Apple has just released the update to bring macOS Tahoe to version 26.2, and security updates to Sequoia and Sonoma to bring them to 15.7.3 and 14.8.3 respectively. The latter two should also have associated Safari updates.
Tahoe 26.2 introduces Edge Light to light your face during low-light video calls, among other improved features and bug fixes. It’s about 3.78 GB to download to an Apple silicon Mac.
Security release notes are expected to appear here shortly.
A photograph released by Malam Darfur Peace and Development showing residents receiving sacks of millet the group delivered to El Fasher, in Sudan, on Dec. 2.
While Americans won’t begin to see tax savings until next year, some corporations, including Walmart, are already reporting reductions to their tax payments in 2025.
Matt Dinniman introduced his series about an alien reality TV show free on the web. But readers ate up the goofy humor, now to the tune of 6 million books sold.
Germany has accused Russia of a cyber-attack on air traffic control and attempted electoral interference, and summoned the Russian ambassador.
A foreign ministry spokesman said Russian military intelligence was behind a "cyber-attack against German air traffic control in August 2024".
The spokesman also accused Russia of seeking to influence and destabilise the country's federal election in February this year.
The spokesman said that Germany, in close co-ordination with its European partners, would respond with counter-measures to make Russia "pay a price for its hybrid actions".
There was no immediate response from Russia.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on X to get the latest alerts.
Ukraine's president says it is right for Russia's frozen assets to be used to rebuild his country
Ukraine is running out of cash to keep its military and its economy going, after almost four years of Russia's full-scale war.
For Europe, the solution to plugging Kyiv's budget hole of €135.7bn (£119bn; $159bn) for the next two years lies in frozen Russian assets sitting in Belgian bank Euroclear and EU leaders hope to sign that off at their Brussels summit next week.
Russian officials warn the EU plan would be an act of theft and Russia's central bank announced on Friday it was suing Euroclear in a Moscow court even before a final decision is made.
'Only fair' to use Russia's assets
In total, Russia has about €210bn of its assets frozen in the EU, and €185bn of that is held by Euroclear.
The EU and Ukraine argue that money should be used to rebuild what Russia has destroyed: Brussels calls it a "reparations loan" and has come up with a plan to prop up Ukraine's economy to the tune of €90bn.
"It's only fair that Russia's frozen assets should be used to rebuild what Russia has destroyed – and that money then becomes ours," says Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says the assets will "enable Ukraine to protect itself effectively against future Russian attacks".
Russia's court action was expected in Brussels. But it is not just Moscow that is unhappy.
Belgium is worried it will be saddled with an enormous bill if it all goes wrong and Euroclear chief executive Valérie Urbain says using it could "destabilise the international financial system".
Euroclear also has an estimated €16-17bn immobilised in Russia.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever has set the EU a series of "rational, reasonable, and justified conditions" before he will accept the reparations plan, and he has refused to rule out legal action if it "poses significant risks" for his country.
What is the EU's plan?
Thierry Monasse/Getty Images
The German chancellor (L) says the EU's plan will enable Ukraine to defend itself
The EU is working to the wire ahead of next Thursday's summit to come up with a solution that Belgium can accept.
Until now the EU has held off touching the assets themselves directly but since last year has paid the "windfall profits" from them to Ukraine. In 2024 that was €3.7bn. Legally using the interest is seen as safe as Russia is under sanction and the proceeds are not Russian sovereign property.
But international military aid for Ukraine has slipped dramatically in 2025, and Europe has struggled to make up the shortfall left by the US decision to all but stop funding Ukraine under President Donald Trump.
There are currently two EU proposals aimed at providing Ukraine with €90bn, to cover two-thirds of its funding needs.
One is to raise the money on capital markets, backed by the EU budget as a guarantee. This is Belgium's preferred option but it requires a unanimous vote by EU leaders and that would be difficult when Hungary and Slovakia object to funding Ukraine's military.
That leaves loaning Ukraine cash from the Russian assets, which were originally held in securities but have now largely matured into cash. That money is Euroclear property held in the European Central Bank.
The EU's executive, the European Commission, accepts Belgium has legitimate concerns and says it is confident it has dealt with them.
The plan is for Belgium to be protected with a guarantee covering all the €210bn of Russian assets in the EU.
Should Euroclear suffer a loss of its own assets in Russia, a Commission source explained that would be offset from assets belonging to Russia's own clearing house which are in the EU.
If Russia went after Belgium itself, any ruling by a Russian court would not be recognised in the EU.
In a key development, EU ambassadors are expected to agree on Friday to immobilise Russia's central bank assets held in Europe indefinitely.
Until now they have had to vote unanimously every six months to renew the freeze, which could have meant a repeated risk to Belgium.
The EU ambassadors are set to use an emergency clause under Article 122 of the EU Treaties so the assets remain frozen as long as an "immediate threat to the economic interests of the union" continues.
Why Belgium is not yet satisfied
Belgium is adamant it remains a staunch ally of Ukraine, but sees legal risks in the plan and fears being left to handle the repercussions if things go wrong.
A usually divided political landscape in this case has rallied behind Prime Minister Bart de Wever, who is under pressure from European colleagues and having talks with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in London on Friday.
"Belgium is a small economy. Belgian GDP is about €565bn – imagine if it would need to shoulder a €185bn bill," says Veerle Colaert, professor of financial law at KU Leuven University.
While the EU might be able to secure sufficient guarantees for the loan itself, Belgium fears an added risk of being exposed to extra damages or penalties.
Prof Colaert also believes the requirement for Euroclear to grant a loan to the EU would violate EU banking regulations.
