World population expected to increase to more than 7.9 billion on New Year’s Day; nearly 1% uptick from 2022

The global population will expand more than 7.9 billion people by New Year’s Day - 7,942,645,086 to be exact, the U.S. Census Bureau said in a release this week. 

The number is a more than 79 million-person increase from January 2022 worldwide.

In January, 4.3 births and two deaths are expected worldwide every second. 

NEW YEAR'S EVE CELEBRATIONS AROUND THE WORLD

In the U.S., the population will increase half a percent to around 334,233,854, with one person born every nine seconds, one person dying every 10 seconds and someone joining the population every 32 seconds through immigration. 

It averages out to a net gain of an American every 21 seconds. 

FOX NEWS CHANNEL'S JAM-PACKED NEW YEAR CELEBRATION TO TAKE VIEWERS ACROSS AMERICA WITH COAST-T0-COAST COVERAGE 

The countries with the highest populations are China, India, the U.S. and Indonesia. 

In the U.S., California, Texas and Florida have the highest populations. 

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Scotland police blasted for report describing pedophiles as 'minor-attracted people': 'Baloney'

Police in Scotland have sparked outrage for describing pedophiles as "minor-attracted people" in a report.

Officials said the language in the year-end report was based on terminology used by th European Union.

In a year-end report, Chief Constable Iain Livingstone said police have worked on a project that’s main agenda is "to develop understanding and approach to avoid the victimisation of children by engaging Minor-Attracted People (MAPs) and providing them with the necessary support, treatment and guidance to help prevent criminal activities." 

The phrasing in the report drew criticism from many in Scotland who said the police were normalizing sex crimes against children, Scotland Daily Express reported.

"Spouting these euphemisms simply masks the reality and their danger," Kenny McAskill, Alba Party MP for East Lothian and former SNP Justice Secretary, told the outlet. 

TUCKER CARLSON: NO HEALTHY SOCIETY CAN TOLERATE PEDOPHILIA

"I very much welcome the common sense approach from Police Scotland, though even in commissioning documents these euphemisms should be avoided as they mask the reality and hide the horror. The term in whatever context is baloney."

Maggie Mellon, an independent social work consultant, said that the term "MAP" leads to "danger of normalising and therefore perhaps decriminalising a serious offence".

A conservative party leader in Scotland added that "most Scots will find any attempt to soften the language around paedophilia in official guidance to be deeply disturbing and wrong."

WASHINGTON POST SCOLDED FOR ‘NORMALIZING PEDOPHILES’ IN GLOWING REVIEW OF A PLAY ABOUT SEXUAL PREDATORS

The term drew criticism online from political commentators, including Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson.

"How about we don't do this: ‘minor-attracted people’ equal predators plain and simple," Peterson tweeted.

In a statement, Scotland police said the term is not used in the department but was based on European Union language. 

JIMMY FAILLA SKEWERS DEMOCRAT KATIE PORTER'S 'DISGUSTING' TAKE ON 'PEDOPHILE' TERM: 'STRAIGHT INSANITY'

"Police Scotland does not use the term Minor-Attracted Person," the statement said. "The reference in the Chief Constable's Assessment of Policing Performance 2021/22 was in the context of Police Scotland's engagement with the Horizon Project EU consortium to tackle Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation."

"The term was used in the commissioning documents for the consortium and is more commonly used on the continent. In September, Police Scotland representatives successfully lobbied for the MAP term not to be used by the consortium."

Scotland police did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

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Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI funeral to be held Thursday in St. Peter's Square, with Pope Francis presiding

Pope Francis will celebrate a funeral service for the late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI next week after the retired pope passed away Saturday.

The Vatican announced Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI passed away Saturday at 9:34 a.m. He was 95 years old.

Benedict's body is currently being held in Mater Ecclesiae Monastery in Vatican City, where he spent the majority of his life post-papacy.

POPE EMERITUS BENEDICT XVI DEAD AT 95, VATICAN SAYS

On Jan. 2, his body will be moved for viewing by the faithful to St. Peter's Basilica. In accordance with tradition, the body of the deceased pope will be exhibited to the public to allow mourners to pray for the pontiff on Tuesday and Wednesday.

On Jan. 5, Pope Francis will preside over the late pontiff's funeral mass in St. Peter's Square, the Vatican stated. 

POPE BENEDICT'S VISION OF CATHOLICISM, VATICAN II, AND THE FUTURE OF THE CHURCH ENDURE THROUGH HIS TEACHINGS

The service will be open to the public and the Vatican has provided contacts for Catholics worldwide wishing to concelebrate the mass remotely.

Benedict was elected to the papacy in 2005. He later claimed that he prayed he would not be chosen throughout the conclave but was forced to accept what he believed was God calling him to greater service. 

POPE BENEDICT XVI GIVES FAREWELL TO CARDINALS, PROMISES OBEDIENCE TO SUCCESSOR

In February 2013, at 85 years old, Benedict became the first pope in centuries to resign from his post. 

"I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise [of the pontificate]," he said at that time. 

From Pope Francis' ascension onward, the former pontiff went by the title "Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI," but per canon law, exercised no authority over the church.

On June 29, 2021, Benedict celebrated the Platinum Jubilee — 70th anniversary — of his ordination into the priesthood. 

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North Korea fires 3 missiles into sea days after sending drones across South Korean border

North Korea fired three ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan on Saturday morning — a further escalation after previously flying drones into South Korean territory. 

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff reported Saturday morning that they had detected the launch of three missiles from North Korean territory south of its capital, Pyongyang. 

SOUTH KOREA FIRES WARNING SHOTS, SCRAMBLES AIRCRAFT AFTER NORTH KOREAN DRONES CROSS BORDER

The three missiles traveled over 220 miles from their launch point into the Sea of Japan. The distance indicates that North Korea's capability to strike South Korea has increased.

The missiles are only the latest display of increasing military power from the infamous hermit kingdom.

South Korea on Tuesday apologized to its citizens for failing to shoot down North Korean drones that crossed its borders for the first time in five years.

SISTER OF NORTH KOREA'S KIM ISSUES FRESH ICBM THREAT; US FLIES BOMBERS, STEALTH JETS

Lt. Gen. Kang Shin Chul, chief director of operation at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a televised address that the military deployed warplanes and attack helicopters, but they were unable to take out the drones – including one that remained in South Korea for three hours.

Five drones were detected by South Korea’s military Monday, but not a single drone was shot down before they either returned to North Korean airspace or disappeared from Seoul's radar.

The launch is also a response to a rocket recently test-fired by South Korea on Friday meant to further its surveillance capabilities. 

South Korea's military confirmed that it had test-fired a solid-fueled rocket on Friday after the unannounced launch led to rumors about a UFO or a North Korean missile launch. 

In a statement, the Defense Ministry said that the launch was part of an initiative to build a space-based surveillance capability and fortify the country's defense posture.

The department said it did not flag the public about the launch in advance because it involved sensitive military security issues.

Fox News' Julia Musto and Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.

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Protests against repressive regimes demonstrated greatest pushback in decades as citizens demand freedom

Protests throughout the year demonstrated the strongest pushback against oppressive regimes in decades. 

Tensions in China, Iran and Russia boiled over at various points across 2022, driving protesters to their breaking point due to war, COVID-19 or simple denial of basic civil rights. 

The protests also reached the West with greater visibility than ever before, providing protesters a platform to spread their message and make clear to the world why they wanted change. 

The more visible elements of some protests have died down, but the people in these nations continue to voice their displeasure, marking a radical shift in their political landscapes and leading to an uncertain future as the governments look to regain loyalty and control that may have slipped from them forever. 

IRAN: ‘BIDEN CAN’T IGNORE PROTESTS, EXECUTIONS' AS REGIME EYES NUCLEAR WEAPONS AMID ATOMIC PAUSE

No protest shook the world more this year than did the calls for change in Iran, which have lasted for over 100 days following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. Morality police accused Amini of failing to adhere to the country’s headscarf (hijab) laws, taking her into custody and then rushing her to hospital an hour later. 

