, as well. So, for example, charging the people who own very expensive properties a bit more money that will, that’s very welcome, as well,” Thwaites told Al Jazeera.

“Ultimately, budgetary responsibility should not just be seen in terms of fiscal balance but also measures of broader wellbeing,” said professor Jasper Kenter, professorial research fellow at Aberystwyth Business School. “Lifting the two-child benefit cap is important in this regard.”

GMB workers’ union General Secretary Gary Smith welcomed Reeves’s decision to tax wealth and to increase welfare spending, calling this budget the “final nail in the coffin for the Conservatives’ failed austerity project”.

“Key public services, essential national infrastructure, and communities across the UK suffered deep wounds because the Tories made the wrong economic choices – we must never go back to those dark days,” a statement from Smith read.

“The challenge for Labour is to grip the task of rebuilding our economy and country, lock in essential investment to create growth, and start bringing a bit of hope to people,” the statement added.

3. UK’s hated ‘rape clause’ will be scrapped

Reeves said she would scrap the so-called “rape clause”, which exempts women from the two-child benefit cap policy if they can prove their child was conceived non-consensually.

She described the exemption requirement as “vile, grotesque, dehumanising, cruel”.

“I’m proud to be Britain’s first female chancellor,” Reeves told parliament. “I take the responsibilities that come with that seriously. I will not tolerate the grotesque indignity to women of the rape clause any longer.”

4. Slower-than-expected economic growth forecast

In response to the budget, the OBR upgraded its forecast for economic growth for this year from 1 percent to 1.5 percent.

However, it downgraded economic growth for the following four years. GDP growth in 2026 is now expected to be 1.4 percent (down from 1.9 percent), while the OBR has downgraded its forecast for each of 2027, 2028 and 2029 to 1.5 percent (down from approximately 1.8 percent).

Much of the downgrade stems from lower expectations for productivity growth. Reeves insisted the sluggish outlook was the legacy of the previous Conservative government, however.

Reeves also announced a freeze on fuel duty and rail fares, as well as support with energy bills, causing the OBR to revise inflation down by 0.4 percentage points for next year, Guceri said. However, the OBR revised up its forecast for this year to 3.5 percent, “reflecting stronger real wage growth and persistent food price pressures”, she added.

5. The pound and financial markets responded positively

Sterling rose by 0.3 percent against the dollar to $1.3213 just in advance of the budget announcement, before settling back to roughly where it started by the end of it.

London’s blue-chip FTSE index and the FTSE 250 index rose by about 0.6 percent each in the wake of the budget.

“So far, markets showed little reaction to the Budget – something the Chancellor will view as a success,” Guceri said.

Who: Arsenal vs Bayern Munich
What: Matchday 5, League Phase, UEFA Champions League
Where: Emirates Stadium, North London, England, UK
When: Wednesday at 8pm (20:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 17:00 GMT in advance of our text commentary stream.

English Premier League leaders Arsenal host the German Bundesliga’s top-ranked team Bayern Munich in a heavyweight UEFA Champions League (UCL) matchup of the two frontrunning European mega clubs on Wednesday.

The sides are also ranked No 1 and No 2 in the current UCL standings, with both clubs protecting perfect records in the League Phase of the competition.

Here is all to know ahead of their top of the table clash at Emirates Stadium:

Who have Arsenal and Bayern Munich beaten so far in the UCL League Phase?

After four matchdays in the League Phase, Bayern Munich sits top of the standings with four wins and a maximum 12 points against Chelsea (3-0), Pafos (5-1), Club Brugge (4-0) and most recently, a victory over reigning UCL champions Paris Saint-Germain (2-1) away in France on November 4.

Arsenal is second on the table, equal with their German rival on points (12) and goal difference (+11). Their four wins have come against Athletic Bilbao (2-0), Olympiacos (2-0), Atletico Madrid (4-0) and Slavia Praha (3-0).

The only other team remaining in the competition with a perfect 4-0 record is Inter Milan.

Will Odegaard play against Bayern Munich?

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard is a strong possibility to play against Bayern Munich in what would be his first match since injuring his knee in early October.

The Norwegian midfielder participated in training on Tuesday afternoon and is expected to be in the squad.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta confirmed Odegaard is under consideration for Wednesday’s fixture.

“He [Odegaard] was very close for the previous game. We are hopeful that tomorrow [Wednesday] he can be in the squad as well.”

Where did Arsenal and Bayern Munich finish in last season’s Champions League?

The Gunners reached the semifinals of the Champions League for the first time since 2008–09, upsetting Real Madrid in the quarterfinals (5-1 on aggregate) before losing to eventual champion Paris Saint-Germain.

Bayern Munich’s UCL campaign came to an end at the quarterfinal stage with a closely contested defeat to Inter Milan (4-3 on aggregate).

Form guide: last five matches

Arsenal: W-W-W-D-W (Premier League, most recent result last)

Bayern Munich: W-W-W-D-W (Bundesliga, most recent result last)

Head-to-head: Arsenal-Bayern Munich

The sides last played on April 17, 2024, with Joshua Kimmich’s 63rd-minute header handing Bayern Munich a 1-0 quarterfinal victory (3-2 on aggregate) over Arsenal in the Champions League, sending the Germans through to the last-four of the 2023-24 competition.

In total, the sides have played against each other 14 times, with Bayern dominating the historical matchup:

• Bayern Munich – 8 wins
• Arsenal – 3 wins
• Draws – 3

Arsenal’s team news

Arsenal will line up against Bayern without a recognised striker, with Kai Havertz (knee) and Viktor Gyokeres (hamstring) still rehabbing injuries.

Gabriel Jesus will also be held back from the Champions League fixture, although the Brazilian forward is back in full training after undergoing knee surgery.

“He is quite close, to be fair, and earlier than we expected,” Arteta said.

“In the next few days, he is going to have another step to make with a game that we are going to organise for him. After that, he is just going to be knocking on the door.

