UN votes to end Iraq political mission established after 2003 US-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein

The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Friday to end the U.N. political mission in Iraq established in 2003 following the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein to coordinate post-conflict humanitarian and reconstruction efforts, and to help restore a representative government in the country.

The Iraqi government asked the council in a May 8 letter to wrap up the mission by the end of 2025 and that’s what the resolution does: It extends the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq, known as UNAMI, for a final 19 months until Dec. 31, 2025 when all its work will cease.

IRAQ ASKS UN TO ABANDON POLITICAL MISSION IN BAGHDAD

The U.S.-sponsored resolution asks Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to prepare "a transition and liquidation plan" in consultation with the Iraqi government by Dec. 31, 2024 so UNAMI can start transferring its tasks and withdrawing staff and assets.

The council said it supports Iraq’s continuing stabilization efforts including its ongoing fight against the Islamic State group and al-Qaida extremists and their affiliates.

In 2014, the Islamic State group declared a caliphate in large parts of Iraq and Syria and attracted tens of thousands of supporters from around the world. The extremists were defeated by a U.S.-led military coalition in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019, but its sleeper cells remain in both countries.

The council’s action came as Iraq is also seeking to wind down the military coalition formed to fight the IS. The roughly 2,500 U.S. troops are scattered around the country, largely in military installations in Baghdad and in the north. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has contended that the Iraqi security forces are capable of dealing with the remaining IS cells in the country and the coalition’s presence is no longer needed.

The resolution adopted Friday to close the UNAMI mission expresses support for Iraq’s reform efforts aimed at fighting corruption, respecting and protecting human rights, delivering essential services to its people, creating jobs and diversifying the economy.

It asks the secretary-general to streamline UNAMI’s tasks ahead of the mission’s closure to focus on providing advice, support and technical assistance to the government to strengthen preparations for free elections, including for the federal Parliament and for the Parliament in the Kurdistan region.

It also authorizes UNAMI to facilitate progress toward finally resolving outstanding issues between Iraq and Kuwait, stemming from Saddam Hussein’s invasion of its smaller neighbor in August 1990.

In addition, the resolution says UNAMI should help with the return of internally displaced Iraqis and those in Syria, with providing health care and other services and with economic development. And it also authorizes the mission to "promote accountability and the protection of human rights, and judicial and legal reform."

U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood welcomed the resolution’s unanimous adoption and plans for an orderly wind down of UNAMI.

"We all recognize that Iraq has changed dramatically in recent years and UNAMI’s mission needed to be realigned as part of our commitment to fostering a secure, stable and sovereign Iraq," he told the council.

Russia’s deputy U.N. ambassador Anna Evstigneeva stressed that what was important for Moscow in voting for the resolution was that the United States took into account the priorities Iraq wanted UNAMI to focus on in its final months.

"We are convinced that in the 20 years since its establishment UNAMI has fully realized its potential to assist in the restoration of Iraqi statehood and that the people of Iraq are now ready to assume full responsibility for the country’s political future," she said. "We express our firm support for Iraq sovereignty and oppose any interference in the country’s internal affairs. That is an imperative."

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/Azsd873

France files preliminary terrorism charges against teenager accused of plan to attack Olympic fans

French authorities on Friday raised preliminary terrorism charges against an 18-year-old accused of a plot targeting spectators attending soccer games at the upcoming Paris Olympics. The interior minister said it was the first such thwarted plot targeting the Games, which start in eight weeks as France is on its highest threat alert level.

The man is accused of planning a ‘’violent action’’ on behalf of the Islamic State group’s jihadist ideology, the national counterterrorism prosecutor’s office said in a statement Friday. The man, who was not identified, is behind held in custody pending further investigation.

AI-DRIVEN RISK INTELLIGENCE FIRM WORKS TO COMBAT DISINFORMATION AS CYBERSECURITY COMES INTO FOCUS FOR OLYMPICS

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said in a statement that members of the General Directorate of Internal Security arrested an 18-year-old man from Chechnya on May 22 on suspicion of being behind a plan to attack soccer events that will be held in the southern city of Saint-Etienne.

According to the initial investigation, the man was preparing an attack targeting the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium in Saint-Etienne that will host several soccer matches during the Summer Games. The planned attack was to target spectators and police forces, the statement said. The suspect wanted to attack the Olympic events "to die and become a martyr," the statement also said.

France is on in its highest security alert ahead of the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, which are expected to draw millions of visitors, and run July 26-Aug. 11. Soccer matches will take place in cities across France before the final in Paris’ Stade de France.

