World News

Hezbollah fires heavy rockets at northern Israel after deadliest day of Israeli strikes on Lebanon

Fox World News - 1 hour 42 min ago

BEIRUT (AP) — The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fired rockets with heavy warheads at towns in northern Israel, saying it used the weapons against civilian targets for the first time Thursday in retaliation for Israeli airstrikes the night before that killed nine, including what the group said were several paramedics.

There were no reports of Israelis hurt in the rocket attack, local media said. The Israeli military did not immediately offer comment on the rocket attack.

ODDS OF ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH WAR 'INEVITABLE,' EXPERTS FEAR: 'TOTALLY PESSIMISTIC'

Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza on Oct. 7, concerns have grown that near-daily clashes along the border between Israel and Lebanon could escalate into a full-scale war. Airstrikes and rocket fire Wednesday killed 16 Lebanese and one Israeli, making it the deadliest day of the current conflict.

Israel’s chief military spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said Israel had killed 30 Hezbollah militants in the past week and had destroyed dozens of Hezbollah military sites in an effort to push the Iran-backed group away from the border.

The recent increase in violence has raised alarm in Washington and at the United Nations.

"Restoring calm along that border remains a top priority for President Biden and for the administration," White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters, saying the U.S. is closely monitoring developments. "We’ve also been very, very clear: We do not support a war in Lebanon."

Kirby said the U.S. is working to halt the fighting through diplomatic efforts. This needs to be a top priority for Israel and Lebanon, he said, and would allow displaced civilians to return home. Tens of thousands of people on both sides have fled the fighting.

At around sunset Thursday, a barrage of Katyusha and Burkan rockets was fired toward the Israeli village of Goren and Shlomi, a statement from Hezbollah said. Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV said the group had not previously fired Burkan rockets at civilian targets, but was now responding to the recent spate of Israeli airstrikes.

Lebanon’s state media reported that 10 paramedics were among those killed Wednesday. The Israeli military said it struck targets for Hezbollah and an allied Sunni Muslim group.

Hezbollah has frequently used Russian-made portable anti-tank Kornet missiles in recent months. More rarely, it has launched Burkan rockets which, according to the group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah, can carry a warhead that weighs between 300 kilograms (660 pounds) and 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds).

Hezbollah says its attacks aim to keep some Israeli divisions busy and away from Gaza, and Nasrallah says attacks on the border will only stop when Israel halts its offensive in Gaza.

The U.N. peacekeeping force in south Lebanon known as UNIFIL said it was imperative that "this escalation cease immediately."

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"We urge all sides to put down their weapons and begin the process toward a sustainable political and diplomatic solution," UNIFIL said. It added that the peacekeeping force remains ready to support that process in any way it can.

The fighting has killed nine civilians and 11 soldiers in Israel. More than 240 Hezbollah fighters and about 50 civilians have died in Lebanon.

Categories: World News

UN top court orders Israel to open more land crossings for aid into Gaza

Fox World News - 3 hours 2 min ago

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The top United Nations court on Thursday ordered Israel to take measures to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, including opening more land crossings to allow food, water, fuel and other supplies into the war-ravaged enclave.

The International Court of Justice issued two new so-called provisional measures in a case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of acts of genocide in its military campaign launched after the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas. Israel denies it is committing genocide. It says its military campaign is self defense and aimed at Hamas, not the Palestinian people.

DOCTORS VISITING GAZA HOSPITAL REVEAL 'GUT-WRENCHING' DETAILS OF WAR'S IMPACT ON PALESTINIAN CHILDREN

Thursday’s order came after South Africa sought more provisional measures, including a cease-fire, citing starvation in Gaza. Israel urged the court not to issue new orders.

In its legally binding order, the court told Israel to take measures "without delay" to ensure "the unhindered provision" of basic services and humanitarian assistance, including food, water, fuel and medical supplies.

It also ordered Israel to immediately ensure that its military does not take action that could harm Palestinians' rights under the Genocide Convention, including by preventing the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

The court told Israel to report back in a month on its implementation of the orders.

Israel declared war in response to a bloody cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7 in which 1,200 people were killed and 250 others were taken hostage. Israel responded with a campaign of airstrikes and a ground offensive that have left over 32,000 Palestinians dead, according to local health authorities. The fighting also displaced over 80% of Gaza's population and caused widespread damage.

The U.N. and international aid agencies say virtually the entire Gaza population is struggling to get enough food, with hundreds of thousands of people on the brink of famine, especially in hard-hit northern Gaza.

South Africa welcomed Thursday's decision, calling it "significant."

"The fact that Palestinian deaths are not solely caused by bombardment and ground attacks, but also by disease and starvation, indicates a need to protect the group’s right to exist," the South African president said in a statement.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry had no immediate comment on the order.

In a written response earlier this month to South Africa's request for more measures, Israel said the claims by South Africa were "wholly unfounded," "morally repugnant" and "an abuse both of the Genocide Convention and of the Court itself."

After initially sealing Gaza’s borders in the early days of the war, Israel began to permit entry of humanitarian supplies. It says it places no restrictions on the amount of humanitarian aid allowed into Gaza and accuses the United Nations of failing to properly organize the deliveries.

The U.N. and international aid groups say deliveries have been impeded by Israeli military restrictions, ongoing hostilities and the breakdown of public order.

Israel has been working with international partners on a plan to soon begin deliveries of aid by sea.

Israel has repeatedly feuded with the United Nations, particularly UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees and main provider of aid in Gaza. Israel accuses the agency of tolerating and even cooperating with Hamas — a charge UNRWA denies.

The court said in its order that "Palestinians in Gaza are no longer facing only a risk of famine ... but that famine is setting in." It cited a report from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs that said at least 31 people, including 27 children, have already died of malnutrition and dehydration.

The world court said earlier orders imposed on Israel after landmark hearings in South Africa’s case "do not fully address the consequences arising from the changes in the situation" in Gaza.

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On Tuesday, the army said it inspected 258 aid trucks, but only 116 were distributed within Gaza by the U.N.

COGAT, the Israeli military body in charge of Palestinian civilian affairs, has also run pilot programs to inspect the humanitarian aid at Israel’s main checkpoints in the south and then use land crossings in central Gaza to try to bring aid to the devastated northern part of the Strip. The agency had no immediate comment on the ICJ ruling.

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Russian veto brings end to UN panel monitoring enforcement of North Korea nuclear sanctions

Fox World News - 3 hours 6 min ago

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia vetoed a U.N. resolution Thursday in a move that effectively abolishes the monitoring by United Nations experts of U.N. sanctions against North Korea aimed at reining in its nuclear program, though the sanctions themselves remain in place.

Russia’s vote sparked Western accusations that Moscow was acting to shield its weapons purchases from North Korea for use in its war against Ukraine, which violate U.N. sanctions.

JAPAN'S PM REQUESTS MEETING WITH KIM JONG UN TO FIX 'VARIOUS BILATERAL PROBLEMS' WITH NORTH KOREA

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have heightened with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatening nuclear conflict and escalating tests of nuclear-capable missiles designed to target South Korea, the United States and Japan. The three countries have responded by strengthening their combined military exercises and updating their deterrence plans.

The vote in the 15-member council was 13 in favor, Russia against, and China abstaining. The Security Council resolution would have extended the mandate of the panel of experts for a year, but Russia’s veto will halt its operation when its current mandate expires at the end of April.

Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the council before the vote that Western nations are trying to "strangle" North Korea and that sanctions are losing their "relevance" and "detached from reality" in preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the country.

He accused the panel of experts of "increasingly being reduced to playing into the hands of Western approaches, reprinting biased information and analyzing newspaper headlines and poor quality photos." Therefore, he said, it is "essentially conceding its inability to come up with sober assessments of the status of the sanctions regime."