"Banks need to comply with capital and liquidity requirements and shouldn't put all their eggs in one basket. Now the EU is telling Euroclear to do just that.
"Why do we have these bank rules? It's because we want banks to be stable. And if things go wrong it would fall to Belgium to bail out Euroclear. That's another reason why it's so important for Belgium to secure water-tight guarantees for Euroclear."
Europe under pressure from every direction
There is no time to lose, warn seven EU member states including those closest to Russia such as the Baltics, Finland and Poland. They believe the frozen assets plan is "the most financially feasible and politically realistic solution".
"It's a matter of destiny for us," warns leading German conservative MP Norbert Röttgen. "If we fail, I don't know what we'll do afterwards. That's why we have to succeed in a week's time".
While Russia is adamant its money should not be touched, there are added concerns among European figures that the US may want to use Russia's frozen billions differently, as part of its own peace plan.
Zelensky has said Ukraine is working with Europe and the US on a reconstruction fund, but he is also aware the US has been talking to Russia about future co-operation.
An early draft of the US peace plan referred to $100bn of Russia's frozen assets being used by the US for reconstruction, with the US taking 50% of the profits and Europe adding another $100bn. The remaining assets would then be used in some kind of US-Russia joint investment project.
An EU source said the added advantage of Friday's expected vote to immobilise Russia's assets indefinitely made it harder for anyone to take the money away. Implicit is that the US would then have to win over a majority of EU member states to vote for a plan that would financially cost them an enormous sum.
Abu Trica raised suspicions after flaunting cars, cash and luxury properties online
A popular Ghanaian social media influencer known as Abu Trica, whose real name is Frederick Kumi, has been arrested over allegations he orchestrated a romance scam that defrauded elderly Americans of over $8m (£5.9m).
Prosecutors said he used AI tools to create fake online identities, targeting victims through social media and dating sites, earning their trust then extorting their money.
Kumi faces charges in the US of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and a money laundering conspiracy and faces up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.
The 31-year-old was arrested in Ghana following a joint operation between the two countries and the US will now seek to extradite him.
He has not yet commented on the allegations.
Kumi, who is also known as Emmanuel Kojo Baah Obeng, flaunted luxury items online to his more than 100,000 Instagram followers.
This raised suspicions about the sources of his income.
''The perpetrators built trust through frequent, intimate conversations by phone, email, and messaging platforms" with victims, said prosecutors.
"They then requested money or valuables under false pretences, such as urgent medical needs, travel expenses, or investment opportunities.''
The monies, or valuables, were then directed to co-conspirators posing as third parties. Kumi allegedly distributed the money to his associates in US and in Ghana.
The case is being prosecuted under the US Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution law.
US authorities have in recent months stepped up their crackdown on criminal networks operating in the US and West Africa who seek to defraud elderly Americans.
In July this year, an alleged Ghanaian fraudster, popularly known as Dada Joe Remix, was extradited to the US for using romance and inheritance schemes to defraud Americans.
Earlier this month, a court in the US also sentenced Oluwaseun Adekoya, a Nigerian ringleader of nationwide bank fraud and money laundering conspiracies, to 20 years in prison for laundering over $2m.
A Sudanese paramilitary commander, whose role in the el-Fasher massacre was revealed by BBC Verify, has been sanctioned by the UK government.
Brig Gen Al-Fateh Abdullah Idris, also known as Abu Lulu, was filmed shooting dead at least 10 unarmed captives after the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized the city in late October.
Thousands of people are believed to have been killed by the RSF after the army withdrew from el-Fasher. UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the atrocities taking place in Sudan were "a scar on the conscience of the world" which "cannot, and will not, go unpunished."
The UK has also sanctioned three other RSF commanders, including deputy head Abdul Rahim Hamdan Dagalo.
Dagalo, who was also placed under EU sanctions in November, was shown in verified footage touring an army base in the city in the hours after el-Fasher fell. He is the brother of RSF chief Mohamed "Hemedti" Dagalo.
Sudan's civil war - sparked after the RSF and the military's fragile ruling coalition collapsed - has now raged for more than two years, killing hundreds of thousands of people and displacing millions more.
El-Fasher was the army's last major stronghold in Darfur, the traditional stronghold of the RSF paramilitary.
An investigation by BBC Verify revealed the brutal tactics used by the RSF during the protracted siege, which included detaining and torturing people trying to smuggle supplies into the city and building a massive sand barrier around it to prevent civilians and army troops from escaping.
In its statement announcing the sanctions, the UK foreign office said it believed that Abu Lulu was "responsible for violence against individuals based on ethnicity and religion, and the deliberate targeting of civilians".
Footage confirmed by BBC Verify in October showed Abu Lulu executing several unarmed captives with an AK-style rifle in a sandy, dusty area north-west of the city. RSF troops who witnessed the incidents were later seen celebrating their commander's actions.
UK officials accused Abu Lulu, Dagalo, Gedo Hamdan Ahmed and Tijani Ibrahim Moussa Mohamed of carrying out "heinous" acts of violence, including mass killings, systematic sexual violence and deliberate attacks on civilians. The men have been placed under travel bans and any assets they hold will be frozen.
"Today's sanctions against RSF commanders strike directly at those with blood on their hands, while our strengthened aid package will deliver lifesaving support to those suffering," Cooper said.
Citing satellite images - previously published by Yale University's Humanitarian Research Lab - the foreign office said piles of bodies and mass graves could be seen in el-Fasher after the massacre.
Cooper also pledged an additional £21m to provide food, shelter and health services for civilians impacted by fighting in remote areas.