Darmanin, the interior minister, did not cite a specific security threat against the soccer event, but has said there are multiple potential threats, including those from Islamic extremist groups, violent environmental activists, far-right groups and cyberattacks from Russia or other adversaries.

The Paris Olympics organizing committee said it was made aware of the arrest and praised intelligence and security services. ‘’Security is the highest priority of Paris 2024. We are working daily in close coordination with the Interior Ministry and all stakeholders — and will continue to be fully mobilized,'' it said in a statement.

Security concerns are notably high for the the exceptional opening ceremony, which brings more than 100 world leaders to the French capital. It involves boats carrying athletes along the Seine River on a 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) open-air parade and huge crowds watching from the embankments.

In April, French President Emmanuel Macron said the July 26 opening ceremony could be moved instead to the country’s national stadium if the security threat is deemed too high.

Organizers had originally planned to host as many as 600,000 people, most watching free of charge from riverbanks. But security and logistical concerns have led the government to progressively scale back its ambitions. Earlier this year, the overall number of spectators was reduced to around 300,000.

The French government also decided that tourists won’t be given free access to watch the opening ceremony because of security concerns. Free access will be invitation-only instead.

Extra security is also on hand for the Olympic torch relay, which passed on Friday through the monastery outcropping of Mont-Saint-Michel, which sees thousands of tourists daily.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/TYo4kQ3

AI can help protect wildlife from human dangers, but 'real' value is in data collection

Artificial intelligence (AI) will make it easier to determine the best methods of protecting endangered wildlife in the coming years, with current methods making little use of technology in meaningful ways, an expert told Fox News Digital. 

"Over time, if you feed that data into an AI engine, you will get better and better information modeling or warnings and maybe even be able to start doing things like warning you ahead of time when you think that might happen. You can track their migratory patterns and kind of say, well, every time they do that, within the next 12 hours, they almost always get into a situation of danger," Phil Siegel, founder of AI nonprofit the Center for Advanced Preparedness and Threat Response Simulation, told Fox News Digital.

"The technology is what retailers use to track employees to make sure they’re not stealing, and that kind of stuff in a store and gives you warnings and alerts," he said.

As nonprofits and tech developers alike look at the many ways they can implement AI to solve the myriad problems plaguing the world, conservation and animal protection has arisen as one of the chief goals. 

AI-POWERED SEEING ROBOT GUIDE DOG PROVIDES NEW LEASH ON LIFE FOR THE BLIND

The southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu has implemented the use of AI-based surveillance systems to catch when elephants cross the many railway tracks across the state. The state’s high court in 2021 ordered the forest department and railways to prevent further deaths after 36 elephants died over the past decade, the BBC reported. 

Tamil Nadu initiated a trial program with 12 towers along two rail tracks, each with a camera capable of thermal and visible light imaging – not to mention standard livestreaming of the scenes in question. 

The key to this technology is computer vision, which focuses on the visual component of possible AI use. This is the technology that will help automatic vehicles detect obstacles and avoid them, and really the means by which the rubber hits the road when it comes to robots and their abilities to interact with the world around them. 

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

The bulk of heavy lifting comes from the AI models, such as ChatGPT, but computer vision will provide more immediate and practical uses for AI. In Africa, Dutch tech start-up Hack the Planet and British scientists at Stirling University have tested out new technology that works with satellites to identify potential poachers in an area and alert authorities. 

WHAT IS CHATGPT?

The cameras also were able to help deter elephants from wandering into a village in search of food, preventing a potential conflict from occurring. 

The Tamil Nadu tech, part of an $860,000 project, has similar implementation but instead communicates warnings to train operators and officials so they can slow down their approach and give the elephants time to clear out before the trains resume their journeys. 

The system has picked up around 400 instances of elephants approaching the tracks, but the system will detect any animal in the area, potentially overwhelming the four workers who must continuously monitor the system. 

However, the state has determined the system is effective enough to try and roll it out to five other areas in order to expand protection efforts. 

CYBERSCAMMERS USE AI TO MANIPULATE GOOGLE SEARCH RESULTS

Siegel noted that the technology will have wider applications than wildlife protection. In fact, it is the same technology that could prove useful in general emergency response situations, such as detecting a budding wildfire before it becomes a significant problem, potentially saving lives and preventing millions in damages. 

"If you don’t have a ton of data, you’re using human intelligence to do it, but over time, as you collect more data and you see more patterns, it’s harder for humans to see what those patterns are," Siegel argued. "You can use the AI to do a better job at both warning and alerts in some areas to do a better job at surveillance and then do a better job at response as well." 

"AI today is by far a higher level of us case or more use cases than the stuff that’s getting the most press, which is the large language models (LLM) like ChatGPT," Siegel added. "Up until recently, there’s been a lot of AI used and it’s pretty much only machine learning types of algorithms."