The police claimed that Amini merely fell into a coma, but her family alleged that they saw clear proof that she had suffered a beating. 

Her death kicked off what ended up the greatest pushback against the Ayatollah’s regime. Videos and photos of the protests regularly reached the West, appearing on social media sites like Twitter. 

The protests also started just before the 2022 United Nations High-Level Week, during which the leaders of various nations travel to the U.N. headquarters in New York City to address the General Assembly. 

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was invited to speak, and his arrival created tremendous controversy, with many calling for President Biden to reject his visa application and prevent him from entering the country. Raisi did speak, and the leader positioned Iran as a victim of Western abuses. 

FEMALE IRANIAN CHESS PLAYER COMPETES AT TOURNAMENT WITHOUT WEARING HIJAB

A display across the street from the U.N. headquarters showed 2,000 of some 30,000 victims that died during the 1989 Iran death commissions, in which Raisi allegedly participated and played a prominent role. 

Celebrities in Iran joined the protests, including a number of soccer players who have faced punishment for their vocal support.

Officials sentenced Amir Nasr-Azadani to death for an alleged connection to the murder of a police colonel and two volunteer militia members, according to Iran Wire. 

The protests eventually spread to over 140 cities and towns across Iran, with reports saying up to 500 people were killed by the security forces crackdown and tens of thousands were arrested. A number of children have also died during the protests as the regime struggled to contain them. 

"Iranian people have proved to themselves and to the world that they are willing to risk their lives in order to obtain the most basic freedoms," Lisa Daftari, a Middle East expert and editor-in-chief of The Foreign Desk, told Fox News Digital. "For 43 years, this regime has repressed its people and denied them of the most basic human rights.

IRAN'S TOP PROSECUTOR, KEY MILITARY FIGURES SANCTIONED BY TREASURY OVER PROTEST CRACKDOWNS

"They are hoping that the rest of the world will support their movement as well," Daftari continued. "More than anything, Iranian protesters, and those who support them around the world, are hoping that in 2023 there will be more awareness, and more importantly, more public support of their movement.

"When you connect the dots, it’s unfathomable, why a movement for freedom, led by women, does not have more widespread support globally. It’s about human rights, freedom and world security." 

Following a fire in a high-rise apartment building in Xinjiang, citizens demanded accountability and an end to the Chinese Communist Party’s "zero-COVID" policy, which saw local governments shut down entire cities and mandate lockdowns and widespread testing after detecting just a few cases of COVID-19. 

The fire killed 10 people, with many blaming the quarantine protocols for making it difficult for residents to escape the building. The resulting anger spilled into the streets in the greatest and most direct pushback against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s rule since the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989. 

Yaqiu Wang, a China researcher at watchdog group Human Rights Watch, told Fox News Digital that the protests occurred because of the incident, but they evidenced the pent-up anger and frustration the Chinese people had toward their government.

"People were really, really frustrated that it had been three years," Wang said. "Under the previous lockdowns, many people were denied access to medical care, emergency medical care, and some even died because of that … they couldn't get to the hospital because of the COVID restrictions. 

CHINA BACKS DOWN ON TESTING, QUARANTINE REQUIREMENTS AMID LOCKDOWN OUTRAGE

"Other people couldn't get food [or] medical care, because if everybody has to get food from the delivery app, of course, it's overwhelmed [by] all this … and, of course, people lost their jobs for months. They couldn't even afford to buy food anymore," Wang explained. "So, I think just three years of pent-up anger and frustration, then it was triggered by the fire, and everybody felt it."

The sheer volume of social media accounts documenting the protests overwhelmed China’s censors and algorithms, breaching the famous "Great Firewall" of China to reach Twitter and other Western platforms. The task proved so difficult that China reportedly spammed Twitter with posts about porn and escorts to make it difficult for users to find protest videos when they searched for cities by name.

Chinese citizens had turned to virtual private networks (VPNs) to hide their locations and allow them access to Western social media, showing the greater sophistication protesters have developed. 

Chinese media saw the start of the "blank page protest," which involved the user posting a picture of a blank page and tagging the post with keywords that would otherwise evade the censors like "good," "yes" and "correct" to display the sentiment that citizens are "voiceless but also powerful," according to The New York Times.

BEIJING BACKS DOWN: CHINESE CITIZENS ‘EMPOWERED’ AFTER COVID PROTESTS, CHINA RESEARCHER SAYS

The protests achieved their goal and led to Beijing rolling back "zero-COVID," but the abrupt change led to a severe spike in COVID-19 subvariants. Over 250 million people in China may have had an infection by Christmas, leading some nations to start implementing travel restrictions again as China looked to open its borders. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine proved unpopular when it started with protests spreading from Moscow to Khabarovsk, a city some 4,000 miles east of the capital. One watchdog estimate puts the number of arrests at just over 19,000, with around 400 convicted in "anti-war criminal cases." 

Within two weeks after the start of the war, on-air news personalities in Russia started to protest. Regulators in Russia accused Dozhd, or TV Rain, of "inciting extremism, abusing Russian citizens, causing mass disruption of public calm and safety and encouraging protests," according to the BBC.

Putin quickly signed a law that allowed authorities to jail journalists for up to 15 years for reporting "fake" news about the military and the invasion, with officials refusing to call it a "war" or "invasion" at all. Instead, they referred to the "special operation." 

People also attacked military recruitment stations, setting them on fire with Molotov cocktail attacks. The attacks started again after Putin ordered a "partial mobilization" to help bolster the sagging numbers among his forces. 

RUSSIANS ARRESTED IN THOUSANDS WHILE PROTESTING PUTIN'S MOBILIZATION, HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP SAYS

The recruitment effort again showed how unhappy people were with the war as significant numbers of men fled the country rather than risk deployment to the front lines. 

When police cracked down on the protests, the more visible elements faded, but the people grew more creative. Rachel Denber, deputy director of the Europe and Central Asia Division at Human Rights Watch, told Fox News Digital the protests have morphed as Russian authorities increased the severity of their response. 

"I think, in order to understand the way it is that Russians are voicing their objection to the war and to mobilization, I think you have to take a much wider lens than street protests," Denber said. 

"They find ways to support people who are trying to evade the draft," she explained. "They sometimes engage in single-person actions out on the street, which I guess is a form of street protest and for which they, you know, face administrative or criminal charges."

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Indonesia lifts all COVID restrictions

Indonesia on Friday removed all remaining measures to control the spread of COVID-19 effective immediately, since most of the country's population already has antibodies against the disease, President Joko Widodo said.

"There will be no more restrictions on gatherings and movements," the president told a news conference, noting that the decision was taken based on the latest infection figures.

Before the announcement, most mobility restrictions had already been removed for recipients of at least one booster vaccine shot, but authorities still required masks to be worn indoors and use of a COVID tracker app when entering most public spaces.

CHINA TO STOP TESTING, DISINFECTING IMPORTED FROZEN FOOD FOR COVID

Jokowi, as the president is known, urged Indonesians to remain vigilant against the virus, including continuing to wear a mask indoors and when in a crowd.

At one point Indonesia had Asia's highest rate of infections, but daily cases have fallen to below 1,000 most days in the past week, with hospitalisations and deaths relatively low.

The world's fourth-most populous country has recorded more than 6.7 million cases overall, with 160,583 fatalities.

Nearly 75% of Indonesians over the age of 6, or 174.7 million people, have received two vaccine shots and about 68.5 million have had at least one booster injection, according to health ministry data.

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EU rejects Italy's 'unjustified' push to test Chinese arrivals for COVID

The European Union’s top health agency said this week it would not require negative COVID testing from travels arriving from China and called Italy’s push to do so "unjustified."

China has seen a surge in cases over the past month as Beijing walked back years-long strict COVID policies, including mass quarantining, travel restrictions and testing mandates.

As China has lifted these regulations, officials around the globe have become concerned about effects on international infection rates.

ITALY TO TEST AIRLINE PASSENGERS FROM CHINA AFTER HALF OF TRAVELERS TO MILAN SAID TO HAVE COVID-19

But the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) on Thursday said that it considered "screenings and travel measures on travelers from China unjustified."

