World News

Nintendo cancels 2024 video game showcase in Japan after receiving persistent threats

Fox World News - Dec 8, 2023 9:56 AM EST

Nintendo canceled its upcoming video game showcase and postponed several other events because of persistent threats to the company, its workers and players.

"We decided we could not amply ensure the safety of our customers," Kyoto-based Nintendo Co. said in an online statement Thursday.

The Japanese manufacturer behind the Super Mario and Pokemon canceled Nintendo Live 2024 Tokyo, which had been set for Jan. 20 and 21. The annual event showcases Nintendo games and lets visitors sample them in a huge Tokyo exhibition hall.

THE VOICE BEHIND NINTENDO'S MARIO HANGS UP HIS HAT: 'IT HAS BEEN AN HONOR'

Nintendo also postponed several contests, including the Japan championship for the popular ink-shooting game Splatoon, initially scheduled for later in December, as well as next year’s Mario Kart and Splatoon contests.

The company declined to give details of the threats but said police were contacted.

Nintendo has been targeted before, but said the potential risk to the public proved too much.

The new dates for the postponed events will be announced later, Nintendo said.

'THE LEGEND OF ZELDA' WILL JOIN THE NINTENDO CINEMATIC UNIVERSE WITH UPCOMING FILM RELEASE

"We apologize sincerely to all those who have been looking forward to the events," it said.

Cancelation of an event over threats is not common in Japan, a relatively safe, low-crime nation. But recently, complaints have surfaced about verbal and online abuse, raising concern that the problem may be serious.

Categories: World News

Putin announces presidential re-election bid, fifth term expected to be certain

Fox World News - Dec 8, 2023 9:36 AM EST

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that he is running for re-election on March 17, which will likely see him secure a fifth term in office.

Putin, 71, announced his decision after a Kremlin award ceremony after which war veterans and others reportedly pleaded with him to run.

With a firm grip on power already, Putin is widely expected to win another six-year term in office, although a change to the country's constitution will allow him to run again in 2030, which could see his authority extend to 2036. He secured 76% of the vote in the 2018 election. 

PUTIN MAKES RARE TRIP OUTSIDE RUSSIA FOR OPEC TALKS WITH SAUDI ARABIA

"I won’t hide it from you — I had various thoughts about it over time, but now, you’re right, it’s necessary to make a decision," Putin said in a video released by the Kremlin after the event. 

"I will run for president of the Russian Federation."

The announcement was low-key, with analysts saying the reason was to purvey Putin’s modesty and his perceived focus on doing his job as opposed to loud campaigning.

The former intelligence officer remains hugely popular in Russia. His support spiked with the onset of the war against Ukraine, and he currently has an approval rating of 82%, according to Statista, a global data platform. A failed rebellion last summer by mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin also did not damage his approval ratings. 

That support might come from the heart, or it might reflect submission to a leader whose crackdown on any opposition has made even relatively mild criticism perilous. 

Voting will take place over three days, the three-day window was first used during the COVID-19 pandemic with officials saying it is more convenient for voters. 

WHITE HOUSE SAYS IT'S WORKING TO BRING WALL STREET JOURNAL REPORTER EVAN GERSHKOVICH HOME: 'WILL NOT LET UP'

Extensions to the national voting window have been criticized as a risk to election integrity, necessitating ballots being kept safe overnight and complicating the jobs of poll watchers.

Voting will also be open to four regions of Ukraine partially and illegally annexed by Russia.

It is unclear who will challenge Putin at the ballot box, although some people have already signaled that they will put their names forward.

Igor Girkin, who led pro-Russia fighters in eastern Ukraine in 2014, recently said that he wants to challenge Putin. Girkin is an outspoken pro-war blogger who has fiercely criticized Russia's military strategy in Ukraine and is currently in jail awaiting trial for extremism, which he denies.

Others who have announced plans to run include former lawmaker Boris Nadezhdin, who holds a seat on a municipal council in the Moscow region, and Yekaterina Duntsova, a journalist and lawyer from the Tver region north of Moscow, who once was a member of a local legislature.

Imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny last week urged his supporters to vote for anyone but Putin.

"Putin views this election as a referendum on approval of his actions," Navalny said in an online statement.

"A referendum on approval of the war. Let’s disrupt his plans and make it happen so that no one on March 17 is interested in the rigged result, but that all of Russia saw and understood: the will of the majority is that Putin must leave."