Arsenal’s possible starting XI

Raya (goalkeeper); Timber, Saliba, Hincapie, Lewis-Skelly; Eze, Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Merino, Trossard

Bayern Munich’s team news

Kimmich, the player who buried Arsenal the last time they played back in 2024, was a question mark at the beginning of the week after sustaining a knock picked up during the FIFA international break, but is believed to be ready to play on Wednesday.

Explosive winger Luis Diaz is suspended for the Arsenal clash. The Colombian might be replaced by rising 17-year-old star Lennart Karl, who became Bayern’s youngest-ever Champions League scorer when he started against Brugge on October 22.

Injured duo Jamal Musiala and Alphonso Davies will be unavailable for selection.

Bayern manager Vincent Kompany will again lead the line with English international Harry Kane, who returns to his home city of London for this fixture.

Bayern Munich’s possible starting XI:

Neuer (goalkeeper); Laimer, Upamecano, Tah, Guerreiro; Pavlovic, Kimmich; Olise, Karl, Gnabry; Kane

FIFA Club World Cup champions Chelsea of the English Premier League beat Spain’s Barcelona 3-0 in the Champions League.

Defensive lapses cost Barcelona and Manchester City dearly as both teams slumped to notable losses in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Chelsea comfortably beat 10-man Barcelona 3-0 to earn its third league-phase win and move closer to the top.

It was the second loss for Barcelona, which went down a man after defender Ronald Araujo was shown a second yellow card just before half-time.

The hosts scored with an own-goal by Jules Kounde in the 27th, a nice strike by Estevao in the 55th and a close-range shot by Liam Delap in the 73rd.

Leverkusen continue Man City woes

In Pep Guardiola’s 100th Champions League game as City coach, his team struggled to cope with Bayer Leverkusen’s quick transitions in a 2-0 defeat, while Barcelona had an own goal and a red card in its 3-0 loss at Chelsea.

Guardiola made 10 changes to his starting lineup following Saturday’s loss to Newcastle in the Premier League, with Erling Haaland among those on the bench, but it didn’t have the desired effect.

Alejandro Grimaldo fired home Leverkusen’s first goal with a low shot into the far corner in the 23rd, and Patrik Schick headed in a second in the 54th.

City could have moved atop the table with a win, but the night ended with the top three unchanged. Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Inter Milan all play on Wednesday.

Benfica and Napoli also record wins

Jose Mourinho picked up his first Champions League win with his new club Benfica as Samuel Dahl’s early goal set the stage for a 2-0 win over troubled Ajax. It was No 36 vs No 35 in the pre-game standings as the two winless teams met in the Netherlands.

Left back Dahl scored an unstoppable volley on the rebound after Ajax goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros had saved a header from Benfica’s experienced defender Nicolas Otamendi. Leandro Barreiro added a second goal in the 90th.

Ajax has lost all five of its Champions League games and won only one of its last 10 games in all competitions.

Canadian forward Promise David scored the only goal as Belgium’s Union Saint-Gilloise won 1-0 at injury-depleted Galatasaray. The Turkish club was without injured Champions League top scorer Victor Osimhen, and finished with 10 men after 18-year-old defender Arda Unyay picked up two yellow cards.

Scott McTominay scored the opening goal as Napoli won 2-0 against Azerbaijan’s Qarabag. Napoli fans commemorated the fifth anniversary of club legend Diego Maradona’s death.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s superb first-half goal seals 1-0 win for the visitors, who had 10 players for most of the game.

Everton enjoyed their first Premier League win at Manchester United for 12 years despite playing virtually the entire game with 10 men after midfielder Idrissa Gueye was sent off for slapping his own teammate Michael Keane.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s superb first-half goal on Monday sealed a 1-0 win for the visitors, who shrugged off the 13th-minute incident that had a furious Gueye dismissed after he and Keane squared up.

United came into the match at Old Trafford on the back of a five-game unbeaten run and could have moved up to fifth with a win.

They dominated possession, especially in the second half, but Everton defended superbly to repel the hosts who looked blunt in attack.

Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford made several fine saves to preserve his side’s lead, the pick of them to claw away a Joshua Zirkzee header with 10 minutes remaining.

A second away win of the season lifted Everton above city rivals and champions Liverpool into 11th place, level on 18 points with United, who are above them on goal difference.

Everton suffered a big blow in just the 10th minute when they lost captain Seamus Coleman to injury.

But worse was to follow three minutes later with the scarcely believable bust-up between Gueye and Keane

The Premier League Match Centre posted on X: “The referee’s call of red card to Gueye for violent conduct was checked and confirmed by VAR – with the action deemed to be a clear strike to the face of Keane.”

Gueye is the first Premier League player to be sent off for fighting with a teammate since 2008.

The home crowd anticipated waves of attack but United failed to take advantage of their numerical advantage, proving toothless against David Moyes’ battling team.

Instead it was 10-man Everton who found the net, taking the lead courtesy of a wonderful strike by Dewsbury-Hall in the 29th minute.

Dewsbury-Hall received the ball and surged towards goal, beating Bruno Fernandes and Leny Yoro before bending the ball into the top corner.

United huffed and puffed for the rest of the half, with Pickford clawing away a Fernandes shot from distance as the half-time approached.

Ruben Amorim, marking the first anniversary of his maiden game in charge of United, brought on Mason Mount for Noussair Mazraoui at half-time but his team created little, despite dominating possession.

Amorim threw on Kobbie Mainoo and Diogo Dalot for Casemiro and Yoro in the 58th minute but still United looked blunt.

Pickford kept out a powerful Zirkzee header with just over 10 minutes of normal time to go and Everton hung on for a famous win.

Speaking after the game, Dewsbury-Hall said it was a “rollercoaster” of a game.

“I’m so genuinely happy for the lads and how hard they worked. A fantastic performance of gritting away, getting a goal and keeping that spirit,” he said. “So glad we got the three points.”

He said Gueye apologised to the team at full-time for the incident with Keane.

