News & Stories

Belarus has freed 123 prisoners, including prominent opposition activist Maria Kolesnikova, after the US agreed to lift sanctions on the country.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski is also among those who have been released following talks in Minsk with US President Donald Trump's special envoy for Belarus, John Coale.

The US has agreed to lift sanctions on potash, a key ingredient in fertiliser and an important export for Belarus, which is a close ally of Russia.

Coale said: "As relations between the two countries normalise, more and more sanctions will be lifted."

Belarus' president, Alexander Lukashenko, is not recognised as president by the EU.

Kolesnikova has been in prison since 2020, much of the time in isolation.

Speaking after her release, she described "a feeling of unbelievable happiness" at being able to see and hug people "dear to me".

She said: "It's a huge happiness to see the first sunset of my freedom, such amazing beauty.

"But also we think of those who are not yet free.

I wait for the moment when we can all hug each other, when all are free."

Angry fans attending Lionel Messi's tour of India ripped up seats and threw items towards the pitch after his appearance at Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium.

Thousands of adoring supporters had paid up to 12,000 rupees (£100; $133) to catch a glimpse of the football star, but were left disappointed when he emerged to walk around the pitch and was obscured by a large group of officials and celebrities. W

hen the Argentina and Inter Miami forward was whisked away early by security after around 20 minutes, elements of the crowd turned hostile. W

est Bengal's chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, said she was "deeply disturbed and shocked" by the events. A

nnouncing an enquiry, Banerjee apologised to Messi and "sports lovers" for the incident at the stadium. "

The [enquiry] committee will conduct a detailed enquiry into the incident, fix responsibility, and recommend measures to prevent such occurrences in the future," the chief minister said on X. A

spokesperson for Messi said that he fulfilled the time commitment that had been agreed in advance. I

n terms of the organisation of the event itself, he referred the BBC to the apology issued by Banerjee on social media. A

police official told reporters that the event's "chief organiser" had been arrested, without giving any further details, AFP reports. A

uthorities will look into how organisers could refund money to those who bought tickets, the official added. T

Real Madrid have only won two of their last eight matches piling pressure on their manager Xabi Alonso for Alaves trip.

Who: Alaves vs Real Madrid What: Spain’s La Liga Where: Mendizorroza Stadium in Vitoria, Spain When: Sunday, December 14, at 9pm (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. Real

Madrid will hope to ease the pressure on Xabi Alonso when they visit Alaves on Sunday, but the record La Liga winners will know that one more defeat could spell the end of the short-lived tenure of their beleaguered manager. In a

welcome show of solidarity, Los Blancos midfielder Jude Bellingham said on Wednesday, after their defeat by Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League, that the players were behind Alonso and no one was “downing tools”. More wel

come news for the Madrid-based club is that Kylian Mbappe is back in contention for Sunday’s game after missing out against City due to injury. Al Jazeera

Sport takes a look at what is surely a must-not-lose for Alonso, but – with Barcelona seven points clear – may well be a must-win. Alonso, whom S

panish media reported was set for the sack if Madrid lost against City, remains at the helm despite a 2-1 defeat at a frustrated, whistling Bernabeu. The hope is th

at the match, despite the outcome, can be a turning point for a team with just two wins in their last eight games across all competitions. Alonso’s playe

rs rallied around him, with not only Bellingham offering public messages of support after the game and even during it, as goalscorer Rodrygo Goes ran over to hug his manager. “The only thing

we can do is change our attitude … and [against City] we saw a change,” said defender Raul Asencio. Goalkeeper Thibaut Cou

SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur — Catholic religious and lay leaders in Surigao del Sur province welcomed the resignation of Rep. Ro

meo Momo Sr. from the bicameral conference committee on Saturday. “W

e acknowledge and welcome the courtesy resignation of Congressman Romeo S. Momo

Sr. But

the point must be made: resignation from a committee does

Two US soldiers and a US civilian interpreter have been killed in Syria in an ambush by an Islamic State gunman, the US Central Command has said.

Officials said three other service members were injured in the attack, during which the gunman was "engaged and killed".