Putin has held continuous positions as president or prime minister since 1999. He has been president since 2012, with his previous stint as president running from 2000 to 2008. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Categories: World News

Bethlehem church brings people to tears after redesigning Christmas nativity scene to reflect Israel-Hamas war

Fox World News - Dec 8, 2023 9:15 AM EST

A church in Bethlehem, the biblical birthplace of Jesus, is receiving attention for its decision to redesign its Christmas nativity scene to reflect the impact of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

Just weeks before Christmas, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, located in the West Bank, unveiled a new display of the nativity scene that shows baby Jesus lying in a manger amid rubble. The imagery symbolizes the destroyed Palestinian communities in Gaza and the ongoing war between Israel and the Hamas terror group, a church official said.

"Church families met last week and built it together. It was a moving experience for our families. During the service on Sunday, some people were in tears," Reverend Doctor Munther Isaac, the church's pastor, told The New Arab.

Bethlehem is historically recognized as the birthplace of Jesus and his birth is celebrated by Christians and others on Christmas, Dec. 25. The nativity scene often depicts Jesus as a baby, alongside his mother Mary, often regarded by Catholics as a saint; as well as his father Joseph, wise men and their respective gifts, shepherds, angels and various animals, including donkeys and sheep.

ISRAELI FORCES KILL COMMANDER OF THE AL AQSA MARTYRS’ BRIGADE DURING WEST BANK RAID

Isaac said the church has been "surprised and overwhelmed" by the response the church has received regarding the new manger.

"Bethlehem has no visitors this year. Pilgrims are not coming to Bethlehem this year because of war," Isaac told the New Arab. "But we were surprised and overwhelmed by the attention and response this Manger received through the social media and media in general."

He added, "We are pleased our message has reached the world. This is what Christmas looks like in Palestine this year, the origin of Christmas."

While the current war between Israel and Hamas has primarily taken place in Gaza, a territory that runs along the Mediterranean Sea and shares its borders with Israel and Egypt, the fighting has escalated violence in the surrounding region, including the West Bank, Lebanon, Iraq and Syria.

ISRAEL STRIKES IRAN-BACKED TERRORISTS IN ONGOING EFFORT TO STOP NEW WAR FRONT IN WEST BANK

In the West Bank, known by Israelis by its biblical name Judea and Samaria, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have launched various and often deadly raids, including a raid Friday morning in Tubas and its refugee camp.

Israeli undercover forces entered the Faraa refugee camp, a stronghold of terror activity, where they killed the local commander of the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade and arrested suspected Palestinian militants.

The undercover operation ultimately resulted in a firefight with local gunmen that left six Palestinians killed, including a 14-year-old boy.

Yigal Carmon, a former counterterrorism adviser to two Israeli Prime Ministers, told Fox News Digital that operations in the West Bank are being executed by Israelis to prevent a "third front" of its current war — in addition to fighting in Gaza and fighting with the Lebanese terrorist movement Hezbollah on its northern border.

"The initiative is always ours to prevent a third front. So the gangs of Hamas and the PIJ [Palestine Islamic Jihad] know we are in full force not only in Gaza and in the north but also in the West Bank," he said.

The IDF has used numerous drone attacks to knock out terrorists during such operations.

The Times of Israel reported that since the start of the war, Israel has arrested over 2,000 wanted Palestinians in the West Bank, including more than 1,100 affiliated with Hamas.

The Palestinian Health Ministry says Israeli forces have killed 267 Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7.

Fox News' Benjamin Weinthal and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Categories: World News

Kremlin reapproves pandemic-inspired 3-day voting window for presidential election

Fox World News - Dec 8, 2023 7:14 AM EST

The Russian government has approved a three-day voting window for its presidential elections in 2024.

Ella Pamfilova, chairwoman of the Russia Central Election Commission, said that although the extended election window was originally conceived as a pandemic accommodation in 2020, its "other benefits" have made keeping it desirable.

"Three-day voting is already becoming a tradition in our electoral system," Pamsilova said, according to a translation from The Moscow Times. "It was first used during the [Covid-19] pandemic, but over time the majority of voters came to like the format because of its other advantages."

RUSSIAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION SET FOR MARCH WITH PUTIN EXPECTED TO WIN ANOTHER TERM

The Russian Parliament has designated March 17 of next year as election day, when President Vladimir Putin is expected to easily retain power.

Members of the Federation Council, Russia’s upper house of parliament, voted unanimously on Thursday to approve a decree setting the date.