“We move on from it. The reaction from us was unbelievable. Top tier,” Dewsbury-Hall said.

“We could have crumbled, but if anything, it made us grow.”

United defender Matthijs de Ligt said the result and performance was a “step back” for his side after a decent run.

“I think the game says enough; against 10 men for 70 minutes and not creating that many chances,” the Dutch defender told Sky Sports. “Today was not a good night for us.

“We lacked the patience to play through the lines, and we crossed a lot of balls. We need to do a lot more.

“In all aspects today, it felt like a step back. Not just the result but the intensity and the focus.”

Who: Chelsea vs Barcelona
What: League Phase, UEFA Champions League
Where: Stamford Bridge, London, UK
When: Tuesday at 8pm (20:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 17:00 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.

Chelsea will host Barcelona at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday in a hugely consequential Matchday 5 League Phase clash in the UEFA Champions League (UCL).

Chelsea and Barcelona, both former Champions League winners, head into this highly anticipated showdown with an identical seven points from their opening four fixtures, making this match pivotal as both sides aim to climb the standings in search of automatic top-eight qualification into the last-16 of the competition.

The star-studded clubs are riding recent hot streaks with Chelsea, bolstered by a trio of recent wins against Tottenham, Wolves and Burnley, closing in on the Premier League’s top spot behind table-topping Arsenal, while reigning La Liga champions Barcelona are again competing with archrival Real Madrid for the domestic title.

Here is all to know before their epic clash at Stamford Bridge:

What happened in Chelsea’s last Premier League match?

Goals from Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez earned Chelsea a 2-0 victory at lowly Burnley on Saturday.

The result moved the Blues past Manchester City and into outright second on the English Premier League (EPL) table behind leaders Arsenal.

Enzo Maresca’s side will clash with the Gunners next Sunday in a top-of-the-table premiership showdown at Stamford Bridge.

What happened in Barcelona’s last La Liga match?

Barcelona secured a dominant 4-0 victory over 10-man Athletic Bilbao on Saturday in their first match back at their home venue Nou Camp since May 2023.

Ferran Torres had two goals for Barca with Robert Lewandowski and Fermin Lopez also adding to the scoresheet.

Athletic lost midfielder Oihan Sancet to a red card in the 54th minute after he was sent off for a crude challenge on Lopez.

Lewandowski, who scored the opener, said he will remember kicking the first goal at the team’s rebuilt Nou Camp stadium “forever”.

“Today was a special day, not only for me but for everyone. Because of this I’m very happy that I could score the first goal, coming back to the Nou Camp,” Lewandowski told Barca One.

“I have so much experience playing in different stadiums, but here is something special. I’m very proud of myself and also of the team because we did a great job today and we won.”

What happened in the last UCL League Phase match for both clubs?

Chelsea were held to a shock 2-2 draw by Azerbaijan side Qarabag in their last outing on November 5, while Barcelona had to rally from a goal down and split the points in a 3-3 result against Club Brugge in Belgium.

Where do Chelsea and Barcelona sit on the UCL League Phase standings?

Barcelona are currently 11th on the UEFA League Phase standings with Chelsea right behind in 12th position. Both sides have two wins, one draw and one loss from their four fixtures.

Teams need to finish the League Phase standings in a top-eight position to secure direct qualification into the round of 16. Those clubs that finish in ladder positions 9-to-24 will enter into a home and away playoffs to reach the last-16.

Where did Barcelona finish in last season’s Champions League?

The Catalan club were widely expected to reach the Champions League final but were eliminated by Inter, who staged a late comeback in the second leg of their record-equalling semifinal.

Palmer out of Barca clash

Chelsea star Cole Palmer is close to returning but will miss the UCL clash with Barcelona before the top-of-the-table Premier League showdown against Arsenal, Maresca said on Monday.

Palmer, who suffered a groin injury in August before returning with back-to-back goals against Brentford and Bayern Munich, was nearing his comeback, but an accident at home delayed his return.

The 23-year-old England international stubbed his toe on a door during the night, resulting in a fracture.

“Cole is wearing a (protective) boot,” Maresca told reporters.

“We don’t know when he will be back but for sure it will be soon. He’s already on the pitch, he’s already touching the ball and the feeling (for him) is good.

“I don’t think he will be available for these two games (Barca and Arsenal), but he is doing well.”

Barca’s Lopez showing summer suitors Chelsea what they missed

Fermin Lopez, 22, is establishing himself as a regular starter for manager Hansi Flick’s side, even though outside of Spain he is not yet a household name.

Chelsea know plenty about Lopez, though, having had a 40-million-euro ($46m) bid rebuffed by Barcelona in the summer. In Tuesday’s Champions League fixture, the attacking midfielder will be one of their main goal threats.

Flick was eager to keep Lopez, while Barca were open to selling him at the right price, which Chelsea did not reach.

“I’m convinced that he will stay, but in the end I don’t know what happens. We have to wait. I am really happy when the market is closed,” said Flick in August, eventually getting his wish.

Despite his improvement and obvious utility for Barca – or maybe even because of it – he is an asset the Catalan giants could cash in.

If he shines at Stamford Bridge, it would be no surprise to see Chelsea’s interest in the midfielder reawaken and his price tag rise further.

Form guide: last five matches

Chelsea: W-L-W-W-W (Premier League, most recent result last)

Barcelona: W-L-W-W-W (La Liga, most recent result last)

Head-to-head: Chelsea-Barcelona

The two clubs have faced each other 14 times, with both teams winning four times while six ended as draws.

The sides last met at the round of 16 in the 2017-2018 Champions League with Barcelona progressing to the quarterfinals 4-1 on aggregate. Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi was the standout in the second leg with two goals – including his 100th UEFA Champions League goal – on the night.

Chelsea’s team news

Oft-injured Reece James was taken off at halftime of Saturday’s EPL fixture at Burnley, but the Chelsea captain’s early finish was preplanned and not the result of a new injury, according to Maresca, so he is expected to be available for team selection.