The agency said that the BF7 omicron variant that was hitting China hard was already circulating across Europe and therefore did not pose a significant threat. 

"Given higher population immunity in the EU/EEA (European Economic Area), as well as the prior emergence and subsequent replacement of variants currently circulating in China by other Omicron sub-lineages in the EU/EEA, a surge in cases in China is not expected to impact the COVID-19 epidemiological situation in the EU/EEA," the ECDC reportedly said.

COVID IN BEIJING 'PEAKS' AS HOSPITALS, FUNERAL HOMES FILL UP

Washington earlier this week said that people traveling from China will need to provide a negative test taken at least two days before arriving to the U.S.

Italy has taken similar precautions after Milan's Malpensa airport – which had already begun testing arrivals on the 26th – saw more than half of its passengers who were arriving from China testing positive for the infectious virus.

The first flight to be tested in Milan showed that 35 of the 62 passengers traveling from China were positive for the virus, while the second flight had another 62 of its 120 passengers who were also carrying it, reported Reuters. 

Japan and Taiwan will also initiate testing requirements on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, respectively, but European nations including the U.K. and France have said they do not have plans to instate COVID-testing mandates.

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Xi and Putin seek greater cooperation, but Russia's failures in Ukraine may strain relationship, expert says

Russia and China have committed to strengthening ties between the two countries despite Moscow’s failure to quickly and effectively end its invasion of Ukraine, which may strain Beijing in the coming months. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping met via public video conference Friday to discuss the bilateral relationship that has blossomed this year, with no direct mention of Ukraine in their remarks. The meeting focused on the progress both nations have made despite "geopolitical tensions" and a "difficult international situation." 

Putin specifically highlighted a desire to increase the military collaboration between the two countries, saying that it had a "special place" in the relationship. China and Russia completed joint navy drills this week, including procedures and plans for how to capture enemy vessels. 

Xi tried to raise concerns over Ukraine, which he referred to as a "crisis," marking a departure from previous remarks that referred to the invasion as a "situation." 

PUTIN'S THUG ARMY: RUSSIA DEPLOYS SOCCER HOOLIGANS TO UKRAINE AS WAR DRAGS ON

"Xi Jinping emphasized that China has noted that Russia has never refused to resolve the conflict through diplomatic negotiations, for which it (China) expresses its appreciation," CCTV reported.

China promised a "no limits" friendship with Russia and refused to criticize Putin or his invasion of Ukraine, instead blamed the West for "provoking" Moscow, and Russia has in turn supported China amid rising tensions over Taiwan. 

RUSSIA'S LAVROV CLAIMS ‘IRREVERSIBLE’ AMRS RACE WITH IRAN IF NUCLEAR DEAL NOT REACHED

However, China expert Craig Singleton of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies said that the partnership would not provide the kind of "cure-all" each side wanted for their troubles with the U.S. and Europe. 

"There are clear limits to China and Russia’s ‘no-limits’ partnership," Singleton wrote following the video conference. "More specifically, it is difficult to fathom a scenario in which China puts Russia’s needs above its own, at least not without a clear return on investment or compelling evidence that such assistance will meaningfully shift the war’s momentum in Russia’s favor."

CHINESE PILOT FLEW 20 FEET FROM US AIR FORCE CRAFT DURING OPERATIONS

China is facing a difficult home front situation as COVID-19 infections have exploded across the country, with over 18 million people infected and roughly 9,000 people dying each day, according to U.K. research firm Airfinity.

"Xi’s key challenge going forward may have less to do with making sure Putin wins, an outcome that appears increasingly unlikely, and more with figuring out just how far China is willing to go to make sure Putin does not lose," Singleton added. 

Singleton suggested that China will likely continue to develop ties with Russia, but not at the risk of seriously antagonizing the West. "As the war in Ukraine drags on, deepening Sino-Russian ties could force Western countries to re-assess their collective willingness to pressure Xi to reign in his support for Putin."

"That could lead to greater friction in the U.S.-China relationship at a time when the two countries remain at loggerheads over Taiwan," he concluded. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Viking cruise ship stranded off Australian coast due to fungus outbreak

Tourists hoping to enjoy a holiday cruise have instead found themselves stranded off the coast of Australia due to a fungus outbreak on the ship.

The Viking Orion, a lavish 14-deck, 980-person cruise ship built in 2018, has been refused entry at multiple ports and stuck at sea for five days due to a fungus outbreak in the ship’s hull, Daily Express reported.

The ship was originally supposed to travel from Sydney to Auckland and then to the New Zealand capital of Wellington, but it was blocked from entering Wellington and then from Christchurch, New Zealand.

The ship then traveled to Hobart on the island of Tasmania but was blocked from entering that port as well. 

TOURISTS IN EXOTIC TROPICAL DESTINATIONS VICTIMIZED BY CRIME, TRAVEL MISHAP HORROR STORIES IN 2022

The ship is now headed to Adelaide on the southern coast of Australia, but passengers have been informed they will not be stopping there but will instead anchor 17 miles off the coast. 

Once anchored, divers will be sent out to clean the ship’s hull with the hope that the ship will then be able to dock in Melbourne.

TURKISH TIFFANY'S TYCOON DIES AFTER MYSTERIOUS FALL FROM CRUISE SHIP

"We have been told we will be compensated," passenger John Davidson told 10 News First. "Currently, it’s 50 percent, but we think that offer is going to be improved going forward."

Fox News Digital reached out to Viking Cruises for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Earlier this month, a Viking cruise ship in Antarctica was struck by a "rogue wave" that resulted in the death of a passenger. 
 

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Putin's thug army: Russia deploys soccer hooligans to Ukraine as war drags on

Russia will deploy violent soccer fans, known as "hooligans" or "ultras," to Ukraine in an effort to bolster troop numbers as the conflict enters its 11th month. 

"What is very clear is that Putin will not end this war any time soon," Rebekah Koffler, president of Doctrine & Strategy Consulting and a former DIA intelligence officer, told Fox News Digital. "He will use hooligans, prisoners, and any sort of thug to continue flowing fighters into Ukraine, to keep it from becoming part of NATO. The mission is this important." 

"[Russian President Vladimir] Putin and his regime view the outcome of this war as existential for Russia and for themselves personally," she added. 

News broke last month that Putin had looked to recruit extremist Russian football fans to fight in Ukraine as part of the 106th Airborne Division and the Vostok battalion, The Daily Mail reported. 

RUSSIA'S LAVROV FLAT-OUT REJECTS ZELENSKYY'S CONDITIONS FOR ‘PEACE FORMULA’

The unit, known as "Espanola," includes recruits from club supporter groups including CSKA Moscow, Zenit St. Petersburg, Spartak Moscow and Lokomotiv Moscow, according to the Daily Mirror.

Stanislav "Spaniard" Orlov, a commanding officer of the hooligans, said that the death of one of their members in combat has already spurred the others to "stay and fight," declaring, "Our comrade died here, and now this is our place." 

"The combat part of the detachment are people who have military experience or have served in the army," Orlov explained to Russian news outlet Vechernyaya Moskva. "After a short training course, they directly fight in the zone of the special operation. Russian fans form small infantry reconnaissance and assault groups or send them to sapper and engineering works."

PUTIN LAUNCHES LATEST NUCLEAR SUBMARINE ‘EMPEROR ALEXANDER III’ AS PART OF NEW FLEET

"On the basis of the Vostok detachment, newcomers train to shoot automatic and large-caliber weapons, train in sapper work, conduct reconnaissance and combat drone flights, and hone tactical training from morning to evening," he added, stressing that there are "not jokes" among the group and that "hundreds" want to join the operation. 

At the outset of the war, Putin drew on support from Chechen mercenaries, later trying - and failing - to recruit Syrian mercenaries and even prisoners to help bolster his forces as the war dragged on for months longer than Russian command had anticipated. 

A U.S. State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that while the department was "not in a position to confirm these reports," it was "another indication that Putin is scraping for additional personnel to throw into this fight – troops who will just be cannon fodder for his needless, brutal, and failing war of aggression. Rather than withdraw his troops and stop this needless loss of life, Putin has chosen time and again to escalate."