In the days that followed the el-Fasher massacre, RSF leader Gen Mohamed "Hemedti" Dagalo admitted that his troops had committed "violations" and said the incidents would be investigated.
Among those arrested was Abu Lulu. In a carefully choreographed and edited video posted on the RSF's official Telegram account he is shown being led into a cell at a prison, which was geolocated by BBC Verify to the outskirts of el-Fasher.
The commander, who previously featured heavily in propaganda videos posted online, has not been seen since his arrest. A TikTok account that documented his activities was removed by the company in October after BBC Verify approached the tech giant for comment.
The UK's move comes just two days after the US announced its own set of sanctions against a network of companies and individuals it accused of recruiting former Colombian soldiers and training individuals to fight in Sudan's civil war.
The US Treasury Department said that hundreds of Colombian mercenaries have travelled to Sudan since 2024, including to serve as infantry and drone pilots for the RSF.
Last month, US President Donald Trump pledged to "start working on Sudan" alongside Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, posting on social media that "tremendous atrocities" were taking place.
Republicans’ failure to get on the same page on expiring Obamacare subsidies is creating significant rifts between GOP primary contenders and causing heartburn for some of the party’s most vulnerable incumbents heading into November’s midterms.
With just weeks left before Covid-era subsidies lapse, causing steep health insurance rate spikes for millions of people, Republicans are all over the spectrum about what to do — with many of the party’s top candidates ducking when asked about the thorny issue.
In Michigan, the subsidies have emerged as an early policy difference between President Donald Trump-backed Senate candidate Mike Rogers and his new challenger, former state GOP co-chair Bernadette Smith. Sen. Bill Cassidy’s (R-La.) proposal to replace the subsidies with federally funded health savings accounts is facing pushback from his primary opponents. In Georgia, a state with an especially high reliance on the Affordable Care Act, all three Republicans vying to take on Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff have refused to commit to any specific health care proposal — a sign of just how reluctant Republicans are to take a firm position.
Out of the 24 candidates POLITICO surveyed across key GOP Senate primaries and general election battlegrounds, 10 did not respond to repeated requests for comment on their health care policy preferences, while others gave vague answers.
But as some Republicans dodge, other lawmakers in tough races are practically begging their leadership to fix the issue, which Democrats are already making a key focus of the 2026 midterm elections.
“I know my people back home care tremendously about this,” swing district Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), who is leading an effort to go against his own party leaders and force a vote on the expiring credits, said in an interview. “I would assume that’s the case in every district in America.”
There are already warning signs of political pitfalls for Republicans.
Most Americans want Congress to extend the subsidies, polls from health policy think tank KFF and Morning Consult show. And they’re already feeling the strain: Fifty-two percent of respondents to The POLITICO Poll in November reported that their health insurance premiums have risen over the past two to three years — and they’re equally as worried about being able to afford an unexpected health care bill. Nearly half of respondents who said health care is difficult to afford blamed the Trump administration for those struggles.
Health care is a flashpoint in the crowded primary Cassidy is facing back in Louisiana that was fueled in large part by his 2021 vote to impeach Trump. The former physician also chairs the Senate Health Committee and co-authored one of the GOP proposals to try to address the surging rates.
“I want people to have coverage,” Cassidy said after the failed vote on his proposal. “I spent my medical career in a hospital for the underinsured and the poor and the uninsured. My life's work is: How do you get care to those who otherwise cannot afford it? I understand where people are. The Democratic plan does not.”
His bill failed to advance Thursday afternoon — while giving his primary opponents new fodder for attacks.
St. Tammany Parish Councilmember Kathy Seiden said before the vote that the senator’s proposed health savings accounts are “out of touch” and called for a “time-limited extension” of the subsidies, while Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta described Cassidy’s bill as a “step in the right direction” but said he wants the funding to be “supercharged.”
Republicans more worried about the general election than primaries sound much different on this issue, however.
Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), who are both facing potentially tough races, were among the four Republicans who crossed party lines to support Democrats’ three-year subsidy extension Thursday in the Senate. It failed, alongside Cassidy’s plan.
“My state’s hurting on this,” Sullivan said after both bills tanked.
Republicans have struggled ever since Obamacare’s 2010 passage to craft a functional, politically palatable alternative, even as health insurance rates have surged under the program. Now, Covid-era subsidies are set to expire, and they’re struggling once again to respond.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates 4 million fewer people would have health insurance by 2034 if the subsidies lapse. And premium payments would increase from an average of $888 this year to $1,904 next year if the subsidies expire, according to KFF.
Republican candidates vary widely in their suggestions for a policy fix.
In Michigan, where Republicans are looking to flip retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters’ seat, Rogers said “we can’t just put another bandaid” on a “broken health care system” and called for a “new system that works.” Smith advocated for a two-year subsidy extension while also working toward a new health care model.
In New Hampshire, where Republicans are chasing another retiring Democrat’s seat, former Sen. John E. Sununu called to modernize “outdated” regulations and give states more power over their Medicaid programs while ensuring lower-income people are “protected against price spikes.” His rival, former Sen. Scott Brown, said in a statement that “any meaningful solution is going to have to address the underlying cost drivers … and not just temporarily subsidize an unaffordable product.”
In Georgia, where Republicans have their best shot to unseat a Democratic incumbent, two of the three leading GOP candidates — Reps. Mike Collins and Buddy Carter — could soon run out of rope to avoid addressing the issue if a health plan hits the House floor. Derek Dooley, the former football coach backed by GOP Gov. Brian Kemp, said in a statement, “We should be focused on transparency, incentivizing doctors to deliver high-quality care, real market competition, and lowering healthcare costs for hardworking Americans—while making sure we put patients first.”