"That’s what’s been popular and very successful in a lot of areas, but, obviously, with LLMs, that’s kind of taking on a life of its own and started to overshadow just the machine learning stuff… but not at school and in companies," Siegel noted. "Those things are still very important there and the bulk of the applications today." 

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/v5MdGQN

Biden administration greenlights Ukraine's use of American weapons to strike inside Russia

President Biden has given the green light for Ukraine to use American-made weapons to strike inside Russia, marking a major reversal of policy, Fox News has confirmed. 

A senior U.S. official confirmed that President Biden has signed off on the Ukrainians’ use of U.S. long-range weapons near the city of Kharkiv to protect the second-largest city from ongoing Russian assault. 

The official described the reversal as a "limited" policy shift related to Kharkiv rather than a broad shift in policy that would open up use of U.S. weapons inside Russia. 

BIDEN MISSING UPCOMING UKRAINE TALKS WOULD BE ‘APPLAUDED’ BY PUTIN, ZELENSKYY SAYS

PRESSURE GROWS ON BIDEN ADMIN TO ALLOW UKRAINE TO USE US WEAPONS TO HIT RUSSIA

"The president recently directed his team to ensure that Ukraine is able to use U.S.-supplied weapons for counter-fire purposes in the Kharkiv region, so Ukraine can hit back against Russian forces that are attacking them or preparing to attack them," the U.S. official said. "Our policy with respect to prohibiting the use of ATACMS or long-range strikes inside of Russia has not changed."

This story was first reported by Politico.

Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh reiterated "no change in policy" multiple times when she was asked about the policy during a briefing Thursday afternoon.

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

Hungarian politicians appeal to voters in first public TV debate in nearly 20 years

Nearly a dozen politicians took to the debate stage in Hungary's capital Thursday to make their pitch to Hungarian voters ahead of European Parliament elections. Outside, protesters demonstrated against the public broadcaster that hosted the event.

The debate, between the leaders of 11 party lists running in the June 9 elections, is the first to be broadcast by Hungary's public media since 2006, when Prime Minister Viktor Orbán last appeared face-to-face with an opponent to appeal for support ahead of elections.

HUNGARY PM ORBÁN BLASTS 'WESTERN WORLD,' CALLS FOR TRUMP VICTORY

Orbán, who has been accused by critics of cracking down on Hungary's media and violating democratic norms, later lost that election to the Socialist incumbent before winning the next ballot in 2010. He has been in power ever since.

The path to holding the first debate on public television in 18 years was fraught with controversy. The public broadcaster is widely believed by Orbán’s opponents to be subservient to his governing Fidesz party, and some participants disagreed with the decision to allow all 11 party list leaders to appear on stage, as well as with the narrow topics the broadcaster allowed to be discussed.

One of the most vocal critics of the public media and its organization of the debate was Péter Magyar, a new arrival in Hungarian politics whose sudden rise has him poised to become the country’s largest opposition force.

Before the event, Magyar told several thousand supporters outside the debate venue in Budapest that the public broadcaster "has lied morning, noon and night for 14 years."

"How can it be that there is a political party, a community already supported by millions of Hungarians whose taxes support the public broadcaster, and it hasn't invited me onto public television for a single minute?" he said.

The public broadcaster earlier announced that the topics to be discussed during the debate would be limited to EU defense and security, migration and asylum, agriculture and/or democracy and the rule of law — something Magyar and other candidates disputed.

Péter Ember, one of the demonstrators, said he believes the candidates should be able to "clash their positions" to better inform voters of their choices in the election.

"There is finally a debate, but the circumstances are not what we would have liked. We feel that the parties and the people have not been given a say in how the debate should be," he said. "They defined what they could talk about. I hope there’s someone who will be brave and talk about more important things."

Polls show that Magyar's new party, Respect and Freedom, could take around 25% of the vote in the EU elections, while Orbán's Fidesz appears poised to take the most votes. Hungary's public broadcaster agreed to host the event after Magyar said he would hold a mass demonstration outside its headquarters if it did hold a live debate.

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

Haiti's new prime minister vows to seek unity after he is selected by transitional council

Haiti's newly chosen Prime Minister Garry Conille vowed to seek unity Wednesday in his first statement since a transitional council selected him to head the government in the troubled Caribbean country under siege by criminal gangs.

Conille thanked the civil society groups, political parties and members of the Haitian diaspora who proposed him as a candidate, saying he was "very honored" to have been chosen.