Extensions to the national voting window have been criticized as a risk to election integrity, necessitating ballots being kept safe overnight and complicating the jobs of poll watchers.

RUSSIAN ELECTIONS ARE 'COSTLY BUREAUCRACY' THAT 'DON'T HAVE TO BE HELD,' PUTIN SPOKESMAN SAYS

Although Putin, 71, hasn’t yet announced his intention to run again he is widely expected to do so in the coming days, now that the date has been set. He will likely run as an independent. 

In 2021, Putin signed into law a change to the country's constitution that will allow him to run for two more six-year terms, granting him the chance to remain in power until 2036.

He has held continuous positions as president or prime minister since 1999. He has been president since 2012, with his previous stint as president running from 2000 to 2008.

Press secretary Dmitry Peskov remarked to Russian media in August that democratic elections have become a "costly bureaucracy" that serves no purpose due to the supposed widespread support for Putin.

"Elections are what a democracy demands and Putin himself decided to hold them, but theoretically, they don’t even have to be held," Peskov told state media outlet RBK.

He added, "Because it’s clear that Putin will be elected. That’s completely my personal opinion." 

Fox News Digital's Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.

Categories: World News

Australian man dies after being buried alive in large sand hole

Fox World News - Dec 8, 2023 7:11 AM EST

A man has died days after he fell into a large hole on a beach in an Australian beach and became buried in sand.

The victim, Josh Taylor, 23, was at a remote campground on Bribie Island in Queensland on Saturday at around 2 p.m. local time when he fell headfirst into a hole that had been reportedly dug to roast a pig, similar to the traditional Maori cooking style of hangi.

He became buried in the sand and couldn't be pulled from the hole for some time.

BODY OF SURFER MISSING AFTER SUSPECTED FATAL SHARK ATTACK OFF COAST OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Friends and an off-duty paramedic used a rope tied to Taylor’s feet to pull him free from the sand, according to local news outlets.

They performed CPR until help arrived. He was then airlifted to the Princess Alexandra Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries on Thursday, according to Queensland police. 

Detectives are still trying to piece together the circumstances surrounding the incident and believe there may be numerous people who were present that are yet to speak with police.

AUSTRALIAN WOMAN CHARGED WITH USING TOXIC MUSHROOMS TO KILL EX-HUSBAND'S PARENTS, AUNT

Police are appealing to those people, as well as anyone who may have dash-camera footage from the northern end of Bribie Island on Saturday to come forward.

A report is being prepared for the coroner.

A friend said Taylor was standing on a chair above the pit when the sand underneath its legs gave way, according to News.com.au.

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

"He stumbled back. He’d put his arms out to obviously break the fall. He’s continued going down and knocked sand as he’s put his arms out," the friend said. 

Meanwhile, a GoFundMe was set up for the victim's parents while Taylor was fighting for his life. It has so far generated more than $67,000.

"The unimaginable has happened to their beloved son… a vibrant and adventurous soul who has brought so much joy to those around him," the fundraiser organizer posted to the page.

Categories: World News

UK looks to resurrect plan to deport illegal immigrants to Rwanda with bill to bypass human rights law

Fox World News - Dec 8, 2023 7:09 AM EST

The British government is moving forward with a plan to deport illegal immigrants to Rwanda, introducing legislation to find a way around a devastating court ruling that blocked the controversial plan last month – with language that would override parts of U.K. human rights law.

Draft legislation published by the Home Office this week would establish Rwanda as a safe country to where illegal immigrants can be sent, and expedite the ability of the government to quickly remove those in the country without authorization. It would also mean that no court could challenge the claim that Rwanda is a safe country and would "disapply" human rights law related to asylum claims.

The government claims it deals with the reasons for which the U.K.’s Supreme Court blocked the policy last month. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has faced intense criticism both from the left over the policy itself and from the right for his failure to implement it.

UK VOWS TO PRESS ON WITH EFFORTS TO DEPORT ILLEGAL MIGRANTS TO AFRICAN COUNTRY, DESPITE COURT BLOW

On Thursday he said he would "do what is necessary" to revive the stumbling policy, which was unveiled in 2022 but has yet failed to deport a single illegal immigrant due to ongoing legal challenges. The bill is designed to put an end to the legal challenges by giving the U.K. a clear green light on the policy.

"We will get flights off the ground," Sunak said.

Sunak’s Conservative Party has struggled for years to deliver on repeated promises to stop the flow of illegal immigrants, mainly migrants coming across the English Channel from France on small boats, despite a significant parliamentary majority since 2019.

