New Zealand government tries to seize guardianship of baby after parents demand unvaccinated blood for surgery

New Zealand's government health service has applied to remove guardianship of a 4-month-old baby boy from his parents after they demanded that his life-saving surgery can proceed only with blood that does not contain the COVID-19 vaccine.

Health New Zealand, also known as Te Whatu Ora, made a court application Monday with the Auckland High Court to transfer guardianship under the Care of Children Act so the baby can receive the operation, according to court documents reported by the New Zealand Herald.

The baby's parents recently explained their position during an interview with Liz Gunn, a broadcaster from New Zealand who has raised concerns about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines.

Explaining how their son has severe pulmonary valve stenosis and needs surgery "almost immediately," the parents said they are "extremely concerned with the blood [the doctors] are going to use."

NEW ZEALAND LINKS 26-YEAR-OLD'S DEATH TO PFIZER'S COVID-19 VACCINE, REPORTS SAY

"We don’t want blood that is tainted by vaccination," the father said. "That’s the end of the deal; we are fine with anything else these doctors want to do."

The parents maintained that more than 20 unvaccinated people were willing to donate the blood for their son's operation, but that had not been approved by the government's New Zealand Blood Service (NZBS), according to the New Zealand Herald.

Since they are trying to obtain medical care they believe is better than what the state is offering, attorney for the parents, Sue Grey, argued Wednesday in court that their case is unlike most guardianship cases in which parents refuse necessary medical care, according to the Guardian.

CANADIAN PASTOR DEFIANT AS JUDGE ORDERS HIM TO PARROT ‘MEDICAL EXPERTS’ FROM PULPIT: ‘I WILL NOT OBEY’

"Because they label my clients as conspiracy theorists, [their position] is that anything my clients say can be ignored," Grey said.

Paul White, a lawyer for Te Whatu Ora, told the court that medical professionals have said that a child with such a serious heart condition would normally have been treated several weeks ago.

Dr. Mike Shepherd, who serves as interim director at Te Whatu Ora in Auckland, said in a statement that he understands how worrying it can be for parents who are dealing with a very sick child, according to the New Zealand Herald.

NEW ZEALAND COVID PROTESTERS INSPIRED BY CANADIAN TRUCKERS' BLOCKADE OF PARLIAMENT: AUTHORITIES

"The decision to make an application to the court is always made with the best interests of the child in mind and following extensive conversations with whānau," Shepherd said, using a Māori word that means "extended family."

"As this matter is before the courts, we will not be commenting further," he added.

NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER CONDEMNED FOR CALLING TO REGULATE FREE SPEECH AS ‘WEAPON OF WAR’ AT UN

Donated blood is not divided based on COVID-19 vaccination status, according to the NZBS website, which also claimed there is no evidence that using blood donated by someone who received the COVID-19 vaccine poses any risk.

"There is no evidence that previous vaccination affects the quality of blood for transfusion," NZBS said. "Any COVID-19 vaccine in the blood is broken down soon after the injection. All donated blood also gets filtered during processing, so any trace amounts that may still be present poses no risk to recipients."

NZBS requires that those who have received some versions of the COVID-19 vaccine refrain from donating blood for 28 days after getting vaccinated. Anyone who received the Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca or Novavax vaccines is not subject to the 28-day stand-down period.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/Ay5GeVq

Holocaust survivors offered DNA test kits from New York-based Center for Jewish History to help find family

For decades, Jackie Young had been searching.

Orphaned as an infant, he spent the first few years of his life in a Nazi internment camp in what is now the Czech Republic. After World War II he was taken to England, adopted and given a new name.

As an adult, he struggled to learn of his origins and his family. He had some scant information about his birth mother, who died in a concentration camp. But about his father? Nothing. Just a blank space on a birth certificate.

That changed earlier this year when genealogists were able to use a DNA sample to help find a name — and some relatives he never knew he had.

FRENCH HOLOCAUST DENIER ARRESTED IN SCOTLAND, CONVICTED UNDER FRANCE'S ANTI-NAZI LAWS

Having that answer to a lifelong question has been "amazing," said Young, now 80 and living in London. It "opened the door that I thought would never get opened."

Now there's an effort underway to bring that possibility to other Holocaust survivors and their children.

The New York-based Center for Jewish History is launching the DNA Reunion Project, offering DNA testing kits for free through an application on its website. For those who use the kits it is also offering a chance to get some guidance on next steps from the genealogists who worked with Young.

Those genealogists, Jennifer Mendelsohn and Adina Newman, have been doing this kind of work over the last several years, and run a Facebook group about Jewish DNA and genetic genealogy.

The advent of DNA technology has opened up a new world of possibilities in addition to the paper trails and archives that Holocaust survivors and their descendants have used to learn about family connections severed by genocide, Newman said.

"There are times when people are separated and they don’t even realize they’re separated. Maybe a name change occurred so they didn’t know to look for the other person," she said. "There are cases that simply cannot be solved without DNA."

While interest in genealogy and family trees is widespread, there's a particular poignancy in doing this work in a community where so many family ties have been ripped apart because of the Holocaust, Mendelsohn said.

Her earliest effort in this arena was for her husband's grandmother, who had lost her mother in a concentration camp. That effort led to aunts and cousins that no one in her husband's family had known about.

HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR WHO SURVIVED 2018 PITTSBURGH SYNAGOGUE SHOOTING DIES AT 84

Her husband's uncle, she said, called afterwards and said, "You know, I’ve never seen a photograph of my grandmother. Now that I see photographs of her sisters, it’s so comforting to me. I can imagine what she look like."

"How do you explain why that’s powerful? It just is. People had nothing. Their families were erased. And now we can bring them back a little bit," Mendelsohn said.

She and Newman take pains to emphasize that there are no guarantees. Doing the testing or searching archives doesn't mean a guarantee of finding living relatives or new information. But it offers a chance.

They and the center are encouraging people to take that chance, especially as time passes and the number of living survivors declines.

"It really is the last moment where these survivors can be given some modicum of justice," said Gavriel Rosenfeld, president of the center.

"We feel the urgency of this," Newman said. "I wanted to start yesterday, and that’s why it’s like, no time like the present."

Rosenfeld said the center had allocated an initial $15,000 for the DNA kits in this initial pilot effort, which would cover about 500 of them. He said they would look to scale up further if they see enough interest.

Ken Engel thinks there will be. He leads a group in Minnesota for the children of Holocaust survivors and has already told his membership about the program.

"This is an important effort," Engel said. "It may reveal and disclose wonderful information for them that they never knew about, may make them feel more settled or more connected to the past."

Young definitely feels that way.

"I’ve been wanting to know all my life," he said. "If I hadn’t known what I do know now, I think I would still felt that my left arm or my right arm wasn’t fully formed. Family is everything, it’s the major pillar of life in humanity."

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/n3oyfIr

South Korea scrambles jets as China, Russia warplanes enter air defense zone

South Korea’s military scrambled its jets after two Chinese and six Russian warplanes entered its air defense identification zone (KADIZ) without warning early Wednesday morning. 

Two Chinese H-6 bombers first crossed the air defense zone shortly before 5:50 am and proceeded to repeatedly fly over the KADIZ boundaries off of South Korea’s southern and northeast coasts the Joint Chief of Staff said, according to Seoul based news outlet Yonhap.

After leaving South Korea’s KADIZ around 7 a.m., the two Chinese bombers returned some five hours later with Russian warplanes, including 4 TU-95 bombers and 2 SU-35 fighters, and flew over Seoul’s air defense identification zone through the Sea of Japan around 12:20 p.m.

CHINA CLAIMS US CRUISER 'TRESPASSED' IN ITS WATERS, NAVY CALLS ACCUSATION 'FALSE'

The planes reportedly left the South Korean KADIZ less than 20 minutes later.

South Korea responded to the aggression by deploying an indeterminate number of aircraft, including F-15K jets, in a precautionary move officials said.

"Our military dispatched air force fighter jets ahead of the Chinese and Russian aircraft's entry of the KADIZ to implement tactical measures in preparation for a potential contingency," the Joint Chief of Staff said in a statement according to a Reuters report. 

South Korea's military said that despite crossing its defense identification zone the foreign aircraft did not violate Seoul’s territorial airspace. 

