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Gunmen burst into a home in central Mexico and abducted one of the volunteer searchers looking for the country's 114,000 disappeared and killed her husband and son, authorities said Wednesday.

Search activist Lorenza Cano was abducted from her home in the city of Salamanca, in the north central state of Guanajuato, which has the highest number of homicides in Mexico.

Cano’s volunteer group, Salamanca United in the Search for the Disappeared, said late Tuesday the gunmen shot Cano’s husband and adult son in the attack the previous day.

32 MIGRANTS KIDNAPPED NEAR US-MEXICO BORDER WERE FREED, NOT RESCUED, AMLO CLARIFIES

State prosecutors confirmed the husband and son were killed, and that Cano remained missing.

At least seven volunteer searchers have been killed in Mexico since 2021. The volunteer searchers often conduct their own investigations — often relying on tips from former criminals — because the government has been unable to help.

The searchers usually aren’t trying to convict anyone for their relatives’ abductions; they just want to find their remains.

Cano had spent the last five years searching for her brother, José Cano Flores, who disappeared in 2018. Nothing has been heard of him since then. On Tuesday, Lorenza Cano's photo appeared on a missing persons' flyer, similar to that of her brother's.

Guanajuato state has been the deadliest in Mexico for years, because of bloody turf battles between local gangs and the Jalisco New Generation cartel.

The Mexican government has spent little on looking for the missing. Volunteers must stand in for nonexistent official search teams in the hunt for clandestine graves where cartels hide their victims. The government hasn’t adequately funded or implemented a genetic database to help identify the remains found.

Victims’ relatives rely on anonymous tips — sometimes from former cartel gunmen — to find suspected body-dumping sites. They plunge long steel rods into the earth to detect the scent of death.

If they find something, the most authorities will do is send a police and forensics team to retrieve the remains, which in most cases are never identified.

It leaves the volunteer searchers feeling caught between two hostile forces: murderous drug gangs and a government obsessed with denying the scale of the problem.

In July, a drug cartel used a fake report of a mass grave to lure police into a deadly roadside bomb attack that killed four police officers and two civilians in Jalisco state.

An anonymous caller had given a volunteer searcher a tip about a supposed clandestine burial site near a roadway in Tlajomulco, Jalisco. The cartel buried improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, on the road and then detonated them as a police convoy passed. The IEDS were so powerful they destroyed four vehicles, injured 14 people and left craters in the road.

It is not entirely clear who killed the six searchers slain since 2021. Cartels have tried to intimidate searchers in the past, especially if they went to grave sites that were still being used.

Searchers have long sought to avoid the cartels’ wrath by publicly pledging that they are not looking for evidence to bring the killers to justice, that they simply want their children’s bodies back.

Searchers also say that repentant or former members of the gangs are probably the most effective source of information they have.

Turkmenistan's president fired the country's chief prosecutor for failing to properly fulfill his duties, the official daily reported Wednesday.

President Serdar Berdymukhamedov announced the dismissal during Tuesday's meeting of the State Security Council that reviewed the performance of the Central Asian country's military and law enforcement structures.

ISRAELI EMBASSY OPENS NEAR TURKMENISTAN'S IRAN BORDER

Berdymukhamedov announced that he was firing Prosecutor General Serdar Myalikguliyev for "the failure to properly fulfill his duties and the low level of organization of the prosecutor’s office work," according to the government daily Neutral Turkmenistan. He didn't elaborate further.

Myalikguliyev was appointed in July 2022. He oversaw the investigation into illegal grain deals and a corrupt scheme of air ticket sales, among other high-profile cases.

Begmurat Mukhamedov, who previously served as justice minister and then was elected to parliament and became the head of the parliament's foreign affairs committee, succeeded Myalikguliyev, reported the daily.

Berdymukhamedov, 42, was elected in March 2022 to succeed his father, Gurbanguly, who had run the gas-rich country since 2006.

Turkmenistan has remained largely isolated under autocratic rulers since it became independent after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.

Ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo held a signature drive Wednesday in hopes of securing enough to oust four ethnic Albanian mayors whose elections last year sent tensions between Serbia and Kosovo soaring.

Groups of people were seen going to sport halls or other areas to sign petitions in the municipalities of Northern Mitrovica and Leposavic. The drive is expected to start soon in Zvecan and Zubin Potok, two other municipalities in the north where most of Kosovo's ethnic Serb minority lives.

Supporters of new municipal elections need the signatures of at least 20% of eligible voters.

SERBS TAKE TO STREETS, ACCUSE POPULIST VUČIĆ GOVERNMENT OF ELECTION FRAUD

"As a democratic state ... we do respect the rights of all of the citizens without any ethnic distinction, and such a right will be respected," Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, whose ethnic background is Albanian, said.

Ethnic Serbs overwhelmingly boycotted the April 2023 elections won by the ethnic Albanian mayors and tried to block them from their offices a month later. Scores of people were injured on both sides as the protesters clashed with Kosovo police and then NATO peacekeepers.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said over the summer that the municipal elections could be redone if supporters provided a basis that met constitutional rules, such as a petition.

Serbian forces fought a 1998-99 war with ethnic Albanian separatists in what was then the province of Kosovo. About 13,000 people, mostly ethnic Albanians, died. Kosovo eventually declared independence in 2008, but the government in Belgrade does not recognize its neighbor as a separate country.

Western powers have stepped up their work to negotiate a normalization agreement between Serbia and Kosovo, fearing instability in the Balkans as Russia’s war rages in Ukraine. The European Union has made it clear that such an agreement is a prerequisite to Kosovo and Serbia joining the bloc.

Ethnic Albanians make up most of Kosovo's population, while a restive Serb minority is concentrated in northern areas bordering Serbia.

In a step toward reconciliation this month, Serbia and Kosovo agreed to allow each other's vehicle license plates to be used in their respective areas.

Poland’s lawmakers voted Wednesday to lift the immunity of a far-right colleague who used a fire extinguisher to put out Hanukkah candles during a ceremony in parliament last month.

The vote means that the Confederation party lawmaker, Grzegorz Braun, can face charges.

If convicted of destruction of property, insulting a religious symbol and hurting a person he could face up to five years in prison. Prosecutors want to present Braun with seven counts that also apply to earlier incidents of alleged aggression against the former health minister and public property.

