World News
Slovaks turn out in droves to protest Fico government's penal code overhaul
Thousands of people took to the streets of major cities in Slovakia on Thursday to renew their protests against plans by the new government of populist Prime Minister Robert Fico to amend the country’s penal code.
The changes proposed by the three-party coalition government include abolishing the special prosecutors’ office, which handles serious crimes such as graft, organized crime and extremism.
Those cases would be taken over by prosecutors in regional offices, which haven’t dealt with such crimes for 20 years.
PROTESTS RAGE ON OVER SLOVAK GOVERNMENT'S PLAN TO AMEND PENAL CODE
About 20,000 protesters condemned the plan at a central square in Bratislava, according to police cited by local media.
Michal Šimečka, head of the liberal Progressive Slovakia, the strongest opposition party, was one of them.
"You're making the same mistake as any other unsuccessful dictator," Šimečka said in a message to Fico.
"You underestimate the desire of people for freedom and justice," Šimečka said.
"Mafia, mafia," and "We've had enough of Fico," the crowd repeatedly chanted.
The legislation approved by Fico’s government needs parliamentary and presidential approval. The three-party coalition has a majority to override an expected veto by President Zuzuana Čaputová.
Čaputová said she was also willing to use a constitutional challenge to the legislation. It’s unclear how the Constitutional Court might rule.
Fico returned to power for the fourth time after his scandal-tainted leftist party won Slovakia’s Sept. 30 parliamentary election on a pro-Russia and anti-American platform.
His critics worry that his return could lead Slovakia to abandon its pro-Western course and instead follow the direction of Hungary under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Since Fico’s government came to power, some elite investigators and police officials who deal with top corruption cases have been dismissed or furloughed. The planned changes in the legal system also include a reduction in punishments for corruption.
Under the previous government, which came to power in 2020 after campaigning on an anti-corruption ticket, dozens of senior officials, police officers, judges, prosecutors, politicians and businesspeople linked to Fico’s party have been charged and convicted of corruption and other crimes.
From the first relatively small protest of several hundred on Dec. 7 in Bratislava, the anti-government rallies have spread to 19 towns and cities.
US-UK coalition strike Iran-backed Houthi targets in Yemen after spate of ship attacks in Red Sea
The United States and Britain carried out a series of air strikes on military locations belonging to Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen early Friday in response to the militant group's ongoing attacks on vessels traveling through the Red Sea.
Fox News is told there were attacks on more than a dozen Houthi targets by air, surface, and subsurface platforms. The attacks were carried out with support from Australia, the Netherlands, Bahrain, and Canada. A U.S. defense official says the U.K. contributed aircraft.
The strikes came shortly after the White House called a lid on President Biden's engagements for the evening as he was not expected to discuss the matter publicly. It also follows news that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had not notified the president or other officials of his whereabouts for several days while he was in the ICU at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
In anticipation of the attack, Houthi forces transported some weapons and equipment and fortified others, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing a U.S. defense official. Local reports indicated Houthi militants were evacuating the Red Sea city of Hodeidah.
The group's leader, Abdel-Malek al-Houthi vowed in a televised speech earlier Thursday that any U.S. attack on Yemen's Houthis would not go without a response. He said any such response would be bigger than the recent strike in which its drones and missiles targeted a U.S. ship in the Red Sea.
"Any American attack will not remain without a response. The response will be greater than the attack that was carried out with twenty drones and a number of missiles," he said.
TIME FOR PRESIDENT BIDEN TO FOLLOW ‘THE GIPPER’ AND INVOKE THE REAGAN DOCTRINE AGAINST IRAN
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak briefed his cabinet of ministers late Thursday on the imminent military intervention.
British media also reported that other political figures, including the leader of Britain's opposition Labour Party, Keir Starmer, as well as the speaker of the House of Commons, had been briefed by the government.
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby called on the Houthis earlier Thursday to "stop these attacks," saying that the terrorist group would "bear the consequences for any failure to do so."
The joint strike came after Iranian forces seized an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman early Thursday morning. The seized vessel was in transit to Turkey when the Iranian naval forces boarded and seized the vessel, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters.
"The key for military action in Yemen is to respond in a way that does not lead to a never-ending tit-for-tat. That has been the administration’s approach in Syria and Iraq, and it has failed," said Richard Goldberg, a Senior Adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and a former National Security Council official told Fox News Digital in a statement.
"The president needs to fundamentally change the calculus for Iran and its proxies. Has President Biden ordered the Houthis to be re-listed as a foreign terrorist organization? President Biden ordered the $10 billion for Iran to be frozen? Will any IRGC targets in Yemen, or Iran's intelligence cargo ship be targeted? These are all relevant questions that help inform what the policy is and whether deterrence will actually be restored."
UN TEACHERS CELEBRATED OCT. 7 ATTACK, PRAISED HAMAS TERRORISTS AS ‘HEROES’ ON TELEGRAM: WATCHDOG
Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi militants have stepped up attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea in recent weeks in protest against Israel's war in Gaza. Various shipping lines have suspended operations, instead taking the longer journey around Africa.
Fourteen countries, including the U.S., issued a joint statement last week saying: "The Houthis will bear the responsibility for the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy, or the free flow of commerce in the region's critical waterways."
The U.S. military said the Houthis earlier on Thursday had staged their 27th attack on shipping since Nov. 19, firing an anti-ship ballistic missile into international shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden.
Earlier this week, U.S. and British naval forces shot down drones and missiles fired by the Houthis toward the southern Red Sea after the Royal Navy warship HMS Diamond was attacked.