An air defense identification zone is not considered to be part of a nation’s airspace – which is any airspace above its territory or its territorial waters – but instead acts as a buffer zone where countries require foreign aircraft to identify themselves to prevent accidental incidents.

US FLIES SUPERSONIC BOMBERS IN RESPONSE TO NORTH KOREA'S NEW ICBM LAUNCH

There are no international rules governing air defense zones and Russia does not recognize South Korea’s KADIZ. 

China has yet to publicly comment on the Wednesday incident. Though according to a Reuters report, Beijing has argued the airspace is not territorial and therefore open for any nation to use – a stance that echoed comments made by U.S. Naval forces Tuesday after driving a missile cruiser near the contested Spratly Islands in the South China Sea.

The U.S. and South Korea have increased joint military drills in coordination with regional partners like Japan and the Philippines in the wake of increasingly aggressive force postures coming from North Korea, China and Russia.

Beijing and Moscow have bolstered their relations since Russia invaded Ukraine nine months ago and Moscow has increasingly looked to strengthen ties with North Korea. 

The U.S. and its regional and Western allies have warned all three nations against altering the status quo in the South China Sea.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/o7jJBrZ

China sends 3 astronauts in first in-orbit crew rotation in nation's history

China sent a spacecraft carrying three astronauts to its space station for the first in-orbit crew rotation in Chinese space history, launching operation of the second inhabited outpost in low-Earth orbit after the NASA-led International Space Station.

The spacecraft Shenzhou-15, or "Divine Vessel", and its three passengers lifted off atop a Long March-2F rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre at 11:08 p.m. on Tuesday amid sub-freezing temperatures in the Gobi Desert in northwest China, according to state television.

Shenzhou-15 was the last of 11 missions, including three prior crewed missions, that began in April 2021 needed to assemble the "Celestial Palace", as the multi-module station is known in Chinese.

CHINA LAUNCHES THIRD AND FINAL SPACE MODULE TO COMPLETE SPACE STATION

The trio will take over from the Shenzhou-14 crew who arrived in early June. The previous crew members are expected to return to Earth in early December after a one-week handover that will also establish the station's ability to temporarily sustain six astronauts, another record for China's space program.

The space outpost took on its current "T" shape in November with the arrival of the last of three cylindrical modules.

The station has a designed lifespan of at least a decade, with resident astronauts expected to conduct over 1,000 scientific experiments - from studying how plants adapt in space to how fluids behave in microgravity.

The "Celestial Palace" was the culmination of nearly two decades of Chinese crewed missions to space. China's manned space flights began in 2003 when a former fighter pilot, Yang Liwei, was sent into orbit in a small bronze-coloured capsule, the Shenzhou-5, and became China's first man in space and an instant hero cheered by millions at home.

The space station was also an emblem of China's growing clout and confidence in its space endeavors and a challenger to the United States in the domain, after being isolated from the NASA-led ISS and banned by U.S. law from any collaboration, direct or indirect, with the American space agency.

The Shenzhou-15 mission, during which its crew will live and work on the space station for six months, also offered the nation a rare moment to celebrate, at a time of widespread unhappiness over China's stifling zero-COVID-19 policies while its economy hits the brakes amid uncertainties at home and abroad.

"Long live the motherland!" many Chinese netizens wrote on social media.

NASA SPACE CAPSULE ROUNDS THE MOON

Future ‘Taikonauts’

Leading the Shenzhou-15 mission was Fei Junlong, 57, who hailed from China's first batch of astronaut trainees in the late 1990s. His previous visit to space was 17 years ago as commander of China's second-ever crewed spaceflight.

Fei was flanked by Deng Qingming, 56, who had trained for 24 years as an astronaut but had never been chosen for a mission until Shenzhou-15. They were joined by former air force pilot Zhang Lu, 46, also a space debutant.

During the space station's operation over the next decade, China is expected to launch two crewed missions to the orbiting outpost each year.

The next batch of "taikonauts", coined from the Chinese word for space, to step foot on the station, in 2023, will be picked from the third generation of astronauts with scientific background. The first and second batches of astronauts in the 1990s-2000s were all former air force pilots.

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

China has started the selection process for the fourth batch, seeking candidates with doctoral degrees in disciplines from biology, physics and chemistry to biomedical engineering and astronomy.

The selection process has also been opened to applicants from Hong Kong and Macau for the first time.

While still in its infancy compared with NASA's technologies and experience, China's space programme has come far since the mid-20th century when the country's late leader Mao Zedong lamented that China could not even launch a potato into orbit.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/O1mLQRT

American colleges join global protests against China's anti-COVID lockdown

Anti-lockdown protests have spread to multiple American universities, part of a growing global movement in support of protesters in China demonstrating against their country's "zero-COVID" policy.

Students from Columbia, Duke, North Carolina and the University of California Berkeley gathered for demonstrations in support of Chinese protesters in recent days, according to a report from France 24, expressing solidarity with a population that has seen its frustrations boil over amid over two years of strict COVID-19 prevention measures.

Chants of "Free China!" and "Xi Jinping, step down!" were heard at California Berkeley protests, with one protester holding a sign with a drawing of Chinese President Xi Jinping that read "Death to the dictator."

The scenes at American college campus come as Chinese authorities have launched a massive law enforcement response to protests that started last week and continued to intensify throughout the weekend across China, largely at least temporarily restoring order in the major cities of Beijing and Shanghai on Tuesday.

CHINESE POLICE GET VIOLENT AS COVID-19 LOCKDOWN PROTESTS SWEEP ACROSS THE COUNTRY

The protests originated after an apartment complex fire in the far-west region of the country resulted in the deaths of 10 people, an event that has been blamed on a delayed response by the local fire department amid continued lockdown policies.

Protesters took to the streets across the country to demand pandemic restrictions be eased, while others even called for the resignation of the country's top leaders. 

The protests cap a tumultuous couple of months for the Chinese Communist regime, which has generated increased scrutiny over its mass internment of ethnic Uyghurs in Xinjiang and continued threats toward neighboring Taiwan.

A protest organizer from China at Columbia, who only identified himself as Shawn, said he preferred to keep the school's demonstration focused on COVID policy and not other controversies.

CHINESE AUTHORITIES LOOSEN COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS IN SOME NEIGHBORHOODS AFTER PROTESTS

"We know that may alienate a lot of people," the protester told Reuters.

However, the spread of campus protests is part of a larger movement across the globe, with some demonstrators in Washington,D.C., marching on the State Department and taking direct aim at the Chinese government's treatment of the country's Uyghur population.

"We want them to issue a formal statement condemning the loss of lives, Uyghur lives, and to call for full transparency on the real number of deaths that occurred," Salih Hudayar, one of 25 members of the city's Uyghur community who took part in the demonstration, said, according to France 24.

"We're hoping that the international community supports these protesters in demanding accountability from the Chinese government," she added.

'DRACONIAN APPROACH': STRICT CHINESE COVID MEASURES REMAIN AS CASE NUMBERS CONTINUE RISING

Elsewhere in Washington, roughly 100 people gathered to demand greater freedoms for the Chinese people.

"(Officials) are borrowing the pretext of COVID, but using excessively strict lockdowns to control China's population. They disregarded human lives," said a Chinese student identified only as Chen. "I came here to grieve."

Overseas, a demonstation in Paris drew over 200 people Sunday, with local Chinese residents there saying they were supporting their country's protests from afar.

"It's what I should do. When I saw so many Chinese citizens and students take to the streets, my feeling is they have shouldered so much more than we have," Chiang Seeta, a Chinese graduate student who helped organize the protest, told Reuters. "We're now showing support for them from abroad."

A similar scene played out at one of Tokyo’s busiest train stations Sunday, with about 90 people gathering to protest the Chinese Communist Party.

"At the core of it is China's system," one student, identified only as Emmanuel, told Reuters.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/2msTQi0

Russia delays nuclear arms talks with United States due to tensions over Ukraine, differences in approach

Moscow has postponed a round of nuclear arms control talks with the United States set for this week because of stark differences in approach and tensions over Ukraine, a senior Russian diplomat said Tuesday.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said the decision to put off the talks that were scheduled to start Tuesday in Cairo was made at the political level.