In 2018, Putin said he would ban the hooligans in his country from attending games as the world watched Russia stage the 2018 World Cup. Now, he appears to have let the fans back into the fold to help boost his military’s numbers. 

KYIV, LVIV WITHOUT POWER AFTER RUSSIA LAUNCHES ‘MASS’ AIR AND SEA-BASED CRUISE MISSILE ATTACK ACROSS UKRAINE

The Russian fans famously attacked England supporters during the 2016 European Cup matches, with two men jailed after the hooligans allegedly "mounted an urban guerilla offensive, like paramilitaries," the BBC reported. 

Koffler explained that hooligans started leaving Russia for Ukraine when the government first started cracking down on violence at stadiums, but those fans turned up for Russia when Putin announced the partial mobilization in September. 

"When Russia announced partial mobilization, founder of the All-Russian Association of Fans Andrey Malosolov announced in an interview with the radio station ‘Moscow Speaks’ that 500 of these football ultras formed a volunteer subdivision to go fight in Donbas," Koffler explained. 

"Putin, who originally was looking to ban this movement when they were creating chaos at sports events, realized that he could put them to use as heavy attrition of Russian soldiers started setting in after months of grueling fighting," she said. 

"The authorities directed these fighters to put aside their differences and varying allegiances and fight as a unified team for Mother Russia. This unit of what the Russians call ‘near-footballers’ come from different clubs … they have varying levels of experience with some having never being in combat," Koffler continued. 

"The common feature is that these are vicious characters, and they have no regard for human life: Fighting is what they do. It’s a way of life, and now they actually have a mission given to them by the Russian government to apply their brutal tactics on the actual battlefield."

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Andrew Tate detained in Romania on suspicion of human trafficking: reports

Internet personality and former kickboxer Andrew Tate and his brother were detained by police in Romania on Thursday on suspicion of human trafficking, rape, and forming an organized crime group, according to reports.

Reuters reported that Romanian prosecutors confirmed that Tate and his brother Tristan Tate were detained and will remain so for 24 hours with two other suspects from Romania.

Prosecutors from the anti-organized-crime unit issued a statement on the matter after raiding Tate’s and other’s properties in Bucharest.

ANDREW TATE CLAIMS BIG TECH BANNED HIM AFTER ‘LARGE SWATHS’ OF PEOPLE AGREED WITH HIS ‘MASCULINE VALUES’

"The four suspects ... appear to have created an organised crime group with the purpose of recruiting, housing and exploiting women by forcing them to create pornographic content meant to be seen on specialised websites for a cost," prosecutors said. "They would have gained important sums of money."

The two brothers have been under investigation for criminal activity since April, Reuters reported.

According to the allegations, prosecutors said six women claimed to have been sexually exploited by the suspects.

CONSERVATIVE NONPROFIT LAUNCHES AD CAMPAIGN TARGETING BILLS OVER BIG TECH CENSORSHIP

Tate spoke to Fox’s Tucker Carlson in August after Tate claimed big tech de-platformed him because he "had large swaths of the population agreeing to the very traditional masculine values"

"...I have a very traditionally masculine life. I have fast cars and a big house and a lot of money and a beautiful girlfriend, and they thought this was very, very threatening," Tate told Carlson. "And for some reason, they decided that it’s better if they annihilate me from the internet and replace me with somebody who’s more aligned with whatever they’re trying to purport."

Tate has been accused of sexism and drawing criticism from the Left after advocating for traditional gender roles.

Tate also got into a spat with climate activist Greta Thunberg this week on Twitter after boasting that he had 33 cars with "enormous emissions." Thunberg responded by telling Tate to get a life.

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British politicians 'met by sex workers' at hotel during foreign visit: report

British politicians were allegedly met by sex workers at their hotel during a foreign state visit, with concerns that such behavior leaves them open to blackmail. 

"The bad behavior is quite astonishing," a senior government source told British newspaper The Times. "If a hostile state is lucky they may get photos, and they will make sure they know exactly what has happened. And then they might get something from that." 

The sex worker visit may have happened without the Members of Parliament (MPs) knowing in advance, The Times noted. 

A separate source also complained to The Times that MP visits to authoritarian countries gave leaders in those countries some legitimacy as "world statesmen with international friends." 

‘FATWA’ AGAINST CHURCHILL: SCHOLARS ACCUSE BBC OF TRYING TO REWRITE BRITISH HISTORY TO PROMOTE A ‘WOKE AGENDA’

The trips result from all-party parliamentary groups (APPG), which allow members of parliament – regardless of party affiliation – to campaign on specific topics, which often leads to visits to foreign states. The groups have no formal system for deciding their membership and usually do not have dedicated work staff. 

However, the APPG trips have connected to a number of other allegations, including a claim that one Labour MP prefers "Russian girls" and that MPs have attended parties during which younger people were offered for sex. 

CHRISTMAS MIRACLE: MOM WHO THOUGHT SON DEAD FINDS HIM 12 YEARS LATER IN FRANCE

One former Conservative MP allegedly hired a sex worker while in China, which led to jokes that he had "a bouquet of flowers sent to the room." Another former Conservative MP asked about the nearest brothel during a visit to Southeast Asia. 

Politico earlier this month investigated the APPG trips and labeled them as opportunities for MPs to indulge in "sex tourism." 

BRITAIN CAPS OFF TOPSY-TURVY YEAR OF QUEEN'S DEATH, PRIME MINISTER ROULETTE WITH ENERGY CRISIS, ECONOMIC WOES

One MP would allegedly stay behind after the trips ended to pursue an "interest in [local] women," particularly "pretty young girls." 

A number of MPs stressed that some of the attendees did quietly and honestly pursue the interest of the trips, but others used it as an outlet for recreational purposes, Politico reported. 

A former parliamentarian said the government of one country held "deep frustrations" over visiting MPs "boorish behavior." "They drink and behave badly and arrogantly. They’re patronizing to fellow politicians, never mind the people around them, the people from [the host country] and unfortunately waiting staff." 

A standards committee in the House of Commons called for greater regulation and transparency of funding for APPGs, calling for a reduction in the number of groups and arguing the current scale "makes improper access and influence more likely." 

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Countries implement COVID travel requirements for Chinese travelers amid transparency concerns

Countries around the world are taking action to implement COVID-19 mitigation directives for travelers from China as cases surge there in the latest outbreak. 

Japan, India, South Korea, Taiwan, Italy and the U.S. have announced testing requirements for arriving passengers. 

The U.S. has cited the increase in infections and what is said was a lack of transparency from the Chinese government, including genomic sequencing of the virus strains in the country.

"These data are critical to monitor the case surge effectively and decrease the chance for entry of a novel variant of concern," the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

BIDEN TO REGULATE TRAVEL FROM CHINA AFTER PREVIOUSLY CALLING TRUMP XENOPHOBIC

That will begin on Jan. 5 and apply to travelers regardless of their nationality and vaccination status.

Authorities in Taiwan and Japan have voiced similar concerns. 

"Right now the pandemic situation in China is not transparent," Wang Pi-Sheng, the head of Taiwan’s epidemic command center, told The Associated Press. "We have a very limited grasp on its information, and it’s not very accurate."

On the island, testing for that group will begin on Jan. 1.

In Japan, regulations that restrict flights from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao to designated airports begin on Friday and have reportedly disrupted holiday travel plans.

German Health Ministry spokesperson Sebastian Guelde said officials there have "no indication that a more dangerous variant has developed in this outbreak in China," but that they are monitoring the situation, and the European Union is also assessing the situation.

The bloc's executive branch noted that a prevalent variant in China is already active in Europe.

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni said that requiring tests of all passengers from China is "only effective if it is taken at the European level,’’ noting that many arrive in her country via flights from other European countries.

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES NEW COVID TEST REQUIREMENT ON TRAVELERS FROM CHINA

The EU's health security committee said in a statement after its meeting that "we need to act jointly and will continue our discussions."