The Houthis, who seized much of Yemen in a civil war, have vowed to attack ships linked to Israel or bound for Israeli ports. However, many of the targeted ships have had no links to Israel.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Guyana has not requested US to build military base in country amid Venezuelan aggression, AG says
Guyana's Attorney General Anil Nandlall said Thursday that Guyana’s government has reassured neighboring Venezuela there is no plan for the U.S. to establish a military base in the South American country and that it has not made a formal request for one.
Nandlall spoke to The Associated Press days after Daniel P. Erikson, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Western Hemisphere, visited Guyana and one day after Guyanese officials announced they were seeking help from the U.S. to improve its defense capabilities.
Nandlall and other officials in Guyana have sought to temper tensions with Venezuela over a disputed region known as Essequibo rich in oil and minerals that represents two-thirds of Guyana and that Venezuela claims as its own.
GUYANA SEEKS US ASSISTANCE TO STRENGTHEN DEFENSE AGAINST POTENTIAL VENEZUELA THREAT
"We have not been approached by the United States to establish a military base in Guyana," said Guyanese Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, adding that the government does not conduct public policy at press conferences.
Erikson visited just weeks after a long-standing dispute over Guyana’s Essequibo region deepened, with Venezuela holding a referendum in December to claim sovereignty over the area.
Nandlall told the AP that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro remains "convinced that Guyana could host" a U.S. military base. He said Maduro raised the issue when he attended an emergency mediation meeting in St. Vincent last month to talk about the territorial dispute with Guyanese President Irfaan Ali.
"(Ali) reiterated that this is not so, but we will encourage cooperation with our allies in defense of our territorial integrity and sovereignty," Nandlall said.
Guyana and Venezuela have agreed to refrain from using force, but the dispute continues, with Venezuela insisting that Essequibo was part of its territory during the Spanish colonial period, and that a 1966 agreement nullified a border drawn in 1899 by international arbitrators.
Rome unveils archaeological park and museum near Colosseum
Rome authorities on Thursday inaugurated a new archaeological park and museum in the shadow of the Colosseum that features an original marble map of Ancient Rome that visitors can literally walk over.
The opening of the Archaeological Park of the Celio and the new Museum of the Forma Urbis is part of a bigger project to develop the hilly area around the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill and Colosseum that is home to ruins of ancient temples and gymnasiums.
Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri was on hand Thursday to open the new archaeological garden and museum and walked across the map fragments – now preserved under glass -- of the famous Forma Urbis Romae.
The gigantic marble plan of Ancient Rome, which originally measured about 18 meters by 13 meters was engraved between 203 and 211 A.D. under Emperor Septimius Severus and was originally displayed on a wall of the Roman Forum.
"We decided to place it horizontally to give the chance to have the feeling to walk in the ancient city of Rome," said Claudio Parisi Presicce, Rome cultural heritage superintendent.
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Only about a tenth of the map remains; it was last shown publicly around a century ago.
Visitors can enter the park free of charge every day, while the museum is open every day but Monday for a $10 fee.
Vatican announces plans to restore Bernini's canopy in St. Peter's Basilica
The Vatican on Thursday unveiled plans for a yearlong restoration of the monumental baldacchino, or canopy, over the main altar of St. Peter’s Basilica, pledging to complete the work on Bernini’s masterpiece before Pope Francis’ big 2025 Jubilee.
The price tag? About $770,000.
The restoration and conservation project, funded entirely by the Knights of Columbus and using the expertise of Vatican Museums’ restorers, marks the first comprehensive work on the 10-story tall baldacchino in 250 years.
VATICAN REVIVES ARTISAN ACADEMY IN ST. PETER'S BASILICA
The structure, which is positioned over the basilica’s main altar to provide a ceremonial covering for the tomb of St. Peter underneath, dates from the 1620s-1630s, when Pope Urban VIII commissioned Gian Lorenzo Bernini to create a canopy for the apostles’ tomb.
The baldacchino is considered one of the most complicated multi-material art works of all time, with its marble, bronze, wood, gold, and iron. It eventually involved numerous other artists and craftsmen, including the master architect of the period, Francesco Borromini.
The canopy's four massive twisting columns, featuring gilded cherubs and laurel branches, were inspired by the marble columns that surrounded St. Peter’s tomb in the ancient basilica, which stood on the site of today’s St. Peter’s, the biggest church in the world.
Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, who is in charge of the basilica, unveiled the restoration project at a news conference on Thursday. He said that the works, including a massive scaffolding to cover the 29-meter high canopy, would allow all liturgical celebrations to continue throughout the year, and would be completed by December.
Pietro Zander, in charge of the artistic patrimony of the basilica, said the restoration mostly involves a systematic cleaning of the dust-and-grime covered structure. That's no easy task given it features at its height four, 2.5-ton statues of angels, perched atop the 9 ton-columns.
Other work is aimed at conservation amid evidence that some pieces are coming apart. In addition, some of the materials have suffered centuries of degradation from changes in temperature and humidity thanks to the 50,000 people who pass through the basilica on any given day, changing its microclimate, he said.
"A prerequisite for planning the work is in fact the knowledge that we are dealing with a giant," Zander said. "A giant of art of all time, but even before that, a giant in form and size."
Pope Francis is to inaugurate a Jubilee year by opening the basilica’s Holy Door at the beginning of 2025.
Former Guatemalan interior minister arrested for not forcibly removing protesters
Guatemalan police on Thursday arrested the country's former interior minister for allegedly not carrying out his duties when he opted for dialogue with protesters rather than using force to remove them as a court had ordered.