HAITI COUNCIL APPOINTS NEW PRIME MINISTER AS COUNTRY CONTINUES TO FACE DEADLY GANG VIOLENCE

"Together, we will work for a better tomorrow for all the children of our nation," he wrote on X, the social media platform, in Haitian Creole.

Conille submitted his resignation Tuesday as UNICEF’s regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean, a post he has held since January 2023. He previously served as prime minister of Haiti from October 2011 to May 2012 under then-President Michel Martelly and was former chief of staff to Bill Clinton in the ex-president’s role as U.N. special envoy to Haiti.

Conille studied medicine and public health and helped develop health care in impoverished communities in Haiti, where he helped coordinate reconstruction efforts after the devastating 2010 earthquake. He also served as a U.N. development specialist before becoming a regional director with UNICEF.

He now faces a monumental task, with Haiti under siege by gangs that control at least 80% of the Port-au-Prince capital as the country awaits the U.N.-backed deployment of a police force from Kenya and other countries supporting the mission.

The prime minister shares executive power with the presidency, which has been vacant in Haiti since the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. whose death left a power vacuum that criminal gangs began to take advantage of later that year.

In addition to choosing the prime minister, the transitional council is tasked with arranging presidential elections before early 2026.

Council members told The Associated Press late Tuesday that six of seven members with voting powers had selected Conille for the prime minister role. Laurent St. Cyr, the seventh member, is not in Haiti currently and as a result did not vote.

On Wednesday, they issued a statement noting that Conille was one of five prequalified candidates that they interviewed for one hour each on Tuesday, and that they are now working with him to choose a new Cabinet.

"The transitional presidential council renews its firm determination to do everything possible to stem the phenomenon of insecurity and lead the country on the path to free, fair, democratic and inclusive elections," it said.

Conille will replace interim Prime Minister Michel Patrick Boisvert, who has been helping lead the country since former Prime Minister Ariel Henry resigned via letter in April following a surge in gang violence. Gunmen launched coordinated attacks on Feb. 29, seizing control of police stations, opening fire on the main international airport that remained closed for nearly three months and storming Haiti's two biggest prisons, releasing more than 4,000 inmates. The wave of violence continues.

Boivert issued a statement Wednesday congratulating Conille, adding that he "hopes the new prime minister will be able to face the challenges and issues of the moment."

Also congratulating Conille was Kenyan President William Ruto, who wrote on X Wednesday that "this significant step is not lost on the world." He added that Kenya was looking forward to working with Conille and his government "to restore Haiti to a path of sustainable development."

It was not immediately clear if there would be a formal swearing-in ceremony for Conille.

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement that she wished Conille "every success in bringing much-needed peace, stability and hope to the children of Haiti."

Conille was not the first choice for some council members.

In late April, a four-member coalition within the council made an unexpected announcement that they had chosen former sports minister Fritz Bélizaire as prime minister. The move threatened to fracture the council, with dissenting members insisting that proper procedure be followed.

As a result, the council announced it would accept nominations for prime minister, and it received dozens of names. However, none of them was made public, and the council has been criticized for its lack of transparency, including not sharing what criteria it was applying when choosing a leader.

The council also is tasked with choosing a new Cabinet and appointing a provisional electoral commission, a requirement before elections can take place. The council’s non-renewable mandate expires Feb. 7, 2026, when a new president is scheduled to be sworn in.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/o3HIgzi

Polls close and South Africa counts votes in election framed as its most important since apartheid

South Africans voted Wednesday at schools, community centers, and in large white tents set up in open fields in an election seen as their country’s most important since apartheid ended 30 years ago. It could put the young democracy into unknown territory.

At stake is the three-decade dominance of the African National Congress party, which led South Africa out of apartheid’s brutal white minority rule and to democracy in 1994. It is now the target of a new generation of discontent in a country of 62 million people — half of whom are estimated to be living in poverty.

HOW SOUTH AFRICA'S FORMER LEADER ZUMA TURNED ON HIS ALLIES AND BECAME A SURPRISE ELECTION FOE

After casting his vote, President Cyril Ramaphosa said that he had no doubt his ANC would win again with "a firm majority."

The main opposition leader, John Steenhuisen, countered: "For the first time in 30 years, there is now a path to victory for the opposition."

The election was held on one day and polls closed after 14 hours of voting at more than 23,000 stations across South Africa's nine provinces. Counting will start but final results are not expected for days. The independent electoral commission that runs the election said they would be announced by Sunday.

The ANC has seen its support slide in previous elections as Africa’s most advanced economy faces some of the world’s deepest socioeconomic problems. It has one of the worst unemployment rates at 32% and the lingering inequality, with poverty disproportionately affecting the Black majority, now threatens to unseat the party that promised to end it by bringing down apartheid under the slogan of a better life for all.