FAR-RIGHT POLISH LAWMAKER BLASTS MENORAH WITH FIRE EXTINGUISHER

Lawmakers voted to lift immunity on each of the seven counts.

The incident last month was an embarrassment to the new parliament, which was in its first session following October elections, and to the new pro-European Union government that would be sworn in the next day.

During a Hanukkah ceremony, Braun grabbed a fire extinguisher and put out the menorah candles. A member of the Jewish community was sprayed and hurt in the incident and hospitalized.

POLISH LEADERS CELEBRATE HANUKKAH AFTER MENORAH EXTINGUISHED BY FAR-RIGHT LAWMAKER

Minutes later, Braun made a brief statement from the parliament lectern while the leader of his party, Krzysztof Bosak, was presiding. The party later condemned Braun's statement.

The lawmakers on Wednesday voted to allow Bosak to keep his position of deputy parliament speaker, saying the party should be represented at that level, but the vast majority abstained or did not take part in the vote.

The Hanukkah ceremony was peacefully repeated two days later, with the participation of President Andrzej Duda, in a sign that antisemitism would not be allowed.

Braun was fined by parliament authorities in December.

Iran's foreign minister warned Israel that attacks by Iran and its allies against Israeli and American targets will continue so long as Israeli forces are waging war in Gaza on Wednesday.

Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said the attacks would halt if Israel withdraws its forces. Iran and its proxy terrorist groups have attacked Israeli and U.S. targets more than 100 times since mid-October, threatening to widen Israel's war against Hamas into a regional conflict.

"An end to the genocide in Gaza will lead to an end of military actions and crises in the region," Amirabdollahian said at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

"The security of the Red Sea is tied to the developments in Gaza, and everyone will suffer if Israel's crimes in Gaza do not stop... All the (resistance) fronts will remain active," he added.

US CARRIES OUT ADDITIONAL STRIKE IN YEMEN, OFFICIAL SAYS

Iran deployed one of its navy vessels to the Red Sea earlier this month. Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have also launched dozens of missile and drone attacks against international trade vessels in the Red Sea.

CENTCOM RELEASES STATEMENT AFTER HOUTHI ATTACK IN YEMEN: 'ILLEGAL AND DANGEROUS ACTIONS WILL NOT BE TOLERATED'

The U.S. and other Western allies have thwarted many of the Houthi attacks, but several shipping companies have diverted travel elsewhere. Such diversions cost weeks of shipping time as vessels must travel around Africa.

TOP BIDEN ADVISER VISITS BEIRUT AS ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH NEAR ALL-OUT WAR

Israel has given no indication that it plans to halt its war against Hamas in the near future. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who launched the war after Hamas carried out a massacre on Oct. 7 that included the killing of at least 1,200 Israelis, has said the war will last "many more months."

Netanyahu has also threatened war with Hezbollah, another Iran-backed terrorist organization that operates in Lebanon to Israel's north.

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President Biden's administration has remained largely supportive of Israel throughout the conflict, but has urged Netanyahu's government to scale back its offensive in Gaza.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Three people died and 77 others were injured overnight when an explosives rocked more than 20 buildings in one of Nigeria's largest cities, authorities said Wednesday, as rescue workers dug through the rubble in search of those feared trapped.

Residents in the southwestern state of Oyo’s densely populated Ibadan city heard a loud blast at about 7:45 p.m. Tuesday, causing panic as many fled their homes. By Wednesday morning, security forces cordoned off the area while medical personnel and ambulances were on standby as rescue efforts intensified.

Preliminary investigations showed the blast was caused by explosives stored for use in illegal mining operations, Oyo Gov. Seyi Makinde told reporters after visiting the site in the Bodija area of Ibadan.

EXPLOSION AND FIRE AT ILLEGAL OIL REFINERY IN NIGERIA CLAIMS 15 LIVES, INCLUDING PREGNANT WOMAN

"We have already deployed first responders and all relevant agencies within Oyo state to carry out comprehensive search and rescue operations," Makinde said, describing the damage as "devastating."

Rescue workers combing through the collapsed structures recovered an additional body on Wednesday morning, increasing the death toll to three, Saheed Akiode, coordinator of Nigeria’s National Emergency Management Agency in the region, told The Associated Press.

It was not immediately clear who stored the explosives, and no arrest has been announced. "The investigations are ongoing (and) all those found culpable for this will be brought to book," Gov. Makinde said.

NIGERIA TANKER EXPLOSION LEAVES 8 PEOPLE BURNED TO DEATH

Most of the 77 injured had already been discharged, the governor said, promising to cover the medical bills of others still being admitted and to provide temporary accommodation for those whose houses were affected.

Dozens of residents trooped to the vicinity where some of the injured were being treated in ambulances. Surrounding the area are buildings covered in dust and either destroyed in whole or in part as a result of the blast, which left a massive crater.

Illegal mining in mineral-rich Nigeria is common and has been a major concern for authorities. However, it is mostly done in remote areas where arrests are difficult and where safety procedures are rarely followed.

The use of explosives such as dynamite by miners close to residential areas is also common and poses health hazards to residents, according to Anthony Adejuwon, who leads the Urban Alert group that advocates for accountability in the mining industry.

Adejuwon said explosive materials should be kept far away from where people live, but that "the use of these explosives is not controlled and because they are not controlled, anybody that has easy access can keep it anywhere."

Irish politicians welcomed the second in charge of the Chinese Community Party this week after crowds gathered for his arrival on the largest passenger plane ever to land at Dublin Airport. 

Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrived at Dublin Airport on Tuesday, kicking off his two-day visit for talks with Irish Prime Minister [Taoiseach] Leo Varadkar. 

Upon disembarking the massive Air China flight, Li was immediately greeted by Irish Minister for Transport, Climate, Environment and Communications Eamon Ryan. 

"It’s here! A very special moment as Air China flight CCA001 arrives at Dublin Airport - the largest passenger aircraft to land here in our 84-year history," Dublin Airport wrote on X. "We’re delighted to facilitate the arrival of Premier Li Qiang to Ireland." 