Democrats are yoking GOP candidates to the lapsing subsidies. Senate Democratic campaigns lambasted their GOP opponents for their votes Thursday, and Protect Our Care, a liberal health care advocacy group, signaled a deluge of attack ads to come.
“I’m worried about my colleagues,” Rep. Jeff Van Drew, a Republican who holds a safe red seat in blue New Jersey, said Wednesday at the Capitol. “Do I think this issue is worth a couple of points in an election? Yeah, I do.”
David Gentile spent just days in prison for his conviction in what prosecutors described as a $1.6 billion scheme that defrauded thousands of investors.
The images, released without context by Democrats on the Oversight Committee, reveal little new about the deceased sex offender’s ties to prominent men in politics, entertainment and finance.
Jeffrey Epstein, center, in court in West Palm Beach, Fla., in 2008. Wealthy and famous men once in his orbit have faced questions about what they knew about the accusations that he was trafficking girls.
For more than a decade, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority has chipped away at Congress’s power to insulate independent agencies from politics. Now, the court has signaled its willingness to expand presidential power once again.
Ukraine's president says it is right for Russia's frozen assets to be used to rebuild his country
Ukraine is running out of cash to keep its military and its economy going, after almost four years of Russia's full-scale war.
For Europe, the solution to plugging Kyiv's budget hole of €135.7bn (£119bn; $159bn) for the next two years lies in frozen Russian assets sitting in Belgian bank Euroclear and EU leaders hope to sign that off at their Brussels summit next week.
Russian officials warn the EU plan would be an act of theft and Russia's central bank announced on Friday it was suing Euroclear in a Moscow court even before a final decision is made.
'Only fair' to use Russia's assets
In total, Russia has about €210bn of its assets frozen in the EU, and €185bn of that is held by Euroclear.
The EU and Ukraine argue that money should be used to rebuild what Russia has destroyed: Brussels calls it a "reparations loan" and has come up with a plan to prop up Ukraine's economy to the tune of €90bn.
"It's only fair that Russia's frozen assets should be used to rebuild what Russia has destroyed – and that money then becomes ours," says Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz says the assets will "enable Ukraine to protect itself effectively against future Russian attacks".
Russia's court action was expected in Brussels. But it is not just Moscow that is unhappy.
Belgium is worried it will be saddled with an enormous bill if it all goes wrong and Euroclear chief executive Valérie Urbain says using it could "destabilise the international financial system".
Euroclear also has an estimated €16-17bn immobilised in Russia.
Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever has set the EU a series of "rational, reasonable, and justified conditions" before he will accept the reparations plan, and he has refused to rule out legal action if it "poses significant risks" for his country.
What is the EU's plan?
Thierry Monasse/Getty Images
The German chancellor (L) says the EU's plan will enable Ukraine to defend itself
The EU is working to the wire ahead of next Thursday's summit to come up with a solution that Belgium can accept.
Until now the EU has held off touching the assets themselves directly but since last year has paid the "windfall profits" from them to Ukraine. In 2024 that was €3.7bn. Legally using the interest is seen as safe as Russia is under sanction and the proceeds are not Russian sovereign property.
But international military aid for Ukraine has slipped dramatically in 2025, and Europe has struggled to make up the shortfall left by the US decision to all but stop funding Ukraine under President Donald Trump.
There are currently two EU proposals aimed at providing Ukraine with €90bn, to cover two-thirds of its funding needs.
One is to raise the money on capital markets, backed by the EU budget as a guarantee. This is Belgium's preferred option but it requires a unanimous vote by EU leaders and that would be difficult when Hungary and Slovakia object to funding Ukraine's military.
That leaves loaning Ukraine cash from the Russian assets, which were originally held in securities but have now largely matured into cash. That money is Euroclear property held in the European Central Bank.
The EU's executive, the European Commission, accepts Belgium has legitimate concerns and says it is confident it has dealt with them.
The plan is for Belgium to be protected with a guarantee covering all the €210bn of Russian assets in the EU.
Should Euroclear suffer a loss of its own assets in Russia, a Commission source explained that would be offset from assets belonging to Russia's own clearing house which are in the EU.
If Russia went after Belgium itself, any ruling by a Russian court would not be recognised in the EU.
In a key development, EU ambassadors are expected to agree on Friday to immobilise Russia's central bank assets held in Europe indefinitely.
Until now they have had to vote unanimously every six months to renew the freeze, which could have meant a repeated risk to Belgium.
The EU ambassadors are set to use an emergency clause under Article 122 of the EU Treaties so the assets remain frozen as long as an "immediate threat to the economic interests of the union" continues.
Why Belgium is not yet satisfied
Belgium is adamant it remains a staunch ally of Ukraine, but sees legal risks in the plan and fears being left to handle the repercussions if things go wrong.
A usually divided political landscape in this case has rallied behind Prime Minister Bart de Wever, who is under pressure from European colleagues and having talks with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in London on Friday.
"Belgium is a small economy. Belgian GDP is about €565bn – imagine if it would need to shoulder a €185bn bill," says Veerle Colaert, professor of financial law at KU Leuven University.
While the EU might be able to secure sufficient guarantees for the loan itself, Belgium fears an added risk of being exposed to extra damages or penalties.
Prof Colaert also believes the requirement for Euroclear to grant a loan to the EU would violate EU banking regulations.
"Banks need to comply with capital and liquidity requirements and shouldn't put all their eggs in one basket. Now the EU is telling Euroclear to do just that.
"Why do we have these bank rules? It's because we want banks to be stable. And if things go wrong it would fall to Belgium to bail out Euroclear. That's another reason why it's so important for Belgium to secure water-tight guarantees for Euroclear."