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the body needs more information on the severity of the outbreak in China "in order to make a comprehensive risk assessment of the situation on the ground."

There have been no reports of new variants to date. 

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Thursday that many countries have not changed their policies for travelers from China and said that any measures should treat people from all countries equally.

Chinese health officials have said the current outbreak is being driven by omicron subvariants that have also been detected elsewhere and that a surveillance system has been set up to identify any potentially worrisome new versions of the virus. 

"We keep nothing secret," Wu Zunyou, the chief epidemiologist at China’s Center for Disease Control, said Thursday. "All work is shared with the world."

Chinese state media has not reported the fallout from the surge widely and the Associated Press found that the government did not release genetic information about the virus for more than a week after decoding it.

China rolled back many pandemic restrictions earlier this month. 

On Tuesday, the government there said it would resume issuing passports for tourism.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Global antisemitism: New York, Chicago, Kanye, Iran, US colleges top report’s worst incidents

A leading human rights organization—the Los Angeles-based Simon Wiesenthal Center—on Thursday named soaring anti-Jewish hate crimes in Democratic controlled Chicago and New York and on elite U.S. college campuses as some of the top ten worst outbreaks of antisemitism in 2022. 

Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, presented the list titled "2022 Top Ten Worst Global Anti-Semitic Incidents," in Jerusalem Thursday.

"Parents and students at a Jewish girls’ school for parent-teacher conferences witnessed a Chicago man threaten to ‘burn a rabbi in a gas oven’ just days before the Hanukkah festival. The man was arrested and held on bail. Other incidents involving obviously religious people occurred in Jewish neighborhoods during 2022," wrote the Wiesenthal experts of the sixth spot of the list. 

Wiesenthal noted hate incidents increased by 71% in Chicago, and the main targets were Jews and African-Americans. The Simon Wiesenthal Center is named after the legendary Nazi-hunter who survived the Holocaust.

Number six on the Wiesenthal List of worst outbreaks of antisemitism also noted that "Crime is way up in New York City including hate crimes. Physical attacks on openly identifiable Orthodox Jews in New York City are the highest they’ve been in decades. A scourge of anti-Semitic attacks are plaguing the nation’s largest city. Ultra-Orthodox Jews, especially in Jewish neighborhoods in Brooklyn, have been beaten, spat upon, their hats torn off their heads, and cursed in a barrage of attacks over the last year." 

ANTISEMITIC INCIDENTS SPIKED DURING SQUAD'S ANTI-ISRAEL RHETORIC, BLUE STATES AT TOP OF LIST 

The Wiesenthal document listed a running bill of particulars covering violent antisemitism in America’s largest Jewish community in New York City. "In November, two men, Christopher Brown, and Matthew Mahrer, were arrested by the FBI/NYPD Joint Terrorism Task Force and the NYPD Counterterrorism and Intelligence Bureau for threatening an armed attack on a synagogue. The two were taken into custody before they could act on their plan to murder members of the local Jewish community. They were found carrying several weapons including a Glock semi-automatic handgun, and a ghost gun with an extended 30-roundmagazine and laser sight." 

"This was not an idle threat," New York Mayor Eric Adams said, adding, "This was a real threat." 

America’s university system was not immune from the rapidly spreading virus of antisemitism. A number of U.S. universities in Massachusetts, New York, California, Arizona and New Jersey secured the seventh spot for outbreaks of antisemitism. 

The Wiesenthal Center cited a report by the group AMCHA Initiative, which is dedicated to combating antisemitism in institutions of higher education, that "there were more incidents of anti-Semitism at Harvard University…than at any other U.S. university in 2022. Some of the telling examples of alleged antisemitism at Harvard include ‘the tearing down of Harvard Hillel posters, anti-Israel stickers attached to tubs of kosher hummus in the dining halls, and the posting of anti-Harvard College Israel Trek signs.’" 

CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL STUDENT ORGS PLEDGE TO BOYCOTT ZIONIST, PRO-ISRAEL SPEAKERS 

Also at Harvard "Attempts were also made to disrupt pro-Israel speakers. A swastika was found in an undergraduate dorm, the school paper endorsed the anti-Semitic, anti-Israel Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, and Harvard’s Palestine Solidarity Committee erected a wall with Holocaust imagery replete with anti-Semitic statements." 

The U.S. Department of Education launched an investigation of nine student groups at University of California Berkeley’s law school. "The groups amended their by-laws to prohibit Zionists or anyone who supports Israel from speaking at events on campus, "wrote Wiesenthal. 

The City University of New York (CUNY) was permeated with an anti-Jewish atmosphere in 2022, according to Wiesenthal. 

"In 2022, a toxic environment beset Jewish students and professors leading to lawsuits by Jewish professors, hearings at the New York City Council and a U.S. Department of Education investigation. A joint Hillel-ADL survey finds that one-third of the Jewish students at CUNY experienced on-campus anti-Semitism, leading some to drop out," wrote Wiesenthal. 

YE, AKA KANYE WEST, DOUBLES DOWN AFTER FALLOUT FROM ANTISEMITIC COMMENTS

Rapper Kayne West, also known as Ye, garnered the number one spot on the list because he "used his unparalleled social media influence to morph these historic [anti-Jewish] tropes into a firestorm of real-time anti-Semitism—absorbed by millions, and inspiring acts of hate against Jews—living and dead." 

Ye fell under the rubric "The Influencers" on the list. NBA star Kyrie Irving, who has 22.5 million social media followers, was also listed in "The Influencers’ section because he "shared a promotion of an anti-Semitic movie." 

Iran’s regime was listed as number four. The Islamic Republic of Iran has been branded antisemitic for "keeping with the best traditions of the Nazis and Soviet Communists, the Iranian Regime’s serial genocidal and theological hatred of Jews is led by a so-called Center for Jewish Studies. Iran’s Center for Jewish Studies has published more than 1,000 blatantly anti-Semitic essays weaving a toxic mix of theology, historic hatred of Jews, and anti-Israel screeds on behalf of the nefarious Khamenei regime." 

Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei has denied the Holocaust and repeatedly urged the destruction of the Jewish state. 

Spot five on the list went to Malik Akram, a British Pakistani who "On Shabbat morning January 15th, 2022... traveled thousands of miles to target a small synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, a suburb in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Akram, took four hostages at Congregation Beth Israel. Akram was demanding the release of an al Qaeda operative convicted of attempted murder of Americans. Hours later, Akram was killed by an FBI rescue team and none of the hostages were injured." 

The president of the Palestinian Authority was ranked number 3 on the list because Mahmoud Abbas accused Israel of having committed ‘50 Holocausts’  while standing alongside German Chancellor Scholz during a press conference in Berlin. Wiesenthal also took Scholz to task because he "only condemned the remarks the next day."

GERMAN CHANCELLOR SPEAKS WITH ISRAELI PM LAPID FOLLOWING ABBAS HOLOCAUST REMARK IN BERLIN 

Former Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, whose father survived the Holocaust, said about Abbas, "History will not forgive him." Wiesenthal cited German bureaucrats Michael Blume and Gerhard Ulrich, who are tasked with fighting antisemitism but are accused of stoking antisemitism. Blume was classified as antisemitic in the Wiesenthal’s 2021 list for his alleged activities against Jews and Israel. 

Wiesenthal wrote, "Jewish leaders are deeply worried over the continuing hate crimes and the fact that two of Germany’s antisemitism czars are themselves accused of anti-Semitism. Also troubling is Germany’s continuing close economic ties with the Holocaust-denying, genocide-threatening Iranian regime." 

Widespread antisemitism in Germany has jolted the country’s tiny Jewish population of under 100,000 from a population of roughly 84 million.

Semen Gorelik, chairman of a Jewish community in the state of Brandenburg declared in a "blistering public letter that he is leaving Germany for Israel and urged German Jews to follow suit due to the rising tide of anti-Semitism in the country," said Wiesenthal. 

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Dramatic images show people trying to flee massive fire at Cambodia hotel casino that left at least 16 dead

Dramatic images have emerged showing people trying to flee a massive fire that tore through a hotel casino overnight in Cambodia, leaving at least 16 dead, with the death toll feared to rise. 

