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Salah trains in Liverpool as Saudis plan winter transfer move
Mohamed Salah reported for Liverpool training on Tuesday as doubts grow about the star’s future at the Premier League champions with Saudi clubs intent on making a move for the striker in the winter transfer window.The 33-year-old Egypt forward was left out of Liverpool’s squad for their Champions League tie at Inter Milan on Tuesday following his extraordinary public criticism of Reds manager Arne Slot after he was left on the bench for the third consecutive game.Salah said after the 3-3 draw with Leeds on Sunday that he felt like he had been “thrown under the bus” by Liverpool and no longer had a relationship with Slot, sparking reports that Liverpool’s third-highest goalscorer in history could be on his way out of Anfield in January despite signing a lucrative new contract in April.He posted a picture of himself training alone in Liverpool’s weights room on Tuesday.Salah’s outburst has piqued interest in Saudi Arabia with a source at the kingdom’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) telling AFP it will do “whatever it can” to buy him.”We follow Salah’s position thoroughly and believe there can be a move either by loan or buying his contract,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.Asked at a pre-match press conference in Milan on Monday whether Salah, who has scored 250 times for Liverpool since signing from Roma in 2017, had played his last game for the Reds, Slot replied: “I have no clue.” “He has every right to feel what he feels, but he doesn’t have the right to share it with the media,” Slot added.The Saudi source told AFP there were “no direct negotiations or talks with the club at the moment but there will be a move at the right moment”.The PIF source said the Gulf monarchy wanted to sign the Egyptian winger in January to join stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo in the Saudi Pro League. PIF holds a 75 percent share in Al-Hilal, Al-Nassr, Al-Ahli and Al-Ittihad, but the source said it was not alone in wanting the Arab world’s biggest football star.”There is a competition inside the Saudi league who will bring Salah,” the source said, adding that the Al Qadsiah club backed by Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil and gas company Aramco was also keen.Ronaldo plays for Al-Nassr, Salah’s former Liverpool team-mate Darwin Nunez is at Al-Hillal, another former Premier League player of the season N’Golo Kante is at Al-Ittihad, but Salah is the biggest star from an Arab country along with Paris Saint-Germain’s Moroccan defender Achraf Hakimi.Salah, who was not even used as a substitute at Elland Road, is set to depart for the Africa Cup of Nations after next weekend’s home Premier League match against Brighton.He said he was “very, very disappointed” to have again been named among the substitutes at Leeds, adding: “I got a lot of promises in the summer and so far I am on the bench for three games so I can’t say they keep the promise.”I said many times before that, I had a good relationship with the manager and all of a sudden we don’t have any relationship.- ‘Massive impact on Saudi League’ -“I don’t know why but it seems to me, how I see it, that someone doesn’t want me in the club.”Salah made his explosive comments in the midst of a dismal season for both him and Liverpool.He has played a key role in Liverpool’s two Premier League titles and one Champions League triumph during his iconic spell on Merseyside.But he has been a shadow of his former self during Liverpool’s struggles this season — the title-holders are 10th in the Premier League — with just four goals in 13 top-flight appearances.”All players have their ups and downs. Salah is just 33 and has a lot to do here,” insisted the PIF source.”Salah is a beloved footballer around the globe and will have a massive impact on the Saudi League both on and off the pitch.”
Hamas says no Gaza truce second phase while Israel ‘continues violations’
Hamas said on Tuesday that the Gaza ceasefire plan cannot proceed to its second phase as long as Israeli “violations” persist and called on mediators to pressure Israel to respect the agreement.The US-sponsored ceasefire, in effect since October 10, halted the war that began after Hamas’s deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. But it remains fragile as Israel and Hamas accuse each other almost daily of breaches.Meanwhile, an Israeli official said that authorities would allow the Allenby crossing on the Israeli-controlled border between Jordan and the occupied West Bank to reopen on Wednesday to aid trucks destined for Gaza for the first time since late September.Hamas political bureau member Hossam Badran accused Israel of failing to respect the Gaza ceasefire deal, noting that under its terms, Israel should have reopened the Rafah crossing with Egypt and increased the volume of aid entering the territory.He urged the mediators, who include Egypt, Qatar and the United States, to pressure Israel “to complete the implementation of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement”.Under the terms of the deal, Palestinian militants committed to releasing the remaining 48 living and dead captives held in the territory. All of the hostages have so far been released except for one body.In exchange, Israel has released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in its custody and returned the bodies of hundreds of dead Palestinians.The first phase of the truce also stipulates that significantly more aid enter Gaza.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he expects the second phase of the deal to begin soon but Badran said it could not start “as long as the occupation (Israel) continues its violations”.- Dispute over withdrawal line -In the announcement of the opening of Allenby crossing, the Israeli official said in a statement that “aid trucks destined for the Gaza Strip will proceed under escort and security, following a thorough security inspection”.Israel closed the crossing in the Jordan Valley, also known as the King Hussein Bridge, after a Jordanian truck driver shot dead an Israeli soldier and a reserve officer at the border in September.Israel mostly reopened the crossing to travellers a few days later, but not to humanitarian aid destined for the Gaza Strip, which has been left devastated by more than two years of war.Under the initial steps of the ceasefire plan, Israeli troops withdrew to positions behind a so-called “Yellow Line” in Gaza, though they remain in control of more than half of the territory.Israel’s military chief, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, was quoted as saying on Sunday that the demarcation line was the “new border line”.Badran on Tuesday slammed Zamir’s comments. “The statements… clearly reveal the criminal occupation’s lack of commitment to the ceasefire agreement,” he said.The second stage of the truce plan concerns disarming Hamas, the further withdrawal of Israeli forces as a transitional authority is established, and the deployment of an international stabilisation force.Israel has said the next phase cannot begin until the body of the last Gaza captive, the Israeli Ran Gvili, is handed over.A final goal of the agreement is the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza in phases if certain conditions are met.Hamas has said it is ready to hand over its weapons to the government of a future Palestinian state on the condition that the Israeli occupation ends.The Gaza war was sparked by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people.Israel’s retaliatory assault on Gaza has killed at least 70,366 people, according to figures from the territory’s health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.The ministry says since the ceasefire came into effect, 377 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire. Israel’s military has reported three soldiers killed during the same period.