"We faced a situation when our U.S. colleagues not just demonstrated their reluctance to listen to our signals and reckon with our priorities, but also acted in the opposite way," Ryabkov told reporters in Moscow.

Ryabkov claimed the U.S. wanted to focus solely on resuming inspections under the New START treaty and stonewalled Moscow's request to also discuss specifics related to the weapons count under the strategic arms reduction pact.

US CONSIDERS SUPPLYING UKRAINE, EASTERN EUROPEAN ALLIES WITH NEARLY 100-MILE STRIKE WEAPONS

The U.S. State Department said Monday that Moscow had decided to unilaterally postpone the Cairo talks and would propose new dates.

"The United States is ready to reschedule at the earliest possible date as resuming inspections is a priority for sustaining the treaty as an instrument of stability," the State Department said.

This week’s meeting of the Bilateral Consultative Commission established under New START would have been the first in more than a year. The timing of the talks was intended to show that Russia and the U.S. remain committed to arms control and keeping lines of communication open despite soaring tensions over Ukraine.

Russia has protested the deliveries of Western weapons to Ukraine. Ryabkov said the situation in Ukraine contributed to Moscow's decision to delay the talks.

FLOW OF MILITARY AID TO UKRAINE CAUSES $4B BACKLOG IN TAIWAN AID: REPORT

"Naturally, the events unfolding inside and around Ukraine in this case impact that," he said. "Arms control and the dialogue in this sphere can't be immune to what is happening around, and the bigger picture, which is quite complicated and largely disquieting, has played a role."

The New START treaty, signed in 2010 by President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, limits each country to no more than 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers. The agreement envisages sweeping on-site inspections to verify compliance.

Just days before the treaty was due to expire in February 2021, Russia and the United States agreed to extend it for another five years.

In August, Russia declared a temporary halt on U.S. inspections, charging that visa restrictions, sanctions on Russian flights imposed by the U.S. and its allies, and other obstacles made it difficult for Russian military experts to visit U.S. nuclear weapons sites, giving the U.S. "unilateral advantages."

At the same time, Moscow said that it "highly values" New START and held the door open for resuming inspections in the future.

While Russia and the U.S. have suspended mutual inspections under New START since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Moscow’s move raised new uncertainty about the pact’s future.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/Mmq69Au

Chinese police flood streets in attempt to crack down on intensifying protests

Chinese authorities are fighting back against widespread protests by flooding the streets with police in a strong show of force for a regime facing its most significant dissent in decades.

"I’ve wanted to speak up for a long time, but I did not get the chance to," James Cai, a 29-year-old from Shanghai who attended a Hong Kong protest, told the Associated Press Tuesday. "If people in the mainland can’t tolerate it anymore, then I cannot as well."

While protests continued in the more free "Special Administrative Region" of Hong Kong, Chinese police in major cities, including Shanghai and Beijing, worked to put an end to protests that had been intensifying across the country since last week.

Videos from the country have emerged in recent days showing both angry protesters and the attempted police crackdown, with protesters overturning tents at the nucleic acid testing site in Guangzhou City Monday. Meanwhile, police arrived at protests in a fire truck in Southern China and attempted to disperse protesters with a fire hose.

CHINESE POLICE GET VIOLENT AS COVID-19 LOCKDOWN PROTESTS SWEEP ACROSS THE COUNTRY

The show of force has largely worked to quiet the cities, with no word of additional protests in Shanghai or Beijing on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.

The Chinese government has faced growing backlash to its strict antivirus measures after an apartment complex fire in the far-west region of the country resulted in the deaths of 10 people, with many pinning the local fire department's delay getting to the scene on lockdowns resulting from China's "zero-COVID" policy.

Protesters have called for an end to the policy, which has disrupted lives and the Chinese economy, while some have called for the resignation of the country's top leaders.

Authorities have responded by easing some of the COVID restrictions in an attempt to relax some of the anger but have refused to back down from the country's larger anti-COVID strategy. Instead, many localities across the country have begun a strict effort to quell any dissent to government authority. 

CHINESE AUTHORITIES LOOSEN COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS IN SOME NEIGHBORHOODS AFTER PROTESTS

Chinese universities sent students home on Tuesday in addition to the increased police presence in the streets, with police making checks on people's phones in the streets and in subway stations. One Shanghai resident, who did not give the Associated Press his name over fears of retribution, said his phone was checked at a subway station while he was on the way to a protest he read about online, but he was unable to find the protest.

Meanwhile, those who took part in protests over the weekend have reported that authorities are trying to hunt them down, according to a BBC report. Several Beijing residents told the outlet police had called them to demand information about their whereabouts.

"We are all desperately deleting our chat history," one Beijing protester said. "Police came to check the ID of one of my friends and then took her away. A few hours later they released her."

Chinese authorities have claimed that the unrest over the country's COVID policies were not the fault of the national government, instead pinning the blame on local districts for sometimes having "arbitrary measures" that have angered residents.

"[There is an] over practice of containment measures [in some localities]... that is not aligned to national policies," Cheng You Quan of the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration said at a Tuesday press conference, according to the BBC.

"Local governments should show more responsibility and follow national guidelines, [instead of following practices like] arbitrarily stopping schools and industry," the official added. "We should name and shame as well as pursue criminal responsibility if necessary. Lockdowns should be quick and the removal of lockdowns should be equally quick."

Asked if the country planned on backing down from COVID measures as a result of the protests, National Health Commission Spokesman Mi Feng hinted at slight compromise.

"We are going to maintain and control the negative impact to people's livelihoods and lives," the spokesman said at a Tuesday press conference.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/uvZALE2

Iran secretly contracts with Qatar over world cup dissent: Report

Qatar has been cooperating with Iran on an effort to control which media outlets cover the World Cup in a bid to ensure the event is beneficial to the Iranian regime.

An audio tape obtained by Iran International reportedly contains discussions between a Revolutionary Guard general and a group of media managers affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard discussing how to ensure the world's largest sporting even paints Tehran in a positive light, the outlet reported Sunday.

The recording, which Iran International reported was from Nov. 15, features General Ghasem Ghoreyshi, who tells the group that "anti-revolutionaries" have purchased "5,330 tickets" to the World Cup, adding that "our boys have checked the list of the ticket holders and at least 500 people" who have purchased tickets are known opponents of the regime.

Ghoresyshi appears to be referring to authorities in Qatar, who reportedly shared a list of Iranian ticket purchase with the IRGC. However, Ghoresyshi also expressed disappointment in Qatari authorities when asked if rumors that tickets had been canceled are true, saying that the country has not fully followed through on that promise.

MANY IRANIANS WANT US VICTORY IN WORLD CUP GAME AMID ONGOING PROTESTS

"Qatar has two different conducts with us – one is a positive response, and it has promised to do that [cancel tickets], but usually they don’t fully deliver," he said in the recording. "They told us give us the names [of unwanted people], and we will solve the issue."

Ghoresyshi also expressed frustration that Qatar had yet to ban Iran International from covering the World Cup, though another person attending the meeting interrupts the general to report that the outlet had announced they had been banned by Qatar from covering the event. Ghoreyshi expressed surprise at the development, saying Iran had discussed the issue with Qatar "the day before".

Iran International, which has often reported on news unflattering to Iranian regime, announced earlier this month that its reporters and TV crew had been banned from the World Cup.

Later in the recording, Ghoreshyi boasts that Qatar had agreed to control spectators at the stadium, banning flags other than the official flag of the Islamic Republic from entering stadiums.

WORLD CUP 2022: IRANIAN PLAYERS GO SILENT DURING NATIONAL ANTHEM TO SHOW SUPPORT FOR PROTESTERS BACK HOME

Qatar reportedly came through on that promise during Iran's second World Cup game against Wales, with stadium security stopping people with flags, such as Iran’s ancient flag featuring a lion and sun emblem, or a simple three-color flag. Some of those spectators with unapproved flags were even reportedly detained by Qatari police.

The report comes amid protests that have rocked the Iranian regime in recent months with the country's authorities fearing that the protests could spill into the World Cup, where anti-regime spectators could display signs or engage in behavior that would be broadcasted back to fans back home.

Ghoreshyi admitted in the recording that Iran was paying the expenses of pro-regime fans to Qatar to attend the games and show support for the regime.