“The idea was to manage Reece,” said Maresca. “This is the reason why he played 45 minutes [only]. It was planned.

“It’s not easy, because me personally, I would like Reece to continue, but we need to protect Reece.”

French centre-back Wesley Fofana, who was omitted from the matchday squad against Burnley, is believed to be match fit ahead of the Barca clash.

Levi Colwill (knee), Dario Essugo (thigh) and Romeo Lavia (thigh) all remain sidelined for the Blues.

Chelsea’s possible starting XI

Sanchez (Goalkeeper); James, Adarabioyo, Chalobah, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Neto, Pedro, Garnacho; Delap

Barcelona’s team news

On-loan Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford missed Barca’s 4-0 victory over Bilbao on Saturday with illness but was back on the training pitch the following day, prompting rumours that he might suit up against Chelsea on Tuesday.

First-choice goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen will miss the fixture as he continues to recover from a back issue. Joan Garcia will stand in for the German.

Pedri (hamstring) and Gavi (knee) are unavailable for the La Liga champions.

Dynamic winger Raphinha, who returned on the weekend from a hamstring injury, is a strong possibility to regain his starting role against the Blues.

Barcelona’s possible starting XI

J. Garcia (goalkeeper); Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Balde; Casado, De Jong; Yamal, Lopez, Torres; Lewandowski

Who: Manchester United vs Everton
What: English Premier League
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester
When: Monday at 8pm (20:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 5pm (17:00 GMT) in advance of our live text commentary stream.

Manchester United host Everton and are looking to extend a five-game unbeaten run under Ruben Amorim although they have drawn their past two against Nottingham Forest and Spurs.

A win could see them move into the top four with Bryan Mbeumo’s scoring streak a key factor in their recent resurgence.

But Everton are just three points below Man United in a congested table, and David Moyes will be extra motivated to get a result at his former club.

Happyish anniversary for Amorim

Monday’s fixture at Old Trafford marks a year to the day since Amorim’s first match in charge.

Amorim’s reign as United manager started with a 1-1 draw away to Ipswich, and since then, the Portuguese boss has experienced plenty of lows in charge of the English football giants, including finishing 15th in the table and failing to qualify for Europe.

But recent results have been encouraging, and Amorim said consistency is key.

“Right away, I knew we would struggle in some things, but the feeling was it is the best league in the world, maybe the best club,” he said.

“[Now] I think we are showing [consistency], but the important thing is that it doesn’t matter what we did in the recent games,” he said. “We cannot forget we suffered a lot in those games and play every game like it is the last one.

“[We are] more dominant, playing better football, and more competitive in every way.”

Cunha credits United resurgence for Brazil call-ups

Man United forward Matheus Cunha has credited the club’s resurgence under Amorim with helping him cement a spot in Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil squad before next year’s World Cup in North America.

Cunha, 26, has seamlessly adapted to playing in Amorim’s system as a hybrid attacking midfielder and forward, a trait he believes has strengthened his case for World Cup inclusion.

“Knowing that the manager [Amorim] trusts me to play in multiple positions is important,” Cunha said.

“Manchester United is a club that should always be at the top,” he said. “I’m grateful to be playing in a side that’s delivering and competing well. To earn a spot in the national team, you have to consistently show your worth at club level.”

Moyes says Everton in midst of a rebuild

Everton received a significant boost after appointing Moyes as manager for the second time in January with his side steadily rising up the table.

Speaking before the game against Man United, Moyes said his team were continuing to work towards finding “solid ground” but it would take time.

“We’ve said many times about us trying to get on solid ground again. We’ve done that with the new owners, new stadium and staying up last year. So we have to try and make sure that we go steady,” he said.

“If anybody thought that we were going to completely switch everything around, then they’re completely off their head.”

Moyes continued: “I used to always look at the real managers from eras before me who I look up to now – Bobby Robson, Brian Clough, Don Revie – all those ones who’d been given long periods at their clubs, and if you look at the success, it tended to work better that way.”

What happened in Man United’s last EPL match?

Matthijs de Ligt equalised in the sixth minute of a dramatic period of stoppage time to earn Manchester United a 2-2 draw at Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on November 8.

Tottenham had looked like they would claim all three points when Richarlison glanced in a header in the first minute of added time, completing a Spurs comeback from a goal down.

There was still time for de Ligt to find space at the back post at a corner to direct a header goalwards and over the line before Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario clawed the ball away.

Trailing after Mbeumo’s 32nd-minute header, Tottenham dominated the second half and grabbed an equaliser in the 84th through substitute Mathys Tel’s shot that deflected in off de Ligt.

What happened in Everton’s last EPL match?

Everton defeated Fulham 2-0 at home on November 8 just before FIFA’s international window, ending a three-match EPL winless streak going back to October 5.

Idrissa Gueye gave Everton the lead in the first half, and Michael Keane made it 2-0 in the second as Moyes’s side also had a number of goals chalked off for offside in what was a dominant victory.

Head-to-head: Last six matches

United are unbeaten against Everton in their last six fixtures with four wins and two draws.

The teams last played in a preseason friendly two weeks before the start of the 2025-2026 English Premier League season:

• Manchester United 2-2 Everton (August 4)
• Everton 2-2 Manchester United (February 2)
• Manchester United 4-0 Everton (December 1)
• Manchester United 2-0 Everton (March 9, 2024)
• Everton 0-3 Manchester United (November 26, 2023)
• Manchester United 2-0 Everton (April 8, 2023)

Form guide: last five Premier League matches

Manchester United: W-W-W-D-D (most recent result last)

Everton: W-L-L-D-W

United’s team news

Benjamin Sesko will be out of action “for a few weeks” after hurting his knee before the international break, Amorim said on Friday.

The forward, who joined United from RB Leipzig for 74 million pounds ($97m) in August, was injured during the 2-2 draw at Tottenham and missed Slovenia’s World Cup qualifiers.

United will also be without Harry Maguire against Everton after the defender picked up an injury in the Spurs draw.