Police arrested Napoléon Barrientos at his home, leading him out in handcuffs and a bulletproof vest. Barrientos told reporters he didn’t know why he was being arrested.
GUATEMALA'S FORMER PRESIDENT RELEASED ON BOND; LEAVES PRISON FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2015
The Attorney General’s Office said in a message to the press that Barrientos hadn’t complied with a court order to maintain public order.
Barrientos resigned in October, after weeks of nationwide protests aimed at forcing the resignation of Attorney General Consuelo Porras. The protests were in response to Porras’ persecution of President-elect Bernardo Arévalo, his party and electoral officials.
The retired brigadier general had said publicly that he preferred to seek dialogue with the protesters. Porras had called for the immediate removal of roadblocks, with force if necessary. Hours before Barrientos resigned, she had called for him to be fired for not following a court order to clear them.
The stunning turn of events for a former cabinet minister comes just days before Arévalo is scheduled to be sworn in as Guatemala’s next president.
Porras’ office has a number of open investigations against Arévalo and his party that outside observers have criticized as politically motivated.
UN teachers celebrated Oct. 7 attack, praised Hamas terrorists as ‘heroes’ on Telegram: watchdog
A Telegram channel used by more than 3,000 teachers for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Gaza was found replete with posts celebrating Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, praising the terrorists who raped and murdered civilians as "heroes."
The Telegram channel is intended for UNRWA teachers and contains files with staff names, ID numbers, schedules, and curriculum materials, according to UN Watch, which highlighted the troubling messages in a Wednesday report.
Users on the channel glorified the "education" the terrorists received, shared photos of dead or captured Israelis and urged the execution of hostages – in some cases, minutes after the attack began.
Users also regularly share videos, photos, and messages inciting "Jihadi terrorism" and openly celebrate the massacre and rape of civilians by Hamas terrorists, the report alleged.
TOP BIDEN ADVISER VISITS BEIRUT AS ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH NEAR ALL-OUT WAR
In one post highlighted in the report, UNRWA teacher Waseem Ula shared a video glorifying the Hamas attacks and posted a photo of a suicide bomb vest wired with explosives.
The caption read: "Wait, sons of Judaism."
He was also alleged to have glorified one of the perpetrators of the Oct. 7 attack as a "friend" and "brother" whom he prayed to Allah to "admit him to paradise without judgment."
"This is the motherlode of UNRWA teachers’ incitement to Jihadi terrorism," said Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, the Geneva-based organization that monitors the UN.
Fox News Digital has reached out to UNRWA for a response to UN Watch’s report.
This is not the first time troubling reports regarding the UNRWA have emerged since the Oct. 7 attack.
FETTERMAN BLASTS SOUTH AFRICA ‘GENOCIDE’ CASE AGAINST ISRAEL AMID SLAYINGS OF WHITE FARMERS
The U.K.-based Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-se) issued a 123-page report in November accusing UNRWA teachers of having "publicly celebrated the October 7 massacre and other Hamas attacks on their social media accounts."
The Trump administration cut ties with UNRWA in 2018, with the State Department calling the organization an "irredeemably flawed operation."
However, President Biden reestablished the relationship in June 2021, pumping an estimated $1 billion of taxpayer money into the organization since then.
Hamas terrorists killed 1,200 people – mostly civilians – and took 240 hostages when it stormed into Israel’s borders on Oct. 7. In the weeks since then, Israel has waged an all-out assault on Gaza with the express aim of destroying the terrorist group’s military capabilities.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says more than 23,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in the offensive, though Israel has disputed these figures.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Gambia's soccer team makes emergency landing after plane loses oxygen
A plane carrying Gambia's national soccer team made an emergency landing after a sudden loss of oxygen during their flight to compete in the Africa Cup of Nations tournament.
A chartered flight Wednesday carrying the "Scorpions" returned to Gambia's capital Banjul after being airborne for nine minutes when the crew realized there were technical problems, Gambia's Football Federation said in a statement on Facebook.
"Upon landing, preliminary investigations indicated that there was loss of cabin pressure and oxygen," the federation said.
UNITED, ALASKA AIRLINES FIND LOOSE BOLTS ON SOME JETS AFTER BOEING GROUNDING
The operating company for the flight, Air Cote d’Ivoire, is further assessing the situation to establish what caused the lack of oxygen and cabin pressure, it said.
The players were on their way to compete in the Africa Cup in Ivory Coast, which begins Saturday. This is the 34th edition of the biennial tournament, which was supposed to be played in June and July last year but was postponed to avoid Ivory Coast’s tropical rainy season.
Gambia's Belgian coach, Tom Saintfiet, who was on the plane told local Belgian network VRT that the team narrowly escaped death.
"We were all getting carbon monoxide poisoning. Some players also did not wake up immediately after landing," he said.
In a post on Instagram, Gambia player Saidy Janko said the lack of oxygen left people with strong headaches and extreme dizziness, with people falling asleep minutes after takeoff.
The team is expected to take another flight to Ivory Coast on Thursday afternoon and travel to the city of Yamoussoukro where some of the games are taking place, the federation said.
Ecuador sees rise in violence as bomb threat evacuates busy capital area
A bomb threat sent an anti-explosives unit scrambling into a bustling area of Ecuador's tense capital Thursday while authorities in a western city responded to a nightclub arson that killed two people, as the South American country staggers under a spike in violence.
Police in the capital, Quito, said they were forced to evacuate people from the area surrounding the Playón de la Marín bus station when they were alerted about a backpack with an alleged explosive placed in a garbage can.