The inferno, which erupted at the Grand Diamond City casino and hotel in Poipet around midnight Wednesday, burned for around 14 hours before it was put out. The property is located just hundreds of feet away from the country’s border with Thailand. 

"Oh, please help rescue them. Pump water... pump water," onlookers reportedly were heard shouting in a video posted by Cambodia's firefighting agency. The footage, according to the Associated Press, showed people trapped on the roof of the hotel complex, which is more than a dozen stories tall at its highest point. 

At least one man was seen falling as the flames reached the roof. 

THAI OFFICIALS ADMIT SUNKEN NAVY VESSEL HAD TOO FEW LIFE VESTS ON BOARD 

The Department of Fire Prevention, Extinguishing and Rescue posted that calls for help were heard from the 13th, 14th and 15th floors at 4 a.m., and hands were seen waving from windows as well as a mobile phone's flashlight signaling from inside the complex. 

"The fire was massive, and was inside the casino, so it was difficult for our water cannons to reach it," observed a firefighter on the video posted online by the fire department.

The province's deputy governor, Ngor Meng Chroun, told Cambodia's Bayon Radio the death toll had reached 16, with about 50 other people injured. The number of deaths appeared likely to rise as more bodies of those trapped inside were discovered and critically hurt people succumbed to their injuries. 

TAIWAN TRIPLES COMPULSORY MILITARY SERVICE LENGTH DUE TO RISING TENSIONS WITH CHINA 

Banteay Meanchey police chief Sithi Loh said 360 emergency personnel and 11 firetrucks had been sent to the scene of the fire, whose cause was not yet known. The casino employed about 400 workers. 

"Right now, we are trying to bring the dead bodies from the building down. I don’t think there will be any survivors because of very thick smoke. Even we all (the rescue staff) have to wear proper gear when we go inside the building, otherwise we cannot breathe at all," said Montri Khaosa-ard, a staff member of Thailand Ruamkatanyu Foundation, a social welfare organization that sends volunteers to the sites of emergencies. 

Thailand's public television network, Thai PBS, reported that 50 Thais, both staff and customers, had been trapped inside the casino complex. It reported that Cambodian authorities requested help to deal with the fire from Thailand, which sent five firetrucks and 10 rescue vans. 

Poipet in western Cambodia is opposite the city of Aranyaprathet in more affluent Thailand, and there is busy cross-border trade and tourism. 

Casinos are illegal in Thailand, but neighboring countries such as Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos host the lucrative industry. Cambodia has an especially active casino industry because the Southeast Asian country is also a popular tourist destination with convenient international connections. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Kyiv, Lviv without power after Russia launches 'mass’ air and sea based cruise missile attack across Ukraine

Almost half of Kyiv and nearly the entire city of Lviv are without power Thursday after Russia launched another massive missile strike across Ukraine using air and sea-based cruise missiles. 

Ukraine’s air force shot down 54 of the 69 missiles fired at western cities like Lviv, Kyiv and Odesa in its latest large scale missile strike that targeted civilian and energy infrastructure. 

"The enemy keeps resorting to its missile terror against the peaceful citizens of Ukraine," Valerii Zaluzhnyi, the chief commander of Ukraine's Armed Forces, said in a Telegram post.

Anti-aircraft-guided missiles launched from Russia’s S-300 missile systems, a long-range surface-to-air system, were also fired Thursday morning.

UKRAINE SECURITY CHIEF SAYS KYIV IS 'HALFWAY TO VICTORY' WITH THE WORST YET TO COME

Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko said 16 missiles had been shot down over the capital city, though he did not confirm how many missiles were fired in total. 

At least three people were injured in the strikes on Kyiv, including a 14-year-old girl, after debris from a downed missile crashed into a private residence.

Klitschko said 40 percent of the city was without power but said engineers were working to restore the energy supplies. 

RUSSIA'S LAVROV WARNS US AGAINST 'DECAPITATION BLOW' TARGETING PUTIN: REPORT

A whopping 90 percent of the Western city of Lviv is without power after "explosions" were reported by the city mayor.

Lviv mayor Andriy Sadovy warned that water supplies may also be cut off and urged citizens to stay in shelters as the city works to get generators up and running. 

Odesa in southwestern Ukraine stopped 21 missiles fired at it, according to Kyiv Independent. 

Kamikaze drones also reportedly targeted infrastructure in the Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhya, and Dnipropetrovsk regions, according to Ukraine’s General Staff.

Kyiv's top defense officials have repeatedly called on its Western allies for improved air defenses, noting that while Ukraine’s troops have advanced on the ground, it is unable to adequately defend its citizens from the skies as Russia continues its constant aerial assaults. 

"We cannot defeat them comprehensively in all directions," head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Major General Kyrylo Budanov said in an interview with BBC Thursday. 

"The situation is just stuck," he said, noting that without more air defenses and advanced weaponry the situation in Ukraine remains at an impasse. "We look forward to new shipments of weapons and the arrival of more advanced weapons."

Progress on the front lines has largely stalled, though intense fighting in Donetsk and particularly around Bakhmut continues.

Russian forces have gone on the defensive in other regions, including Kherson and Luhansk, as they look to hold on to the territory they occupy. 

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Iran: 'Biden can't ignore protests, executions' as regime eyes nuclear weapons amid atomic deal pause

President Biden’s efforts to grant wide-ranging economic concessions to Iran’s regime during 2022 to temporarily stop Tehran’s alleged nuclear weapons program have been rebuffed by the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, experts say. 

The waves of protesters opposed to Iran’s regime pouring into the streets, coupled with the clerical regime furnishing lethal drones to Russia in its war against Ukraine, tossed a wrench into the nuclear arms negotiating process for a White House eager to cut a deal with Tehran.

The nuclear agreement would provide Tehran "access to up to $275 billion in financial benefits during its first year in effect and $1 trillion by 2030," according to one Washington D.C., think tank study.

IN DESPERATE EFFORT TO SALVAGE IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL, WILL US CAVE TO EU APPEASEMENT?

The administration through its Iran envoy, Robert Malley, invested significant resources for most of 2022 in an attempt to reach an agreement by conducting indirect talks with Iran in Vienna and Doha. Those talks seemed to falter in September when Iran scoffed at a deal that was said to be agreed by all sides. 

But Iran observers argue the White House also hadn't bargained for an unexpected factor in those indirect discussions with the Iranians: the nationwide protests that would begin a few days after Iran turned its back on a deal in mid-September.

Fox News Digital conducted interviews with multiple Iranians in Iran via an encrypted line over the last few weeks, all rejecting the Iran nuclear accord because, they argue, it will mainstream Iran’s regime on the international stage and fill Tehran’s coffers with billions of dollars to terrorize the population. 

Arash, who lives in the Iranian city of Isfahan and used a different name to protect himself from the regime’s security forces, told Fox News Digital that if he could speak with President Biden he would ask for the American "withdrawal of negotiations that the U.S. is holding with the Islamic Republic. Right now people of Iran are getting killed on the streets. This regime is an absolute dictatorship." 

He added, "When the Obama administration gave billions to the Islamic Republic [in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal], the Islamic Republic only used it to suppress people and fund terrorism." said Arash, urging the international community to expel the ambassadors of the Islamic Republic. 

IRAN GOVERNMENT'S PROTEST CRACKDOWN KILLS DOZENS OF CHILDREN, PROMPTS CALLS FOR REMOVAL FROM UNITED NATIONS 

Lisa Daftari, editor-in-chief of The Foreign Desk, told Fox News Digital, "While the Iran deal had major flaws and actually wasn’t moving forward because the United States couldn’t accept the mullahs’ absurd demands, the Iranian people and their protests over the last 100 days have been successful in at least pressuring the United States to create some distance." 

She noted, "The Biden administration has said that they will not be moving towards the deal right now, but they have stopped short of canceling negotiations altogether and moving toward supporting regime change, which is what the Iranian people want."