Midfielder Kobbie Mainoo could be available to face Everton, and Lisandro Martinez is getting closer to a return after being involved in the Argentina camp over the break.

Meanwhile, Cunha missed a Christmas lights switch-on event in Altrincham after organisers revealed the forward suffered “an accident in training” on Saturday, raising doubts over his availability on Monday.

United’s predicted starting lineup

Lammens; Yoro, de Ligt, Shaw; Mazraoui, Casemiro, Fernandes, Dorgu; Mbeumo, Diallo; Zirkzee

Everton’s team news

Moyes said on Friday that central midfielder Merlin Rohl has had an operation to treat a hernia and is not expected to return for a few weeks.

Everton are also missing Nathan Patterson and Jarrad Branthwaite due to groin and hamstring injuries, respectively.

Otherwise, Moyes appears to have a fully fit squad to choose from.

Everton’s predicted starting lineup

Pickford; O’Brien, Keane, Tarkowski, Mykolenko; Garner, Gueye; Ndiaye, Dewsbury-Hall, Grealish; Barry

Houthi authorities in Yemen want to publicly execute the convicted individuals, and also sentenced two others to prison.

Houthi judges working with prosecutors in Yemen have sentenced 17 people to death by firing squad over alleged espionage on behalf of Israel and its western allies.

The Specialized Criminal Court in the capital Sanaa handed down the sentences on Saturday morning in the cases of “espionage cells within a spy network affiliated with American, Israeli, and Saudi intelligence”, Houthi-run media said.

The court sentenced the 17 men to execution “to be carried out in a public place as a deterrent”, Saba and other outlets said, also publishing a list of names.

A woman and a man were sentenced to 10 years in prison, while another man was acquitted of all charges, bringing the total number of people put on trial in this case to 20.

Houthi-run media said state prosecutors had charged the defendants, who can theoretically appeal the sentences, with “espionage for foreign countries hostile to Yemen” in 2024 and 2025, which also included the United Kingdom.

Israel’s Mossad spying agency reportedly “directed” intelligence officers who were in contact with the accused Yemeni citizens, whose work allegedly “led to the targeting of several military, security, and civilian sites and resulting in the killing of dozens and the destruction of extensive infrastructure”.

The United States and the UK conducted dozens of deadly joint air strikes across Yemen after the start of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023, as the Houthis launched attacks on Israel and international maritime transit through the Red Sea in a stated attempt to support Palestinians under fire.

The Houthis have stopped their attacks since last month’s Gaza ceasefire deal.

Israel has also unleashed huge air attacks on Yemen and its infrastructure, repeatedly hitting fuel tanks, power stations and a critical port city where desperately needed humanitarian aid flows through, killing political leaders and dozens of civilians.

In August, the Houthis confirmed that an Israeli air raid killed the prime minister of their government in Sanaa.

Ahmed al-Rahawi was killed with “several” other ministers, the Houthis said in a statement at the time.

Houthi authorities, who control Sanaa and parts of Yemen to the north after an armed takeover more than a decade ago, made no mention of any links with the United Nations or other international agencies in the cases announced Saturday.

But they have, over the past year, increasingly raided UN and NGO offices, detaining dozens of mostly local but also international staff and confiscating equipment.

Amid condemnation and calls for the release of staff by the UN and international stakeholders, the Houthis have framed the efforts as necessary to stave off Israeli operations.

Stakeholders are gathering to start negotiations based on a text that the EU believes mostly favours Russian demands.

Senior Ukrainian, European Union, United Kingdom and United States officials will soon start talks in Geneva as ambiguity and deep-seated concerns hover over the fate of the 28-point plan put forward by Washington to end the war with Russia.

At the talks, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be the top representative of the administration of President Donald Trump, who has given his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy until Thursday to take the deal.

Rubio emphasised in a Sunday post on X before flying to Switzerland that the proposal was authored by the US.

“It is offered as a strong framework for ongoing negotiations,” he wrote. “It is based on input from the Russian side. But it is also based on previous and ongoing input from Ukraine.”

The comments came in rejection of a claim made by a bipartisan group of veteran US senators, most focused on foreign policy, who told a panel discussion at the Halifax International Security Forum in Canada that the plan is a Russian “wish list” and not the actual proposal offering Washington’s positions.

“This administration was not responsible for this release in its current form,” said Republican Mike Rounds from South Dakota, adding that “it looked more like it was written in Russian to begin with”.

State Department deputy spokesman Tommy Pigott called the claim “blatantly false”.

The senators earlier Saturday said the plan would only “reward aggression” by Moscow and send a message to other leaders who have threatened their neighbours.

Critics of the plan have said it heavily leans into the Kremlin’s oft-repeated demands and war narrative.

The plan would stress Ukrainian sovereignty and provide a security guarantee that it will not be attacked in the future, but also includes Ukraine ceding territory and making its army smaller.

Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed the proposal late Friday, saying it “could form the basis of a final peace settlement” if Washington can get Ukraine and its European allies on board.

Ukraine has been careful with its rhetoric, with Zelenskyy saying he will “work calmly” with the US and his Western allies to get through what he called “truly one of the most difficult moments in our history”.

Ukraine’s European allies are not happy with the plan, either, saying the military limitations would leave Ukraine “vulnerable to future attack”, so more talks are necessary.

France, the UK and Germany, also known as the E3, will have national security advisers at the Geneva talks.

The troubled US-led diplomatic efforts are inching forward as intense fighting continues to rage in eastern Ukraine.

Russian forces are pushing to take control of more territory in Zaporizhia and in Donetsk, part of the eastern Donbas region that is seeing fierce fighting and that Russia wants in its entirety, while also fending off Ukrainian air attacks on their oil and fuel infrastructure.

Russian forces continue to report advances in eastern Ukraine while the United States ramps up intensive diplomatic pressure on Kyiv and its European allies to accede to its proposed 28-point plan, which heavily leans towards the Kremlin’s demands, by Thursday.