The backpack turned out to not have any explosives, authorities said, but it followed five similar incidents in the capital Wednesday with actual explosives. Explosives packed in two vehicles, at a pedestrian bridge and near a prison, caused minor damage but no deaths or injuries.
Meanwhile, authorities told reporters that unknown suspects set fire to a nightclub in the Amazon city of Coca, which killed at least two people and injured nine others. The blaze also spread to 11 nearby stores, officials said. The investigation is ongoing.
Ecuador is the grips of a crime wave blamed on drug trafficking gangs, and President Daniel Noboa declared an emergency and a virtual war on the gangs earlier in the week. Ecuadoreans worry that violence will only escalate in a country where a presidential candidate was assassinated last year.
Gang members in prisons throughout the country have taken corrections personnel hostage since Sunday, when the leader of one of the country’s most powerful drug gangs vanished from prison.
ECUADOR LAUNCHES MANHUNT AFTER 'MOST-WANTED PRISONER' VANISHES
On Thursday, inmates managed to increase to 178 the number of corrections personnel they are holding hostage, according to the prisons agency.
A union that represents prison employees has asked officials to guarantee the "physical and psychological integrity" of the hostages.
Putin critic Sergei Udaltsov arrested charged with 'justifying terrorism'
A prominent Russian left-wing activist who has for years criticized President Vladimir Putin has been arrested and charged with "justifying terrorism" on social media.
Sergei Udaltsov, a supporter of the Russia-Ukraine war and the leader of the Left Front, a coalition of Russian left-wing groups affiliated with Russia's Communist Party, wrote on Telegram earlier today that police broke down his front door and had a search warrant.
His lawyer, Violetta Volkova, told the Russian state news agency Tass that electronic devices were confiscated during the search. Volkova said that a criminal case was opened against Udaltsov for "justifying terrorism" and that he was taken away for questioning and remanded into custody.
RUSSIAN ANTI-WAR CANDIDATE BLOCKED FROM FACING PUTIN IN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
Volkova told Tass he likely will appear in court on Friday and that if he is charged and found guilty, he could face up to seven years in prison.
It is unclear which posts on social media led to Udaltsov’s arrest.
Udaltsov, a leather-clad, shaven-headed leader, has been a vocal participant in anti-Kremlin demonstrations dating back to mass rallies held in 2012, according to the Moscow Times.
In 2014, he was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison for organizing protests that resulted in clashes with police on the eve of President Vladimir Putin’s 2012 inauguration. He was released in August 2017 after going on hunger strike.
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Most recently, Udaltsov was given 40 hours of compulsory labor for violating procedures relating to organizing a rally on Red Square in Moscow where he tried to unfurl a flag with the image of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin on Red Square, according to Tass.
Udaltsov was briefly allied with now-imprisoned opposition politician Alexei Navalny, who has stood as the most significant opposition to President Vladimir Putin in recent years. They claimed voter fraud helped Putin with the 2012 presidential election.
Multiple activists, lawyers and opposition figures have been detained and jailed in Russia since the invasion of Ukraine while there has also been a spate of mysterious deaths.
However, Udaltsov’s apprehension is noteworthy, given that he has supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. His wife Anastasia serves as a communist member of Russia's parliament.
Poland's president begins process to pardon 2 convicted politicians
Poland's president said Thursday that he has started the process to once again pardon two politicians who were arrested earlier this week amid a bitter standoff between the new government and its national conservative predecessor.
The development came as tens of thousands of people with anti-government banners and Polish flags gathered for a protest in front of the parliament building in Warsaw. The demonstration was organized by the now opposition party Law and Justice, which held power for eight years until last month and is closely aligned with President Andrzej Duda.
Law and Justice, frustrated over its recent loss of power, urged its supporters to protest moves by the new pro-European Union government to take control of state media. It also said it was protesting the arrests Tuesday of the two senior party members who served in the Law and Justice government, former Interior Minister Mariusz Kamiński and his former deputy, Maciej Wąsik.
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Kamiński and Wąsik were convicted of abuse of power for actions taken in 2007, when they served in an earlier Law and Justice-led government. Duda pardoned them in 2015, though legal experts argued that the pardons weren't legal, because presidential pardons are reserved for cases that have gone through all appeals, which wasn't the case then.
In June, Poland’s Supreme Court overturned the pardons and ordered a retrial. Kamiński and Wąsik were convicted and sentenced in December to two years in prison. Police on Tuesday arrested them while they were at Duda's presidential palace, where they had received protection for much of the day.
Duda had long maintained that his first contentious pardons in 2015 were legal, and he didn't need to pardon them again. But on Thursday, he said he was initiating clemency proceedings for the two men at the request of their wives. This time, Duda appealed to the justice minister, who is also the prosecutor general, to approve their pardons and to release the two men from prison while the decision is being made.
His announcement came shortly before the protest organized by Law and Justice, which had governed since 2015 before losing October's parliamentary election. Now in the opposition, the party called it a protest of "Free Poles" in defense of democracy and free media, although during its time in power, Poland's international media freedom ranking fell significantly.
Emotions have been riding high over an escalating standoff between the current and the previous government.
Earlier on Thursday, a contentious chamber of the Supreme Court, still controlled by Law and Justice, ruled that the October election was valid. The election had a record nationwide turnout of more than 74% and gave power to a coalition of parties opposed to Law and Justice.
POLAND'S PRIME MINISTER APPOINTS NEW HEADS OF STATE SECURITY
The new government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk is set on reversing some policies of its populist predecessor, including ones that brought conflict with the EU, such as changes that put Poland's justice system under political control.