"Our main issue here in our community is the lack of jobs," said Samuel Ratshalingwa, who was near the front of the line at the same school in the Johannesburg township of Soweto where Ramaphosa voted. He came out well before polls opened at 7 a.m. on a chilly winter morning.

"We have to use the vote to make our voices heard about this problem," Ratshalingwa said.

After winning six successive national elections, several opinion polls have put the ANC’s support at less than 50% before this vote, an unprecedented drop. It might lose its majority in Parliament for the first time, although it’s widely expected to hold the most seats.

The ANC won 57.5% of the vote in the last national election in 2019, its worst result to date and down from a high of nearly 70% in 2004. That loss of support has been attributed to the widespread poverty, but also ANC corruption scandals, high crime rates and a failure of basic government services that see many communities go without running water, electricity or proper housing. Some voting stations were even impacted by electricity blackouts, officials said.

Ramaphosa, the leader of the ANC, has promised to "do better."

The 71-year-old Ramaphosa sat alongside other voters in Soweto, where he was born and which was once the center of the resistance to apartheid. He shook hands with two smiling officials who registered him before voting.

"I have no doubt whatsoever in my heart of hearts that the people will once again invest confidence in the African National Congress to continue to lead this country," Ramaphosa said.

Any change in the ANC’s hold on power could be monumental for South Africa. If it does lose its majority, the ANC will likely face the prospect of a coalition with others to stay in government and keep Ramaphosa as president for a second term. The ANC having to co-govern has never happened before.

South Africans vote for parties, not directly for their president. The parties then get seats in Parliament according to their share of the vote and lawmakers elect the president. Nearly 28 million people were registered to vote and the electoral commission said early indications were that it was a high turnout. Long queues remained into the night at some voting stations — people would be allowed to vote if they were in the queue before the closing time of 9 p.m.

The opposition to the ANC is fierce, but fragmented. The two biggest opposition parties, the centrist Democratic Alliance and the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters, are not expected to increase their vote by anything near enough to overtake the ANC.

That's largely because disgruntled South Africans are moving to an array of opposition parties; more than 50 will contest the national election, many of them new. One is led by South Africa’s former President Jacob Zuma, who has turned against his former ANC allies.

Steenhuisen, the leader of the main opposition Democratic Alliance, said South Africa was now heading to "coalition country." He conceded his party probably wouldn’t gain a majority, but put faith in a preelection agreement with other smaller parties to combine their vote to remove the ANC.

"I don’t think we’re going to solve the problems of South Africa by keeping the same people around the same table making the same bad decisions for the same bad results," Steenhuisen said.

The ANC says it's confident of retaining its majority and analysts haven't ruled that out, given the party's unmatched grassroots campaigning machine. It still has wide support.

"I woke up at 4 a.m. this morning, took a bath and made my way," said 68-year-old Velaphi Banda, adding that he has voted for the ANC since 1994 and would do so again. "I was never undecided about which party I will vote for. I have always known."

Ramaphosa has pointed out how South Africa is a far better country now than under apartheid, when Black people were barred from voting, weren’t allowed to move around freely, had to live in certain areas and were oppressed in every way. This election is only South Africa's seventh national vote in which people of all races are allowed to take part.

Memories of that era of apartheid, and the defining election that ended it in 1994, still frame much of everyday South Africa. But fewer remember it as time goes on, and this election might give voice to a new generation.

"I feel like there are just no opportunities for young people in this area," said 27-year-old Innocentia Zitha of her neighborhood.

While 80% of South Africans are Black, it’s a multiracial country with significant populations of white people, those of Indian descent, those with biracial heritage and others. There are 12 official languages.

The vote will also showcase the country’s contradictions, from the economic hub of Johannesburg — labeled Africa’s richest city — to the picturesque tourist destination of Cape Town, to the informal settlements of shacks in their outskirts, and the more remote rural areas. In one of those in the eastern KwaZulu-Natal province, 72-year-old grandmother Thembekile Ngema and others walked 20 minutes over rolling hills to get to their polling station.

South Africa has held peaceful and credible elections since a violent buildup to the pivotal 1994 election but nearly 3,000 soldiers were deployed across the country to ensure everything is orderly, authorities said.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/E15ax7d

British PM seeks election Hail Mary with youth national service plan: 'Last attempt to fix a broken nation'

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has promised to institute a national service requirement should the Conservative Party win the general election on July 4. 

"The appeal of the idea is particularly geared to more right wing voters who might have been leaning to vote for the Reform Party and may now switch back to Conservative," Alan Mendoza, co-founder and executive director of the Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital.