The Russian Ministry of Defence announced on Saturday that its soldiers “liberated” the settlement of Zvanivka in Donetsk region’s Bakhmut, allegedly inflicting “significant losses” on Ukrainian forces.

It also released footage of air attacks and FPV drone attacks on Ukrainian positions in the Zaporizhia region, where Russian forces have been getting closer to the strategic town of Huliaipole using glide bombs and tactical ground incursions.

The Defence Ministry claimed that the Novoe Zaporozhye area was taken under Russian control, including a “major enemy defence node” covering an area of more than 14sq km (5sq miles).

This would add to a growing number of villages in the southeastern Ukrainian region that have been captured by Russian troops since September as they try to push back the Ukrainian military and strike energy infrastructure with another punishing winter of war approaching.

Ukrainian soldiers are also under intense attacks in the Pokrovsk area, where the fighting is believed to be fierce as the Russian military command redeploys forces to strengthen its offensive.

Regional Ukrainian authorities have reported at least one civilian death and 13 injuries over the past day as a result of Russian air attacks. The fatal strike took place in Donetsk, Governor Vadym Filashkin said.

Ukraine’s air force said Russian troops launched one Iskander-M ballistic missile from annexed Crimea and 104 drones from several areas towards multiple Ukrainian regions overnight into Saturday, of which 89 drones were downed. Most of the drones were of Iranian design, it added.

Ukrainian media said the Yany Kapu electric substation in northern Crimea was targeted by drones overnight, with footage circulating on social media showing explosions and strikes. The Russian Defence Ministry said its air force shot down six fixed-wing Ukrainian drones over Crimea early on Saturday, without confirming any hits on the ground.

EU pushes back against US plan

Ukraine’s allies have not been cheering the plan put forward by the administration of US President Donald Trump without consulting them, despite an ominous Thursday deadline set by Washington approaching.

The unilateral US plan to end the war in Ukraine “is a basis which will require additional work”, Western leaders gathered in South Africa for a G20 summit said on Saturday.

“We are clear on the principle that borders must not be changed by force,” said the leaders of key European countries, as well as Canada and Japan, in a joint statement.

“We are also concerned by the proposed limitations on Ukraine’s armed forces, which would leave Ukraine vulnerable to future attack,” they said, adding that any implementing elements of the plan linked with the 27-member bloc and NATO would have to be undertaken with the consent of member states.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Russia’s war could only be ended with Ukraine’s “unconditional consent”.

“Wars cannot be ended by major powers over the heads of the countries affected,” he said on the sidelines of the summit.

Ukraine and its allies continue to emphasise the need for a “just and lasting peace”, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying on Saturday that real peace is based on guaranteed security and justice that secures sovereignty and territorial integrity.

But Zelenskyy approved a Ukrainian delegation to launch talks with US counterparts in Switzerland on ways of ending the war, and appointed his top aide Andriy Yermak to lead it.

Ukraine’s Security Council secretary, Rustem Umerov, who is on the negotiating team, confirmed in a post on Telegram that consultations will begin over “possible parameters” of a future deal.

“Ukraine approaches this process with a clear understanding of its interests,” he said, thanking the Trump administration for its mediation.

Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said in an interview with the state-owned International Affairs magazine, published on Saturday, that he would not rule out the possibility of another meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has backed the US proposal.

“The search for a way forward continues,” he said, adding that Moscow and Washington continue to keep channels for dialogue open despite the lack of an agreement during a Trump-Putin meeting in August, and the indefinite suspension of another planned round in Budapest.

Putin has refused to engage in a summit that includes Zelenskyy and will be even less likely to now, given he believes Russia has the upper hand on the battlefield and the ear of the US on the diplomatic front.

Banerji said in his resignation letter that he was unhappy about governance issues at the organisation, BBC News reported.

Shumeet Banerji has resigned from the BBC board and criticised governance issues at the organisation, the latest blow to the broadcaster weeks after its director general quit.

The BBC confirmed Banerji’s departure on Friday, saying he stepped down only weeks before the end of his four-year term.

According to BBC News, Banerji said in his resignation letter that he was unhappy about governance issues at the organisation.

He also said he had not been consulted about key developments surrounding the abrupt exits of director general Tim Davie and BBC News chief executive Deborah Turness, BBC News reported.

Both stepped down on November 9 after mounting criticism of the broadcaster’s handling of political coverage, including the editing of a Donald Trump speech delivered on January 6, 2021, shortly before his supporters stormed the United States Capitol.

‘No legal basis’

The BBC issued an apology on November 13 for how its investigative programme Panorama edited the footage. However, it insisted there was “no legal basis” for Trump to sue for defamation.

The dispute focuses on Panorama’s documentary, Trump: A Second Chance?, broadcast in October 2024, just days before Trump secured re-election.

The film stitched together two separate lines from Trump’s January 6 address, almost an hour apart, creating the impression he urged supporters to “fight like hell” while heading towards the Capitol.

Trump and his allies say the sequence was misleading and stripped away crucial context from the speech.

They argue that Trump also told the crowd “to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard” and encouraged supporters to “cheer on our brave senators and Congressmen and women”. The edited version, they say, suggested a more direct incitement to violence.

The scandal has intensified scrutiny of the BBC at a moment when the broadcaster is already grappling with accusations of internal bias, fuelled by a leaked internal memo.

The “toxic and chaotic” culture at the centre of the United Kingdom’s government led to a delayed response to the COVID-19 pandemic that resulted in about 23,000 more deaths across the nation, a damning report from an inquiry into the government’s handling of the pandemic has found.

The inquiry, which former Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered in May 2021, delivered a blistering assessment (PDF) on Thursday of his government’s response to COVID-19, criticising his indecisive leadership, lambasting his Downing Street office for breaking their own rules and castigating his top adviser Dominic Cummings. The inquiry was chaired by former judge Heather Hallett.