Despite the efforts, some spectators attending Iran's games have been heard singing anti-regime chants and booing during the Islamic Republic's anthem.

The United States plays Iran on Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. ET on Fox.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/0qmzea9

China claims US cruiser 'trespassed' in its waters, Navy calls accusation 'false'

China’s military on Tuesday claimed a U.S. guided missile cruiser "trespassed" in its waters near the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, though the U.S. Navy decried the claims as "false."

"The guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville trespassed into the waters adjacent to islands and reefs of China's Spratly Islands without the approval of the Chinese government," China’s defense ministry said, adding that its "Southern Theater Command organized air and naval forces to track, monitor and warn it off."

US MARINES STORM BEACH NEAR DISPUTED REEF IN SOUTH CHINA SEA JOINT MILITARY DRILLS

Spokesman for the Southern Theater Command, Air Force Senior Colonel Tian Junli, claimed the cruiser "seriously violated China's sovereignty and security."

The U.S. Navy rejected China’s claims of "illegal behavior" and said it was acting within its rights under international law and was conducting a freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea, where it has accused China of attempting to restrict "innocent passage."

"Unlawful and sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea pose a serious threat to the freedom of the seas, including the freedoms of navigation and overflight, free trade, and unimpeded commerce," the Navy said in a statement. 

WARNING FROM US EMBASSY IN CHINA SIGNALS LOCKDOWNS ARE LIKELY TO INTENSIFY AMID PROTESTS

The U.S. military argued that maintaining freedom of the seas was crucial to ensuring stability, global security and economic inclusiveness. 

Ownership over the Spratly Islands is disputed with China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei all laying claim to some or all of the islands and regional reefs. 

The U.S. Navy argued that international law dictates that "ships of all states—including their warships—enjoy the right of innocent passage," and the U.S. does not need to request the permission of any nation to use the waterway.

"By engaging in innocent passage without giving prior notification to or asking permission from any of the claimants, the United States challenged the unlawful restrictions imposed by the PRC, Taiwan, and Vietnam," the statement continued, noting that U.S. forces operate in the area on a daily basis. 

"The United States is defending every nation's right to fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows, as USS Chancellorsville did here," the Navy said. "Nothing the PRC says otherwise will deter us."

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/kSCxj7T

Warning from US embassy in China signals lockdowns are likely to intensify amid protests

The U.S. embassy in China released a statement Monday morning calling on U.S. citizens in the country to "keep a 14-day supply of medications, bottled water, and food for yourself and any members of your household."

"The People’s Republic of China (PRC) authorities have expanded COVID-19 prevention restrictions and control measures as outbreaks occur. These measures may include residential quarantines, mass testing, closures, transportation disruptions, lockdowns, and possible family separation. Ambassador Burns and other Mission officials have regularly raised our concerns on many of these issues directly with senior PRC officials and will continue to do so," the statement reads.

David Tafuri, a former State Department official and foreign policy adviser to the Obama campaign, says the State Department is trying to get ahead of the situation and prevent citizens from being caught up in a tense situation inside China.

PROTESTS RATTLE CHINA AS PEOPLE SAY ENOUGH TO COUNTRY'S DRACONIAN COVID LOCKDOWN POLICIES

"I think this is a message to U.S. citizens in China that the State Department believes the combination of further anti-COVID measures and a potential crackdown on protesters by China could result in further lockdowns and travel bans that could put U.S. citizens at risk for arrest if they leave their homes," Tafuri said.

Tumultuous protests broke out in several Chinese cities over the country's "zero-COVID" policy and a deadly fire in a high-rise building that cost 10 people their lives.

The building, located in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang province, had been in partial lockdown for nearly two months.

CHINESE POLICE GET VIOLENT AS COVID-19 LOCKDOWN PROTESTS SWEEP ACROSS THE COUNTRY

Miles Yu, a senior fellow and director of the China Center at Hudson Institute, told Fox News Digital that the burning death of 10 people was a trigger for social uprisings, making them different from previous ones in the country.

"The previous [protests] are mostly people from the lower part of the social stratification — that is, the migrant workers. They are the social dispossessed. This time primarily is led by what you might call middle-class people who own properties," said Yu. He added that the recent protests "have a much broader base on the society."

CHINA REPORTS RECORD NUMBER OF NEW DAILY CORONAVIRUS CASES IN BEIJING, OTHER CITIES

Tafuri says that "it’s very rare for there to be protests in mainland China over human rights, so this is worth watching to see if it catches on and results in sustained civil disobedience and demands for China to improve human rights."

Videos posted online showed police attacking and carrying away some protesters, but there seems to be no immediate response from President Xi Jinping or the Chinese Communist Party.

Tafuri predicts that the demonstration might result in some minor concessions by the CCP, but "ultimately, China is a police state with more than sufficient means and resources to put down these protests. My guess is that they will crack down on them before they let them spread further."

Yu warns that "it could be dangerous because it could give the protesters a false sense of triumph and so on … also it [could] lead the Chinese government to gather its strength and marshal means or assets."

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/k7NKE5I

Honduras declares state of emergency over gang violence in the country

Honduras became the second country in Central America to declare a state of emergency to fight gang crimes like extortion.

For years, street gangs have charged protection money from bus and taxi drivers and store owners in Honduras, as in neighboring El Salvador.

Late Thursday, Honduran President Xiomara Castro proposed a measure to limit constitutional rights so as to round up gang members.

"This social democratic government is declaring war on extortion, just as it has, since the first day, declared wars on corruption, impunity and drug trafficking," Castro said. The measure must still be approved by Congress. "We are going to eradicate extortion in every corner of our country."

HONDURAS TO LEGALIZE USE OF MORNING-AFTER PILL FOR RAPE VICTIMS

On Friday, Jorge Lanza the leader of the bus operators in Honduras, supported the move, saying bus drivers were tired of being threatened and killed for not paying protection money. Lanza said drivers had been asking for a crackdown for years.

"We can't put up any longer with workers being killed and paying extortion," Lanza said. "We hope these measures work and remain in place."

Lanza said that 50 drivers have been killed so far in 2022, and a total of 2,500 have been killed over the last 15 years. He estimated the companies and drivers have paid an average of about $10 million per month to the gangs in order to operate.

TOP HONDURAN OFFICIAL SAYS MASS MIGRATION TO US 'POSSIBLE' WHEN TITLE 42 ENDS, STRESSES ECONOMIC HELP

Honduras hasn't specified exactly what the state of emergency would entail, but normally such measures temporarily suspend normal rules regulating arrests and searches; sometime limits on freedom of speech and assembly are implemented as well.

In neighboring El Salvador, President Nayib Bukele requested Congress grant him extraordinary powers after gangs were blamed for 62 killings on March 26, and that emergency decree has been renewed every month since then. It suspends some Constitutional rights and gives police more powers to arrest and hold suspects.

That measure has proved popular among the public in El Salvador, and has resulted in the arrest of more than 56,000 people for alleged gang ties.

But nongovernmental organizations have tallied several thousand human rights violations and at least 80 in-custody deaths of people arrested during the state of exception.

Rights activists say young men are frequently arrested just based on their age, appearance or whether they live in a gang-dominated slum.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/F9GkyIX

European ‘super cartel’ busted in six countries; 49 arrests, 30 tons of cocaine seized

Law enforcement across Europe teamed up to bust a "super cartel" of drug traffickers who control about one third of the cocaine trade in Europe, European authorities said Monday.

The series of raids took place between Nov. 8 and 19 in six countries across Europe and the United Arab Emirates, resulting in 49 arrests, Europol said. 

The investigation, dubbed "Operation Desert Light," targeted the cartel’s "command-and-control center and the logistical drugs trafficking infrastructure in Europe," according to the agency.

"The scale of cocaine importation into Europe under the suspects’ control and command was massive and over 30 tons of drugs were seized by law enforcement over the course of the investigations," Europol said, adding that the suspects used encrypted communications to organize drugs shipments.

CHRISTMAS MARKET CROWD SENT SCRAMBLING AFTER DRIVER PLOWS CAR INTO PEDESTRIAN AREA: UK POLICE SAY

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration also played a role in bringing down the organization, which was also involved in money laundering, Europol said.

Authorities arrested 13 suspects in Spain, six in France, 10 in Belgium, and 14 in the Netherlands in 2021. Europol said six "high-value targets" were also arrested in Dubai.