In one of its first steps, Tusk’s government moved to take control of state television, radio and news agency PAP, which Law and Justice turned into tools of aggressive propaganda against its critics and against Tusk personally.
Leaders of the former government maintain that Tusk's moves were illegal and have staged occupations of the media premises, saying they are defending free media and democratic norms. Commentators say Law and Justice wants to keep control of the nationwide broadcasters before local administration elections this spring.
The Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights in Warsaw said that the manner in which the new government has taken control of state media "raises serious legal doubts."
While in power, Law and Justice was repeatedly accused by law experts of violating Poland's legal order and the rule of law.
Pope hosts Marxist-Christian dialogue group at Vatican, praises cooperation 'promoting the common good'
Pope Francis praised cooperation between Marxists and Christians toward rooting out corruption and abuse of power during an audience at the Vatican.
The pontiff spoke Thursday to an audience representing DIALOP transversal Dialogue Project, a group that describes itself as fostering "the dialogue of good willing persons, with secular and religious backgrounds, especially between Socialist/Marxists and Christians."
"I am pleased to welcome you, the representatives of DIALOP, who for many years have been committed to promoting the common good through dialogue between Socialists/Marxists and Christians. A fine program!" said Pope Francis.
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During his remarks, the pontiff emphasized the importance of caring for the most vulnerable members of society and protecting against corruption and lawlessness.
"The measure of a civilization can be seen by how the most vulnerable are treated," Pope Francis said. "Let us not forget how the great dictatorships, we think of Nazism, discarded and killed those who were most vulnerable: the poor, the unemployed, the homeless, immigrants, the exploited, and all those whom the culture of waste turns into refuse. This is one of the most terrible things."
POLISH, UKRAINIAN BISHOPS JOIN GROWING COALITION AGAINST VATICAN'S SAME-SEX BLESSINGS DOCUMENT
The pope offered three attitudes to consider for promoting the common good across ideological groups, "the courage to break the mold, concern for the less fortunate and support for the rule of law."
"Beyond religious and ideological boundaries, Christians and Marxists, as well as people of good will recognise today that they are united in their commitment to the end of armed conflicts in the world and the security of the most basic human rights, in order to guarantee social equilibrium and peace for humanity," DIALOP said in a document regarding the meeting.
DIALOP was founded in 2014 to serve as an ongoing point of dialogue between European left-wing political groups and Christianity. It is a secular organization.
IDF reveals elaborate Hamas tunnel 'confirmed to have held Israeli hostages'
The Israel Defense Forces revealed Thursday what it described as an elaborate Hamas tunnel in Gaza that has been "confirmed to have held Israeli hostages."
Israel’s military said, "Millions of shekels are estimated to have been invested in excavating the tunnel" underneath the southern city of Khan Younis "and equipping it with air ventilation systems, electrical supply and plumbing."
One million Israeli shekels are worth about $267,000. The IDF wrote in a post on X that the tunnel was found to be "connected to an extensive network beneath a civilian area."
A video released by the IDF purportedly shows soldiers walking through the tunnel, which has electrical wires leading down multiple staircases. In one room, a toilet and plumbing can be seen.
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The IDF announced that "after exploring the tunnel it can be said that there were Israeli hostages in it," without elaborating.
Israel, as of early January, believes more than 130 hostages remain in captivity in the Gaza Strip since Hamas launched its war on Oct. 7.
Khan Younis is the hometown of Hamas’ Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar, one of the top targets of Israel’s military.
Israel has been publicly searching for Sinwar in southern Gaza for weeks, with reports suggesting he is somewhere in Hamas' labyrinth of tunnels beneath Khan Younis.
The IDF also said Thursday that fighting in Khan Younis is happening above and below ground.
"So far, over 300 tunnel shafts have been exposed and dozens of tunnels have been destroyed," it added.
Both Hamas and Israel are currently engaged in negotiations over a potential second round of hostage exchanges.
Hamas expressed interest in exchanging 40 Israeli hostages for 120 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons last week, but Israel rejected the deal.
Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
Iran seizes oil tanker linked to crisis between US and Tehran, military officials confirm
Iranian forces have seized an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, two U.S. military officials confirmed to Fox News on Thursday.
The seized vessel, previously known as the Suez Rajan, was once at the center of another dispute between the U.S. and Iran that ultimately saw the U.S. seize over 1 million barrels of Iranian crude oil. Armed Iranian soldiers reportedly boarded the vessel Thursday morning.
The U.S. and other Western navies have been combating attacks from Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen in the Red Sea for weeks, but Iran itself had not taken direct action beyond sending one of its naval vessels to the region. The Houthis had been a State Department designated foreign terrorist organization until February 2021, when the designation was revoked by the Biden administration.
The U.S. Navy has shot down numerous missiles and drones fired by Houthi rebels. U.S. Navy helicopters also fired on and sank multiple Houthi small boats as they attempted to hijack a trade vessel last month.
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Iran deployed the Alborz, an Alvand class destroyer, to the Red Sea on January 1. The vessel had been a part of the Iranian navy's 34th fleet, and patrolled the Gulf of Aden, the north of the Indian Ocean and the Bab Al-Mandab Strait as far back as 2015, according to Iran's Press TV.
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Iran's seizure comes just one day after the Houtis launched their largest attack to date on international shipping lanes in the southern Red Sea.
On Jan. 9, at approximately 9:15 p.m. local time, the Iranian-backed Houthis launched one-way attack UAVs (OWA UAVs), anti-ship cruise missiles, and an anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen towards international shipping lanes in the Southern Red Sea. It took place as dozens of merchant vessels were transiting.