But U.S. Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood called the panel’s work essential and accused Russia of attempting to silence its "independent objective investigations" because it "began reporting in the last year on Russia’s blatant violations of the U.N. Security Council resolutions."

He warned that Russia’s veto will embolden North Korea to continue jeopardizing global security through development "of long-range ballistic missiles and sanctions evasion efforts."

White House national security spokesman John Kirby condemned Russia’s veto as a "reckless action" that undermines sanctions imposed on North Korea, while warning against the deepening cooperation between North Korea and Russia, particularly as North Korea continues to supply Russia with weapons as it wages its war in Ukraine.

"The international community should resolutely uphold the global nonproliferation regime and support the people of Ukraine as they defend their freedom and independence against Russia’s brutal aggression," Kirby told reporters.

Britain’s U.N. Ambassador Barbara Woodward said Russia’s veto follows arms deals between Russia and North Korea in violation of U.N. sanctions, including "the transfer of ballistic missiles, which Russia has then used in its illegal invasion of Ukraine since the early part of this year."

"This veto does not demonstrate concern for the North Korean people or the efficacy of sanctions," she said. "It is about Russia gaining the freedom to evade and breach sanctions in pursuit of weapons to be used against Ukraine."

"This panel, through its word to expose sanctions non-compliance, was an inconvenience for Russia," Woodward said.

France’s U.N. Ambassador Nicolas de Riviere added that "North Korea has been providing Russia with military material in support of its aggression against Ukraine, in violation of many resolutions which Russia voted in favor of."

The Security Council imposed sanctions after North Korea’s first nuclear test explosion in 2006 and tightened them over the years in a total of 10 resolutions seeking — so far unsuccessfully — to cut funds and curb its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

The last sanctions resolution was adopted by the council in December 2017. China and Russia vetoed a U.S.-sponsored resolution in May 2022 that would have imposed new sanctions over a spate of intercontinental ballistic missile launches.

The Security Council established a committee to monitor sanctions and the mandate for its panel of experts to investigate violations had been renewed for 14 years until Thursday.

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In its most recent report circulated last month, the panel of experts said it is investigating 58 suspected North Korean cyberattacks between 2017 and 2023 valued at approximately $3 billion, with the money reportedly being used to help fund its development of weapons of mass destruction.

The experts said North Korea continues to flout sanctions, including by further developing its nuclear weapons, and producing nuclear fissile materials — the weapons’ key ingredients. It also continues to import refined petroleum products in violation of council resolutions.

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4 dead in 3 separate incidents off Spanish coast

Fox World News - 3 hours 8 min ago

Four people have died in three separate incidents on Spain's Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines after falling into the sea, emergency services said Thursday.

The deaths came amid warnings of strong winds and widespread rain across many parts of the country.

Spanish police said an underage male of Moroccan nationality and a German adult died on the Mediterranean coast near the eastern city of Tarragona. The German man went into the water trying to save the Moroccan youth and both perished, the Civil Guard said.

MARINE GOES MISSING WHILE SWIMMING IN HIGH SURF OFF PUERTO RICO COAST

A man and a woman died after falling into the Atlantic Ocean on Spain’s northern coast, emergency services for the region of Asturias said. Spain's EFE news agency quoted local authorities as saying that the man was of British nationality.

Emergency services said that rescuers had recovered the bodies in two separate incidents that occurred around six miles apart along a stretch of coast west of the northern city of Gijón.

The man’s body was pulled from the sea without life after emergency services said they were informed that a person had fallen into the sea. The woman, presumably Spanish, was recovered after she had fallen into the sea and been thrown against the rocks by the waves, authorities said.

Spain’s national weather service issued warnings Thursday for heavy winds in several areas of the peninsula. Those included the Asturias’ coast, where waves reaching 23 feet in height were forecast.

Spain’s Atlantic coastal area hasn't been hit by the drought affecting its northeast, including Tarragona, and southern regions.

The rain caused some cities to cancel Easter Week processions scheduled for Thursday.

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Prominent Bahamas politician killed during robbery attempt near Nassau

Fox World News - 3 hours 9 min ago

A well-known politician in the Bahamas was killed when two gunmen opened fire on a group of people while trying to rob them, police said Thursday.

Don Saunders, a former parliamentarian and the deputy chairman of the Free National Movement Party, died at the scene late Wednesday, according to officials. He was 49.

4 SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR 2013 ASSASSINATION OF TUNISIAN POLITICIAN

"We are still gathering all of the facts as we come to grips with this tragedy," parliamentarian and FNM party leader Michael C. Pintard wrote on X, formerly called Twitter.

The Royal Bahamas Police Force said in a statement that the shooting occurred in Gambier Village, just west of the capital, Nassau.

Police said the unidentified gunmen apparently demanded cash and began shooting after the group "reportedly panicked and fled for refuge."

There were no immediate arrests.

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Biden's shifting support of Israel in his own words: from 'unwavering' to 'over the top' criticism

Fox World News - 3 hours 35 min ago

The Biden administration insists its support for Israel has not changed since Oct. 7, but the Israeli officials and critics argue the decision to abstain from voting against a U.N. cease-fire resolution marks a clear shift in policy

"The U.S. did not veto today the new text that calls for a cease-fire without the condition of releasing the abductees," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement. "This is a clear withdrawal from the U.S.'s consistent position in the Security Council since the beginning of the war."

Following the vote, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that the resolution is nonbinding, with "no impact at all on Israel and Israel’s ability to continue to go after Hamas," and a clear insistence that "it does not represent a change at all in our policy."

HAMAS, IRAN LEADERS DELIGHT IN CEASE-FIRE CALL, US NO-VOTE: ‘FATEFUL TURNING POINT’

Immediately following the Hamas massacre in Southern Israel, Biden came out with his full-throated backing of Israel and Netanyahu, stating in no uncertain terms, "My administration’s support for Israel’s security is rock solid and unwavering."

Biden continued to trumpet his full and unmoving support for Israel and any decision the country took regarding a response to the attack: Just days afterward, Biden said, "if the United States experienced what Israel is experiencing, our response would be swift, decisive and overwhelming." 

"As long as the United States stands — and we will stand forever — we will not let you ever be alone … We’ll walk beside you in those dark days, and we’ll walk beside you in the good days to come. And they will come," Biden promised during his visit to Israel a week after the attack. 

STATE DEPT. REACTS TO STAFFER'S PUBLIC RESIGNATION OVER ISRAEL OFFENSIVE IN GAZA

In the following weeks, Biden argued that "American leadership is what holds the world together. American alliances are what keep us, America, safe. American values are what make us a partner that other nations want to work with." He added, "To put all that at risk if we walk away from Ukraine, if we turn our backs on Israel, it’s just not worth it."

As Israel’s assault on Hamas led to a high number of collateral casualties, Biden remained firm in his support, seemingly dismissing the early reported numbers that the Gaza Health Ministry published (and some outlets around the world echoed without any caveat) and arguing he could not trust the numbers. The Gaza Health Ministry as of March has claimed that over 30,000 people have died in Gaza as a result of Israel's operation. 

"I have no notion that the Palestinians are telling the truth about how many people are killed," Biden said on Oct. 25. "I’m sure innocents have been killed, and it’s the price of waging a war." 

Biden late in November praised Israel’s cooperation and "commitment" to an extended pause while Hamas agreed to start releasing hostages - one day for every 10 hostages released. 

WHY MIDEAST NEIGHBORS WON'T OFFER REFUGE TO PALESTINIANS STUCK IN GAZA WAR ZONE

"I appreciate the commitment that Prime Minister Netanyahu and his government have made in supporting an extended pause to ensure this deal can be fully carried out and to ensure the provision of additional humanitarian assistance to alleviate the suffering of innocent Palestinian families in Gaza," Biden said in November. 