ELON MUSK, FARMERS TORCH IRELAND GOVERNMENT PROPOSAL TO SLAUGHTER 200K COWS TO MEET EU CLIMATE CHANGE GOALS

The leader of the Green Party, Ryan has received criticism in recent months from Irish dairy farmers who say Ireland’s Department of Agriculture is proposing they kill 200,000 cows to reduce carbon emissions and meet the EU’s climate objectives. Over the summer, Elon Musk notably condemned reports of the culling proposal. 

In November, Ryan was reportedly pressed by attendees of the Irish Creamery and Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) annual meeting that he consider Irish dairy farmers "not the villains in the climate change crisis." While Ryan agreed farmers were not the enemy, the minister still warned those at the meeting in Limerick, "Climate change is real, and it is unfolding in a way that is truly terrifying, and we have to respond," according to BreakingNews.ie. 

ICMSA President Pat McCormack hit back at the time, accusing the Irish government of "enjoying hindering and obstructing farmers" by supporting the cull of dairy cows, while Varadkar simultaneously has been encouraging an increase in air traffic to Dublin Airport.

"And when they [the government] can’t be seen to be doing that themselves, they stand by cheerleading while others in their ‘pet’ NGOs do the dirty work for them," he said. 

"We’ve been told rising emissions are a global problem, and the survival of the human race, not to mind our family farms, depends on lowering emissions, so imagine our surprise then to be told that we can expect air travel to surge by 12% next year," McCormack said in November. "We also had the DAA complaining that the current Dublin Airport passenger ceiling of 32 million was hopelessly inadequate – that was too low, and it was going to cost Ireland money – and we had better get that up to 40 million pronto."

"I’m no scientist, but surely increasing passenger numbers from 30-40 million is going to involve more emissions; it’s going to mean massively increased emissions," he said.

Li, a close confidant of Chinese President Xi Jinping, was appointed last March as the country's number two leader and top economic official. A former party secretary, he enforced a strict "zero-COVID" lockdown on Shanghai in 2022. He made Europe the destination for his first trip abroad last summer, visiting Germany and France, Europe's leading economies, amid increasing concerns over Europe's economic dependence on China and tensions over Beijing's stance on the war in Ukraine.

IRELAND'S PM CONDEMNS BURNING OF HOTEL MEANT TO HOUSE MIGRANTS AS POSSIBLE ARSON ATTACK

At the time, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz rejected the idea of "decoupling" from China and instead called for "de-risking," avoiding overreliance on Chinese trade.

That approach was reiterated Tuesday by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who said the EU cannot risk depending too heavily on trade with Beijing and needs to aim for a more "level playing field" and better access to the Chinese market.

This is the first time a senior Chinese leader has visited Ireland since Li's predecessor, Li Keqiang, visited in 2015.

He arrived late Tuesday from the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland, where he pitched China as an investment opportunity despite its slowing economy. Li was the first senior Chinese official to attend the annual gathering since Xi took part in 2017.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said earlier that Li's visits to Switzerland and Ireland would "kick off the high-level exchanges between China and Europe in 2024."

Bilateral trade between Ireland and China has grown significantly in recent years, with China now Ireland's fourth-largest trade partner and fifth-largest export market.

Asia Matters, an Irish group focused on promoting business links with Asian countries, said one of the topics that could be on Wednesday's agenda is the resumption of Irish beef exports to China. The exports were suspended in November after a case of atypical bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease, was discovered by Irish veterinary officials.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

The mother of detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich said Wednesday that her son is doing his best to keep his "spirits up" in a Russian prison designed to "break you down." 

Ella Milman, speaking in Davos, Switzerland, said the circumstances for her 32-year-old son are "very hard" at Lefortovo Prison in Moscow, which she described as a "Stalin-era" facility. 

"We are worried about him, he is worried about us," Milman said. 

Gershkovich has been considered wrongfully detained by the United States since late March 2023, when he was first arrested while reporting in Yekaterinburg, the fourth-largest city in Russia, and accused of espionage. He has captured international attention and become a symbol of the dangers of journalism in an authoritarian nation. 

REPORTER EVAN GERSHKOVICH’S IMPRISONMENT IN RUSSIA A ‘BODY BLOW’ AS WALL STREET JOURNAL, US WORK TO FREE HIM 

"It’s basically designed to isolate you and to break you down. You know, doesn’t see daylight. It’s hard. But he is fighting, he is answering letters," Milman said about the prison. "We get a letter from him every week. His Russian lawyers see him on a regular basis. [U.S.] Ambassador Lynne Tracy visits him once a month." 

"He gets to read, he requests literature that he wants to read. He keeps his spirits up and his letters are humorous, makes me laugh," she added. 

The Biden administration and The Wall Street Journal have called the spying charges against Gershkovich absurd and demanded his release while working behind the scenes to bring him home. 

WHITE HOUSE SAYS IT IS WORKING TO BRING GERSHKOVICH HOME 

"We need to advocate for Evan. We are trying to do our best. But it definitely takes [its] toll... next week Evan is going to be in court, it’s hard to watch. We feel for all the families in our situation," Milman said during an interview with The Wall Street Journal. 

Gershkovich is currently being held in pre-trial detention through at least Jan. 30, according to the newspaper. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed Gershkovich, who turned 32 while in custody in October, and fellow imprisoned American Paul Whelan during his annual press conference last December and signaled a deal for their release was possible. 

"You say, why don't they return to their homeland? Then shouldn't they not commit crimes on the territory of the Russian Federation?" Putin said. "But this is all rhetoric. It's not that we would refuse to return them. We didn't refuse. We want to reach an agreement, and these agreements must be mutually acceptable and suit both parties." 

Fox News’ David Rutz contributed to this report. 

Zambia is reeling from a major cholera outbreak that has killed more than 400 people and infected more than 10,000, leading authorities to order schools across the country to remain shut after the end-of-year holidays.

A large soccer stadium in the capital city has been converted into a treatment facility.

The Zambian government is embarking on a mass vaccination program and says it's providing clean water — 2.4 million liters a day — to communities that are affected across the southern African nation.

SOUTH AFRICA CONFIRMS 2 OF ITS CHOLERA CASES WERE IMPORTED FROM MALAWI

The national disaster management agency has been mobilized.

Cholera is an acute diarrhea infection caused by a bacteria that is typically spread via contaminated food or water. The disease is strongly linked to poverty and inadequate access to clean water.

The outbreak in Zambia began in October and 412 people have died and 10,413 cases have been recorded, according to the latest count on Wednesday from the Zambia Public Health Institute, the government body that deals with health emergencies.