According to The Associated Press, more than 29,000 people have hit the shores of Blighty this year on small boats, after over 46,000 last year.

Supreme Court judges blocked the Rwanda policy last month, concluding that "there is a real risk that asylum claims will not be determined properly, and that asylum-seekers will in consequence be at risk of being returned directly or indirectly to their country of origin."

However, the government noted that the court found that the fundamental principle of moving migrants to a safe third country was lawful and pledged to continue, promising to "revisit our domestic legal frameworks" if needed.

However, the new legislation has done little to silence Sunak’s right-wing critics in his own party. Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick resigned this week, saying the new draft bill would not work and is not strong enough.

FORMER BRITISH HOME SECRETARY SUELLA BRAVERMAN ACCUSES PM SUNAK OF BETRAYING PROMISES

Last month, Sunak was excoriated by former Home Secretary Suella Braverman, a hardliner on immigration who accused Sunak of failing to deliver on the Tories’ promises to the public on immigration. She accused him of not making adequate preparations, including reconsidering U.K. commitments to the European Convention on Human Rights and similar obligations. 

The legislation also drew criticism from left-wing lawmakers and human rights groups who object to what they see as a breach of the country’s human rights obligations. 

The bill is scheduled to be voted on Tuesday in the House of Commons and will pass unless a significant number of Conservative Party lawmakers break with their government. 

Categories: World News

Israeli forces kill commander of the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade during West Bank raid

Fox World News - Dec 8, 2023 7:05 AM EST

Israeli forces killed the local commander of the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade and arrested suspected Palestinian militants during a raid on the West Bank on Friday, officials said. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, formed in late 2000, is recognized as a foreign terrorist organization by the United States.

Israeli undercover forces secretly entered the Faraa refugee camp, a stronghold of terror activity, near the northern town of Tubas on Friday morning and set up sniper positions on top of buildings, residents said.

The undercover operation ultimately resulted in a firefight with local gunmen that left six Palestinians killed. The Palestinian Health Ministry revealed the dead included the founder of the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, an armed offshoot of the secular nationalist Fatah party.

The operation in the West Bank comes as Israel continues its war with Hamas in Gaza, days after a cease-fire temporarily ended.

US EMBASSY IN BAGHDAD STRUCK BY MORE THAN A DOZEN ROCKETS IN EARLY MORNING ATTACK

The Israeli military has not publicly addressed the operation, which follows other deadly military raids and an increase in restrictions on Palestinian residents across the West Bank during the Israel-Hamas war.

A 14-year-old boy was also killed during Friday’s attack, health officials said. Thousands of people flooded the streets after the attack to mourn their loss and protest the continued loss of civilian Palestinian lives.

CAIR DIRECTOR SAYS HE WAS 'HAPPY' TO WITNESS OCT. 7 ATTACKS, ISRAEL 'DOES NOT HAVE RIGHT TO SELF-DEFENSE'

The Palestinian Health Ministry says Israeli forces have killed 267 Palestinians in the West Bank since Hamas triggered the current war with their surprise attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7, in which 1,200 Israelis were killed and roughly 240 were taken hostage.

Most of these Palestinians were killed during shootouts after Israeli military forces entered the West Bank to arrest suspected militants, officials said.

The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, an advocacy group, reported that Israeli forces raided a number of towns across the occupied territory early Friday, arresting 32 people, including two in the Faraa camp.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Categories: World News

US embassy in Baghdad struck by mortar fire in early morning attack

Fox World News - Dec 8, 2023 5:54 AM EST

The U.S. embassy in Baghdad was attacked by mortar fire on Friday morning that caused minor material damage but no casualties, U.S. and Iraqi officials said.

Explosions were heard near the embassy in the capital city of Iraq at approximately 4:15 a.m. on Friday. An embassy spokesperson then confirmed the U.S. Embassy was attacked, adding: "Assessments are ongoing, but there are no reported casualties on the Embassy compound."

The attack was confirmed by a U.S. military official who said the attack was launched at U.S. and Coalition forces in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses Iraqi government buildings and embassies.

A Pentagon spokesperson confirmed later that at least seven 60 mm mortar rounds landed in the U.S. Embassy compound while others fell into the river. U.S. and Iraqi officials initially said the projectiles were rockets. 