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken last week criticized the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the nuclear accord saying, "And when the JCPOA, the Iran nuclear deal, was actually enforced, it did exactly what it was designed to do. It put Iran’s nuclear program in a box." He added, without specificity, that the U.S. "will continue to look and act on ways to make sure that, one way or another, Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon.

Then-President Trump withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018 because the agreement, according to his administration, did not stop the clerical regime from building a nuclear weapons device and permitted Tehran to fund terrorism. 

Iran expert Alireza Nader told Fox News Digital, "The Biden administration and its Europeans counterparts are engaging in wishful thinking that a nuclear agreement can come through, and they won’t have to worry about the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program. It shows how desperate the Biden administration is when it comes to the Islamic Republic. Biden does not have any ideas beyond nuclear negotiations." 

IRAN PROTESTS: UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL VOTES TO INVESTIGATE REGIME'S VIOLENT RESPONSE 

When asked if the Biden administration is wedded to an allegedly flawed nuclear deal at the expense of supporting pro-democracy protesters on the streets of Iran, a U.S. State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital, "The door for diplomacy will always remain open, but as of now, we don’t see a deal coming together anytime soon and it is not our focus." 

That same sentiment was shared by Secretary of State Blinken during his press conference last week. 

In November, Iran's nuclear chief said that the country had reached 60% enrichment of uranium at its Fordow enrichment plant, marking a dangerous step closer to the country’s goal of obtaining nuclear weapons. Weapons require 90% purity, but the level Iran has reached far exceeds its 20% produced prior to the 2015 nuclear deal, meaning the country far exceeded the 3.67% cap the deal had mandated. 

Iran's Surpreme Leader Khamenei further defied the Biden administration in 2022 by seeking to assassinate Iranian dissidents in the U.S. and across the world. Iran's assassination operation targeted top officials from the Trump administration, including former U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, as well as former National Security Advisor John Bolton.

IRANIAN OPERATIVE CHARGED IN ALLEGED PLOT TO ASSASSINATE JOHN BOLTON

The U.S. government has, under both Democratic and Republican administrations, repeatedly classified Tehran as the worst international state-sponsor of terrorism. Iran’s rulers have advocated a "world without America…is attainable" and wish "Death to America." 

The regime’s efforts to kidnap the Iranian-American women’s rights campaigner and Voice of America journalist, Masih Alinejad, in Brooklyn, New York, added to Tehran’s alleged nefarious activities in 2022. Alinejad has waged a campaign over the years to secure freedom for women from the compulsory wearing of the hijab in the Islamic Republic.

Fox News Digital reported in March that the Biden administration offered to delist Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a foreign terrorist organization in exchange for Tehran’s agreement to rejoin the nuclear accord.

The deep concession to Iran’s regime sparked widespread outrage, because the IRGC is accused of being responsible for the murders of over 600 American military personnel in the Middle East.

After a public outcry and protests from 900 Gold Start family members, among others, the administration was forced to backpedal the concession to Iran. The interplay between the Iran nuclear deal and Khamenei’s funding of global terrorism has been a source of great criticism from opponents of the JCPOA. 

IRAN DECLARES IT CAN USE NUCLEAR MISSILES TO TURN 'NEW YORK INTO HELLISH RUINS'

Manda Zand Ervin, who former President George W. Bush appointed as the U.S. Delegate to the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women in 2008, noted that the billions of dollars the Obama administration funneled to Iran’s regime as part of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal went "to our enemies Hamas, Hezbollah and his [Khamenei’s] terrorist Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and others." 

Iranian-Americans and Iranians within the country, who have long championed an Iran free from the mullahs who rule with an iron fist, have placed question marks over Biden’s human rights promises.

Blinken announced in March 2021 that "President Biden has committed to putting human rights back at the center of American foreign policy, and that’s a commitment that I and the entire the Department of State take very seriously."

Iran expert, Nader said the White House "never had a plan B. Even though the Iranians are trying to overthrow the Islamic Republic, the Biden administration is not doing very much to help them." 

AS PROTESTS INCREASE, IRAN MAY SOON CONFRONT THE POWER OF SPORTS 

The Islamic Republic has been engulfed by protests since the nation’s infamous morality police allegedly tortured and killed the 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in September for not complying with the country’s hijab law. 

The founder of the Islamic Republic, Ruhollah Khomeini, brought about a radical Islamic revolution in 1979 that toppled the pro-American Pahlavi monarchy. Khomeini’s regime swiftly enforced the segregation of genders and imposed the forced hijab, or headscarf, on women. 

When asked if the Biden administration will impose new sanctions targeting Iran’s regime, a State Department spokesman told Fox News Digital, "Robust U.S. sanctions remain in place, and we will continue to vigorously enforce them. We continue to coordinate with a wide range of international partners to respond to Iran’s state-sponsored violence against women and the government’s ongoing, violent crackdown on peaceful protesters." 

Mojtaba Babaei, a spokesperson for the Iran Mission at the United Nations, told Fox News Digital, "Based on the statements of the U.S. State Department spokesperson that you mentioned, Iran's Mission at U.N. takes the following position: There's no new policy here. For the past four decades, the U.S. has maintained a hostile policy towards Iran, and this policy has been implemented as much as their capacity and capabilities permit."

Tina Ghazimorad, the editor-in-chief of news at the London-based Manoto Farsi language TV channel, told Fox News Digital, "What is immediately required is for the West to seriously dismantle the financial operations of the regime and its cronies in the West, not meaningless sanctions that can’t be implemented. What is needed most, is for the regime to be hit in the pocket, only then concessions inside Iran will follow." 

DISTURBING VIDEO SHOWS IRAN'S POLICE BRUTALLY BEATING ANTI-REGIME PROTESTER

She added, "The crackdown is incredibly brutal. The most peaceful, most harmless acts even gestures, can result in the most dire consequences. Even innocent bystanders, women, elderly, and children are not spared. In such an atmosphere it's only the courage and the creativity of the Iranian youth that is keeping the protests going. It is important that the momentum continues, but some tangible results are needed otherwise fatigue can set in." 

In November, Fox News Digital reported that Iran’s regime furnished Russia with over 3,500 drones to prosecute its illegal war against Ukraine. The Biden administration’s willingness to work with Putin’s regime to secure a nuclear deal with Iran remains highly controversial.

Zand Ervin, the author of "The Ladies’ Secret Society: History of the Courageous Women of Iran," said "While the [Biden] administration has been supporting Ukraine, Khamenei is giving drones to his friend Putin and yet President Biden is still talking about negotiations, with Putin as the middleman with Khamenei." 

Russia is one of the world powers at the negotiating table in Vienna along with the U.S., France, Germany, the EU and China working to revive the Iran atomic deal.

IRAN PROTESTS TRIGGER SOLIDARITY RALLIES IN US, EUROPE

A U.S. State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital, "Iran is killing its young people and selling [unmanned aerial vehicles] to Russia to kill Ukrainians. Our focus is on practical ways to confront them in these areas."

The organization United Against a Nuclear Iran (UANI) said amid Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to the White House last week, there is a "need to tackle the arms proliferation pipeline between Russia and Iran." 

UANI stressed that "the increased cooperation between Moscow and Tehran is made possible by the expiration of the international arms embargo against Iran prescribed by the JCPOA. Russia and China blocked U.S. efforts under the Trump administration to extend the arms embargo." 

With the waves of massive protests across Iran now entering the fourth month of upheaval, experts see a continuation of the revolutionary energy against Khamenei’s system. It appears that the Iranian people who are protesting for the dissolution of the Islamic Republic have temporarily stopped the nuclear deal in its tracks.

MOSSAD CHIEF WARNS OF IRAN'S GROWING ADVANCED WEAPONS SUPPLY TO RUSSIA, EFFORTS TO ENRICH URANIUM

Beni Sabti, an expert on Iran from the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security told Fox News Digital that he believes "The protests will go on until at least the new Iranian New Year, Nowruz, in March because there are many days of celebrations of the revolution. They will use this to confront the regime and embarrass the regime. " 

Sabti, who was advisor for the popular Israeli espionage series "Tehran," added that Iranian protesters forced the "Biden administration to neglect the JCPOA and put more sanctions on Iran" and its propaganda media outlets." Sabti noted the Iranian demonstrators are "encouraged" when the U.S sanctions the propaganda of the regime. "If there is no propaganda, the regime cannot exist," he said. 