MALAWI DEATH TOLL CAUSED BY CHOLERA OUTBREAK PASSES 1,000

The Health Ministry says cholera has been detected in nearly half of the country's districts and nine out of 10 provinces, and the nation of about 20 million people has been recording more than 400 cases a day.

"This outbreak continues to pose a threat to the health security of the nation," Health Minister Sylvia Masebo said, outlining it was a nationwide problem.

The United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, called the fatality rate of around 4% in the three-month outbreak "a devastatingly high number." When treated, cholera typically has a death rate of less than 1%.

There have been recent cholera outbreaks in other southern African nations including Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. More than 200,000 cases and over 3,000 deaths have been reported in southern Africa since the start of 2023, UNICEF said.

Malawi had its worst cholera outbreak in decades in 2023. Last year, the World Health Organization reported that about 30 countries globally, also including Nigeria and Uganda in Africa, suffered serious outbreaks in the last few years.

Cholera barely affects countries in the developed world and can be easily treated but can be quickly fatal if not treated.

More than half — 229 — of the victims in the Zambian outbreak died before being admitted to a health facility, the public health institute said.

Zambia has had several major cholera outbreaks since the 1970s but this one is the worst for 20 years in terms of the caseload, according to Dr. Mazyanga Mazaba, the director of public health policy and communication at the public health institute.

The cholera bacteria can also survive longer in warmer weather and unusually heavy rains and storms in southern Africa have contributed to recent outbreaks, experts say.

WHO said last year that while poverty and conflict remain the main drivers for cholera, climate change has contributed to the disease's upsurge in many places across the globe since 2021 by making storms wetter and more frequent. A cyclone sparked a spiraling cholera outbreak in Mozambique last year.

Heavy rains and flash flooding in Zambia have converted some neighborhoods into soggy or waterlogged areas.

The Zambian government announced in early January that schools — which were meant to open for the year on Jan. 8 — will only open on Jan. 29. Parents and children were urged to make use of education programs on public TV and radio, a situation that had echoes of the COVID-19 pandemic.

2 DIE FROM CHOLERA IN SYRIA AFTER A DEVASTATING EARTHQUAKE DAMAGES HEALTH, WATER INFRASTRUCTURE

The education minister ordered schools to be cleaned and inspected.

Zambia's Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit was mobilized and it was delivering large water tanks and trucking in clean water to some neighborhoods daily. Granulated chlorine to treat water was also being provided, it said.

The majority of cases are in the capital, Lusaka, where a 60,000-seat national soccer stadium has been converted into a treatment center and is dealing with around 500 patients at any one time, the health minister said.

She said Zambia had received around 1.4 million doses of the oral cholera vaccine from the WHO and expected more than 200,000 more to arrive soon. Zambian government officials, including Masebo, took a vaccine publicly to encourage others to also do so.

Health experts have previously warned that the numerous cholera outbreaks globally have strained the supply of vaccines, which are mostly distributed to poor countries through an international body run by the U.N. and partners. Vaccines alliance Gavi predicted that the vaccine shortage could last until 2025.

The State Department says the Air Force is sending a replacement plane to Switzerland to bring Secretary of State Antony Blinken home Wednesday after the aircraft he was traveling in was unable to take off due to a "mechanical issue."

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the incident happened after Blinken left Davos, where he was attending the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting. 

"There's a mechanical issue. I don't know the nature of the mechanical issue, but he is in Zurich. He was scheduled to fly back from Zurich," Miller said. "The Air Force has a replacement plane inbound. We expect him to be back still tonight. But several hours later than originally planned."

According to Bloomberg, the aircraft, a modified Boeing 737, suffered a critical error after an oxygen leak was detected and it was not immediately fixable. The aircraft was subsequently deemed unsafe to fly.

ELITES IN DAVOS STRATEGIZE ON HOW TO FIGHT ‘RIGHT-WING' GROUPS: ‘HIT BACK’

The update came hours after Blinken spoke during a Davos panel, where he called for stability in the Middle East and said the region was at "an inflection point" that requires hard decisions. He also projected confidence that a resolution could be made to end the Israel-Hamas war.

"We’re in the midst of what is human tragedy in so many ways in the Middle East right now — for the Israelis and Palestinians alike," Blinken said.

During his remarks, he reiterated the need for a "pathway to a Palestinian state" and said Israel would not "get genuine security absent that."

ECO GROUP SLAMS DAVOS SUMMIT AS GLOBAL ELITES ARRIVE IN PRIVATE JETS TO TALK CLIMATE POLICY

"The problem is getting from here to there, and of course, it requires very difficult, challenging decisions. It requires a mindset that is open to that perspective," Blinken said.

Blinken said Israelis would need to decide on their leadership and direction, saying it's up to them whether the country can "seize the opportunity that we believe is there."

Prior to the Davos trip, Blinken spent a weeklong trip to the Middle East aimed at calming tensions across the region.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is unable to leave Davos, Switzerland, where he was attending the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting, due to a problem with his aircraft, officials said.

According to Bloomberg, his aircraft, a modified Boeing 737, suffered a critical error after an oxygen leak was detected and it was not immediately fixable. The aircraft was subsequently deemed unsafe to fly.

The update came hours after Blinken spoke during a Davos panel, where he called for stability in the Middle East and said the region was at "an inflection point" that requires hard decisions. He also projected confidence that a resolution could be made to end the Israel-Hamas war.

"We’re in the midst of what is human tragedy in so many ways in the Middle East right now — for the Israelis and Palestinians alike," Blinken said.

ELITES IN DAVOS STRATEGIZE ON HOW TO FIGHT ‘RIGHT-WING' GROUPS: ‘HIT BACK’

During his remarks, he reiterated the need for a "pathway to a Palestinian state" and said Israel would not "get genuine security absent that."

ECO GROUP SLAMS DAVOS SUMMIT AS GLOBAL ELITES ARRIVE IN PRIVATE JETS TO TALK CLIMATE POLICY

"The problem is getting from here to there, and of course, it requires very difficult, challenging decisions. It requires a mindset that is open to that perspective," Blinken said.

Blinken said Israelis would need to decide on their leadership and direction, saying it's up to them whether the country can "seize the opportunity that we believe is there."