ALBANIAN AUTHORITIES SEIZE 1000 POUNDS OF COCAINE IN COORDINATED OPERATION WITH MONTENEGRO

Record amounts of cocaine are being seized in Europe. Its availability on the continent has never been higher, with extremely high purity and low prices.

More than 214 tons of cocaine were seized in the region in 2020, a 6% increase from the previous year, and experts from the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction believe that amount could reach 300 metric tons (330 tons) in 2022.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/Hf5UF8o

North Korea will build the 'world's most powerful' nuclear program, Kim Jong Un says

North Korea intends to build the most powerful nuclear force in the world, dictator Kim Jong Un stated Sunday.

Kim announced the goal as he promoted officers involved in a ballistic missile launch he had observed earlier in November, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency. His push flies in the face of decades of ill-fated U.S. efforts to curb the country's nuclear program.

"[Our] ultimate goal is to possess the world’s most powerful strategic force, the absolute force unprecedented in the century," Kim stated, before claiming that the country's scientists have made a "wonderful leap forward in the development of the technology of mounting nuclear warheads on ballistic missiles."

Kim's threat comes as the country has launched dozens of nuclear-capable missiles into the sea east of the Korean Peninsula. The U.S. and South Korea have also escalated military drills in a show of force against the regime.

NORTH KOREA UNVEILS DAUGHTER OF KIM JONG UN AT MISSILE LAUNCH SITE

The U.S. and South Korea warned in early November that Kim's regime would "end" if it ever resorted to using nuclear weapons.

The warning came hours after North Korea fired an unprecedented 23 missiles in a single day in its own show of force.

NORTH KOREA TEST LAUNCHES BALLISTIC MISSILE CAPABLE OF STRIKING ANYWHERE IN US

"Any nuclear attack against the United States or its allies and partners, including the use of non-strategic nuclear weapons, is unacceptable and will result in the end of the Kim regime," South Korean Defense Minister Jong-Sup Lee said at the time in a joint news conference with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

North Korea has grown increasingly aggressive since the U.S. and South Korea began joint military exercises in September. The country also flew 12 warplanes near the South Korean border in early October. The sortie included eight fighter jets and four bombers. South Korea responded with a flight of 30 warplanes, but the two groups did not engage.

The U.S. and South Korea's joint air force exercise, Operation Vigilant Storm, was scheduled to end November 4, but it was extended several days in response to North Korea's launches. The exercise saw allied fighter jets and bombers conduct simulated attacks across South Korea for 24 hours a day.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/zY3dQyB

Vatican accuses China of violating contentious agreement, expresses 'surprise and regret'

The Vatican accused China of violating an international agreement and appointing a bishop in a diocese not recognized by the Holy See.

"It was with surprise and regret that the Holy See learned of the news of the ‘installation ceremony’ that took place on 24 November in Nanchang, of H.E. Bishop Giovanni Peng Weizhao, Bishop of Yujiang (Jiangxi Province), as ‘Auxiliary Bishop of Jiangxi’, a diocese not recognized by the Holy See," the Vatican said in a statement Saturday.

The installation of the bishop would be one of the most serious violations of China's pact with the Vatican, which was originally signed in 2018. While the exact terms of the agreement are unknown, it is thought the deal allows for a jurisdiction-sharing agreement on the appointment of bishops, a departure from the Catholic Church's typical process.

VATICAN UNDER FIRE FOR MOVING TO RENEW DEAL WITH THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY

The agreement has been roundly panned by international observers, who have accused the Catholic Church of caving to China's communist government.

Despite those critiques, the Vatican renewed the deal with the Chinese Communist Party last month, inviting renewed backlash.

"The first agreement, signed in 2018, was intended to be experimental, but its results have been grim. In the past two years alone, the Chinese government has raided church services, imprisoned non-compliant priests and removed crosses from churches," David Curry, CEO of Open Doors USA, an international religious persecution watchdog, told Fox News at the time. "(The deal) gives the Vatican and the CCP shared authority over the appointment of bishops in the country."

POMPEO DEFENDS CRITICIZING VATICAN OVER CHINA TIES

The Vatican has now demanded an explanation from China on the unauthorized installation, noting that reports indicate the move was made under pressure from local authorities.

"Such an event, in fact, has not taken place in conformity with the spirit of dialogue that exists between the Vatican parties and the Chinese parties and what has been stipulated in the Provisional Agreement on the Appointment of Bishops of 22 September 2018," the statement said. "In addition, the civil recognition of Bishop Peng was preceded, according to reports received, by prolonged and intense pressure by the local Authorities."

But the Vatican also expressed a willingness to continue working with the Chinese government if the Chinese Communist Party sticks to the terms of the 2018 agreement.

"The Holy See hopes that similar episodes will not be repeated, is awaiting the appropriate communication about the matter from the Authorities, and reaffirms its complete willingness to continue the respectful dialogue concerning all of the matters of common interest," the statement said.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/5J1A8zU

Body found offshore in Mexico where Arizona couple went missing while kayaking

A body has been found offshore in Mexico near where an Arizona couple disappeared while kayaking on Thanksgiving, officials said Sunday.

The body was discovered near Playa Encanto in Puerto Peñasco, also known as Rocky Point, Mexico, as search and rescue crews combed the area for Corey Allen and his wife Yeon-Su Kim, Mexico’s Sonora Civil Protection said.

"After an intense search operation by air, sea and land, the Secretary of the Navy reports to Sonora Civil Protection, the discovery of a body on Playa Encanto, with characteristics similar to one of the two missing persons," the agency tweeted Sunday afternoon.

Authorities did not immediately confirm the identity of the body.

ARIZONA COUPLE GOES MISSING WHILE KAYAKING IN MEXICO ON THANKSGIVING

Allen and Kim of Flagstaff were kayaking with their teen daughter around 1 p.m. Thursday in Puerto Peñasco when winds began to pick up, family and friends have said. Allen helped their daughter back to shore and it is believed he went back for Kim before the couple went missing.

"With the wind and that current I know that they probably knew something was up," Tavane McCombs, who has been coordinating the search, told AZ Family. "Even an experienced kayaker would have trouble with what was going on that day."

MISSING GEORGIA MAN FOUND DEAD IN POND

Flagstaff police told FOX10 Phoenix that it is aware of reports of the missing couple but did not have any direct information on the search.

Authorities in Mexico had tweeted Saturday that a search for two Americans was ongoing, along with a photo of the couple.

Allen is a real estate agent and Kim is a professor of Ecological Economics at the School of Forestry at Northern Arizona University. The couple reportedly has two teenage children.

Rocky Point is a popular vacation spot for Arizonans, and is about a four-hour drive from Phoenix.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/mAXnP3s

Protests rattle China as people say enough to country's draconian COVID lockdown policies

BEIJING - After a tumultuous weekend of nationwide protests things seemed to have slightly calmed down on Monday, but many here expect the protests to continue. On Sunday they had spread to some 20 provinces throughout China. The demonstrations over the country's "zero-COVID" policy and a deadly fire in a high-rise building in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang province, that cost 10 people their lives seemed to have been the catalyst for many people in the communist nation to say enough is enough. The building had been in partial lockdown for nearly two months.

Over the weekend, things turned violent in several cities with protesters clashing with police. Videos posted online showed police attacking and carrying away some protesters. People have increasingly voiced their anger online. 

On Saturday and into Sunday, people gathered in the city center of Shanghai to light candles for the victims of the deadly fire. Around midnight, the crowd had swelled to over a thousand people, chanting, "apologize," directed at the central government, "Xi Jinping, step down," and "Communist Party, step down." 

Such slogans aimed directly at Xi and his central leadership committee are unprecedented. Even during the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989, protesters demanded democratic reform, not regime change. 

CHINESE POLICE GET VIOLENT AS COVID-19 LOCKDOWN PROTESTS SWEEP ACROSS THE COUNTRY

After an hours-long standoff between the police and the protesters, police forces started clearing the streets around 2 am in Shanghai. Although it began peacefully, an eyewitness told Fox News Digital that after a while, the police started pulling people out of the crowd, dragging them into police vehicles and took them away. On Sunday, requests for volunteer lawyers appeared on social media to help those arrested the night before. 