US President Donald Trump wrote on social media that it was "an ISIS attack" against the US and Syria and said there would be "a very serious retaliation".

The identities of those killed are being withheld for 24 hours until their next of kin have been informed, the US Central Command said.

In a post on X, the US Central Command said the attack was "the result of an ambush by a lone ISIS gunman", while a Pentagon official said initial assessments showed the attack was "likely" to be carried out by the Islamic State group.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attacker was a member of the Syrian security force.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and the identity of the gunman has not been released.

The ambush occurred in Palmyra, located in the centre of the country, while the soldiers were "conducting a key leader engagement", according to Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell.

A Pentagon official said: "This attack took place in an area where the Syrian president does not have control."

Trump added that the three injured US soldiers were "doing well".

MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Health’s (DOH) controversial health aid program had its budget increased to P51 billion at the bicameral conference committee level despite clamor from civil society watchdogs to cut all funding for pork and patronage programs. If

signed into law, the Medical Assistance to Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) Program will even see a

MANILA, Philippines — Rain showers brought by the northeast monsoon, locally known as amihan, and shear line are forecast to persist over a large part of the Luzon region, while fair weather is expected over Visayas and Mindanao on Sunday due to the easterlies, the state weather bureau reported on Saturday. Ba

sed on the 5

Israel said it killed a senior Hamas commander on Saturday in a strike on a vehicle inside Gaza.

In a joint statement, the Israeli military and security agency Shin Bet announced it had "eliminated" Raed Saad, the head of weapons production for Hamas's military wing, the Qassam Brigades, in Gaza city.

Saad had been regarded as one of the most prominent Qassam commanders and led several brigades during Hamas's 7 October attacks on Israeli communities east of Gaza City.

The Hamas-run Civil Defence spokesman, Mahmoud Basal, told the BBC that four people were killed in the strike.

He said multiple passers-by were also injured by the blast.

A local Hamas official in Gaza told the BBC that the strike also killed Saad's aide and another lower-ranking official identified as Abu Imad al-Laban.

The BBC is prevented by Israel from reporting independently from inside Gaza and is unable to verify details of the incident.

The IDF and ISA joint statement added that Saad had been "responsible for the deaths of many soldiers" killed in the Gaza Strip as the result of explosive devices.

Saad is believed to be a member of the newly formed five-member leadership military council established since a ceasefire took hold in October.

Israel has attempted to kill him on multiple occasions.

MANILA, Philippines — A Filipino-led team of international researchers has developed a new physics-based algorithm that can detect a weather system known as a “shear line.” A shea

r line occurs when the northeast monsoon or “amihan” meets the warm easterlies from the Pacific Ocean, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

MANILA, Philippines — Four senators skipped the first day of the bicameral conference committee meeting for the 2026 national budget.  Senator Bato dela Rosa, who has been absent in plenary sessions since mid-November, still skipped the bicam opening despite being named as one of the conferees.  READ: Bicameral panel convenes to reconcile 2026 national budget

Parts of Nigeria's biggest city, Lagos, have been turned into an "open-air gallery", in the words of the organisers of the city's first street art festival.

One of the featured artists, Ashaolu Oluwafemi, told the BBC that the festival brings art "to the people and the community".

"People don't always have the opportunity to go to exhibitions, so they don't have the opportunity to see art," he said.

The artwork is on display on Ozumba Mbadiwe Avenue, a busy street in Victoria Island in the heart of the city.

Oluwafemi, who was born and brought up in Lagos, said he and the other artists were telling the story of the city and its rise.

"You have to be wise and strong and brilliant to make it out of Lagos."

Although Lagos is known for its vibrant arts scene, nightlife and creativity, street art is relatively unknown.

"The visibility is not too strong compared to other African nations," painter Ernest Ibe told AFP news agency.

"So, it's a challenge, but the country is evolving.

We are beginning to understand the impact of social murals and how it affects us socially and in our environment in general."

MANILA, Philippines — The northeast monsoon or amihan and the shear line will bring rains in parts of Luzon and Visayas on Saturday, according to the state weather bureau.  In

its 5 a.m. weather forecast, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said that the shear line, the warm winds coming from the