Sunak last week announced that the U.K. would have a general election, catching many in his own party off-guard. He made the announcement alone, standing in the rain outside the prime minister’s residence at 10 Downing Street while the 1997 Labour Campaign theme "Things Can Only Get Better" played in the background. 

Sunak has since then started laying out his proposal for the next phase of his government should he win the general election — a feat that appears increasingly difficult as the polling puts the rival Labour Party ahead by around 20 points and the Conservatives look to replace some 77 MPs who have decided not to run for re-election, according to The Institute For Government.

A UK ELECTION HAS BEEN CALLED FOR JULY 4. HERE'S WHAT TO KNOW

Chief among the prime minister’s proposals is the eye-catching national service requirement, which the U.K. abandoned as a practice around 60 years ago: The last mandatory service requirements occurred after World War II and ended in 1960. 

The previous national service requirement meant 18 months of military training and four years on the reserve list, which would allow the government to draft citizens on short notice, according to the BBC. 

The new scheme would provide 18-year-olds with the choice to participate in either community volunteering one weekend every month for a year (totaling 25 days) in a service such as the National Health Service (NHS), fire brigade, ambulance service, search and rescue or critical local infrastructure or a year-long military participation in areas such as logistics, cybersecurity, procurement or civil response operations.

The Conservatives would establish a Royal Commission to design the program, with a pilot scheme accepting applicants in September 2025 with plans for a national rollout by 2029, The Telegraph reported. 

A YouGov poll from last year found around 45% both supporting and opposing any compulsory program, while the majority would support some voluntary version of the scheme.

British Home Secretary James Cleverly insisted the government would not force anyone to complete military training as part of their service, saying during an appearance on Sky News' Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips: "There’s going to be no criminal sanction. There’s no one going to jail over this."

TRIAL SET FOR UK MEN ACCUSED OF COLLABORATING WITH HONG KONG INTELLIGENCE SERVICE

"This is about dealing with what we know to be the case, which is social fragmentation," Cleverly said. "Too many young people live in a bubble within their own communities. They don’t mix with people of different religions. They don’t mix with different viewpoints."

Cleverly said the scheme would seek funding from around $1.27 billion out of a possible $7.5 billion gained through a crackdown on tax avoidance and evasion, with Conservatives estimating that the scheme would require around $3.2 billion a year by the end of the decade, The Guardian reported. 

Sunak has consistently faced criticism for "no longer representing right-wing people in the U.K.," according to former Boris Johnson adviser Thomas Corbett-Dillon, but Mendoza argued that this new policy is an effort to appeal to that more hardline voter base.

"National Service tends to be a very popular idea with British voters," Mendoza said. "The Conservative Party’s conceptualization of it has less to do with the 1950s imagery that has been derided by some commentators and much more with the Scandinavian models currently in use that stress responsible citizenship."

"All the evidence in those countries suggests young people view it as an essential part of their transition to adulthood, as well as teaching useful skills and community spirit," Mendoza added.

Nigel Farage, the honorary president of Reform U.K., argued that the national service scheme aimed to appeal to his voters, as Reform and the Conservatives fight over voters in the upcoming election.

PRINCE HARRY REPORTEDLY REJECTING KING CHARLES' ROYAL RESIDENCE INVITE IMPLIES ‘DEEPER-ROOTED’ ISSUES: EXPERT

"You follow what the focus groups say — you say, by doing this I can attack the Reform vote," Farage told Sky News. "That’s what it’s all about. And look, it’s totally impractical. The army has shrunk from 100,000 to 75,000 in 14 years of Conservatism." 

However, Corbett-Dillon argued that the effort will not prove successful, ridiculing the government for resorting to a "last ditch attempt" to stoke patriotism, only for it to backfire.

"So the government, in a last ditch attempt to fix a broken nation, suggested a National Service to bring the people together, an opportunity to serve your nation, to give back, to ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country," Corbett-Dillon said. "And what happened? The new ‘multicultural’ generation laughed the whole thing off, ‘Why would I serve a country I hate?’ was the common message across social media."

"The fact that the United Kingdom can't even implement a national service shows you that it is now a failed nation — all thanks to ‘multiculturalism,’" he added, blasting the Conservatives as being "really Democrats" and claiming that Sunak would "very quickly take up a lavish Silicon Valley job" when he loses the upcoming election, pointing to former Deputy PM Nick Clegg, who now serves as the President of Global Affairs for Facebook. 

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer ridiculed the idea as just another of the "endless spinning around that Tory governments have subjected" the U.K. voters to over the past few years, arguing that the Conservatives present "a new plan every week, a new strategy every month." 