In Beijing, where the government is battling one of the heaviest outbreaks since the beginning of the pandemic, people have demanded the easing of pandemic control measures. 

Shortly after the fire, students throughout the country organized wakes for all the victims of the deadly fire and all others who have been victim to China's "zero-COVID" policy. In most universities, students who also have not been able to leave campus for months started putting up posters and spraying graffiti writing "rest in peace, people from Urumqi" and "we demand freedom." 

CHINESE AUTHORITIES LOOSEN COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS IN SOME NEIGHBORHOODS AFTER PROTESTS

On Sunday, videos and pictures of protests from at least 25 universities surfaced online. University protests are particularly sensitive for communist China given the country's history with student-led demonstrations in the past. On Sunday morning, students from Beijing's Tsinghua University, one of China's most prestigious universities, staged a protest which was quickly ended by the police. 

Craig Singleton, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and an expert on China, told Fox News Digital that, "The tenuous trust that exists between the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese people is starting to fray, and it is not entirely clear that Xi has any new ideas to turn the tide. That said, these latest demonstrations appear unlikely to seriously challenge the party’s grip on power so long as they remain isolated and sporadic. More likely is that Xi will seek to appear responsive to the public’s growing discontent while politically distancing himself from recent lockdown orders, in essence shifting the blame to local and provincial-level officials."

'DRACONIAN APPROACH': STRICT CHINESE COVID MEASURES REMAIN AS CASE NUMBERS CONTINUE RISING

Although photos and videos of the protests in Xinjiang were soon censored, people have come up with ways of avoiding censorship. Popular online songs include video clips of "Do You Hear the People Sing" from "Les Misérables." The song was deleted from Chinese streaming services years ago when protesters in Hong Kong adopted it as one of their protest anthems.

Subtitled clips of live performances of the song "Get Up Stand Up" by Bob Marley & The Wailers and "People have the Power" by Patti Smith have been shared widely. In another an attempt to get around social media, people have posted pictures of artwork referencing the fire the killed the 10 people in Urumqui. 

CHINA CONSIDERS CUTTING $700 CHECKS FOR ALL CITIZENS DUE TO COVID-19 ECONOMIC STRUGGLES

Another way people have voiced their criticism without running the risk of being censored has been to post clips of former leader Deng Xiaoping or even Xi out of context. One popular video showed the late Deng Xiaoping advocating a clip that had him say that people should put the economy before ideology.

Another video showed Xi warning the world not to provoke the Chinese people because, in his words, "they are organized" and "not easy to handle when provoked." 

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/x32Wgp6

Kim Jong Un’s daughter makes 2nd public appearance in days, sparking succession rumors

Kim Jong Un’s daughter made her second public appearance with her father in days, sparking speculation about the North Korean despot’s possible succession plans.

The 38-year-old Kim was rumored to be in grave health after reportedly undergoing a cardiovascular procedure in 2020. He has three children with wife Ri Sol Ju, a boy who was born in 2010 and two girls who were born in 2013 and 2017, according to South Korean media reports.

The middle child, Kim Ju Ae, has appeared in official photographs with her father during two recent public events, fueling speculation that he is considering her as his heir apparent.

Ju Ae, who is about 9 or 10 years old, was first pictured with her parents on Nov. 19 and walking hand-in-hand with Kim prior to the country's intercontinental ballistic missile launch.

NORTH KOREA UNVEILS DAUGHTER OF KIM JONG UN AT MISSILE LAUNCH SITE

On Sunday, the country’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) published pictures of her again, this time describing her as Kim’s "most beloved" or "precious" child, a more honorific title than "beloved daughter," which KCNA used to describe her just days earlier, the Associated Press reported. 

NORTH KOREA TEST LAUNCHES BALLISTIC MISSILE CAPABLE OF STRIKING ANYWHERE IN US

"This is certainly striking. The photograph of Kim Ju Ae standing alongside her father while being celebrated by technicians and scientists involved in the latest ICBM launch would support the idea that this is the start of her being positioned as a potential successor," Ankit Panda, an expert with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told the outlet. 

"State media underscoring her father’s love for her further underscores this, I think. Finally, both of her initial public appearances have been in the context of strategic nuclear weapons — the crown jewels of North Korea’s national defense capabilities. That doesn’t strike me as coincidental," Panda said.

State media said Sunday Kim and his daughter took group photos with scientists, officials and others involved in what it called the test-launch of its Hwasong-17 ICBM.

KCNA did not name Kim's daughter, but retired NBA star Dennis Rodman revealed during a 2013 interview with The Guardian that he had held Kim's baby daughter named Ju Ae during his trip to the capital city of Pyongyang.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/nBPpx0K

Chinese police get violent as COVID-19 lockdown protests sweep across the country

Chinese protesters are clashing with police across the country as outrage against the Chinese Communist Party's zero-COVID policy grows.

China's COVID-19 authorities have relocated tens of thousands of people to camps after testing positive,and imposed draconian lockdown measures, going so far as to weld some people's doors shut. Widespread protests are rare in China's repressive political environment, and police are cracking down harshly on students and workers who dare to demonstrate.

Social media footage appears to show police hauling away protesters in cities across China. In Guangzhou, numerous officers were filmed tousling with a group of protesters before pulling one man away and wrestling him to the ground.

Other officers were photographed dragging another protester away by his hands and feet in Shanghai.

CHINESE RESIDENTS CELEBRATE DECREASE IN COVID RESTRICTIONS

The protests themselves often reference China's efforts to quash dissent, with demonstrators holding up blank pieces of paper to symbolize their inability to speak freely.

Officers reportedly used pepper spray to disperse an initial rally in Shanghai, but soon began making arrests when protesters returned. Authorities filled a bus with those they arrested, according to the Toronto Sun.

Footage purportedly filmed in Nanjing also showed officers wrestling with groups of protesters, according to the Associated Press.

Some demonstrators have reportedly chanted for the CCP and leader Xi Jinping to step down.

Protests erupted in part due to a fire at an apartment building in China's Xinjiang region that killed 10 people and injured several more. Citizens were outraged after reports suggested that COVID-19 lockdown measures had prevented first responders from making a quicker response to the blaze.

CHINA REPORTS RECORD NUMBER OF NEW DAILY CORONAVIRUS CASES IN BEIJING, OTHER CITIES

The blaze occurred in the city of Urumqi, and officials there soon relaxed lockdown measures.

Late-night demonstrations saw protesters tear down barriers and chanting in the streets demanding an end to the other measures, however.

Even the typically China-friendly World Health Organization has criticized the CCP's zero-Covid policy, arguing earlier this year that it was "not sustainable."

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/xBLXZgD

Brazil school shootings: Police say 16-year-old suspect wore swastika pinned to vest during deadly rampage

Brazilian police said the 16-year-old suspect who allegedly killed four people and wounded 12 others in shootings at two schools in the southeastern part of the country wore a swastika pinned to his vest. 

The unidentified teen suspect, wielding a semiautomatic pistol and a revolver, allegedly carried out the attacks on Friday at a public school with elementary and middle school students and a private school, both located on the same street in the small town of Aracruz in Espirito Santo state. 

Three teachers and a student were killed. Five of the wounded remained in the hospital.

The suspect, identified as a 16-year-old boy who used to study at the public school, was arrested by police about four hours later, Espirito Santo Gov. Renato Casagrande said. 

BRAZIL'S BOLSONARO CHALLENGES ELECTION LOSS, CLAIMS SIGNS OF ‘SERIOUS FAILURES’ IN VOTING MACHINES

Authorities did not release the suspect’s name but did say the teenager used his family's car to go from one school to the other and had the license plate hidden by a cloth. Security camera footage showed him wearing a bulletproof vest, according to Espirito Santo public security secretary Márcio Celante. 

Police said the teen had been planning the attacks for two years

The shooter allegedly gained access to the teachers' lounge in the public school after breaking a lock.

BRAZILIAN INFLUENCER NÚBIA CRISTINA BRAGA KILLED IN HAIL OF BULLETS AT HOME: REPORT

Casagrande said the semiautomatic weapon belonged to the military police, while the revolver was a personal weapon registered in the name of the former student’s father, a military police officer.

The accused shooter is being held at a facility for underaged criminals.