Prior to the Davos trip, Blinken spent a week-long trip to the Middle East aimed at calming tensions across the region.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Delicate talks to create a new Dutch government around anti-Islam firebrand Geert Wilders suffered a setback Wednesday when a lingering immigration issue divided the parties involved in brokering a coalition.

"We have a problem," Wilders told reporters in The Hague, the morning after a decision by senators from a key Dutch political party involved in the coalition talks to back legislation that could force municipalities to house asylum-seekers.

People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) senators threw their support behind the proposal Tuesday night. The lower house of parliament already has approved the plan, known as the "Distribution Law," that aims to more fairly spread thousands of asylum-seekers around the country. Wilders strongly opposes it.

DUTCH FIREBRAND GEERT WILDERS THREATENS TO REVOKE SLAVERY APOLOGY AS COALITION TALKS DRAG

Wilders’ Party for Freedom, or PVV, won the most seats in the election, putting him in the driving seat to form a new coalition after four previous administrations led by outgoing VVD leader Mark Rutte.

Having Wilders in government would reinforce the far right in the European Union, where Giorgia Meloni is already leading the Italian government.

The VVD senators' decision came despite opposition from the party's new leader Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius — a former asylum-seeker who is in talks with Wilders and two other party leaders about the contours of a new coalition after Wilders' Nov. 22 general election victory.

Wilders campaigned on pledges to drastically rein in immigration and he has long been an outspoken critic of the legislation that now looks set to be approved in a Senate vote next week.

Yeşilgöz-Zegerius and the two other leaders involved in the closed-door coalition negotiations also oppose the legislation that was drawn up by a junior minister from Yeşilgöz-Zegerius' VVD.

The legislation aims to push municipalities across the Netherlands to provide temporary accommodation for asylum seekers who have a strong chance of being granted refugee status.

At the moment, many municipalities refuse to make space available. That has led to a crisis in existing asylum-seeker centers, most notably in the northern town of Ter Apel, where hundreds of new arrivals were forced to sleep outside a reception center in the summer of 2022 because of overcrowding.

HARD-RIGHT FIREBRAND GEERT WILDERS WINS ELECTION IN NETHERLANDS: 'DUTCH DONALD TRUMP'

Yeşilgöz-Zegerius has said she does not want her party to be in a coalition with Wilders' PVV, but is willing to support a Wilders-led government. The other two parties involved in the talks are the reformist New Social Contract and the Farmers Citizens Movement. Together, the four parties have a strong majority in the 150-seat lower house of the Dutch parliament.

But both Yeşilgöz-Zegerius and New Social Contract leader Pieter Omtzigt have expressed concerns that some of Wilders' policies are unconstitutional. In a concession aimed at allaying those fears, Wilders last week withdrew legislation calling for a ban on mosques, Islamic schools and the Quran.

After a morning of talks Wednesday, Yeşilgöz-Zegerius sought to play down the divisions over her senators' decision.

"Every problem can be solved," she told reporters, without going into detail of the morning's discussions.

British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps has warned that the world is in a "pre-war" phase, with conflict potentially breaking out within five years in key areas against major and rising world powers. 

"We find ourselves at the dawn of this new era – the Berlin Wall a distant memory – and we’ve come full circle, moving from a post-war to pre-war world," Shapps said during his first major speech after assuming his role in the summer of 2023. 

"An age of idealism has been replaced by a period of hard-headed realism," Shapps claimed. "Today our adversaries are busily rebuilding their barriers. Old enemies are reanimated. New foes are taking shape. Battle lines are being redrawn."

Shapps' speech largely aimed to lay out the argument for increased defense spending both as a means of deterrence and to prepare for potential conflicts, which he said could occur within five years. 

NATO NEEDS A ‘WARFIGHTING TRANSFORMATION' AS ‘ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN AT ANY TIME,’ TOP MILITARY OFFICIAL SAYS

"Because, as discussed, the era of the peace dividend is over," Shapps said. "In five years’ time, we could be looking at multiple theaters involving Russia, China, Iran and North Korea."

"Ask yourself, looking at today’s conflicts across the world, is it more likely that that number grows or reduces?" he continued. "I suspect we all know the answer: It’s likely to grow, so 2024 must mark an inflection point."

Shapps highlighted various major defense advancements the U.K. has contributed throughout the years, including radar and jet-engines, among others. He argued that the British spirit for invention and innovation remains strong, but that the creative powers of the nation must redirect themselves toward defensive pursuits once more. 

Shapps replaced Ben Wallace during a major cabinet reshuffle that saw British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak bring one of his predecessors, David Cameron, back into the political fold after a period of self-imposed exile. 

US, SOUTH KOREA AND JAPAN IN MASSIVE NAVAL DRILL IN SHOW OF STRENGTH AGAINST NORTH KOREA

Wallace, a former soldier and one of the most ardent supporters of Ukraine during the Russian invasion, resigned from his post and declared he would not seek re-election in the next general election, which will occur sometime in 2024. 

Some speculated that Wallace vacated the role after failing in his bid for NATO's presidency, which fell apart when the United States indicated a preference to keep Jens Stoltenberg in the role. The disagreement proved one of the few truly contentious points between steadfast allies. 

Shapps previously held the role of secretary of state for energy security and net zero for just seven months before taking over as defense secretary. He held several previous roles, including chairman of the Conservative Party from 2012 to 2015 before taking appointments in several cabinets, culminating in his current – and most high-profile – role. 

Now, Shapps has adopted a bleak view of the international security landscape following the outbreak of war in the Middle East and the threat of further escalation, largely backed by Iran and motivated by its various proxy groups across the region, including (most directly) Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen. 

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The U.S. and its allies, including the U.K., retaliated against the Houthis for their raids on international shipping routes, which the Houthis claimed as retaliation for Israel’s operations in the Gaza Strip – another domino in an already fragile chain in the region. 

Shapps directly addressed the conflict, praising the "brilliant" Royal Navy for defending itself and the shipping lanes from "the intolerable and growing number of Houthi attacks." 

"Earlier this month the world sent a very clear message to the Iranian-backed Houthis: End your illegal and unjustified actions. Stop risking innocent lives. Cease threatening the global economy," Shapps stressed.