“The failure to appreciate the scale of the threat, or the urgency of response it demanded, meant that by the time the possibility of a mandatory lockdown was first considered it was already too late and a lockdown had become unavoidable,” the inquiry found. “At the centre of the UK government there was a toxic and chaotic culture.”

The global pandemic, which began in 2020, killed millions of people worldwide, with countries enforcing lockdowns in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus.

The UK went into lockdown on March 23, 2020, at which time it was “too little, too late,” the inquiry found, revealing that if the nation had gone into lockdown just a week earlier, on March 16, the number of deaths in the first wave of the pandemic up to July would have been reduced by about 23,000, or 48 percent.

“Had the UK been better prepared, lives would have been saved, suffering reduced and the economic cost of the pandemic far lower,” the inquiry found.

A failure to act sooner again, as cases rose later in the year, also led to further national lockdowns, Hallett’s inquiry found.

A campaign group for bereaved families said “it is devastating to think of the lives that could have been saved under a different Prime Minister”.

There was no immediate comment from Johnson on the inquiry’s findings.

The UK recorded more than 230,000 deaths from COVID, a similar death rate to the United States and Italy, but higher than elsewhere in western Europe, and it is still recovering from the economic consequences.

“Mr. Johnson should have appreciated sooner that this was an emergency that required prime ministerial leadership to inject urgency into the response,” the inquiry found.

Following the release of the inquiry’s findings, Sir Ed Davey called on Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the Conservative Party, to apologise on behalf of the Conservatives.

“As this report is published, my thoughts and prayers are with all those who lost loved ones during the pandemic, and everyone who suffered,” Davey said. “This report confirms the abject failure of the last Conservative government.”

Ellie Chowns, a Green Party MP for North Herefordshire, said the British people were “let down” by their government.

“Families and communities – especially children – are still living with the consequences. It’s vital to learn from this report, and invest far more seriously in pandemic preparedness, so that Britain can be secure and resilient if – or when – we are again faced with such a challenge.”

The first cases of COVID-19 were detected in Wuhan, China, in late 2019, and information from the country is seen as key to preventing future pandemics. As late as June 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) said it was working to uncover the origin of the pandemic, with its work still incomplete, as critical information has “not been provided”.

“We continue to appeal to China and any other country that has information about the origins of COVID-19 to share that information openly, in the interests of protecting the world from future pandemics,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in June.

In 2021, Tedros launched the WHO Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO), a panel of 27 independent international experts.

Marietjie Venter, the group’s chair, said earlier this year that most scientific data supports the hypothesis that the new coronavirus jumped to humans from animals.

But she added that after more than three years of work, SAGO was unable to get the necessary data to evaluate whether or not COVID was the result of a lab accident, despite repeated requests for detailed information made to the Chinese government.

London, United Kingdom – David Lesperance, a Canadian wealth adviser based in Poland, is working against the clock for one of his British clients.

John*, who requested anonymity, is trying to relocate from London to Dublin, the Irish capital, ahead of November 26, when Chancellor Rachel Reeves will deliver the budget – a statement presenting the Labour government’s plans for public finances for the year ahead.

Having built a company worth around 70 million pounds ($92m) that he plans to sell soon, John wants to avoid a hefty capital gains tax bill.

As his children are in university, upping sticks is possible. He hopes to take advantage of the Republic of Ireland’s non-domiciled, or “non-dom”, tax regime, which would exempt him from Irish taxes as well.

“We’ve been moving fast to organise his immediate departure to Ireland,” said Lesperance, who has been assisting him in shifting his assets abroad. “With higher taxes looming, the costs of leaving early are a rounding error.”

John is not alone.

The footballer Rio Ferdinand has recently moved to Dubai, citing tax as a push factor, while Egyptian billionaire and Aston Villa co-owner Nassef Sawiris, who moved his residency to Italy and the United Arab Emirates from Britain, told the Financial Times earlier this year that everyone in his “circle” is considering moving.

Herman Narula, the 37-year-old British Indian founder of Improbable, a tech company, announced this month that he is fleeing to Dubai. Worth about 700 million pounds ($920m), he is said to be Britain’s richest young entrepreneur. Among his reasons for fleeing were reported plans by the Labour government to impose an exit tax on wealthy people leaving the United Kingdom.

While that proposal appears to have been ditched, the overall business environment for entrepreneurs is increasingly unpredictable, Narula and a few others say.

“There is alarming evidence that some entrepreneurs are leaving the UK,” reads a recent open letter to Reeves, signed by more than a dozen wealthy business owners, including Nick Wheeler, founder and chair of the men’s clothing retailer Charles Tyrwhitt, and Annoushka Ducas, a jewellery designer.

“As the government prepares for this year’s Budget, it must carefully consider the cumulative impact of these policies on entrepreneurs,” the letter warns.

When the budget is delivered, all eyes will be on any changes to taxation – an issue affecting everyone in the UK. In recent months, speculation about tax amendments on property, incomes and pensions has repeatedly made headline news.

Rumours about the superrich abandoning the UK have been swirling for an even longer period, triggered by the mere prospect of a Labour government last year. Since the Keir Starmer-led government was elected last July, a range of media outlets have homed in on case studies suggesting that Labour is driving wealth out.

The first Labour budget last October outraged some high-earning individuals in the UK, who said they were already taxed too much.

“Last year’s Budget measures, including changes to Capital Gains Tax, Entrepreneur’s Relief, and Employer National Insurance, have increased costs for many entrepreneurs and enterprises,” read the recent open letter from wealthy business owners to Reeves.

Those changes came after the Conservatives abolished the non-dom regime, a status that allows for people with a residency abroad to avoid taxes in the UK.

But experts have offered words of caution on the supposed flight of the rich.

There is no official data on the number of wealthy individuals leaving because of Labour’s tax changes.

“The most recent tax data on wealthy individuals with non-dom status from HMRC [His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, the UK’s tax revenue department] shows that the number of non-doms leaving the UK is in line with or below official forecasts,” said Mark Bou Mansour, an advocate at the Tax Justice Network.