Europe under pressure from every direction
There is no time to lose, warn seven EU member states including those closest to Russia such as the Baltics, Finland and Poland. They believe the frozen assets plan is "the most financially feasible and politically realistic solution".
"It's a matter of destiny for us," warns leading German conservative MP Norbert Röttgen. "If we fail, I don't know what we'll do afterwards. That's why we have to succeed in a week's time".
While Russia is adamant its money should not be touched, there are added concerns among European figures that the US may want to use Russia's frozen billions differently, as part of its own peace plan.
Zelensky has said Ukraine is working with Europe and the US on a reconstruction fund, but he is also aware the US has been talking to Russia about future co-operation.
An early draft of the US peace plan referred to $100bn of Russia's frozen assets being used by the US for reconstruction, with the US taking 50% of the profits and Europe adding another $100bn. The remaining assets would then be used in some kind of US-Russia joint investment project.
An EU source said the added advantage of Friday's expected vote to immobilise Russia's assets indefinitely made it harder for anyone to take the money away. Implicit is that the US would then have to win over a majority of EU member states to vote for a plan that would financially cost them an enormous sum.
Author Joanna Trollope has died aged 82, her family has announced.
The writer was affectionately known as the "queen of the Aga saga" because her novels often focused on romance and intrigue in middle England.
In a statement, her daughters Louise and Antonia said their "beloved and inspirational mother" had died "peacefully at her Oxfordshire home" on Thursday.
Trollope's novels include The Rector's Wife, Marrying The Mistress and Daughters in Law.
Trollope's literary agent James Gill said in a statement: It is with great sadness that we learn of the passing of Joanna Trollope, one of our most cherished, acclaimed and widely enjoyed novelists.
"Joanna will be mourned by her children, grandchildren, family, her countless friends and - of course - her readers."
This is a breaking news story, further updates to follow.
FA urged to press Fifa over World Cup ticket prices
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
The cost of tickets to the World Cup final in 2026 will be seven times higher than in Qatar
Published
The Football Association has been asked to lobby Fifa to lower the price of World Cup tickets by a leading supporters' group.
The Football Supporters' Association (FSA) says the pricing structure for next year's tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico is "scandalous".
It has joined Football Supporters Europe (FSE) in demanding that the sales process is stopped so fans' groups can hold talks with world governing body Fifa over its pricing policy.
"We back Football Supporters Europe in calling for a halt in ticket sales and we are calling on the Football Association to work with fellow FAs to directly challenge these disgraceful prices," the FSA said in a statement.
"We call on all national associations to stand up for your supporters, without whom there would be no professional game."
BBC Sport has contacted Fifa, the FA and the Scottish FA but they are yet to comment.
The huge increase in the price of tickets was revealed on Thursday when Fifa released allocation details for the official supporters' groups of each country.
At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, group stage fixtures all had set prices of £68.50, £164.50 or £219.
But for England v Croatia and Scotland v Brazil next year, tickets cost around £198, £373 or £523.
The cost ramps up considerably in the latter stages.
Quarter-finals for all teams are £507, £757 and £1,073, with the semi-finals £686, £1,819 and £2,363.
The cheapest tickets for the final are £3,119, seven times more expensive than in Qatar.
There are no concessions across any of its tickets for children or other groups.
Ticket prices a 'laughable insult' to supporters
The cheapest tickets are in the 'supporter value' category, which the FSA called "a laughable insult to your average fan".
The FSA added that supporters felt they had been "stabbed in the back" and that the loyal fans will now likely be missing in the US, Mexico and Canada because the matches will be "unaffordable" to most.
"This is a tournament that is supposed to be celebrated by the world, where fans of all nations come together for the love of football," the FSA said. "Fifa has decided to make it all about the money and the elite who can afford it.
"For Fifa, loyalty is not the hard-working fan travelling thousands of miles in support of their team at qualifiers around the continent. A game that should be for all is now only for those who can afford it.
"Who needs to follow England away for disappointment when Fifa can deliver that six months before a ball is kicked? The life has been sucked out of this tournament before it starts."
It will cost about £5,225 for a supporter to follow their team through to the final if they were to attend all eight matches in the cheapest ticket category.
That rises to about £8,850 in the mid-price range, or £12,357 for the top tier.
In 2022, it would have cost £1,466, £2,645 or £3,914, though that was for seven games rather than eight.
FSE demands talks over 'extortionate' ticket prices
Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,
Each household can request up to four tickets per match and a maximum of 40 across the tournament
FSE has called on Fifa to stop the ticket sale process, believing it needs to rethink the pricing policy.
"In the price tables gradually and confidentially released by Fifa, tickets allocated to national associations...are reaching astronomical levels," it said in a statement.
"Adding insult to injury, the lowest price category will not be available to the most dedicated supporters through their national associations [because] Fifa chose to reserve the scarce number of category four tickets to the general sales, subject to dynamic ticket pricing.
"For the first time in World Cup history, no consistent price will be offered across all group stage games. Instead, Fifa is introducing a variable pricing policy dependent on vague criteria such as the perceived attractiveness of the fixture.
"Fans of different national teams will therefore have to pay different prices for the same category at the same stage of the tournament, without any transparency on the pricing structure enforced by Fifa."
The Football Supporters' Association's England Fans' Embassy said: "These prices are a slap in the face to supporters who support their team outside of the flagship tournament that appears every four years.
"A game for supporters, loyalty has been thrown out of the window and supporters of the participating nations have been completely let down."
A Sudanese paramilitary commander, whose role in the el-Fasher massacre was revealed by BBC Verify, has been sanctioned by the UK government.