The deal only lasted about a week before fighting resumed, with each side claiming the other had broken the terms of the agreement and forced the conflict to resume. Arab nations and some Western allies grew increasingly critical of Israel’s invasion of the Gaza Strip and some nations, such as South Africa and Ireland, started to call Israel’s operation a genocide. 

South Africa announced its plan to bring a case before the International Court of Justice, outright and legally accusing Israel of genocide as international opposition to Israel’s actions grew stronger and protests spread even in countries that remained supportive. 

Biden in mid-December at a campaign reception admitted that Israel was "starting to lose that support by the indiscriminate bombing that takes place," showing the first seeming crack in the previously unconditional support. 

POLL FINDS MOST AMERICANS DON'T SUPPORT ISRAEL'S ACTION IN GAZA AS BIDEN-ISRAEL RELATIONS HIT ‘LOW-POINT’

Reports around the New Year indicated that Biden’s patience with Israel and Netanyahu had started to wear thin, with reports claiming the two leaders hadn’t spoken directly for nearly three weeks in December while Biden’s patience was "running out," one official told Axios at the time. 

The anti-Israel protests started to chip away at Biden, too, as he saw his approval ratings drop below 40% and he saw sizable "uncommitted" votes in the Democrat Party primaries: Michigan reported 13% uncommitted, topped by Minnesota’s 19% and Hawaii’s 29%. Activists have linked these protests to Biden’s support of Israel and urged voters to keep casting "uncommitted" votes when possible to pressure a cease-fire. 

In the run-up to those primaries, Biden said that Israel’s conduct in the Gaza Strip "has been over the top," leading him to start drawing a line in the sand over Israel’s desire to carry out a major operation in Rafah, regularly touted as the last major city in Gaza where significant numbers of Palestinian people have gathered. 

"The major military operation in Rafah should not proceed without a credible plan for ensuring the safety and support of more than one million people sheltering there," Biden said at the White House. "They need to be protected."

BIDEN CONCEDES TO PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTESTERS AFTER MULTIPLE INTERRUPTIONS: ‘THEY HAVE A POINT’

The dispute over Rafah and lack of U.S. support caused another seeming rift between Biden and Netanyahu, with the two leaders reportedly going an entire month without directly communicating – even though White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and Kirby insisted the president regularly communicated with Israeli officials during that time. 

Biden started looking to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza, insisting Israel start to do more to help the Palestinians despite arguments from Israeli officials that such aid ends up going to Hamas, who continue to leech off of the people despite the dire conditions of the territory.

"In addition to expanding deliveries by land, as I said, we’re going to insist that Israel facilitate more trucks and more routes to get more and more people the help they need. No excuses," Biden said on March 1. 

The latest rift, which started even before the U.S. abstained from voting on the U.N. Security Council cease-fire resolution, occurred after Biden was caught after his State of the Union address saying, "I told Bibi: 'You and I are going to have a come-to-Jesus meeting'."

When told he had been caught on a hot-mic moment, Biden said "Good. That’s good." 

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report. 

Categories: World News

French lawmakers vote to condemn 1961 massacre of Algerian protesters

Fox World News - 4 hours 15 min ago

French lawmakers on Thursday condemned an infamous 1961 police crackdown on Algerian protesters in Paris as a "bloody and murderous repression," marking another step in the country's recognition of the massacre that authorities sought to cover up for decades.

The National Assembly, parliament's lower house, voted 67-11 in favor of a nonbinding resolution that condemned the police brutality that occurred on Oct. 17, 1961. The resolution also asked that France establish a national day of remembrance.

FRENCH LAWMAKERS CONSIDER BILL THAT WOULD BAN HAIR DISCRIMINATION

About 12,000 Algerians were arrested in the crackdown and dozens were killed, "their bodies thrown into the Seine River," President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged in 2021 on the 60th anniversary of the massacre.

Historians say at least 120 protesters died, some shot and some drowned, Macron’s office said then.

The protesters in 1961 had answered a call for a peaceful demonstration by the French branch of the National Liberation Front, or FLN, which was fighting for Algerian independence, against a discriminatory nighttime curfew targeting Algerians in the Paris region.

Algeria was under French rule for 132 years until its independence in 1962.

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Poland and Ukraine leaders cite progress on regulating Ukrainian food imports to ease farmer anger

Fox World News - 4 hours 18 min ago

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The prime ministers of Ukraine and Poland said they made progress Thursday toward meeting demands of Polish and western European farmers who want restrictions on cheap Ukrainian food imports that they say undermine their livelihoods, but they announced no breakthrough.

Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal was in Poland for talks with his counterpart, Donald Tusk, to find ways of addressing the farmers’ discontent that has led to violent protests and blockades of Poland’s border crossings with Ukraine.

RUSSIA STRIKES UKRAINE'S KHARKIV WITH AERIAL BOMBS FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2022

The leaders said some proposals were made during the talks but that more work was needed. Both said it would be helpful if the European Union went forward with a proposed 50% tax on Russian and Belarusian food imports.

"We are looking for solutions that would be good for both sides," Tusk said.

"On the issue of farming, we have taken a step forward," he said, pointing to Poland's efforts to have the EU restrict imports of Russian and Belarusian foods and thus take the pressure off the EU food market and also help Ukraine produce.

"It seems we are just one step away" from that joint goal, Tusk said.

Shmyhal said that through the talks they were "definitely making progress toward lifting the (border) blockades, but most importantly, toward solving all the critical issues that lead to such blockades."

They signed a joint declaration that said trade liberalization measures should benefit the economies of Poland, other EU members and Ukraine "without destabilizing their markets," and that trade measures should take into account "the changing security situation in Ukraine."

Farmers in many European countries have been staging vehement protests targeting, among other issues, the cheap imports from Ukraine, and tensions have grown between Kyiv and its staunch ally Warsaw over the tax-free inflow of Ukraine's farm produce.

Tusk had suggested that Poland, a NATO member and an EU country bordering Ukraine, would seek quotas on the imports during the talks. He has also suggested boosting Ukrainian exports to needy countries outside Europe.

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Shmyhal said that Ukraine has agreed to "certain limitations" but did not specify them.

The EU has opened its doors wide to Ukrainian farm produce to help the country make money from its exports after Russia’s 2022 invasion cut many of its traditional trade routes.

However, EU lawmakers recently agreed that quotas could be reintroduced on some Ukrainian foods to address the European farmers’ complaints.

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Latvia's foreign minister will step down after a probe over his office's use of private flights

Fox World News - 4 hours 20 min ago

HELSINKI (AP) — Latvia’s top diplomat said on Thursday he will step down in the wake of a criminal probe over the use of expensive private flights by his office when he acted as the Baltic country’s prime minister between 2019-2023.

Following a meeting with Prime Minister Evika Silina, Foreign Minister Krisjanis Karins told reporters that he will leave his post on April 10, enabling lawmakers at the Saeima, or parliament, to vote on his successor the next day.

LATVIA EXTENDS ENTRY BAN ON RUSSIAN CITIZENS UNTIL 2025, CITING SECURITY CONCERNS

Karins, who had previously announced his interest in becoming the next secretary-general of the NATO alliance, offered no explanation or additional comments to the media.

Last week, the prosecutor general’s office announced it was launching criminal proceedings over the alleged waste of public money through the use of private aviation services by Karins and accompanying delegations during his time as a prime minister.

Public criticism in the case has centered on whether all flights, including chartered private jets, used by Karins and his staff were necessary to fulfill official duties, and whether the use of charter flights - often substantially more expensive than scheduled flights - was justified in certain cases.

There are no indications that Karins himself faces charges as part of the probe into the scandal that erupted already last year and has caused public outrage in Latvia, a European Union and NATO member state with a population of 1.9 million that borders Russia.