CAIR DIRECTOR SAYS HE WAS 'HAPPY' TO WITNESS OCT. 7 ATTACKS, ISRAEL 'DOES NOT HAVE RIGHT TO SELF-DEFENSE'

Friday’s mortars struck in the vicinity of the embassy complex and Union III that houses offices of the U.S.-led coalition, the official added, clarifying there were no casualties.

The attack was believed to have been carried out by Iran-aligned militias in Iraq, an embassy spokesperson said. No group immediately claimed responsibility.

UN SECRETARY-GENERAL INVOKES RARELY USED POWER TO DEMAND CEASE-FIRE IN GAZA

"We again call on the Government of Iraq, as we have done on many occasions, to do all in its power to protect diplomatic and Coalition partner personnel and facilities," the official said. "We reiterate that we reserve the right to self-defense and to protect our personnel anywhere in the world."

The attack is the first such attack on the U.S. Embassy since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war, which has escalated tensions in the region. Various militia groups have attacked U.S. forces throughout Iraq and Syria since the Israel-Hamas war began two months ago.

Iran-backed militias in Iraq have claimed responsibility for dozens of attacks that targeted bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria. The armed groups, operating under the banner of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, have linked more than 70 such attacks to Washington's backing of Israel in its devastating assault on Gaza.

The U.S. military says a total of 78 attacks have been carried out against U.S. facilities over recent weeks of which 37 were in Iraq and 41 in Syria. In response to attacks against American troops, U.S. forces have retaliated with airstrikes in both Iraq and Syria, hitting weapons depots and other facilities directly linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The U.S. has roughly 2,500 troops stationed in Iraq and around 900 others in eastern Syria, operating on various missions against the Islamic State group.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Categories: World News

US embassy in Baghdad struck by more than a dozen rockets in early morning attack

Fox World News - Dec 8, 2023 5:54 AM EST

The U.S. embassy in Baghdad was attacked by several rockets on Friday morning that caused minor material damage but no casualties, U.S. and Iraqi officials said.

Explosions were heard near the embassy in the capital city of Iraq at approximately 4:15 a.m. on Friday. An embassy spokesperson then confirmed the U.S. Embassy was attacked by two salvos of rocket, adding: "Assessments are ongoing, but there are no reported casualties on the Embassy compound."

Friday’s attack included 14 Katyusha rockets, some of which struck near one of the embassy’s gates while others fell in the river, according to an Iraqi security official.

The attack was confirmed by a U.S. military official who said the multi-rocket attack was launched at U.S. and Coalition forces in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses Iraqi government buildings and embassies.

CAIR DIRECTOR SAYS HE WAS 'HAPPY' TO WITNESS OCT. 7 ATTACKS, ISRAEL 'DOES NOT HAVE RIGHT TO SELF-DEFENSE'

Friday’s rockets struck in the vicinity of the embassy complex and Union III that houses offices of the U.S.-led coalition, the official added, clarifying there were no casualties.

The attack was believed to have been carried out by Iran-aligned militias in Iraq, an embassy spokesperson said. No group immediately claimed responsibility.

UN SECRETARY-GENERAL INVOKES RARELY USED POWER TO DEMAND CEASE-FIRE IN GAZA

"We again call on the Government of Iraq, as we have done on many occasions, to do all in its power to protect diplomatic and Coalition partner personnel and facilities," the official said. "We reiterate that we reserve the right to self-defense and to protect our personnel anywhere in the world."

The attack is the first such attack on the U.S. Embassy since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war, which has escalated tensions in the region. Various militia groups have attacked U.S. forces throughout Iraq and Syria since the Israel-Hamas war began two months ago.

Iran-backed militias in Iraq have claimed responsibility for dozens of attacks that targeted bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria. The armed groups, operating under the banner of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, have linked more than 70 such attacks to Washington's backing of Israel in its devastating assault on Gaza.

The U.S. military says a total of 78 attacks have been carried out against U.S. facilities over recent weeks of which 37 were in Iraq and 41 in Syria. In response to attacks against American troops, U.S. forces have retaliated with airstrikes in both Iraq and Syria, hitting weapons depots and other facilities directly linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The U.S. has roughly 2,500 troops stationed in Iraq and around 900 others in eastern Syria, operating on various missions against the Islamic State group.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Categories: World News

Pages

Advertisement

Battle Keys in your Inbox
Get Email Updates
follow us, tweet, twitter, trend, trending, @ follow me, holy twitter, gospel
connect with us on facebook, like us on facebook
Harvest Army on YouTube
Support Our Ministry
Subscribe to Harvest Army World Revival aggregator - World News