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"We could not have been clearer with our warnings, which they chose to ignore," he said, referring to the Houthis, adding that the "decisive" response in the Red Sea would serve as "a direct blueprint for how the U.K. must continue to lead in the future." 

The crown prince and crown princess of Albania have announced they are divorcing after seven years of marriage. 

Crown Prince Leka II, 41, and Crown Princess Elia, 40, announced the split via a statement that was posted on the crown prince’s Instagram page. Albania, which has a population of around 2.8 million people, is located to the east of Italy on the southeastern part of Europe’s Balkan Peninsula.

The European royals, who wed in a lavish ceremony in 2016 attended by a host of major monarchs, share a 3-year-old daughter together, Princess Geraldine. 

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"Hello friends and lovers," the statement reads, having been translated into English from Albanian.

"Through this post, I officially inform you that LTM Prince Leka and Elia Zharaia [Crown Princess Elia] have agreed to end their marriage. Since marriage has lost its function, they have decided to resolve it with mutual consent by starting the necessary legal procedures."

The statement added that the well-being of Princess Geraldine will "remain at the center of their attention, dedicated to ensuring a happy and safe life."

"Regardless of the commitment to the institution of the family, LTM Leka believes that the values ​​of mutual respect and understanding will form the basis of the relationship in its continuity, which will have as its motive the growth and education of LSM Princess Geraldine!" the post concluded. 

It is unclear what led to the split. 

ALBANIA HOLDS FUNERAL FOR SELF-STYLED KING LEKA I

Prince Leka is the grandson of former King Zog I of Albania, who was the leader of Albania from 1922 until 1939, when he was deposed when Italy invaded Albania ahead of World War 2. Benito Mussolini declared Albania an Italian protectorate and forced Zog into exile. 

Crown Princess Elia is a former actress and singer.

They named their daughter after the prince’s late grandmother, Queen Geraldine. Leka's mother was Australian-born Crown Princess Susan, who hailed from Sydney before meeting Zog’s son, King Leka, at a dinner party in 1975, according to Sky News. 

The Albanian royal family is known as the House of Zogu.

Leka was head of the family from 1961 until his death in 2011 when he was succeded by Leka II.

The crown prince and princess are not technically linked to the current government of Albania, a republic since 1946. However, Leka has worked with the Albanian government in foreign diplomacy, according to Sky News. His 2016 wedding was studded with royals, including Queen Sofia of Spain and Queen Elizabeth II’s cousin Prince Michael of Kent.

Tambor Lyngdoh made his way through the fern-covered woodland — naming plants, trees, flowers, even stones — as if he were paying older family members a visit.

The community leader and entrepreneur was a little boy when his uncle brought him here and said these words: "This forest is your mother."

This sacred space is in the village of Mawphlang, nestled in the verdant Khasi Hills in the northeast Indian state of Meghalaya, whose name means "abode of clouds." On an overcast day, the forest, a bumpy 15-mile drive from the state capital of Shillong, was tranquil but for the sound of crickets chirping and raindrops rustling the bright green foliage.

INDIA’S RELIGIOUS DIVIDE CONTINUES TO WIDEN BETWEEN MUSLIM, HINDU COMMUNITY

The ground, carpeted by dead leaves and green saplings, was peppered with moss-covered sacred stones, which for centuries have served as sacrificial altars and recipients of chants, songs and prayers.

Mawphlang is one of more than 125 sacred forests in Meghalaya, and arguably the most famous one. These forests are ancient, virgin woodlands that have been protected by Indigenous communities for many centuries; comparable tracts have been documented in other parts of India and around the globe, from Nigeria and Ethiopia to Turkey, Syria and Japan.

In Meghalaya, these forests represent an ancient tradition of environmental conservation, rooted in Indigenous religious beliefs and culture. For hundreds of years, people have come to sacred groves to offer prayers and animal sacrifice to the deities they believe reside there. Any form of desecration is taboo; in most forests, even plucking a flower or leaf is prohibited.

"Here, communication between man and God takes place," said Lyngdoh, a descendant of the priestly clan which sanctified the Mawphlang forest. "Our forefathers set aside these groves and forests to signify the harmony between man and nature."

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Many of these forests are primary sources of water for surrounding villages. They are also treasure troves of biodiversity. Lyngdoh counts at least four species of trees and three types of orchids that are extinct outside of the Mawphlang sacred grove.

Today, climate change, pollution and deforestation threaten these spaces. They have also been affected by the Indigenous population’s conversion to Christianity, which began in 19th century under British rule. Christian converts lost their spiritual connection to the forests and lore, said H.H. Morhmen, an environmentalist and retired Unitarian minister. Meghalaya is 75% Christian in a country that is almost 80% Hindu.

"They viewed their new religion as the light and these rituals as darkness, as pagan or even evil," he said.

In recent years, environmentalists working with Indigenous and Christian communities as well as government agencies have helped spread the message about why the forests, invaluable to the region’s ecosystem and biodiversity, must be tended. Morhmen said that work is bearing fruit in rural communities.

"We’re now finding that even in places where people have converted to Christianity, they are taking care of the forests," Mohrmen said.

Mustem village in Jaintia Hills is one example. Heimonmi Shylla, headman of the hamlet with about 500 households and a deacon, says almost all residents are Presbyterian, Catholic or members of the Church of God.

"I don’t consider the forest holy," he said. "But I have great reverence for it."

It serves as the village’s source of drinking water and is a sanctuary for fish.

"When the weather gets really warm, the forest keeps us cool," he said. "When you breathe in that fresh air, your mind becomes fresh."

Shylla worries about climate change and insufficient rain, but he said there are plans to promote tourism and "make the forest greener" by planting more trees.

Petros Pyrtuh takes his 6-year-old son, Bari Kupar, to a sacred forest near his village, also in Jaintia Hills. He is Christian, but said the forest is an important part of his life; he hopes his son will learn to respect it.

"In our generation, we don’t believe it is the dwelling place of the gods," he said. "But we continue with the tradition of protecting the forest because our ancestors have told us not to defile the forest."

B.K. Tiwari, a retired professor of environmental science from North Eastern Hill University in Shillong, is heartened to see that conversion to Christianity has not disconnected the people entirely from the land.

"In the Indigenous religion everything is sacred — animals, plants, trees, rivers," said Tiwari, who has studied the biological and cultural diversity of Meghalaya’s sacred forests. "Now, they may not feel any connection with the divine or spiritual, but as a culture, they understand their roles as the custodians."