In her comments, Silina praised Karins’ decision to resign despite not being personally accused of any wrongdoing at this stage. saying he acted like "a decent Western politician."

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"I believe that Krisjanis Karins has worked in good faith as foreign minister and has represented Latvia’s interests very well both in the EU and NATO," said Silina, as quoted by Latvian news agency LETA.

According to Silina, who took up Latvia’s top job only in September when Karins became foreign minister, she hasn’t yet decided on a candidate to be the next top diplomat.

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China warned as Philippine president proposes countermeasures against Beijing's aggression

Fox World News - 4 hours 56 min ago

The Philippines on Thursday clapped back at China following an aggressive confrontation in the South China Sea over the weekend in an incident that involved the employment of water cannons by China’s coast guard, telling Beijing that "Filipinos do not yield."

President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said that after meeting with top Philippine defense and security officials, Manila’s response would be "proportionate, deliberate and reasonable in the face of the open, unabating, and illegal, coercive, aggressive and dangerous attacks by agents of the China coast guard and Chinese maritime militia."

Marcos did not go into any detail on steps his government would take going forward. 

TAIWAN STANDS AS MAJOR LINE OF DEFENSE AGAINST GLOBAL WAR WITH CHINA, CRITICAL FOR US SECURITY

The Philippine president’s comments came just days after two Chinese coast guard vessels aimed water cannons at Philippine navy crewmen at close range over a dispute in the contested waters near the Second Thomas Shoal.

Several Filipino crew members were reportedly injured, including one who was lifted off the deck and thrown into a wall after being blasted by the water cannon, though the impact apparently prevented him from being plunged into the sea, noted Philippine military officials.

The wooden vessel, said to be bringing supplies to Marines stationed on an outpost on the Second Thomas Shoal, was also damaged. 

Confrontations between China and the Philippines have escalated since Manila began repairing the BRP Sierra Madre naval vessel in October 2023, after it sat rusting for more than a quarter of a century. 

PHILIPPINES REFUSES TO ALLOW CHINA TO REMOVE FILIPINO MILITARY OUTPOST ON DISPUTED SHOAL

The Sierra Madre was grounded by the Philipine navy in 1997 on the partially submerged reef known as the Second Thomas Shoal and has served as an outpost for Manila in the South China Sea. 

The reef, classified as a low-tide elevation, which means it is a naturally formed body of land that sits above the water during low-tide, is in the Spratly Islands – an area highly contested by nations like China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines. 

Given the reef’s location more than 100 nautical miles from the Philippines Economic Exclusion Zone and outside any nation’s territorial seas, it "is not subject to any claim to sovereignty or appropriation by any State under international law," according to U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. 

But despite the decrepit nature of the vessel that has long since been seaworthy, the Philippine government has reportedly kept marines stationed on the vessel to stake claim to the contested area, according to the U.S. Naval Institute. 

The U.S. condemned China’s aggressive actions and reminded Beijing that it will defend Manila under the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty if Philippine forces, aircraft and ships come under armed attack.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian responded to Washington’s comments Thursday and said, "The U.S. is not a party to the South China Sea issue and is not in the position of interfering in issues between China and the Philippines."

"China is determined to uphold our territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests," he added. "The US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty will not move us a bit from our will and resolve."

The U.S. and its regional allies, including Japan and Australia, have repeatedly called on Beijing to respect international laws and not to alter the status quo in the South China Sea. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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India court extends custody of opposition leader for 4 more days

Fox World News - 6 hours 1 min ago

An Indian court on Thursday extended custody of a top opposition leader for four more days after his arrest last week triggered protests, as the country gears up for a general election starting next month.

Arvind Kejriwal, New Delhi’s top elected official and one of the country’s most consequential politicians of the past decade, was arrested by the federal Enforcement Directorate on March 21. The agency, controlled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, accused Kejriwal's party and ministers of accepting 1 billion rupees ($12 million) in bribes from liquor contractors nearly two years ago.

The Aam Aadmi Party, or Common Man’s Party, has denied the accusations and said Kejriwal will remain its chief minister as it fights the case in court.

In court on Thursday, Kejriwal called his arrest "a political conspiracy." His political party is part of a broad alliance of opposition parties called INDIA, which is the main challenger to Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the coming election.

Hundreds of Kejriwal's supporters have been holding protests since he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate, the federal agency that probes economic offenses, on Friday.

SUPPORTERS OF INDIA'S OPPOSITION LEADER FLOCK TO CAPITAL IN PROTEST OF HIS ARREST

The agency has accused Kejriwal of being the "kingpin and key conspirator" in the liquor bribery case. Kejriwal has refuted the allegations and accused the directorate of "manipulating investigative agencies for political motives."

Kejriwal's case has dominated the news in India ahead of the general election, which starts April 19. India's opposition parties say the government is misusing its power to harass and weaken its political opponents, pointing to a spree of raids, arrests and corruption investigations against key opposition figures. Meanwhile, some probes against erstwhile opposition leaders who later defected to the BJP have been dropped.

The BJP denies targeting the opposition and says law enforcement agencies act independently.

Kejriwal's arrest is the latest setback for the bloc, and came after the country’s main opposition Congress party accused the government last week of freezing its bank accounts in a tax dispute to cripple it. Opposition figures have slammed the move as undemocratic and accused Modi’s party of misusing the agency to undermine them.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller this week said Washington was following Kejriwal's case.

"We are also aware of the Congress party's allegations that tax authorities have frozen some of their bank accounts in a manner that will make it challenging to effectively campaign in the upcoming elections," Miller said, adding that the U.S. encouraged a fair and transparent legal process for each of these issues.

MUSLIMS IN INDIA VOICE CONCERNS THAT NEW CITIZENSHIP LAW COULD FURTHER MARGINALIZE THEM

Indian officials objected to those comments on Wednesday and summoned a senior official from the U.S. embassy in New Delhi. India’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Thursday the remarks from the State Department were unwarranted.

"In India, legal processes are driven only by the rule of law. Anyone who has similar ethos, especially fellow democracies, should have no difficulty in appreciating this fact," Randhir Jaiswal told reporters.

New Delhi also summoned a senior official from the German Embassy over the weekend after its Foreign Office spokesperson said they were following Kejriwal's case and that the opposition leader was entitled to a free and fair trial.

Categories: World News

UK comedian forced to remove hot dog from subway poster due to ban on advertising junk food

Fox World News - 6 hours 8 min ago

On the London Underground, hot dogs are no joking matter.

Comedian Ed Gamble has been ordered to change a subway station poster campaign for his new standup show because the image of a hot dog violated the transit network’s ban on junk food advertising.

The poster for the show, "Hot Diggity Dog," showed a mustard- and ketchup-smeared Gamble beside a half-eaten hot dog on a plate.

A bemused Gamble replaced the wiener with a cucumber, and the poster was approved.

Gamble, who is diabetic and co-hosts the "Off Menu" food podcast, said he could see the point of the ad rules, which are intended to help curb obesity in children.

JIMMY FAILLA'S 'CANCEL CULTURE DICTIONARY' TARGETS HUMORLESS 'TYRANNY OF THE MINORITY' AT WAR WITH FUN

"But the new posters promote something way more harmful — the idea that cucumbers pair well with ketchup and mustard," he said.

Gamble isn’t complaining about the extra publicity the case has generated.

"The posters are making way beyond their value now," he told the BBC on Thursday.

Since 2019, Transport for London has banned ads for foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt from the city’s subway trains and stations, buses and bus shelters. It also bars advertisements that promote unhealthy or unrealistic body shapes.

"Following a review of the advert, we advised that elements would need to be removed or obscured to ensure it complied with our policy," the transit operator said. "A revised advert is now running on the network and we are always happy to work with people to ensure adverts follow our policy."