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In a statement posted to X, U.S. Central Command said the United States military presence in the Red Sea was able to prevent any injuries or damage.
Nevertheless, multiple international shipping companies have diverted their vessels away from the Red Sea amid the ongoing attacks, leading to delays. Vessels must travel south around Africa if they do not sail through the Red Sea.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Zelenskyy rules out cease-fire, says Russia would 'crush us afterward'
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will not consider a cease-fire with Russia, claiming it would only help the invading military bolster its power.
Zelenskyy made the comments during a visit to Estonia meant to raise support for continued funding of the war effort.
"A pause on the Ukrainian battlefield will not mean a pause in the war," Zelenskyy said.
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"A pause would play into [Russia’s] hands," he added. "It might crush us afterward."
Estonian President Alar Karis showed intense support for Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian defensive effort, urging his country to continue aid.
"Ukraine needs more, it needs better weapons," Karis said.
ISRAEL, UKRAINE, AND AI AMONG EXPECTED DISCUSSION TOPICS AT THE UPCOMING WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM
He continued, "We must boost military production capabilities so that Ukraine may get what it needs. And it’s not tomorrow, they should get it today."
Zelenskyy argued on Wednesday that his forces can overcome Russia but require stronger air defense systems as he seeks help from the Baltic States, while the U.S. continues to stall on making stronger commitments to Kyiv.
Zelenskyy spoke in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius following talks with the country’s president, Gitanas Nauseda. He lamented the "lack of modern air defense systems" in Ukraine, stressing they are "what we need the most."
Countries that normally could provide such weapons face low stockpiles, Zelenskyy admitted. "Warehouses are empty, and there are many challenges to world defense."
The Biden administration in December announced it would provide $250 million worth of aid to Ukraine, marking the final distribution of stockpiled support that the U.S. can make without lawmakers' approval.
Congress has, meanwhile, dragged its feet on approving another multibillion-dollar national security supplemental package – initially requested in October.
Fox News Digital's Peter Aitken contributed to this report.
Right-wing party allegedly discussed deporting millions from Germany at meeting with Identitarian Movement
A meeting between one of Germany's rising right-wing political parties and a hard-line identitarian group is raising questions about their alleged discussion of deporting millions from the nation.
Investigative journalism group Correctiv published a report Wednesday on the meeting between the Alternative for Germany (AfD) political party and the Identitarian Movement in November.
At the meeting, Identitarian Movement member Martin Sellner allegedly presented a plan for "remigration" of immigrants out of Germany, including those who already have citizenship but have failed to integrate.
GERMAN POLITICIAN LAUNCHES NEW PARTY, POISED TO CHALLENGE RIGHT-WING OPPOSITION
AfD leader Alice Weidel did not attend the alleged meeting, but her personal assistant Roland Hartwig and a state leader were present.
AfD has confirmed the meeting, which was allegedly captured on hidden cameras, took place but rejected assertions that it reflects their party policy.
"The AfD won't change its position on immigration policy because of a single opinion at a non-AfD meeting," a spokesperson told news outlet Reuters.
'TOO MANY ARE COMING': GERMANY GRAPPLES WITH SOARING ASYLUM APPLICATIONS AS RECORDS SHOW 51% SURGE
Sellner also commented on the report, claiming he had no intention of distinguishing between German citizens or challenging their constitutional rights.
"I made very clear that no distinctions can be made between citizens — that there can be no second-class citizens — and that all remigration measures have to be legal," Sellner told the outlet.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned the AfD and Identarian Movement in a statement on social media, comparing them to the Third Reich.
"We protect everyone — regardless of origin, skin color or how uncomfortable someone is for fanatics with assimilation fantasies," said Scholz.
Mass-migration to Germany has become one of the most hotly contested issues in the country as its generous asylum and refugee policies have allowed millions to enter.
Scholz himself has stated that "too many are coming" in recent years as the nation's social systems are reaching critical levels under the strain of surging arrivals.
Sweden's defense ministry warning to brace for 'war' sends public into panic
Swedish defense officials’ warning to brace for war as the nation nears NATO membership has prompted some panic and caused supplies to fly off shelves, according to reports.
"For a nation for whom peace has been a pleasant companion for almost 210 years, the idea that it is an immoveable constant is conveniently close at hand," Swedish Civil Defense Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin said at Folk och Försvars, or "Society and Defense," annual national conference in Sälen on Sunday.
"But taking comfort in this conclusion has become more dangerous than it has been for a very long time," he said, according to a government transcript. "Many have said it before me, but let me do so in an official capacity, more plainly and with naked clarity: There could be war in Sweden."
The commander in chief of the Swedish armed forces, General Micael Byden, who visited the eastern front of Ukraine in December, also spoke to the conference on Sunday, warning all Swedes to prepare mentally for the possibility of war as their nation is just two steps short of NATO membership.
PUTIN PROMISES 'PROBLEMS' FOR FINLAND AFTER IT WAS 'DRAGGED INTO NATO'
"We must understand how serious this situation really is and that people, down to the individual level, are preparing themselves mentally," Bydén said, according to Euractiv.
Byden later told Aftonbladet newspaper that his intent, "is not to worry people; my ambition is to get more people to think about their own situation and their own responsibilities," according to the BBC. Neighboring Finland, a recent NATO addition, was warned by Russian officials last month it would be the "first to suffer" should relations further deteriorate.
Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson issued a similar warning on Monday, saying, "An armed attack against Sweden cannot be ruled out," GB News reported.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Saturday that Turkey’s parliament appears set to ratify Sweden’s NATO membership in the coming weeks, Reuters reported. It then would need Hungary’s approval. Sweden remained neutral in the Second World War and has not seen an armed conflict since its short war against Norway in 1814. On Sunday, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told the conference Sweden is on track to meet NATO’s target of spending 2% of GDP on military defense, doubling spending since 2020, the BBC reported.
The Swedish children's rights organization Bris reported an increased number of calls this week from youngsters concerned about of war after seeing posts on TikTok about the possibility.
"This was well prepared, it wasn't something blurted out," Bris spokeswoman Maja Dahl told the BBC. "They should have provided information meant for kids when they come out with this kind of information for grown-ups."
Speaking to Swedish TV, ex-prime minister Magdalena Andersson reportedly said that while the security situation was serious, "it is not as if war is just outside the door."
"People in Sweden are PANIC buying emergency supplies after the government and military warned that people have to be prepared for war," the user @amuse, an account dedicated to supporting independent journalists, claimed in a post to its nearly 290,000 followers on X.
Sweden’s Civil Defense Ministry said Monday, "the government is now equipping Sweden for previously unthinkable scenarios such as heightened preparedness and extreme war." "We are strengthening preparedness in several areas," the statement said. "As part of this, the government is now giving the Swedish Agency for Community Protection and Preparedness (MSB) and the National Board of Health and Welfare the task of carrying out a supply analysis regarding the need for and access to healthcare products that are needed for good care to be provided."
SWEDEN SIGNS DEFENSE PACT GRANTING US ACCESS TO ALL SCANDINAVIAN MILITARY BASES
Bohlin’s speech appealed to Swedes who work in emergency preparedness, municipal commissioners, employees and private citizens to take on the responsibility of "situational awareness" and preparedness and consider volunteering for defense organization.
Bohlin argued that Putin’s attack in 2014 unified the Ukrainian people and gave them notice to start preparing response and resistance before the 2022 full-scale invasion.
"The world is facing a security outlook with greater risks than at any time since the end of the Second World War. We stand with Ukraine, with our allies, and with the rules-based international order, and we do so in word and deed as an arsenal of democracy," the civil defense minister said. "All of this will demand more of us than before, and this begins with the realization that defending Sweden is a matter for all of us."
"It may sound dark and dystopian," he added. "But try to look at it the other way round. For the vast majority of us, our country is not a hotel room that we can take or leave; it isn’t a generic piece of land with which we feel no affinity. For the vast majority of us, this is our one and only true home."
At the conference, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed to Sweden to work with others to bolster weapons manufacturing to "cooperate, develop, and grow stronger together." Sweden is among a group of nations training Ukrainian pilots, and the capital of Stockholm is also reportedly weighing sending advanced Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine, the BBC reported.
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In a Telegram post, Russian lawmaker Aleksey Pushkov, an ally of Vladimir Putin, mocked the warnings of war from Swedish officials as nothing more than "anti-Russian paranoia."
"Russian submarines have been fishing there for many years, and for some this has become the main occupation in life," he wrote. "Apparently, this is how they try to give Sweden a geopolitical importance that it does not have. Sometimes it seems that some Swedish military personnel, as well as journalists, are almost dreaming of war."
Iran identifies alleged mastermind behind Soleimani memorial bombings that left nearly 100 dead: report
Iran announced Thursday that it has identified the alleged mastermind behind dual suicide bombing attacks that left nearly 100 people dead at a recent memorial for late Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed years ago by a U.S. drone strike.
The IRNA news agency carried a statement by the intelligence ministry saying the main suspect who planned the Jan. 3 attack in Kerman, a city southeast of the Iranian capital of Tehran, was a Tajik national known by his alias Abdollah Tajiki.
Tajiki reportedly entered the country in mid-December by crossing Iran's southeast border, and left two days before the attack, after making the bombs.
One bomber first detonated his explosives at the ceremony in Kerman, then another attacked 20 minutes later as emergency workers and other people tried to help the wounded from the first explosion, according to The Associated Press.
YEMEN’S IRANIAN-BACKED HOUTHIS LAUNCH LARGEST RED SEA DRONE AND MISSILE ATTACK TO DATE
The report identified one of the bombers by his family name of Bozrov, saying the man was 24 years old and had Tajik and Israeli nationality. It said he also arrived in Iran by crossing the southeastern border after months of training by the Islamic State terrorist group in Afghanistan.
The report added that authorities were still trying to identify the second suicide-bomber while 35 other people have been taken into custody in relation to the attacks.
IDF UNCOVERS EVIDENCE OF HAMAS DEVELOPING PRECISION MISSILE CAPABILITIES WITH IRAN’S HELP
As of Thursday, the death toll from the attack is 94.
ISIS last week claimed responsibility for the blasts. A statement from the terrorist group published to Telegram named operatives Omar al-Mowahid and Sayefulla al-Mujahid as the suicidal attackers behind the "dual martyrdom operation."
Soleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Forces, was killed in a Jan. 3, 2020, U.S. strike in Baghdad, days after Iranian-backed militia supporters stormed the U.S. Embassy in Iraq.
Fox News’ Timothy H.J. Nerozzi and Peter Aitken contributed to this report.
US Embassy warns Americans not to use dating apps in Colombia after eight 'suspicious deaths'
The U.S. Embassy in Bogota, Colombia, is warning Americans traveling to the country not to use dating apps after eight "suspicious deaths" of private U.S. citizens.