Salah turns up for training with Liverpool future in balance
Mohamed Salah reported for Liverpool training on Tuesday as doubts continued to grow about the star striker’s future at the Premier League champions.The Egypt forward was left out of Liverpool’s squad for their Champions League tie at Inter Milan on Tuesday following his extraordinary public criticism of Reds manager Arne Slot after he was left on the bench for the third consecutive game.Salah drove himself to Liverpool’s training base in Kirkby on Tuesday and posted an Instagram picture of himself in the facility’s gym.The 33-year-old said after the 3-3 draw with Leeds on Sunday that he felt like he had been “thrown under the bus” by Liverpool and no longer had a relationship with Slot, sparking reports the Egyptian could be on his way out of Anfield in January despite signing a new contract in April.Saudi clubs are reportedly preparing to make offers for Salah.Asked at a pre-match press conference in Milan on Monday, whether Salah, who has scored 250 times for Liverpool since signing from Roma in 2017, had played his last game for the Reds, Slot replied: “I have no clue. “I cannot answer that question at this point in time.”He has every right to feel what he feels, but he doesn’t have the right to share it with the media.”Salah, who was not even used as a substitute at Elland Road, is set to depart for the Africa Cup of Nations after next weekend’s home match against Brighton in the Premier League.He said he was “very, very disappointed” to have again been named among the substitutes at Leeds, adding: “I got a lot of promises in the summer and so far I am on the bench for three games so I can’t say they keep the promise.”I said many times before that, I had a good relationship with the manager and all of a sudden we don’t have any relationship.”I don’t know why but it seems to me, how I see it, that someone doesn’t want me in the club.”Salah made his explosive comments in the midst of a dismal season for both him and Liverpool.The Reds have won just four times in 15 matches in all competitions and sit 13th in the Champions League with nine points after being thumped 4-1 at home by PSV Eindhoven in their most recent European outing.Salah has played a key role in Liverpool’s two Premier League titles and one Champions League triumph during his iconic spell on Merseyside.But he has been a shadow of his former self during Liverpool’s struggles this season — the title-holders are 10th in the table — with just four goals in 13 top-flight appearances.
RSF says Israel killed highest number of journalists again this year
Reporters Without Borders said on Tuesday that Israel was responsible for nearly half of all journalists killed this year worldwide, with 29 Palestinian reporters slain by its forces in Gaza. In its annual report, the Paris-based media freedom group said the total number of journalists killed reached 67 globally this year, up from 66 killed in 2024.Israeli forces accounted for 43 percent of the total, making them “the worst enemy of journalists”, RSF said in its report, which documented deaths over 12 months from December 2024.The most deadly single attack was a so-called “double-tap” strike — where dual bombings are staged — on a hospital in south Gaza on August 25, which killed five journalists, including two contributors to international news agencies Reuters and the Associated Press.In total, since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, after the Hamas attack on Israel, nearly 220 journalists have died, making Israel the biggest killer of journalists worldwide for three years running, RSF data shows.The Israeli military says its raids and shelling target Hamas fighters and leaders.- ‘Not stray bullets’ -Foreign reporters are still unable to enter Gaza — unless they are in tightly controlled tours organised by the Israeli military — despite calls from media groups and press freedom organisations for access.The RSF annual report also said that 2025 was the deadliest year in Mexico in at least three years, with nine journalists killed, despite pledges from left-wing President Claudia Sheinbaum to protect them.War-wracked Ukraine (three journalists killed) and Sudan (four journalists killed) are the other most dangerous countries for reporters, according to RSF.The overall number of deaths last year is down from the peak of 142 journalists killed in 2012, linked largely to the Syrian civil war. It is also below the average since 2003 of around 80 killed per year.RSF editorial director Anne Bocande noted a growing tendency to “smear” journalists as a way to “justify” the crime of targeting them.”These are not stray bullets. This is a deliberate targeting of journalists because they inform the world about what’s happening on the ground,” she told AFP.The RSF annual report also counts the number of journalists imprisoned for their work, with China (121), Russia (48) and Myanmar (47) the most repressive countries, RSF figures showed.As of December 1, 2025, 503 journalists were detained in 47 countries, the report said.Other organisations use different qualifiers to calculate journalist deaths. According to UNESCO, 91 journalists were killed in 2025.