UK ARTISTS, VETERANS CREATE 80 SAND SILHOUETTES ON BEACH FOR 80TH ANNIVERSARY OF D-DAY LANDINGS

"All this spinning round and round — it’s symbolic of the chaos and instability," Starmer said during a keynote speech delivered in West Sussex as he gets his party’s campaign into gear. "You’ve seen it over the past few days with the desperation of this national service policy."

Starmer claimed that the policy would receive funding from abandoned "leveling up" schemes, which would use taxpayer money to help revive business across the U.K. to create jobs and bolster the economy. Starmer insisted that the money should instead go to the National Health Service, which the Labour Party consistently keeps at the center of its campaign strategies.  

Labour's Shadow Work and Pensions Sec. Liz Kendall dismissed the plan, saying elections "should be about the country's future, not fighting for a better past." 

"This is an unfunded commitment, a headline-grabbing gimmick. It is not a proper plan to deliver it. It doesn’t deal with the big challenges facing young people who are desperate to get the skills and qualifications they need to get good jobs, to have a home they can call their own," Kendall said during an appearance on Sky News' Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/desiq1y

Almost 2 months after embassy raid, Ecuador is ready to talk with Mexico and reach solution

Almost two months after police raided the Mexican embassy in Ecuador, the South American country’s government wants to re-establish communication with officials in Mexico and reach a solution to the diplomatic rift that followed the extraordinarily unusual use of force.

Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld, in an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday, said her country is "ready" for dialogue with Mexican officials with the only nonnegotiable matter being the release from prison of Ecuador’s former Vice President Jorge Glas, who was the target of the April 5 raid.

VENEZUELA CLOSES ITS EMBASSY IN ECUADOR

Glas had been granted political asylum hours before police broke into the embassy in the capital, Quito, found him in a bedroom and dragged him out.

Sommerfeld said Ecuador already accepted Mexico’s request for a third country to "help as a diplomatic communication channel," but she declined to identify the nation. A day earlier, Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena told a radio station the third country will "most likely" be Switzerland.

The raid, which drew immediate condemnation from governments around the world against Ecuador, prompted the feuding nations to file complaints against each other with the International Court of Justice.

Diplomatic premises are considered foreign soil and "inviolable" under the Vienna treaties and host country law enforcement agencies are not allowed to enter without permission from the ambassador.

Glas, who was convicted in two corruption cases, had lived at the diplomatic compound since mid-December while on parole. Days after Mexico’s Foreign Relations Secretariat announced he had shown up at the embassy and asked for "entry and safeguard," a judge revoked his parole and ordered him to serve out the remaining of his sentence, totaling two years and 11 months.

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa ordered authorities to raid the embassy, a move he defended as necessary "to protect national security." His government has argued Glas was wanted for his criminal convictions, not political reasons, and has accused Mexico of violating the Vienna treaties by granting him asylum.

Meanwhile, the government of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has conditioned any rapprochement on the release of Glas, who is being held at a maximum-security prison at the port city of Guayaquil.

Mexico closed its embassy and two consulates immediately after the raid. Bárcena said the third country that will assist the feuding nations "is going to safeguard" Mexico's embassy and ambassador's residency and facilitate moving the belongings of 18 officials.

Sommerfeld said trade between the two countries continues and so is the "attention to the citizens of both countries," which is been facilitated by other embassies and international organizations.

Asked about the sustained migration of Ecuadorians to the United States, she acknowledged that "there has been a strong increase" in migration in the last three years, which she attributed primarily to lack of jobs and safety.

Sommerfeld said officials estimate that about 2.4 million Ecuadorians live outside their home country. That figure represents more than 10% of the country’s population.

Official records show that just over 123,000 Ecuadorians did not return from their trips abroad last year. During the same period, Sommerfeld said, around 120,000 Ecuadorians were detained at the border between the U.S and Mexico.

Noboa’s government "is trying to fix the root problems: We need security, employment and study," she said.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/AV97WQz

Hundreds mourn gang killings of a Haitian mission director and a young American couple

Hundreds of people packed into a sweltering church in Haiti's capital on Tuesday to mourn Judes Montis, a mission director killed by gang members who also fatally shot an American couple that worked with him.

Wails filled the crowded church during the early morning service as tears streamed down the face of Montis’ wife. The service also honored the lives of Davy and Natalie Lloyd, a married couple in their early 20s who were with Montis when gunmen ambushed them on Thursday night as they left a youth group activity held at a local church.

AMERICAN MISSIONARIES KILLED BY HAITIAN GANG 'GAVE EVERYTHING' FOR THE PEOPLE THERE: FAMILY

Montis, 47, leaves behind a wife, two children, ages 2 and 6, and a brother who was present the night that the killings occurred.