Claims that recent revenue-boosting tax reforms have triggered a massive non-dom exodus are false and part of a wider rhetoric that is detrimental to the UK’s fiscal and economic health, he said.

“Talking about whether the superrich will move if we tax can be a distraction from talking about the harms to economies and democracies that arise from not taxing extreme wealth,” he said.

Mansour pointed to a 2024 study by the London School of Economics that interviewed a number of wealthy individuals. It found the most important factors underpinning their reluctance to migrate were their attachment to the capital’s cultural infrastructure, private health services and schools, and the ability to maintain social ties.

“There’s plenty of strong evidence showing that the superrich don’t choose to relocate just to pay less tax,” said Mansour.

Behind a large number of articles predicting an exodus of wealthy people was a report by the passport advice firm Henley & Partners.

However, the report was found to be based on flawed methodology, and was later amended.

Even so, Lesperance said he has worked with a number of clients who have left the UK since Labour came into power.

He argued that while not necessarily large in number, the group makes up a high percentage of overall tax revenue raised by the government.

“The tax contribution of a non-dom is about 220,000 pounds ($289,000) a year, which is about six or seven times the UK average,” he said, “They’re super contributors” who need to be protected, or else, “You’re going to actually see a drop in annual tax collections because these people have left.”

Some of his clients have chosen to relocate to Milan and Dubai.

“As one of my clients said, ‘London’s nice, but it’s not that nice,’” he said.

But Michelle White, head of private office at UK wealth management firm Rathbones, said that while her clients are internationally mobile and could move away, the majority have stayed put so far.

“Since some of these articles started coming out saying the floodgates are open, we haven’t seen that,” she said.

Britain’s schools, legal system and business environment continue to be pull factors, she argued.

Those who have left usually have ventures or properties abroad and can easily relocate, or are considering selling their business in the next two years or so, and do not want to pay capital gains tax on sales.

Others have big payouts from private equity or hedge funds and want to avoid paying income tax.

“It means that they’ll go and spend more time somewhere else and less time here in order to not pay UK tax on that sale,” said White.

A large extent of her clientele in the end decides to stay in the UK to raise families, and mitigates taxation through smart planning.

“I tell people to look at the next 50 years and plan taxes around that,” she said, “People take a long view.

“Tax is one thing, but quality of life and how you actually want to live as a family often overrides the tax aspect.”

President Donald Trump has designated Saudi Arabia a major non-NATO ally of the United States during a visit by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Washington, DC, where the two leaders reached agreements covering arms sales, civil nuclear cooperation, artificial intelligence and critical minerals.

During a formal black-tie dinner at the White House on Tuesday evening, Trump made the announcement that he was taking “military cooperation to even greater heights by formally designating Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally”.

Trump said the designation was “something that is very important to them, and I’m just telling you now for the first time because I wanted to keep a little secret for tonight”.

The designation means a US partner benefits from military and economic privileges but it does not entail security commitments.

Saudi Arabia and the US also signed a “historic strategic defence agreement”, Trump said.

A White House fact sheet said the defence agreement, “fortifies deterrence across the Middle East”, makes it easier for US defence firms to operate in Saudi Arabia and secures “new burden-sharing funds from Saudi Arabia to defray US costs”.

The White House also announced that Trump had approved future deliveries of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia while the kingdom had agreed to purchase 300 American tanks.

“I’m pleased to announce that we are taking our military cooperation to even greater heights by formally designating Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally.” – President Donald J. Trump 🇺🇸🇸🇦 pic.twitter.com/PXXGGCBPGU

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) November 19, 2025

Saudi F-35 deal raises questions about Israel’s ‘qualitative military edge’

Saudi Arabia’s purchase of the stealth fighter jets would mark the first US sale of the advanced fighter planes to Riyadh. The kingdom has reportedly requested to buy 48 of the aircraft.

The move is seen as a significant policy shift by Washington that could alter the military balance of power in the Middle East, where US law states that Israel must maintain a “qualitative military edge”.

Israel has been the only country in the Middle East to have the F-35 until now.

Asked by Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett about the impact of the jet fighter deal on Israel’s “qualitative military edge”, Trump said he was aware that Israel would prefer that Riyadh receive warplanes of “reduced calibre”.

“I don’t think that makes you too happy,” Trump said, addressing the crown prince, who was seated beside him in the White House.

“They’ve been a great ally. Israel’s been a great ally. … As far as I’m concerned, I think they are both at a level where they should get top of the line,” Trump said of the F-35 deal.

Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher, reporting from the White House, said part of the almost $1 trillion investment in the US announced by Prince Mohammed included $142bn for the procurement of the F-35 fighter jets, “the most advanced of their kind in the world”.

Fisher also said the Israeli government and lobbyists had tried to block the sale of F-35s to Saudi Arabia.

The agreements announced were about “much more” than Saudi investment in the US, he added.

“It’s about helping each other’s economy, business and defence. Politics isn’t near the top of the agenda, but both countries believe these deals could create a political reset in the Middle East,” Fisher said.

‘A clear path’ for Palestinian state

The two countries also signed a joint declaration on the completion of negotiations on civil nuclear energy cooperation, which the White House said would build the legal foundation for a long-term nuclear energy partnership with Riyadh.

Israeli officials had suggested that they would not be opposed to Saudi Arabia getting F-35s as long as Saudi Arabia normalises relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords framework.

The Saudis, however, have said they would join the Abraham Accords but only after there is a credible and guaranteed path to Palestinian statehood, a position Prince Mohammed repeated in the meeting with Trump.

“We want to be part of the Abraham Accords, but we want also to be sure that we secure a clear path of a two-state solution,” he said.

“We’re going to work on that to be sure that we come prepared for the situation as soon as possible to have that,” he added.

British officials say they’re enforcing tougher policies for asylum seekers, including ending refugees’ automatic right to settle permanently in the UK. As Al Jazeera’s Rory Challands explains, the overhaul comes as polls show growing concerns about immigration.