RUSSIAN-BRITISH COMEDIAN ON WHY HIS ANTI-WOKE SPEECH RESONATED WITH MILLIONS: 'ADULTS ARE AFRAID OF CHILDREN'

Last year a poster for the play "Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding" featuring a large wedding cake fell foul of the rules. TFL ordered the cake to be cut from the ad.

The ad policy has attracted the ire of Britain’s tabloid press, with The Sun slamming "killjoy TFL bosses."

Categories: World News

Venezuelan migrants increasingly stranded in Mexico, contributing to decline in illegal crossings to US

Fox World News - 6 hours 16 min ago

Venezuelan migrants often have a quick answer when asked to name the most difficult stretch of their eight-country journey to the U.S. border, and it's not the dayslong jungle trek through Colombia and Panama with its venomous vipers, giant spiders and scorpions. It's Mexico.

"In the jungle, you have to prepare for animals. In Mexico, you have to prepare for humans," Daniel Ventura, 37, said after three days walking through the Darien Gap and four months waiting in Mexico to enter the U.S. legally using the government's online appointment system, called CBP One. He and his family of six were headed to Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, where he has a relative.

Mexico's crackdown on immigration in recent months — at the urging of the Biden administration — has hit Venezuelans especially hard. The development highlights how much the U.S. depends on Mexico to control migration, which has reached unprecedented levels and is a top issue for voters as President Joe Biden seeks reelection.

LEGAL IMMIGRANTS OUTRAGED AS ILLEGAL MIGRANTS POUR INTO US: 'IT HAS TO STOP'

Arrests of migrants for illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border have dropped so this year after a record high in December. The biggest decline was among Venezuelans, whose arrests plummeted to 3,184 in February and 4,422 in January from 49,717 in December.

While two months do not make a trend and illegal crossings remain high by historical standards, Mexico's strategy to keep migrants closer to its border with Guatemala than the U.S. is at least temporary relief for the Biden administration.

Large numbers of Venezuelans began reaching the U.S. in 2021, first by flying to Mexico and then on foot and by bus after Mexico imposed visa restrictions. In September, Venezuelans briefly replaced Mexicans as the largest nationality crossing the border.

Mexico's efforts have included forcing migrants from trains, flying and busing them to the southern part of the country, and flying some home to Venezuela.

WHITE HOUSE BLAMES REPUBLICANS, TEXAS GOV. ABBOTT, AFTER MIGRANTS ATTACK GUARD MEMBERS, STORM BORDER

Last week, Mexico said it would give about $110 a month for six months to each Venezuelan it deports, hoping they won't come back. Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador extended the offer Tuesday to Ecuadorians and Colombians.

"If you support people in their places of origin, the migratory flow reduces considerably, but that requires resources and that is what the United States government has not wanted to do," said López Obrador, who is barred by term limits from running in June elections.

Migrants say they must pay corrupt officials at Mexico's frequent government checkpoints to avoid being sent back to southern cities. Each setback is costly and frustrating.

"In the end, it is a business because wherever you get to, they want to take the last of what you have," said Yessica Gutierrez, 30, who left Venezuela in January in a group of 15 family members that includes young children. They avoided some checkpoints by hiking through brush.

The group is now waiting in Mexico City to get an appointment so they can legally cross the U.S.-Mexico border. To use the CBP One app, applicants must be in central or northern Mexico. So Gutierrez's group sleeps in two donated tents across the street from a migrant shelter and check the app daily.

More than 500,000 migrants have used the app to enter the U.S. at land crossings with Mexico since its introduction in January 2023. They can stay in the U.S. for two years under a presidential authority called parole, which entitles them to work.

"I would rather cross the jungle 10 times than pass through Mexico once," said Jose Alberto Uzcategui, who left a construction job in the Venezuelan city of Trujillo with his wife and sons, ages 5 and 7, in a family group of 11. They are biding time in Mexico City until they have enough money for a phone so they can use CBP One.

Venezuelans account for the vast majority of 73,166 migrants who crossed the Darien Gap in January and February, which is on pace to pass last year’s record of more than 500,000, according to the Panamanian government, suggesting Venezuelans are still fleeing a country that has lost more than 7 million people amid political turmoil and economic decline. Mexican authorities stopped Venezuelan migrants more than 56,000 times in February, about twice as much as the previous two months, according to government figures.

"The underlying question here is: Where are the Venezuelans? They’re in Mexico, but where are they?" said Stephanie Brewer, who covers Mexico for the Washington Office on Latin America, a group that monitors human rights abuses.

Mexico deported only about 429 Venezuelans during the first two months of 2024, meaning nearly all are waiting in Mexico.

Many fear that venturing north of Mexico City will get them fleeced or returned to southern Mexico. The U.S. admits 1,450 people a day through CBP One with appointments that are granted two weeks out.

Even if they evade Mexican authorities, migrants feel threatened by gangs who kidnap, extort and commit other violent crimes.

"You have to go town by town because the cartels need to put food on their plates," said Maria Victoria Colmenares, 27, who waited seven months in Mexico City for a CBP One appointment, supporting her family by working as a waitress while her husband worked at a car wash.

"It's worth the wait because it brings a reward," said Colmenares, who took a taxi from the Tijuana airport to the border crossing with San Diego, hours before her Tuesday appointment.

Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has touted his own efforts to explain the recent reduction in illegal crossings in his state, where at least 95% of Border Patrol arrests of Venezuelans occur. Those have included installing razor wire, putting a floating barrier in the Rio Grande and making plans to build a new base for members of the National Guard.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has mostly credited Mexico for the drop in border arrests.

Some Venezuelans still come north despite the perils.

Marbelis Torrealba, 35, arrived in Matamoros, across the border from Brownsville, Texas, with her sister and niece this week, carrying ashes of her daughter who drowned in a boat that capsized in Nicaragua. She said they were robbed by Mexican officials and gangs and returned several times to southern Mexico.

A shelter arranged for them to enter the U.S. legally on emergency humanitarian grounds, but she was prepared to cross illegally.

"I already experienced the worst: Seeing your child die in front of you and not being able to do anything."

Categories: World News

Palestinian Authority forms new Cabinet following worldwide calls for government reform

Fox World News - 6 hours 19 min ago

The Palestinian Authority has announced the formation of a new Cabinet as it faces international pressure to reform.

President Mahmoud Abbas, who has led the PA for nearly two decades and remains in overall control, announced the new government in a presidential decree on Thursday. None of the incoming ministers is a well-known figure.

Abbas tapped Mohammad Mustafa, a longtime adviser, to be prime minister earlier this month. Mustafa, a politically independent U.S.-educated economist, had vowed to form a technocratic government and create an independent trust fund to help rebuild Gaza. Mustafa will also serve as foreign minister.

Interior Minister Ziad Hab al-Rih is a member of Abbas' secular Fatah movement and held the same portfolio in the previous government. The Interior Ministry oversees the security forces. The incoming minister for Jerusalem affairs, Ashraf al-Awar, registered to run as a Fatah candidate in elections in 2021 that were indefinitely delayed.

DOCTORS VISITING GAZA HOSPITAL REVEAL 'GUT-WRENCHING' DETAILS OF WAR'S IMPACT ON PALESTINIAN CHILDREN

At least five of the incoming 23 ministers are from Gaza, but it was not immediately clear if they are still in the territory.

The PA administers parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Its forces were driven from Gaza when Hamas seized power in 2007, and it has no power there.

It has little popular support or legitimacy among Palestinians, in part because it has not held elections in 18 years. Its policy of cooperating with Israel on security matters is extremely unpopular and has led many Palestinians to view it as a subcontractor of the occupation.

ISRAEL SAYS UN 'DECEIVING' WORLD OVER AID DELAYS TO GAZA

Opinion polls in recent years have consistently found that a vast majority of Palestinians want the 88-year-old Abbas to resign.