Police say investigations are still preliminary and that they cannot jump to any conclusions about the motives for Friday's shootings. They did say the 16-year-old alleged attacker was wearing a military-style clothing and a swastika, according to The Associated Press. 

The suspect's family said he has received psychiatric treatment, which the school had not been told about.

"This shows how the violence culture is a reality for some people, especially young people. This is a mental health issue which society has to deal with nowadays," Casagrande said. 

The shootings come at a time of unrest in the country as incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro has refused to accept narrow defeat in October’s election and protests have carried on in several states for weeks. 

Bolsonaro has been a vocal supporter of gun rights.

According to the AP, in the beginning of this year a far-right influencer and Bolsonaro supporter said in a podcast that a Nazi party should be created in Brazil, in order to have freedom of speech. 

At the time, the president condemned the influencer's comments and compared Nazism to Communism. 

In 2021, however, Bolsonaro hosted in his office and posed for pictures with German lawmaker Beatrix von Storch, a granddaughter of one of Hitler's ministers.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/Nafe0Wm

Ostriches attempt to evade police after escaping Canadian enclosure

About 20 ostriches escaped from their enclosure in Alberta, Canada, and attempted to run away from police who were in pursuit of the birds.

Footage filmed by a witness on Thursday shows a police car driving up to an ostrich running down the road. A passenger in the vehicle then reaches out to grab the animal by its neck but is unable to hold on. The ostrich briefly falls to the ground before it begins to run away.

Animal websites recommend grabbing an ostrich by its neck to force it down and prevent it from pecking, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

QUEBEC'S GANNETS CONTINUE TO FASCINATE MARINE BIOLOGISTS

The Taber Police Service said members of the police force and its regional community standards unit dealt with the ostriches, and that traffic hazards were created by the birds on their way out of town. The police service assisted the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to confine the ostriches, so the animals' owners could safely capture them.

The escaped ostriches all belong to the same person.

Most of the ostriches were captured on Thursday, but RCMP media relations officer Cpl. Troy Savinkoff told CBC that efforts were still being exhausted to secure the rest of them.

RCMP often assists in capturing horses and cattle but does not expect to respond to ostriches on the loose.

"Ostrich certainly is something that we're very much less familiar with, and I can confirm that particular investigator who received their first report did not anticipate chasing ostriches during that shift," Savinkoff said.

SKATEBOARDING GUINEA PIGS, SUNGLASSES ON, ARE A DELIGHTFUL SIGHT: ‘THEY BRING JOY’

One of the ostriches being pursued was hit by a car and died after it escaped its enclosure.

Ostriches are the fastest-running bird in the world, able to travel continuously at speeds of 30 to 37 miles per hour and can sprint up to 43 miles per hour, according to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. 

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/Jh3H4Wc

Hundreds pose nude on Australian beach to raise awareness for skin cancer

Some 2,500 people took off their clothes on Saturday to pose for U.S. photographic artist Spencer Tunick at Sydney's Bondi Beach in an effort to raise awareness about skin cancer.

Tunick, known for staging mass nude photo shoots at world landmarks, used a megaphone to direct attendees into several poses on the beach before many took a naked dip in the ocean.

The New York-based artist collaborated with a charity on the naked art installation in a bid to raise awareness about melanoma, Australia's fourth most common form of cancer. 

Australia's federal government estimates that this year 17,756 new cases of skin cancer will be diagnosed in Australia, and 1,281 Australians will die from the disease.

Tunick's Instagram post explained that the participants had gathered in nothing but their skin, "watching the first rays of light creep over the horizon of Bondi Beach, standing with respectful strength, honouring all those who’ve been killed or done battle with our 'national cancer,' knowing that we will be the generation to stop it."

WINGING IT: YOUNG BIRD MAY HAVE SET DISTANCE RECORD BY FLYING NON-STOP FROM ALASKA TO TASMANIA

The photographer expanded on his intentions further in a statement to Fox News Digital.

"Skin cancer is the world’s most common cancer. Every year, over 1.3 million people are diagnosed with it. Killing over 125,000. Sadly, these deaths are predicted to rise by 20% in the next few years, unless we do big brave things to stop it," he explained. "Hopefully my recent photographs with the inclusion of many skin cancer survivors will remind people of the fragility of life and the importance of skin checks."

Tunick has also been personally affected by the disease, explaining that a family member recently had a melanoma removed, catching it in time. 

A participant, Robyn Lindner, said she overcame nerves to strip for the shoot, which organizers said involved 2,500 people.

"I was secretly terrified (and) last night I have to confess I was thinking, 'What have I done?' But it was great, everyone was a really good vibe, everyone was really respectful and it just felt really fun," said Lindner.

ROBERT IRWIN ON HOW HIS PHOTOGRAPHY BOOK KEEPS LATE FATHER STEVE IRWIN'S LEGACY ALIVE

Tunick last directed a mass shoot in Sydney in 2010, when 5,200 Australians posed naked at the Sydney Opera House.

When asked what his next project is, Tunick explained that he's trying to find a way to do a mass group nude in Asia. 

"Every time a museum in Asia approaches the local government with one of my projects they are turned down. I have been turned down in South Korea, Taiwan and Shanghai, China," explained Tunick. 

He suggested: "Maybe a remote island off the coast of Japan?"

Reuters contributed to this report. 

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/SayOjh7

Greta Thunberg joins lawsuit against Swedish government alleging 'insufficient' climate policies

Climate activist Greta Thunberg joined hundreds of other young plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the government of Sweden alleging inaction from the country on the issue of climate change.

The lawsuit joins Thunberg, 19, with more than 600 others who claim that Sweden’s climate policies have violated the Constitution along with the European Convention on Human Rights, Bloomberg reported.

"The Swedish state fails to meet the constitutional requirement to promote sustainable development leading to a good environment for present and future generations," the group organizing the lawsuit said in a statement.

Thunberg posted on Twitter saying that Black Friday was the "perfect day" to sue the state over "its insufficient climate policies."

UN NEGOTIATORS AGREE TO PAY CLIMATE REPARATIONS TO POOR NATIONS

"Today on Black Friday is the perfect day to sue the state over its insufficient climate policies. So that’s what we did," Thunberg, one of the world’s most recognizable climate activists, said.

"See you in court," she added. 

Another activist, Ida Edling, said that Sweden "is pursuing a climate policy the research is very clear will contribute to a climate disaster in the future."

REPUBLICANS ARE PLANNING TO BATTLE BIDEN'S 'RADICAL' GREEN AGENDA WITH HOUSE CONTROL: 'KEEP ENERGY COSTS LOW'

Sweden’s parliament decided in 2017 said that by 2045, the Scandinavian country is to have zero net emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and is to have 100% renewable energy.

Still, activists in Sweden say the country should do more.

AUTHOR BLASTS 'GREEN DELUSIONS' OF WESTERN COUNTRIES THAT EMPOWERED PUTIN'S ENERGY ADVANTAGE IN EUROPE

"The Swedish state has never treated the climate crisis as the crisis it is, and the new government has clearly signaled that it won’t do that either," Anton Foley, a 20 year-old plaintiff in the case, said in a statement. 

Climate campaigners have launched numerous lawsuits against governments and companies in recent years, with mixed success.

In one of the most high-profile cases, Germany’s top court ruled last year that the government had to adjust its climate targets to avoid unduly burdening the young. The German government reacted by bringing forward its target for "net zero" emissions by five years to 2045 and laying more ambitious near-and-medium term steps to achieve that goal.

Associated Press contributed to this report.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/RCkxtcn

Christmas market crowd sent scrambling after driver plows car into pedestrian area: UK police say

Three suspects have been arrested after a car allegedly plowed into a crowd of holiday shoppers at a Christmas market in a small town south of Manchester, England. 

Hundreds of people were enjoying the Christmas market in the town center of Congleton, England, when a driver in a Volkswagen Golf going around 50 mph drove into the crowd on a pedestrian-only street, according to local paper StokeonTrentLive. 

"Fortunately, no-one was hurt during the incident," Cheshire Police said in a statement. 

Police said the car was found abandoned and three men were in custody in connection to the incident. 

"There was a woman and a kid, they were a bit shaken up," Mandy Neville, who was working at a shop near the market when the incident happened, told the paper. "The woman said that she’d hurt her leg. She didn’t know if something had hit her on the leg as the car came crashing through, but no one was actually injured properly."