However, Sabti continued that "Biden still wants to go back to negotiations" with Iran but "Biden can’t ignore the protests and executions." 

Looking ahead to the new year, Iran expert Lisa Daftari concluded that, "More than anything, Iranian protesters, and those who support them around the world, are hoping that in 2023 there will be more awareness, and more importantly, more public support of their movement. If we are able to cut the tentacles of the Iran regime throughout the Middle East and its support of terror, proxies, it’ll be beneficial for the entire region and world." 

Fox News' Peter Aitken contributed to this article.

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Sudan bus crashes into parked truck leaving 16 dead, 19 injured

A passenger bus slammed into a parked truck on a highway in the Sudanese city of Omdurman early on Tuesday, killing at least 16 people, police said.

The bus swerved off the road and hit a parked truck in Omdurman, the twin city of the capital, Khartoum, according to a police statement. At least 19 people were injured in the accident, police said.

The bus was heading to Khartoum from Fasher, the provincial capital North Darfur province, police said. Ambulances rushed to the scene to transfer the injured to the Omdurman hospital, while the dead were taken to the morgue.

CHINA LOOKS TO OUTFLANK US IN AFRICA AS SOMALIA FACES TERRORISM, DROUGHT AND FAMINE

There was no immediate word as to what caused the bus to swerve.

Traffic accidents are common in Sudan, often the result of badly maintained roads and poor enforcement of traffic laws. Thousands of people are killed every year in road accidents in the impoverished African country.

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Britain caps off topsy-turvy year of queen’s death, prime minister roulette with energy crisis, economic woes

The United Kingdom wraps up an historic year in which it saw the changing of its monarch for the first time in 70 years while switching prime minister three times in three months, all of which has left the country in an uncertain position heading into the New Year. 

Boris Johnson started the year as prime minister, but gave way to Liz Truss before Rishi Sunak took over. Britain, in that time, has seen a number of problems arise across the economic spectrum that will continue to plague it in 2023. 

But this year shall remain most significant in the U.K. as the year that Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch and the world’s second-longest reigning monarch, passed away. Her death touched all corners of the globe, and all eyes now rest on King Charles III to see how he handles the awesome responsibility of ruling. 

Between Sunak and Charles, there will be plenty to work as they guide Britain through a difficult period.

Johnson’s reputation for a Teflon-like ability to deflect scandal and controversy finally failed him after he elevated party member Chris Pincher to the powerful role of deputy chief whip despite allegations of sexual misconduct. 

Facing a vote of no confidence, Johnson voluntarily stepped down, which prompted an incredible leadership challenge that lasted for months and eventually winnowed down to just two candidates: Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Sunak, who also helped pushed out Johnson with a very public resignation from his cabinet position, and the then foreign secretary Truss.

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Truss won out, but her victory proved short-lived as she spent just 44 days in office – the shortest stint for any British prime minister in history. The "no confidence" rumblings started almost as soon as she entered office, prompting a humorous website to livestream a head of lettuce to see if it would outlast the Truss government. 

And the lettuce won after Truss and her Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng released their mini-budget, which they argued would help stimulate the economy with tax cuts that would have reduced treasury revenues by some $54 billion. 

The public and experts rejected the plan and immediately called for Truss to resign. She eventually agreed, but ended up with the distinction as the final prime minister of Elizabeth’s reign. 

Sunak won the second, brief leadership challenge. His personal wealth is due mostly to his wife Akshata Murty’s holdings in her family’s India-based IT company Infosys. Her .93% stake in the company is worth 700 million pounds, making the couple wealthier than Elizabeth or Charles. 

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Many argued that Sunak’s wealth and lifestyle made it impossible for him to understand the problems of the common man. He also had to fight back some criticism that accused him of not having the interest of "Black, White or Asian" people. Sunak was born to Indian parents and is a practicing Hindu.

Sunak has governed quietly, making a splash when he first announced he would not attend the COP27 climate summit before making a sharp U-turn due to international criticism, then for his autumn budget, which went in the exact opposite direction of Truss’ plan and looked to raise taxes. 

The rotation of prime ministers has not disrupted one of the greater initiatives Britain undertook this year: Leading on support for Ukraine. 

Defense Minister Ben Wallace remained an ardent supporter of Ukraine following Russia’s invasion, with his ministry providing surprisingly transparent and frequent intelligence updates. 

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Secret Intelligence Chief Richard Moore, along with his U.S. counterpart CIA Director William Burns, revealed over the summer that Russia may have lost at least 15,000 troops over the first few months of the invasion – a catastrophic number for what many considered a superior force prior to the start. 

And perhaps one of the banner moments in the conflict saw Johnson walking the streets of Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in August, just five months after the invasion started, as a show of confidence that Ukraine had taken back control of the capital and vouched for its safety. 

The act prompted comparisons to Churchill for the bravery and defiance Johnson showed. 

The U.K. continues to send weapons support to Ukraine – something that British politician Nigel Farage argued was only possible thanks to Brexit as Europe spent weeks debating and dealing over how to appease its various members and approve its own support package. 

Britain also acted early on to approve sanctions against Russia, including a freeze on assets and travel bans for over 370 individuals (including oligarchs). Britain would work with the U.S., Europe, Canada and other allies to block Russia’s access to the SWIFT banking system, effectively cutting Moscow off from the Western global market. 

The sanctions against Russia proved to be a double-edged sword as Moscow significantly decreased its oil and gas deliveries to Europe and threatened to cut off grain shipments, putting the world at risk of famine. 

The sudden shortage on oil supplies caused a scramble among Western nations to approve additional pipelines and seek further production from OPEC+ to offset the losses, but the price for oil and gas kept climbing. 

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With winter, the U.K. may end up the most hard-hit by rising energy prices. An International Monetary Fund [IMF] analysis found that the U.K.’s heavy reliance on gas to heat homes, as well as the relatively greater inefficiency in home heating, could see Britain paying more than any European country as a cut of household incomes. 

Those energy costs have also impacted business, with many pubs and restaurants facing increased financial pressure as they struggle to keep their doors open. 

"The price goes up daily," Lindsey Armstrong, owner of Champs Sports Bar and Grill in the small northeast England town of Washington, told the New York Times about her electricity contract, which will cost her $135,000 per year, a jump from the usual cost of about $30,000.

The rising costs of energy – and coinciding inflation – pushed a number of unions to go on strike in various industries across the country, including postal workers, train operators, garbage collectors, ambulance drivers and teachers.

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Sunak told Parliament that he would "take action to protect the lives and livelihoods of the British public," if "union leaders continue to be unreasonable." Sunak and Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer have sparred over the union disputes, with Sunak accusing Starmer of failing to "stand up for working people," while Starmer claimed that Sunak was "grandstanding" and needed to "resolve these issues." 

Elizabeth’s passing shocked the world as many considered her a mainstay – a constant presence in their lives since before they were even born. The world mourned her death, with Britain virtually shutting down for a week as some mourners stood for over a day to have a chance to pay their respects. 

From Churchill to Truss, Queen Elizabeth II had a small but significant hand in guiding the country – a task that went to her son Charles. At the age of 74, King Charles III is the oldest British monarch to assume the throne, with his coronation set for early next May.

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But Charles had to keep his house in order after Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, released a Netflix documentary in December that detailed their lives together from the beginning of their relationship to the decision to step down from their royal duties in 2020. 

The documentary caused a stir in the U.K., but the second part was released to little fanfare. 

Instead, it was a racism allegation against a Buckingham Palace household member that caught the most attention in the public. 

Lady Susan Hussey, Elizabeth’s lady-in-waiting and Prince William’s godmother, resigned from her position after allegedly asking a Black woman repeatedly what country she "came from." 

Buckingham Palace said it took the incident "extremely seriously" and investigated immediately. 

Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report. 

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