The United States has called for a revitalized PA to administer postwar Gaza ahead of eventual statehood.

Israel has rejected that idea, saying it will maintain open-ended security control over Gaza and partner with Palestinians who are not affiliated with the PA or Hamas. It’s unclear who in Gaza would be willing to take on such a role.

Hamas has rejected the formation of the new government as illegitimate, calling instead for all Palestinian factions, including Fatah, to form a power-sharing government ahead of national elections.

It has warned Palestinians in Gaza against cooperating with Israel to administer the territory, saying anyone who does will be treated as a collaborator, which is understood as a death threat.

Categories: World News

Japan's PM requests meeting with Kim Jong Un to fix 'various bilateral problems' with North Korea

Fox World News - 6 hours 37 min ago

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida reiterated Thursday his determination to work toward a summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un to realize the return of Japanese people believed abducted by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 80s.

"I remain committed to realizing this for Japan," he told reporters, while declining to directly address the recent comments from North Korea that suggested such a meeting would be possible only if Japan stops pressing the abductions issue.

Speaking at a news conference after the government budget cleared parliament, Kishida stressed he was directly involved in high-level negotiations to fix various bilateral problems, amid growing worries about neighboring North Korea’s missiles and nuclear weapons programs.

In 2002, Kim Jong Il, the late father of Kim Jong Un, told then-Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi that its agents had kidnapped 13 Japanese in the 1970s and 80s, and allowed five of them to return to Japan.

JAPAN'S PM OFFERED TO MEET WITH KIM JONG UN 'AS SOON AS POSSIBLE,' NORTH KOREA SAYS

Japan thinks hundreds more may have been abducted during that period and that some are still alive. Koizumi’s second visit to North Korea in 2004 was the last summit between the two nations.

Kishida, prime minister since 2021, also promised to wrest the nation out of decades-long deflation and set off "a positive cycle" of higher wages, company profits and strong productivity.

"We have this historic chance to get out of deflation," Kishida said, noting that the changes will come under his "new capitalism" program, based on economic changes such as a more mobile labor force, investments in artificial intelligence and income growth for the middle class.

He promised that legal revisions and an internal investigation were underway to deal with a burgeoning scandal centered around political funding that ruling party lawmakers had allegedly secretly received through shady methods like expensive tickets for fundraising parties.

Kishida said more time is needed to sort out details, but the erring politicians will get punished, to restore public trust.

NORTH KOREA FIRES MISSILES IN SEA OF JAPAN DAYS AFTER US MILITARY DRILL WITH THE SOUTH

Kishida has seen his popularity plummet to record lows in recent months over the scandal. But his ouster, even if it happens, will likely result in another leader from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, because the opposition is weak and splintered.

There is even speculation among pundits that Japan will get its first female prime minister, such as Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike. As a woman, Koike would be seen as a fresh change, although she is unlikely to stray too far from the status quo.

A Japanese prime minister has almost always been a member of the lower house of Parliament, so Koike would need to run for a seat and give up being city governor. The Liberal Democrats have ruled Japan almost incessantly after World War II, except for brief periods of opposition control.

Categories: World News

Disease X: Critics say Biden admin selling out US sovereignty with WHO treaty

Fox World News - 6 hours 51 min ago

The Biden administration is negotiating a controversial global pandemic treaty with the World Health Organization (WHO) that the health agency says will help the world prepare for the next pandemic and the potential outbreak of "Disease X," but critics say the agreement will end up stifling free speech and cede American sovereignty to the global body.

The WHO has been sounding the alarm for months that a May deadline for having the text of the treaty agreed upon is fast approaching, an accord it says is necessary to "bolster the world’s collective preparedness and response to future pandemics." The health agency wants to ratify the treaty at the World Health Assembly at its May 2024 Annual General Assembly.

Last week, dozens of former heads of state, including former U.K. Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, as well as former UN General Secretary Ban-ki Moon, penned a joint letter urging "accelerated progress" in current negotiations while WHO Director Tedros Ghebreyesus has been warning for months that an agreement is needed for "when, not if," Disease X strikes. Disease X is a hypothetical "placeholder" virus that has not yet been formed, but scientists say it could be 20 times deadlier than COVID-19. 

WHO DIRECTOR CALLS FOR WORLD PANDEMIC TREATY TO PREPARE FOR DISEASE X

But critics are casting doubt on the unelected agency's need for such an agreement that would demand the U.S. share its public health data with the agency and more than 190 countries and follow WHO rules on how to prepare and react to the next pandemic. The treaty, critics say, would allow the WHO to dictate global public health policy. For instance, the word "shall" appears throughout the draft document which would be legally binding under the agreement. 

Opponents also say that a public health emergency is not clearly defined and could be extended to include climate, reproductive health or immigration emergencies. 

Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Oh., who chairs the House Oversight and Accountability Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, says that sovereignty and intellectual property rights of Americans are threatened by the global accord.

"The Biden Administration must ensure that the final draft does not violate American sovereignty or infringe upon the rights of the American people," Wenstrup told Fox News Digital." Without being presented to Congress for approval, any pandemic treaty is wholly insufficient."

Under the constitution, the U.S. can only enter a treaty if the president submits the accord to the Senate, and it is approved by a two-thirds majority. 

Advancing American Freedom (AAF), a non-profit advocacy group founded by former Vice President Mike Pence, says that the treaty undermines U.S. sovereignty and insists it would leave the U.S. worse off for a future pandemic. 

"The United States should withdraw from the World Health Organization," John Shelton, the policy director at AAF tells Fox News Digital.  

"Instead, the Biden Administration continues to negotiate a fundamentally flawed draft that sells out American interests. No treaty should be considered without a change in WHO leadership and accountability for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), including its role in the COVID-19 pandemic. The WHO remains a geopolitically compromised institution paid for by American tax dollars," Shelton said. 

The WHO faced strong criticism from around the world over its slow response to investigating China for the COVID outbreak. A WHO team investigating the origins of the coronavirus pandemic also downplayed the possibility that the virus leaked from a lab near Wuhan, China.  

'DISEASE X': WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM CREATING CONTINGENCY PLAN FOR INFECTIOUS VIRUS OUTBREAK

A State Department spokesperson tells Fox News Digital that the U.S. government will oppose any agreement that would undermine U.S. sovereignty, security and economic competitiveness and the right of Americans to make their own health care decisions. Ambassador Pamela Hamamoto is representing the U.S. in discussions with more than 190 nations.

"The Biden-Harris Administration’s most fundamental responsibility is to protect the American people. To do that, we must protect the U.S. against the next pandemic by working with other countries to help detect threats as soon as they emerge, contain those threats at their source, and respond quickly to save lives," a State Department spokesperson said.

"Detecting infectious disease threats quickly, and sharing that information widely, is critical to limit global transmission and to rapidly develop necessary diagnostics, vaccines and other countermeasures to mitigate adverse health effects."

In their letter last week, the former leaders blasted those raising sovereignty and warned that "no one is safe anywhere until everyone is safe everywhere."

"Among the falsehoods circulating are allegations that the WHO intends to monitor people’s movements through digital passports; that it will take away the national sovereignty of countries; and that it will have the ability to deploy armed troops to enforce mandatory vaccinations and lockdowns," the letter reads.

"All of these claims are wholly false and governments must work to disavow them with clear facts."

Tedros has also panned these concerns in the past as "fake news, lies, and conspiracy theories."

Nevertheless, last year the WHO and the European Commission announced the rollout of a "digital COVID-19 certification" system, which is effectively a digital vaccine passport system.

Meanwhile, freedom of speech concerns have also been raised by ADF International, a faith-based legal advocacy organization. 

The group says that the current draft would obligate the U.S. and other signees to prevent "misinformation and disinformation" under Article 18 of the draft.