According to the embassy, the deaths — potentially involuntary drug overdoes or suspected homicides — took place in Medellin between November 1 and December 31, 2023.
"Over the last year, the Embassy has seen an increase in reports of incidents involving the use of online dating applications to lure victims, typically foreigners, for robbery by force or using sedatives to drug and rob individuals," the embassy said. The Embassy said it regularly receives reports of such incidents occurring in major cities, like Medellin, Cartagena, and Bogota.
"Criminals use dating apps to lure victims to meet in public places such as hotels, restaurants, and bars, and then later assault and rob them. Numerous U.S. citizens in Colombia have been drugged, robbed, and even killed by their Colombian dates," it added.
COLOMBIAN REBEL GROUP ANNOUNCES IT WILL STOP KIDNAPPING PEOPLE FOR RANSOM
Investigators said the deaths do not appear to be linked, as each involved distinct circumstances, but several point to "possible drugging, robbery, and overdose, and several involve the use of online dating applications."
"U.S. citizens should be vigilant, maintain heightened situational awareness, and incorporate strong personal security practices into their activities," an the embassy advisory said.
In a warning posted on Wednesday, U.S. Embassy Bogota urges U.S. citizens to "be cautious" if traveling and using dating apps in Colombia.
WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER GIVE SOMEONE YOUR PHONE NUMBER ON DATING APPS
"If meeting with a stranger, you should strongly consider meeting only in public places and avoiding isolated locations, such as residences or hotel rooms, where crimes are most likely to occur," the posted warning reads.
"If inviting an individual that you just met to your residence or hotel room, speak to your door attendant/concierge beforehand and establish a policy as to what information your new visitor should provide before being authorized entry (photo of identification, etc.) and what process should be followed when your visitor departs," it continues.
COLOMBIAN GOVERNMENT ESTABLISHES 6-MONTH CEASEFIRE WITH LARGEST REMAINING GUERRILLA GROUP
The advisory also encourages communicating with friends and family members, notifying them where the traveler will be going, who they are meeting with, and the app used to connect with them.
"Victims who are targeted via online dating applications tend to have their electronic devices stolen which often contain all evidence of communication with the assailants," the embassy said.
The embassy instructs people to use their instincts and not to hesitate to flee a situation that feels uninviting.
And, should the traveler become subject to a robbery, the embassy recommends not to physically resist. "Victims of crime who resist robbery are more likely to be killed," it says.
According to the Tourism Observatory of the District Personnel of Medellin, robberies of foreign visitors increased 200 percent during the end of 2023 compared to the previous year. Violent deaths also increased.
Most of the violent death victims through 2023 were U.S. citizens, the Colombian city said.
US Embassy warns Americans not to use dating apps in Columbia after eight 'suspicious deaths'
The U.S. Embassy in Bogota, Columbia is warning Americans traveling to the country not to use dating apps after eight "suspicious deaths" of private U.S. citizens.
According to the embassy, the deaths — potentially involuntary drug overdoes or suspected homicides — took place in Medellin between November 1 and December 31, 2023.
"Over the last year, the Embassy has seen an increase in reports of incidents involving the use of online dating applications to lure victims, typically foreigners, for robbery by force or using sedatives to drug and rob individuals," the embassy said. The Embassy said it regularly receives reports of such incidents occurring in major cities, like Medellin, Cartagena, and Bogota.
"Criminals use dating apps to lure victims to meet in public places such as hotels, restaurants, and bars, and then later assault and rob them. Numerous U.S. citizens in Colombia have been drugged, robbed, and even killed by their Colombian dates," it added.
COLOMBIAN REBEL GROUP ANNOUNCES IT WILL STOP KIDNAPPING PEOPLE FOR RANSOM
Investigators said the deaths do not appear to be linked, as each involved distinct circumstances, but several point to "possible drugging, robbery, and overdose, and several involve the use of online dating applications."
"U.S. citizens should be vigilant, maintain heightened situational awareness, and incorporate strong personal security practices into their activities," an the embassy advisory said.
In a warning posted on Wednesday, U.S. Embassy Bogota urges U.S. citizens to "be cautious" if traveling and using dating apps in Colombia.
WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER GIVE SOMEONE YOUR PHONE NUMBER ON DATING APPS
"If meeting with a stranger, you should strongly consider meeting only in public places and avoiding isolated locations, such as residences or hotel rooms, where crimes are most likely to occur," the posted warning reads.
"If inviting an individual that you just met to your residence or hotel room, speak to your door attendant/concierge beforehand and establish a policy as to what information your new visitor should provide before being authorized entry (photo of identification, etc.) and what process should be followed when your visitor departs," it continues.
COLOMBIAN GOVERNMENT ESTABLISHES 6-MONTH CEASEFIRE WITH LARGEST REMAINING GUERRILLA GROUP
The advisory also encourages communicating with friends and family members, notifying them where the traveler will be going, who they are meeting with, and the app used to connect with them.
"Victims who are targeted via online dating applications tend to have their electronic devices stolen which often contain all evidence of communication with the assailants," the embassy said.
The embassy instructs people to use their instincts and not to hesitate to flee a situation that feels uninviting.
And, should the traveler become subject to a robbery, the embassy recommends not to physically resist. "Victims of crime who resist robbery are more likely to be killed," it says.
According to the Tourism Observatory of the District Personnel of Medellin, robberies of foreign visitors increased 200 percent during the end of 2023 compared to the previous year. Violent deaths also increased.
Most of the violent death victims through 2023 were U.S. citizens, the Columbian city said.
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