Brig Gen Al-Fateh Abdullah Idris, also known as Abu Lulu, was filmed shooting dead at least 10 unarmed captives after the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized the city in late October.
Thousands of people are believed to have been killed by the RSF after the army withdrew from el-Fasher. UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the atrocities taking place in Sudan were "a scar on the conscience of the world" which "cannot, and will not, go unpunished."
The UK has also sanctioned three other RSF commanders, including deputy head Abdul Rahim Hamdan Dagalo.
Dagalo, who was also placed under EU sanctions in November, was shown in verified footage touring an army base in the city in the hours after el-Fasher fell. He is the brother of RSF chief Mohamed "Hemedti" Dagalo.
Sudan's civil war - sparked after the RSF and the military's fragile ruling coalition collapsed - has now raged for more than two years, killing hundreds of thousands of people and displacing millions more.
El-Fasher was the army's last major stronghold in Darfur, the traditional stronghold of the RSF paramilitary.
An investigation by BBC Verify revealed the brutal tactics used by the RSF during the protracted siege, which included detaining and torturing people trying to smuggle supplies into the city and building a massive sand barrier around it to prevent civilians and army troops from escaping.
In its statement announcing the sanctions, the UK foreign office said it believed that Abu Lulu was "responsible for violence against individuals based on ethnicity and religion, and the deliberate targeting of civilians".
Footage confirmed by BBC Verify in October showed Abu Lulu executing several unarmed captives with an AK-style rifle in a sandy, dusty area north-west of the city. RSF troops who witnessed the incidents were later seen celebrating their commander's actions.
UK officials accused Abu Lulu, Dagalo, Gedo Hamdan Ahmed and Tijani Ibrahim Moussa Mohamed of carrying out "heinous" acts of violence, including mass killings, systematic sexual violence and deliberate attacks on civilians. The men have been placed under travel bans and any assets they hold will be frozen.
"Today's sanctions against RSF commanders strike directly at those with blood on their hands, while our strengthened aid package will deliver lifesaving support to those suffering," Cooper said.
Citing satellite images - previously published by Yale University's Humanitarian Research Lab - the foreign office said piles of bodies and mass graves could be seen in el-Fasher after the massacre.
Cooper also pledged an additional £21m to provide food, shelter and health services for civilians impacted by fighting in remote areas.
In the days that followed the el-Fasher massacre, RSF leader Gen Mohamed "Hemedti" Dagalo admitted that his troops had committed "violations" and said the incidents would be investigated.
Among those arrested was Abu Lulu. In a carefully choreographed and edited video posted on the RSF's official Telegram account he is shown being led into a cell at a prison, which was geolocated by BBC Verify to the outskirts of el-Fasher.
The commander, who previously featured heavily in propaganda videos posted online, has not been seen since his arrest. A TikTok account that documented his activities was removed by the company in October after BBC Verify approached the tech giant for comment.
The UK's move comes just two days after the US announced its own set of sanctions against a network of companies and individuals it accused of recruiting former Colombian soldiers and training individuals to fight in Sudan's civil war.
The US Treasury Department said that hundreds of Colombian mercenaries have travelled to Sudan since 2024, including to serve as infantry and drone pilots for the RSF.
Last month, US President Donald Trump pledged to "start working on Sudan" alongside Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, posting on social media that "tremendous atrocities" were taking place.
The NHS has urged those eligible to get vaccinated against flu to help limit the severity of symptoms
The NHS says it's facing its "worst-case scenario" after the number of people in hospital with flu jumped by 55% in a week.
NHS England chief executive Sir Jim Mackey has warned that between 5,000 and 8,000 hospital beds could be filled with flu patients by the weekend.
Health experts at the King's Fund think tank have said talk of an "unrelenting flu wave" has become worrying familiar over recent years.
How then is winter 2025 really any different and which patients have been affected most by what the NHS is now describing as "super flu"?
An earlier start for flu
The major difference between 2025's flu season and the previous three years is that the virus started spreading around a month earlier.
The first sign of this was in October in data published by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
When someone goes to their GP or hospital with flu-like symptoms they can be tested for a number of viruses including influenza, Covid and RSV.
UKHSA records the percentage of those tests that come back positive for flu, which can then give a strong indication that rates in the community are either rising or falling.
Virologists have linked the earlier flu season this year to a subtle shift in the genetic makeup of the main flu virus that is circulating - called H3N2.
So-called 'super-flu' is not a medical term and it does not mean the virus is more severe or harder to treat.
But the general public has not encountered this exact version of flu before, which means there may be less immunity built up in society, allowing it to spread more easily.
Children and young people most affected
Children tend to be more susceptible to flu than older adults, partly because their immune systems are still developing and because they tend to spread viruses more quickly through close contact.
The latest breakdown of UKHSA data shows that the proportion of positive tests is currently much higher in children and young people still at school or university.
Some schools have had to bring back Covid-like measures to prevent the spread of the virus, such as cutting back on singing in assemblies and introducing sanitisation stations, while one site in Caerphilly had to close temporarily.
Each year thousands of otherwise healthy children end up in A&E with complications after catching influenza.
But there is another concern: that younger people will go home and then spread the disease to elderly relatives who tend to be more vulnerable.
Flu adds to winter pressure
The NHS records the number of patients in hospital each week with influenza and other types of respiratory illness.
The number has been rising sharply in England with an average of 2,660 flu patients taking up a hospital bed last week, up from 1,717 in the previous week.
Those over 85-years-old are five times more likely to be hospitalised than the general population.
But the patients being admitted now would have been infected with the virus a week or so ago when infection rates were lower.