"The revised negotiating text for the WHO Pandemic Agreement continues to misrepresent the human right to freedom of expression as a threat to public health," said Giorgio Mazzoli, the director of UN Advocacy with ADF International. 

"Everyone agrees that life is precious and that states have an interest in protecting public health. But some of the most grave and systematic human rights abuses of the last century unfolded during public emergencies, and we must be vigilant to protect hard-won rights – especially in times of crisis," Mazzoli said.

"When it comes to vague and undefined concepts such as ‘misinformation’ or ‘disinformation,’ the currently proposed cure is far worse than the disease."

The State Department, however, says that any agreement would have to guarantee Americans' right to freedom of speech.

Negotiations on the latest draft are expected to wrap up later this week.

Categories: World News

The British Museum appoints new director as it grapples with apparent theft of hundreds of artifacts

Fox World News - 7 hours 21 min ago

The British Museum on Thursday appointed National Portrait Gallery chief Nicholas Cullinan as its new director, as the 265-year-old institution grapples with the apparent theft of hundreds of artifacts and growing international scrutiny of its collection.

Previous director Hartwig Fischer resigned in August after the museum disclosed that more than 1,800 items were missing in an apparent case of insider theft. Many of the items had been offered for sale online.

Mark Jones, former head of the Victoria and Albert Museum, has served as interim director since then. Cullinan will replace him in the summer.

THE BRITISH MUSEUM IS SUING A FORMER CURATOR OVER THE ALLEGED THEFT OF ALMOST 2,000 ITEMS

Cullinan has been director of the National Portrait Gallery since 2015, overseeing a major refurbishment of the building beside London’s Trafalgar Square. He has previously worked at Tate Modern in London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

His appointment was approved by the British Museum’s trustees and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Cullinan said it was an honor to become director of "one of the greatest museums in the world."

He said he looked forward to leading the institution through "the most significant transformations, both architectural and intellectual, happening in any museum globally, to continue making the British Museum the most engaged and collaborative it can be."

The museum fired a longstanding curator, Paul Higgs, over the missing items, and is suing him at the High Court. Lawyers for the museum say Higgs "abused his position of trust" to steal ancient gems, gold jewelry and other pieces from storerooms over the course of a decade.

Higgs, who worked in the museum’s Greece and Rome department for more than two decades, denies the allegations and intends to dispute the museum’s legal claim.

Police are also investigating, but no one has been charged.

The 18th-century museum in central London’s Bloomsbury district is one of Britain’s biggest tourist attractions, visited by 6 million people a year. They come to see a collection that ranges from Egyptian mummies and ancient Greek statues to Viking hoards, scrolls bearing 12th-century Chinese poetry and masks created by the Indigenous peoples of Canada.

The museum faces growing pressure over items taken from other countries during the period of the British Empire -– especially the Parthenon Marbles, 2,500-year-old sculptures that were taken from Athens in the early 19th century by British diplomat Lord Elgin.

Greece has campaigned for decades for the marbles to be returned. The British Museum is banned by law from giving the sculptures back to Greece, but its leaders have held talks with Greek officials about a compromise, such as a long-term loan.

Those efforts suffered a setback in November, when a diplomatic spat erupted over the marbles, and Prime Minister Sunak abruptly canceled a planned meeting with his Greek counterpart, Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

British Museum Chairman George Osborne said that with Cullinan’s appointment, the institution was entering "a new chapter in the long story of the British Museum with confidence, and back on the front foot."

Categories: World News

Haiti waits for Kenyan police mission to fight gangs amid fears they won't come

Fox World News - 7 hours 27 min ago

A transitional presidential council in Haiti on Wednesday moved one step closer to instating a new prime minister to help stabilize the gang-ridden nation as they wait for Kenyan police forces to arrive.

A months-long plan to send 1,000 police officers to Haiti was stalled in mid-March after Nairobi hit pause on the move following Haitian Prime Minster Ariel Henry's abrupt resignation in an apparent attempt to end the immense gang violence that had swept the nation. 

Kenyan President William Ruto, who faced stiff backlash after he agreed to send forces to Port-au-Prince in a show of "strong commitment to Pan-Africanism," said the plan would only resume after a new government was reinstated in Haiti.

SECURITY CONCERNS, DEATH THREATS COMPLICATE COUNCIL'S APPOINTMENT OF INTERIM HAITIAN LEADER

Many in Haiti are now concerned that additional forces may not be coming to help rein in the gangs. 

"The Haitian police have the capacity to do it," one Haitian man told Fox News Digital from Port-au-Prince. "The only thing is they have to be more organized, they need more equipment. They need the human resources."

The man also argued that a strong military force is what is needed to suppress the extreme gang violence directed at not only government agencies but civilian Haitians living in the capital. 

"If they would send 1,000 military guys, I think that would be better because we don’t need police. We need guys that are military," he said. "Here we’re in a war zone."

The transitional presidential council on Wednesday released its first statement pledging to restore "public and democratic order," though it was signed by only eight members of what was originally supposed to be a nine-member council. 

"We are determined to alleviate the suffering of the Haitian people, trapped for too long between bad governance, multifaceted violence and disregard for their perspectives and needs," the council said.

The statement also said that once the council is officially installed, it will "put Haiti back on the path of democratic legitimacy, stability and dignity."

Henry has said he will officially resign his post after the transitional presidential council is formally established. 

But despite the statement from the council signaling a positive step forward in wrapping up an arduous nomination process, some in Kenya remain skeptical about sending their forces into such a precarious state. 

AMERICAN FAMILY IN HAITI DESCRIBES ‘WAR ZONE,’ BELIEVES IT WILL FALL TO GANGS IN A WEEK

A legal challenge was filed against the deployment of Kenyan police forces by opposition party Thirdway Alliance Kenya last year and the plan has faced several hurdles levied by Kenyans frustrated by Ruto’s agreement. 

"If they come back in body bags, what will [Kenyan President William Ruto] tell the nation?" opposition leader Ekuru Aukot questioned, according to a report by The Guardian. 

The severe uptick in violence this year, a unity agreement established by the gangs and the near complete takeover of the capital city of Port-au-Prince has prompted some in Nairobi to seriously question whether the agreement with Haiti should still stand. 

Kenyan authorities have pointed out that since the agreement was first reached in July of last year, there has been a "fundamental change in circumstances in Haiti" and a "complete breakdown of law and order."

Some police officers set for deployment have also begun dropping out following the spike in Port-au-Prince violence earlier this year, according to a BBC interview earlier this month. 

Kenya has not yet landed on an official timeline as to when it would deploy its police force to Haiti, even after the establishment of an interim government. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Categories: World News

Oxford, Cambridge rowing teams warned about polluted waters ahead of Boat Race: It's a 'national disgrace'

Fox World News - 8 hours 18 min ago

The coach of Oxford’s crew taking part in the Boat Race described the pollution in London’s River Thames as a "national disgrace" as the company responsible for its upkeep faces mounting financial difficulties that critics say will need it to be taken back into state hands.

Testing by a campaign group has found high levels of E.coli along a section of the Thames in southwest London that will be used for the historic race on Saturday.

Crew members have been warned about the risks of entering the water and advised to use a "cleansing station" at the finish area. The pollution has also cast doubt on the post-race tradition of throwing the winning cox into the water.

HEALTH WARNING ISSUED TO BOAT RACE CREWS OVER LEVELS OF E.COLI IN THAMES

It comes as figures released by the Environment Agency showed the level of sewage spills into England’s rivers and seas by water companies more than doubled in 2023 compared to 2022, reaching 3.6 million hours of spills in 2023 compared to 1.75 million hours in 2022.

There has been no suggestion that the annual Boat Race between storied universities Oxford and Cambridge that dates to 1829 will not go ahead. The women's race will precede the men's event along the same 4.2-mile section of the Thames.