She added, "We brought the lad in here and gave him a drink. He was quite shook-up. He was only a young lad, I think he was about 10."

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/kR4GWlo

Chinese authorities loosen COVID-19 restrictions in some neighborhoods after protests

Chinese authorities have loosed COVID-19 restrictions in some neighborhoods of the Xinjiang region following significant protests. 

Residents made clear that they had enough of the strict "zero-COVID" policies authorities have enforced through immense protests in the area. An official from the city of Urumqi promised to open low-risk areas of the city the following morning. 

The city’s authorities relaxed the restrictions on Saturday morning, allowing residents to move about more freely, but many other neighborhoods remain under lockdown. 

Officials also triumphantly declared Saturday that they had basically achieved "societal zero-COVID," meaning that there was no more community spread and that new infections were being detected only in people already under health monitoring, such as those in a centralized quarantine facility.

‘DRACONIAN APPROACH’: STRICT CHINESE COVID MEASURES REMAIN AS CASE NUMBERS CONTINUE RISING

Late-night demonstrations saw protesters tear down barriers and chanting in the streets demanding an end to the over reactive measures. Public anger peaked following a fire in an apartment complex that killed 10 residents according to official death tolls. 

The government has doubled down its policy even as it loosens some measures, such as shortening quarantine times. The central government has repeatedly said it will stick to "zero COVID," but public opinion has shifted on the topic. 

CHINA CONSIDERS CUTTING $700 CHECKS FOR ALL CITIZENS DUE TO COVID-19 ECONOMIC STRUGGLES

Videos from across China show protests against neighborhood lockdowns as well as restrictions in the workplace and dangerous health practices.

In video posted by Disclose.TV showed hundreds of people in Guangzhou marching down the street, kicking aside barriers and chanting. China enforcers also have been captured on video beating protesters down. 

KIRBY SAYS BIDEN, XI MEETING WAS ‘NOT A RESET’ IN RELATIONSHIP BUT A BALANCING ACT

And at tech manufacturer Foxconn’s flagship iPhone factory in Zhengzhou workers smashed windows and surveillance cameras as they lashed out at the company for delaying pay and forcing COVID-positive workers to live with uninfected ones. 

People in Urumqi largely marched peacefully in big puffy winter jackets in the cold winter night.

Videos of protests featured people holding the Chinese flag and shouting "Open up, open up." They spread rapidly on Chinese social media despite heavy censorship.

In some scenes, people shouted and pushed against rows of men in the white whole-body hazmat suits that local government workers and pandemic-prevention volunteers wear, according to the videos.

Support for "zero-COVID" has cratered in recent months, as tragedies sparked public anger. Last week, the Zhengzhou city government in the central province of Henan apologized for the death of a 4-month-old baby. 

The infant died after a delay in receiving medical attention while suffering vomiting and diarrhea in quarantine at a hotel in Zhengzhou.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/dkCN36b

Iran protests: UN Human Rights Council votes to investigate regime's violent response

The U.N. voted to commence an investigation into Iran’s crackdown on nationwide protests over the past two months. 

The Human Rights Council will appoint an independent investigator to complete a fact-finding mission on Tehran’s response to the protests after the council passed the motion on Thursday. The council’s chief, Volker Turk, said that Iran was in a "full-fledged" crisis and called the government’s actions "unacceptable" and "disproportionate" in his opening address. 

Volker noted that at least 300 people have died, and more than 14,000 have been arrested, since the protests started in mid-September. Some estimates put the number as high as 350 dead and over 15,000 arrested. 

"Iranian officials will not be able to perpetrate this violent crackdown anonymously," U.S. ambassador to the HRC Michele Taylor said of the vote, according to The Guardian. "The international community is watching."

STUDY: MAJORITY OF IRANIANS WANT REGIME CHANGE AS COUNTRY'S PROTESTS CONTINUE TO GROW

But Iran’s representative at the meeting, Khadijeh Karimi, accused the West of using the council to target her country in an "appalling and disgraceful" move. 

The protests started in response to the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died in a hospital after slipping into a coma after an alleged beating by the country’s morality police. Officers had arrested Amini for breaching the country’s hijab (headscarf) laws. 

IRAN REPORTEDLY ENRICHING URANIUM AT 60% PURITY AT UNDERGROUND FORDOW FACILITY

What started as demonstrations in the capital spread to over 140 cities and towns across the country, growing into the most significant challenges to the regime since its establishment following the 1979 revolution.

Protesters have even gone so far as attacking historic institutions, such as burning a museum dedicated to the regime's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. 

IRANIAN SOCCER PLAYER ARRESTED FOR ‘PROPAGANDIZING AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT’

U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken hailed the vote for leaving "no doubt" that the council "recognizes the gravity of the situation in Iran," and he argued that the fact-finding mission will "ensure that those engaged in the ongoing violent suppression of Iranian people are identified and their actions documented." 

The mission will collect evidence of the regime’s actions, which can then be used in legal proceedings at the International Court of Justice. 

The council has faced a number of challenges to its validity and authority in recent years after the U.S. initially withdrew over concerns that the council had lost its purpose. It also failed to pass a motion to investigate China over its treatment of its Uyghur population.

Reuters contributed to this report. 

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/gWsF1eY

European officials say US profiting from Ukraine war, call Inflation Reduction Act 'very worrying'

Top European officials have attacked President Biden's actions amid the ongoing war in Ukraine and have even questioned whether the United States remains an ally as gas prices soar and U.S. green energy policies have put Europeans into "full-blown panic mode," according to a report.

European officials, speaking anonymously to Politico, accused the U.S. of "profiting" off of Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine and complained that green subsidies and taxes included in the Inflation Reduction Act have deteriorated relationships between the U.S. and European allies and partners. 

"The fact is, if you look at it soberly, the country that is most profiting from this war is the U.S. because they are selling more gas and at higher prices, and because they are selling more weapons," a senior official told Politico. 

"We are really at a historic juncture," the official added, arguing that U.S. policies have disrupted trade and that high gas prices are turning public opinion against aid for Ukraine. "America needs to realize that public opinion is shifting in many EU countries."

LITHUANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: ‘NO GREATER THREAT’ THAN RUSSIA, SEEKS TO PRESERVE ‘GLOBAL RULES-BASED ORDER’ 

Among Europe's complaints is that the electric vehicle tax credit included in the Inflation Reduction Act, a $369 billion spending and tax law signed by Biden, is "protectionist" and "discriminatory" because it imposes unfair competition on foreign manufacturers.

"The Inflation Reduction Act is very worrying," Dutch Trade Minister Liesje Schreinemacher said. "The potential impact on the European economy is very big." 

At the same time, Putin has cut off energy exports to the rest of Europe, which has led EU countries to buy fuel from the U.S. at nearly four times the cost. These factors, combined with record high inflation, the threat of recession, and increased demand for energy as winter approaches have led European leaders to question whether Biden's administration is aware of the harm the president's policies have inflicted. 

RUSSIAN GAS PIPELINE EXPLODES NEAR ST. PETERSBURG, VIDEO SHOWS

"Americans — our friends — take decisions which have an economic impact on us," the EU's chief diplomat Josep Borrell emphasized to Politico. 

U.S. officials have deflected blame to Russia. "The rise in gas prices in Europe is caused by Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and Putin's energy war against Europe, period," a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council told Politico. 

The White House has also said that American energy exports are helping Europe, taking credit for shoring up energy supplies ahead of winter.

UKRAINE CAPITAL IN SURVIVAL MODE FOLLOWING LATEST RUSSIAN MISSILE BARRAGE: RESIDENTS WITHOUT WATER, POWER

"The increase in global LNG supplies, led by the United States, helped European allies and partners get storage levels to an encouraging place ahead of this winter, and we will continue to work with the EU, its members and other European countries to ensure sufficient supplies will be available for winter and beyond," an NSC official told Fox News. 

The White House insisted to Fox News that U.S. policies have not undermined or contradicted President Biden's promise to Europe that "America is back" as a reliable ally, 

But European officials are not so sure. 

"The Inflation Reduction Act has changed everything," one EU diplomat told Politico. "Is Washington still our ally or not?"

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/91oiAHY