The greater concern for the health service is what happens over the coming weeks as new cases appear in A&E.
The NHS has roughly 105,000 available hospital beds in England and tends to "run hot" over the winter with 95% of those taken up at any one time.
If the number of flu patients needing overnight treatment jumps to 5,000 or higher, as Sir Jim Mackey predicts, then it could put the whole hospital system under more pressure.
What about vaccine protection?
The message coming from doctors and the NHS is for people in vulnerable groups to continue to come forward for a flu vaccine.
Even though the genetic make-up of the virus has shifted this winter, the main jab is still thought to offer effective protection, particularly against severe disease.
The flu vaccine is free on the NHS for those over 65-years-old, young children, pregnant women, those with certain health conditions, carers, and front line health and social care workers.
People in other groups can get the same vaccine for between £15 and £25 from high street pharmacists.
As of 30 November, just over 40% of people in an at-risk group had taken up the offer of a free flu jab this year.
Flu vaccination rates among NHS workers in England, which have fallen back since the Covid pandemic, appear to have stabilised this year at about the same level - around 42%.
Watch: María Corina Machado on her ' very dangerous' escape from Venezuela
The rescue operation to get Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel laureate María Corina Machado out of Venezuela involved disguises, two boats through choppy seas and a flight, the man who says he led it told the BBC.
Dubbed Operation Golden Dynamite, the dangerous journey was cold, wet and long - but the "formidable" Machado didn't complain once, said Bryan Stern, a US special forces veteran and founder of the Grey Bull Rescue Foundation.
"The seas are very rough. It's pitch black. We're using flashlights to communicate. This is very scary, lots of things can go wrong."
Despite the risks, they didn't. Machado arrived safely in Oslo, Norway to collect her Nobel Peace Prize just before midnight on Wednesday.
Machado had been living in hiding in her own country since Venezuela's widely disputed elections last year, and hadn't been seen in public since January. Her grown-up children, who she hadn't seen in two years, were in Oslo to greet her.
Grey Bull specialises in rescue missions and evacuations, especially from conflict and disaster zones. A representative from Machado's team confirmed to CBS News, the BBC's US media partner, that the organisation was behind her rescue operation.
Mr Stern said that Grey Bull had been building up a presence in the Caribbean, including inside Venezuela and the neighbouring island of Aruba, for months to get ready for potential operations in Venezuela.
"We've been building infrastructure on the ground in Venezuela designed to get Americans, allies and Brits and other people out should the war in Venezuela start," he told the BBC.
Speculation has been mounting over possible US military action against Venezuela, after US President Donald Trump called on President Maduro to leave office, accusing him of sending narcotics and murderers to the US.
Mr Stern said the challenge in this case was getting somebody out who is as well-known as María Corina Machado - a household name in Venezuela for the opposition.
None of the infrastructure his firm had built up in the country, he said, was "designed for the second most popular person in the damn country with a target on her back."
Grey Bull Rescue/Handout
Bryan Stern's Grey Bull Rescue held missions during Hurricanes Helene and Milton in the US (he is pictured here in Tampa, 2024)
When he was first put in contact with Machado's team, they did not initially disclose her identity, but Mr Stern said he was able to guess.
When they got in touch with him in early December, though a contact who knew Machado's team, it was apparently the second attempt to get her out of Venezuela, after an initial plan "didn't go well," Mr Stern said.
The operation was dubbed "Golden Dynamite" because "Nobel invented dynamite" and Machado was trying to get to Oslo to accept the Nobel Peace Prize award.
Matters moved quickly. Mr Stern said he spoke with the team on a Friday, they deployed on the Sunday, and by Tuesday, their mission was complete.
His team had explored various possibilities to get Machado out of the country, and settled on a plan that involved a tumultuous sea journey.
To protect his future work in Venezuela, Mr Stern can only reveal so much about the trip.
By land, they moved Machado from a house where she was in hiding, to a pick-up spot for a small boat, which took her off the coast to a slightly bigger boat where she met up with him.
The voyage was in "very rough seas" with waves of up to 10ft (3m) in "pitch-black darkness," he said.
"The journey was not fun. It was cold, it was very wet, we were all soaked, the waves were very rough, and we used that to our advantage. We got her to land and to where her plane was, and she flew to Norway."
Amanda Pedersen Giske/NTB via Reuters
Machado was finally pictured landing in Oslo in the early hours of Thursday
Throughout the journey, he added that various steps were taken to mask and disguise Machado's face, as well as her digital profile because she is so well-known.
"The biometric threat is so real," he noted, adding steps were taken to make sure she could not be traced via her phone.
He said that Machado was "formidable" despite the conditions, accepting a jumper for warmth, but not asking for anything else.
"She was soaking wet and freezing cold and didn't complain once," he laughed, acknowledging the operation was very dangerous because water is "unforgiving".
"If I am driving a boat and blow an engine, I'm swimming to Venezuela."
When asked how he could guarantee the safety of Venezuelans who helped with the operation, Mr Stern said they kept their identities secret and "we [Grey Bull] do a lot of deception operations".
Many of those who helped didn't even realise they were working for him, Mr Stern said, while others think they "know the whole story", but they really don't.
"There are people who did things that were benign from their perspective - but mission-critical from our perspective."
Grey Bull Rescue/Handout
Grey Bull Rescue have carried out a number of international missions - including in Ukraine. (Pictured in 2022)
He said the operation was financed by donors, and not by the US government: "We've never had a thank-you note from the US government, let alone a dollar."
Mr Stern said he did coordinate with some nation states, and with intelligence and diplomatic services of several countries. This included alerting the US in an "informal" manner.