Donbok Buam, a native of Jaintia Hills who still practices the Indigenous faith, explained that in his village’s sacred forest, rituals are performed at the confluence of three rivers honoring the goddess Lechki, denizen of the forest and guardian of the village.

"If people have a problem or sickness or if women have trouble conceiving children, they go there and perform sacrifices," Buam said.

One of the rituals involves carrying river water before daybreak and offering it to the goddess at a specific location in the forest. The water is poured in gourds and placed alongside five betel nuts and five betel leaves — four for the rivers and one for the sacred forest. A white goat is sacrificed in honor of the forest deity, he said.

"We believe the goddess walks in the forest, even today," Buam said.

The Nongrum clan is one of three that cares for the Swer sacred forest near Cherrapunji, an area about 35 miles southwest of Shillong, which is among the wettest in the world. They follow the pantheistic Seng Khasi religion, which holds that God exists in everyone and everything. The forest is a temple where their deities reside, and rituals are performed to ward off war, famine and disease, said Knik Nongrum, president of the local committee that cares for the forest.

"When there is a healthy forest, there is prosperity in the village," he said, vowing that this forest will continue to thrive because his clan is determined to carry on the traditions established by their ancestors.

Like most sacred forests, this one is not easily accessible from the road. It is located up a steep hill whose terrain can become treacherous if hit by a downpour — as it frequently is. It is impossible to enter the forest without feeling the brush of twisted branches, breathing in the scent of flowers and herbs, and being showered by droplets of water shaken off leaves.

The part of the forest the people hold sacred is a leaf-covered plot surrounded by thick, tall trees.

Most of the rituals are performed only during turbulent times; the most recent tribulation was the global coronavirus pandemic. One particular ritual — the sacrifice of a bull — is done by the head priest once in his lifetime, a practice that gives him authority to perform other rites for his community.

Jiersingh Nongrum, 52, pointed to the sacrificial altar just outside the forest, which has a crater in the middle where the animal’s blood pools. He was 6 when he witnessed that once-in-a-lifetime sacrifice.

"It was such an intense experience," he said. "When I think about it today, it feels like a vision that I can’t even properly describe in words."

Some sacred forests also serve as ancestral burial sites, said Hamphrey Lyngdoh Ryntathiang, the chief caretaker of one such forest in Khasi Hills. He practices the Khasi faith and his wife is Christian.

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Each forest has its own set of rules and taboos. In this forest, people can take fruit from the trees, but are prohibited from burning anything, he said. In others, the fruit can be plucked from the tree, but must be eaten in the forest. Deities are believed to punish people for disturbances.

Lyngdoh from Mawphlang is Christian, but he participates in the forest rituals, invoking the deities believed to appear as a leopard and snake. He also sees the effects of climate change on forests in the area, and noted the invasive birds, fungi-infested trees and disappearing species.

In rural Meghalaya, the poorest people rely most on the land, said Lyngdoh, noting forests can be life-giving as well as economic engines, providing water and driving tourism.

"But above all, a sacred grove is set aside so we can continue to have what we have had from the time this world was created."

Two British brothers who broke into a Geneva museum and stole millions of dollars worth of Chinese Ming Dynasty artifacts were sentenced to prison in Switzerland, police said Wednesday.

The Metropolitan Police said Louis and Stewart Ahearne were each sentenced Tuesday to 3 1/2 years in a Swiss prison following an investigation by U.K. and Swiss authorities.

Police said two Ming Dynasty vases and a cup were stolen in 2019 from the Museum of Far Eastern Arts in Geneva. The 15th-century artifacts were valued at around $3.8 million.

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Authorities shared DNA found at the scene on an international database which linked it to Stewart Ahearne, who was living in southeast London. He had hired a car ahead of the theft and used it to drive the stolen goods back to the U.K., police said.

Detectives posing as art buyers then arranged to meet the suspects in a London hotel to "buy" a vase for $570,000. The Ahearnes were arrested after the undercover operation and extradited to Switzerland, where they pleaded guilty on Monday.

"The Ahearne brothers meticulously planned this burglary, carrying out careful reconnaissance to ensure they could make a clean getaway and bring the items back to the U.K.," said detective chief inspector Matt Webb.

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Three other men involved in the attempted sale of one of the stolen vases were separately sentenced for possession of criminal property.

Police said a Ming Dynasty wine cup featuring paintings of chickens remains missing.

A shooting on the eastern Caribbean island of Trinidad left three people dead and five others wounded, police said Wednesday.

The violence occurred late Tuesday in the northwest town of Morvant when a van drove up to a group of men gathered outdoors and opened fire, police told reporters.

The conditions of the wounded weren't immediately known.

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 It wasn't immediately clear what led to the shooting, although police are investigating whether it was gang-related.

No arrests have been made.

POLICE INVESTIGATE SHOOTING SCENE AT CARIBBEAN FESTIVAL

At least 27 killings have been reported so far this year on the island of around 1.5 million people, according to local media reports.

The Russian government will be offering citizens living in the United States a chance to vote in the upcoming presidential elections. 

Russian officials announced Wednesday that polling stations will be opened at consulates in the U.S. during the March election.

"In the U.S., we plan to open three polling stations: in our embassy in Washington, as well as our consulates in New York and in Houston," said Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov, according to Agence France-Presse.

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Moscow previously expressed hesitancy toward opening polling locations overseas in "unfriendly" countries.

"We are asking countries to ensure security," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova previously said.

President Vladimir Putin submitted his nomination papers to the Central Election Commission last month for the March 17 election, which he is widely expected to win. The former intelligence officer continues to hold overwhelming political power in Russia's government and institutions. 

LEAKED GERMAN DOCUMENTS SHOW LEADERS ARE PREPARING SHOULD RUSSIA LAUNCH WORLD WAR 3: REPORTS

Liberal Democratic Party candidate Leonid Slutsky and New People Party candidate Vladislav Davankov were approved for the March election by official earlier this month. 

Danankov currently serves as the deputy speaker for the state Duma — Russia's lower legislative chamber. Slutsky is the head of the state Duma's foreign affairs committee.

The Russian Communist Party has registered candidate Nikolai Kharitonov to stand in the election.