But Oxford coach Sean Bowden has lamented the state of the water.

"It’s a national disgrace, isn’t it?" Bowden posed. "It would be terrific if the Boat Race drew attention to it. We are very keen to play a part and we recognize we have a role and a responsibility to it.

"Why," he added in British newspaper The Daily Telegraph, "would you want to put your kids out in that?"

Invariably, the focus has turned to whether the winning crew will dunk its cox into the Thames at the end of the race.

"If there’s a health and safety problem, I don’t think we’ll be throwing him in because we don’t want to risk that," said Harry Glenister, who has rowed for Britain and will compete for Oxford.

"It’s just too much of a risk. We support whatever the Boat Race is saying about the conditions in the water. We just hope we’ll win and then we’ll decide."

Cambridge has won four of the last five men’s races and leads the rivalry 86-81.

Cambridge has also won six straight in the women’s race.

E.coli bacteria normally live in the intestines of healthy people and animals. Most strains are harmless, cause relatively brief diarrhea and most people recover without much incident, according to the Mayo clinic. But small doses of some strains — including just a mouthful of contaminated water — can cause a range of conditions, including urinary tract infection, cystitis, intestinal infection and vomiting, with the worst cases leading to life-threatening blood poisoning.

River Action, a campaign group, said the testing locations suggested the source of pollution was from utility company Thames Water discharging sewage directly into the river and its tributaries. Thames Water, Britain’s largest water company, is facing huge pressure to clear up the river, though it insists that the elevated levels of E.coli are not necessarily its fault.

"I would point out that E.coli has many different sources," the company's recently appointed chief executive Chris Weston told the BBC. "It is not just from sewage, it is also from land run-off, it is from highway run-off, it is from animal feces. All of those things contribute to the problem and I am absolutely determined that at Thames, we will play our part in cleaning up the problem and so the Thames is a river that people can use as they would like to everyday."

MAYO CLINIC DOCTOR CLAIMS CLINIC 'RETALIATED' AGAINST HIM FOR COMMENTS ON TRANS ATHLETES, NIH CRITICISM

Under a plan drawn up last summer, Thames Water was asking investors to inject close to 4 billion pounds ($5.05 billion) into the business over the next five years. However, on Thursday shareholders refused to make the first payment of 500 million pounds ($630 million) without a big increase in consumers’ water bills, a demand that the industry regulator denied.

Weston insisted that it was "business as usual" at the debt-laden company as it has enough financial resources to survive into next year, by which time he hoped a new funding arrangement will have been agreed. However, the news has raised speculation that the company may have to be nationalized.

The parlous state of many of Britain's rivers, canals and coastlines is set to feature heavily in the general election, which is expected to take place in the next few months. The main opposition Labour Party, which is way ahead of the governing Conservatives in opinion polls, has said it will make sure that "new investment comes through to fix the broken sewage system without taxpayers being left to foot the bill."

Categories: World News

Doctors visiting Gaza hospital reveal 'gut-wrenching' details of war's impact on Palestinian children

Fox World News - 9 hours 35 min ago

An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.

One toddler died from a brain injury caused by an Israeli strike that fractured his skull. His cousin, an infant, is still fighting for her life with part of her face blown off by the same strike.

An unrelated 10-year-old boy screamed out in pain for his parents, not knowing that they were killed in the strike. Beside him was his sister, but he didn’t recognize her because burns covered almost her entire body.

WHY MIDEAST NEIGHBORS WON'T OFFER REFUGE TO PALESTINIANS STUCK IN GAZA WAR ZONE

These gut-wrenching casualties were described to The Associated Press by Tanya Haj-Hassan, a pediatric intensive-care doctor from Jordan, following a 10-hour overnight shift at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the town of Deir al-Balah.

Haj-Hassan, who has extensive experience in Gaza and regularly speaks out about the war’s devastating effects, was part of a team that recently finished a two-week stint there.

After nearly six months of war, Gaza’s health sector has been decimated. Roughly a dozen of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are only partially functioning. The rest have either shut down or are barely functioning after they ran out of fuel and medicine, were surrounded and raided by Israeli troops, or were damaged in fighting.

That leaves hospitals such as Al-Aqsa Martyrs caring for an overwhelming number of patients with limited supplies and staff. The majority of its intensive care unit beds are occupied by children, including infants wrapped in bandages and wearing oxygen masks.

"I spend most of my time here resuscitating children," Haj-Hassan said after a recent shift. "What does that tell you about every other hospital in the Gaza Strip?"

A different team of international doctors working at Al-Aqsa Martyrs in January stayed at a nearby guesthouse. But because of a recent surge of Israeli Israel strikes nearby, Haj-Hassan and her co-workers stayed in the hospital itself.

That gave them a painfully vivid look at the strain the hospital has come under as the number of patients keeps rising, said Arvind Das, the team leader in Gaza for the International Rescue Committee. His organization and Medical Aid for Palestinians organized the visit by Haj-Hassan and others.

Mustafa Abu Qassim, a nurse from Jordan who was part of the visiting team, said he was shocked by the overcrowding.

"When we look for patients, there are no rooms," he said. "They are in the corridors on a bed, a mattress, or on a blanket on the floor."

Before the war, the hospital had a capacity of around 160 beds, according to the World Health Organization. Now there are some 800 patients, yet many of the hospital's 120 staff members are no longer able to come to work.

Health care workers face the same daily struggle as others in Gaza in finding food for their families and trying to ensure some safety for them. Many bring their children with them to the hospital to keep them close, Abu Qassim said.

"It’s just miserable," he said.

Thousands of people driven from their homes by the war are also living in the hospital grounds, hoping it will be safe. Hospitals have special protections under international law, though those protections can be removed if combatants use them for military purposes.

Israel has alleged that hospitals serve as command centers, weapons storage facilities and hideouts for Hamas, but has presented little visual evidence. Hamas has denied the allegations. Israel has been carrying out a large-scale operation in Gaza's largest hospital, Shifa, for the past week.

Israeli troops have not raided or besieged Al-Aqsa Martyrs but have attacked surrounding areas, sometimes striking close to the hospital. In January, many doctors, patients, and displaced Palestinians fled the hospital after a flurry of strikes.

Israel’s bombardment and offensive in Gaza have killed more than 32,000 Palestinians and wounded nearly 75,000 more in the territory of 2.3 million people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The count does not differentiate between combatants and civilians, but the ministry says about two-thirds of those killed have been women and children.

Roughly half of Gaza's 2.3 million people are 17 or younger, the U.N.’s agency for children estimates.

Israel holds Hamas responsible for non-combatants' deaths and injuries because the militants in Gaza operate from within civilian areas. It says over one-third of the dead are Hamas militants, though it has not backed up the claim with evidence.

The war was triggered on Oct. 7 by Hamas and other militants who attacked southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking some 250 hostages. The Israeli government believes around 100 hostages being held in Gaza are still alive.

In the early stages of the war, Israel severely limited the entry of food, fuel and medical supplies into Gaza. While the flow of aid has increased — and Israel says there are no longer any limits — the international community has called on Israel to let in more.

HOUSE DEMS URGE BIDEN TO TARGET ISRAEL MILITARY AID OVER GAZA HUMANITARIAN CONCERNS

Aid groups say complicated inspection procedures at the border, continued fighting, and a breakdown in public order have caused massive slowdowns in convoys. Israel accuses the U.N. of disorganization.

The result has been catastrophic, with hospital staff struggling to cope with a shortage of spare parts to maintain medical equipment. Al-Aqsa Martyrs has also been short on anesthetics, meaning surgeries and other procedures are frequently performed without painkillers.

Haj-Hassan says there is only one way to end Gaza’s health care crisis.

"They need the war to stop," she said.

Categories: World News

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