Machado has said she intends to return to Venezuela, but Mr Stern said he advised her not to do that.
"I told her, 'don't go back. You're a Mum. We need you.' She's going to do what she's going to do... I understand why she wants to go back because she's a hero to her people.
"I wish she wouldn't go back; I have a feeling she will."
Watch: BBC speaks to Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado
Login
BBC
Thierry Monasse/Getty Images
Thierry Monasse/Getty Images
ABUTRICA/INSTAGRAM
Getty Images/BBC
BBC
中印2000公里边境, 12万平方公里纠纷：中印边界总长近2000公里，另外还有12万平方公里的区域存在领土纠纷。有领土纠纷的边界涉及西段（600公里）、中段（450公里）和东段（650公里）3个部分。2020年5月，中印在锡金北部发生冲突（中段）；6月16日，中印在拉达克的巴勒万河谷（西段）发生士兵肢体冲突，造成数十人伤亡，至少印方称有20名士兵死亡。
麦克马洪线：马克马洪线(McMahon Line，东段线)是一条英国探险家测量印度时画下的一条英属印度同西藏之间的边界。1914年，英国外交官麦克马洪召集中、印、藏三方会议，由于中华民国不同意分割西藏的麦克马洪线、藏方未能得到事先秘议的独立转而也放弃承认麦克马红线，结果中藏均没有签署《西姆拉条约》。印度和缅甸则认为麦克马洪线是历史疆界。时至今日，中华人民共和国虽然拒绝承认麦克马洪线，但把它看作是实际控制线。1962年中印之战中，中国军队虽然一度占领了该地重镇达旺，但后来撤回到实际控制线以北。
藏南（印度：阿鲁纳恰尔邦）：
藏南在印度被称为“阿鲁纳恰尔邦”（Arunachal Pradesh，东段线），面积约为6万平方公里，位于喜马拉雅山脉的南侧。它的西面是不丹，东面是缅甸，向南是印度，北边是中国的西藏。中国称该地为藏南，属于西藏自治区行政区划。不过，按照“麦克马洪线”的划分，该地属于印度，印度也实际控制该地，只是藏方以及中华民国当年均拒绝在条约上签字。中华人民共和国成立后延续这一路线。1948年，刚刚独立的印度开始派兵进入这个地区，1960年，印度完全占领了麦线以南部分，中国控制麦线以北。1972年，印度在该地成立阿鲁纳恰尔中央直辖区，1987年，该区改为“阿鲁纳恰尔邦”。
锡金问题：英国于1887年强占锡金国，次年出兵西藏。1950年，独立之后的印度称为锡金的保护国，1975年正式将其纳为“锡金邦”。2003年，印度总理瓦杰帕伊访问中国后，北京承认新德里对锡金的主权，同时印度亦承认中国对西藏主权。2005年之后中国出版的地图上已不再将锡金标注成主权国家。
1962年中印之战: 印度总理尼赫鲁大败：1960年4月，中印两国政府为寻求解决领土争端，由中国总理周恩来与印度总理尼赫鲁在新德里会谈，但未取得共识。1962年中印边境战争爆发。中国军队当年10月20日从边境的东西两处同时发起进攻时，兵力是印度军队的5至10倍。中国军队当时一直深入到印度今天的阿鲁纳恰尔邦省和喜马拉雅地区。整个战争延续了一个月，总共造成2000人丧生。1962年11月20日，中国单方宣布停火，并撤至麦克马洪线后20公里处。战争之后中印关系因边界冲突走入低谷。
中印关系改善，甘地总理开启总理互访：1988年12月19日至23日，印度总理拉吉夫·甘地对中国进行正式访问并与邓小平会晤。这是34年来印度总理首次访问中国。这次访问被看作是中印关系经过多年的紧张期之后开始转暖的标志。1993年，印度总理拉奥（ Narasimha Rao）访华期间，双方签署了《关于在中印边境实际控制线地区保持和平与安宁的协定》。这次访问标志着中印关系开启了一个新的时代。自上世纪九十年代以来，中印双方共签署了5个有关和平解决边境冲突的协定。
特别代表会晤机制，习莫频繁会晤：自2003年中印建立边界问题特别代表会晤机制以来，双方已举行22轮特代会晤。印方的特别代表是国家安全顾问，中方最高代表则多为外交部长。中国国家主席习近平同印度总理莫迪之间的互动相当频繁。
2017年中印洞朗地区对峙：占地约100平方公里的洞朗（Doklam）是中国和不丹之间存有争议的地区，印度也从未对该地宣示过主权。2017年6月，印度以“接到不丹政府的求助”、“支持不丹主权”为由，派兵越过中印边界，阻止中国在那里修筑公路，形成同中国军队长达71天的对峙。不丹是中国14个邻国中唯一一个没有与中国建交的国家，其国家的外交权和防务权掌握在印度手中。2014年莫迪以总理身份第一个访问的国家便是不丹。
2020年中印冲突又起：5月5日，在位于拉达克地区的海拔四千多米的班公错湖（Pangong Tso lake，西段），中国和印度军方人员相互投掷石块、木棒、铁棍等，双方都有人员受伤。5月9日，印度锡金邦那图拉山口（中段），中印军人相互投石并发生肢体冲突，有数十人受伤。 6月16日，在加勒万河谷（Galwan valley，西段）的中印士兵冲突中，有3名印度士兵在与解放军的冲突中死亡。当天稍晚时，印度军方宣布印度士兵的死亡人数提升至20人。
Getty Images
Getty Images
PA Media
Grey Bull Rescue/Handout
Amanda Pedersen Giske/NTB via Reuters
Grey Bull Rescue/Handout