While ostensibly rivals for the nation's top executive position, communist Nikolai Kharitonov, nationalist Slutsky, and liberal-leaning Davankov are widely seen as mere token opposition by analysts.

Not all individuals seeking to run against Putin have been given clearance to stand for election.

Yekaterina Duntsova — an independent politician who wanted to run on a platform to end the war with Ukraine — had her candidacy application unanimously rejected by the country’s electoral commission on Saturday, which cited "numerous violations" in the papers she had submitted.

The United States, South Korea and Japan conducted perhaps their biggest-ever combined naval exercises in a show of strength against nuclear-armed North Korea, South Korea’s military said Wednesday. The three allies’ senior diplomats were to meet in Seoul to discuss the worsening standoff with Pyongyang.

The training in waters off South Korea’s Jeju island, which involved an American aircraft carrier, was aimed at sharpening the countries’ combined deterrence and response capabilities against North Korean nuclear, missile and underwater threats, and also training for preventing illicit maritime transports of weapons of mass destruction, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. It didn’t specify whether the training reflected concerns about North Korea’s alleged arms transfers to Russia to help that country’s war in Ukraine.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been on a provocative run of weapons testing and threats that raised regional tensions to their highest point in years.

KIM JONG UN MOVES TO MODIFY NORTH KOREAN CONSTITUTION, WRITE IN SOUTH KOREA AS ‘NO. 1 ENEMY’

On Monday at Pyongyang’s rubber-stamp parliament, Kim declared that North Korea would abandon its long-standing commitment to a peaceful unification with South Korea and ordered a rewriting of North’s constitution to eliminate the idea of a shared statehood between the war-divided countries. He said South Koreans were "top-class stooges" of America who were obsessed with confrontation, and repeated a threat that the North would annihilate the South with its nukes if provoked.

Kim’s speech came a day after the North conducted its first ballistic test of 2024, which state media described as a new solid-fuel, intermediate-range missile tipped with a hypersonic warhead, reflecting its push to advance its lineup of weapons targeting U.S. military bases in Guam and Japan.

In response to the North’s heightened testing activity, the United States and its Asian allies have been expanding their combined military exercises. Kim condemns the demonstrations as invasion rehearsals, and the drills increasingly feature major U.S. military assets, including aircraft carriers, long-range bombers and nuclear-capable submarines.

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Kim has also been strengthening his regional footing by boosting the visibility of his ties with Russia and China — two neighbors that are also locked in confrontations with the United States — as he attempts to break out of isolation and join a united front against Washington.

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui traveled to Moscow, where she met Tuesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin for talks on improving bilateral relations amid growing international concern about alleged arms cooperation between the countries.

The North’s official Korean Central News Agency said Choe in a separate meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had unspecified discussions on intensifying their countries' "joint action over the regional and international issues including the situation in the Korean Peninsula."

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the trilateral naval drills — a three-day program that concluded Wednesday — involved nine warships, including U.S. aircraft carrier Carl Vinson and Aegis destroyers from South Korea and Japan. The drills usually involve around five vessels. South Korea’s military did not immediately confirm media assessments that the exercise was the country’s largest trilateral naval drill.

In Seoul, South Korean nuclear envoy Kim Gunn met Wednesday with Japanese counterpart Hiroyuki Namazu ahead of a trilateral meeting planned for Thursday with U.S. President Joe Biden’s deputy special representative for North Korea, Jung Pak, to coordinate their response to the North. Kim and Namazu discussed the North Korean leader’s latest comments toward the South and the North’s recent military actions, including Sunday’s missile test and its recent artillery firings near a disputed sea boundary with the South, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said.

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"The two sides regretted North Korea’s aggressive rhetoric that misrepresents the cause of rising regional tensions and threatens war, and agreed that such actions will only strengthen trilateral security cooperation" with Washington, the South Korean ministry said in a statement.

The envoys also discussed Choe’s visit to Russia and vowed to coordinate a "stern and unified" international response to any illicit military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang, the ministry said, including the alleged transfers of North Korean missiles to Russia.

The U.S. and South Korean governments have claimed that North Korea has been providing Russia with arms supplies, including artillery and missiles, to help prolong its invasion of Ukraine. Both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied the accusation.

While expanding his country’s military cooperation with Washington and Tokyo, conservative South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has also been seeking stronger reassurances from Washington that it would swiftly and decisively use its nuclear capabilities to defend its ally in the event of a North Korean nuclear attack.

An explosion at a fireworks factory in central Thailand killed at least 23 people on Wednesday, according to provincial officials.

The death toll was announced by authorities with Suphan Buri province, where the blast occurred in mid-afternoon. The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said officials were working to secure the site and help affected people.

The cause of the explosion is being investigated. The blast came less than a month before Chinese New Year in February, when demand for fireworks is strong.

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Rescue workers at the scene said no survivors had been found. None were mentioned by provincial authorities, contradicting the department's statement that wounded people had been recovered.

Suphan Buri is about 60 miles northwest of Bangkok, in the heart of Thailand’s central rice-growing region.

The office of Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, who is in Switzerland for the World Economic Forum, distributed a video showing him being told over the phone by the regional police commander that there were 20 to 30 workers at the factory at the time of the explosion and that none of them could be found.

Kritsada Manee-In, a rescue worker with the Samerkun Suphan Buri Rescue Foundation, who earlier estimated that around 15 to 17 people had been killed, said an exact count was difficult because the bodies were in pieces.

THAILAND NIGHTCLUB FIRE LEAVES AT LEAST 13 DEAD, DOZENS INJURED

Photos posted on social media showed a thick plume of black smoke over the scene. Photos posted online by local rescue workers showed the factory site virtually leveled flat.

National police chief Torsak Sukvimol confirmed local news reports that there had been another explosion at the factory in November 2022 that killed one worker and seriously injured three others.

He said police would pursue legal action for any wrongdoing involved.

In July last year, a large explosion at a fireworks warehouse in southern Thailand killed at least 10 people and wounded more than 100, according to officials.

That explosion in Narathiwat province was in a residential area and damaged about 100 houses within a 1,640-foot radius, according to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.

The Narathiwat governor said that blast was likely ignited by construction work in the warehouse, with sparks from metal welding causing the fireworks stored inside to catch fire and explode.