"We’ll never forget you or the path you created for others!" cried out one mourner as the crowd dressed in black and white made its way from the church to the cemetery.

The service was held just days after the three were killed in a gang-controlled area in a northern part of Port-au-Prince where Montis worked as the local director of the Oklahoma-based Missions in Haiti, a religious organization founded by David and Alicia Lloyd, Davy Lloyd’s parents.

"We are facing the most difficult time of our life," Missions in Haiti said in a recent Facebook post. "Thank you for all your prayers and support."

Montis’ brother, Esuaue Montis, a 43-year-old Spanish teacher with the mission, told The Associated Press that he was nearby during the shootings. He said that he saw the gunmen arrive and he used a truck to block the gate before he started running with several orphans and employees in tow.

The group got separated, and when Esuaue Montis jumped over one wall, he encountered a group of armed men. They pushed him to the ground and stepped on him as one gunman asked people in the area if they recognized him while another said, "He works at the orphanage. Kill him."

In that moment, his phone rang. It was a friend whom he had called earlier in a frenzy to tell him about the situation.

"This call is going to save you or going to kill you," he recalled one gunman telling him as he ordered Montis to answer the phone.

His friend lied and told the men that Esuaue Montis didn't work at the orphanage.

"He gave me back the phone and left," Montis said of the gunman.

He hasn't returned to the organization’s school where he worked and is now looking to flee Haiti.

"How will I be able to continue working in the orphanage, not seeing Jude next to me?" Esuaue Montis said between tears. "My brother checked on me all the time. If I went out in the afternoon, he would call and say, ‘Brother, where are you?’"

Montis said the mission had never been threatened before, adding that gang members in the area had only asked for small handouts on occasion.

While Jude Montis was buried in Port-au-Prince, Missions in Haiti said that the U.S. Embassy is working on obtaining the documents needed for the bodies of the Lloyds to be flown to the U.S., adding that it has relocated its staff and others to a safer location.

A Facebook post from Cassidy Anderson, a spokesperson for the family, on Tuesday stated that "transport has been completely secured," but that no information would be released because of security concerns.

Natalie Lloyd, 21, is the daughter of Missouri state Rep. Ben Baker. He wrote on Facebook that he spoke by phone Monday with former U.S. President Donald Trump, who called to express his condolences.

"He mentioned how sorry he was that this evil happened to our kids and how beautiful their devotion was to their calling and to the people of Haiti," Baker wrote.

In a recent interview with the AP, Davy Lloyd’s sister, Hannah Cornett, recalled how they grew up in Haiti because their parents are full-time missionaries, and that her brother learned Creole before he spoke English.

She said her parents run an orphanage, school and church in Haiti, and that she and her brothers grew up with the orphans.

Cornett said that the night of the killings, three vehicles carrying gang members had stopped the Lloyds and Montis, hitting her 23-year-old brother with the barrel of a gun and tying him up at his home as they stole their belongings. As people helped untie Davy Lloyd, another group of gunmen appeared and an unidentified person got shot, she said.

The gunmen then opened fire as the Lloyds and Montis tried to take cover in the house where her parents live, she said, adding that their bodies were set on fire.

Haiti’s National Police condemned the killings in a rare statement, and extended its condolences to the families of the victims, vowing to arrest those responsible.

However, it’s rare for Haitian gangs involved in high-profile kidnappings or killings to be arrested, since the police department is chronically under-resourced and understaffed. Gangs control at least 80% of Haiti’s capital, and violence continues unabated as the country awaits the U.N.-backed deployment of a Kenyan police force that once again has been delayed.

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

Man accused of running nude through airplane arrested by Australian police

A man accused of running naked down the aisle of an Australian domestic flight, knocking down a flight attendant and forcing the plane to turn back, was arrested by police at the airport, officials said on Tuesday.

The incident happened early in what was scheduled to be a 3 hour and 30 minute Virgin Australia flight on Monday night from the west coast city of Perth to Melbourne on the east coast.

Flight VA696 returned to Perth Airport due to a "disruptive passenger," an airline statement said.

EX-MARINE FIGHTER PILOT ACCUSED OF TRAINING CHINESE AVIATORS CAN BE EXTRADITED TO US, AUSTRALIAN JUDGE RULES

Australian Federal Police officers were waiting for the plane and "the disruptive guest was offloaded," Virgin said.

Police said "officers arrested a man after he allegedly ran naked through the aircraft mid-flight and knocked a crew member to the floor."

"The man was transferred to hospital for assessment, where he remains," a police statement said.

It was not clear how or where on the plane the passenger removed his clothes.

Police expect to order the man by summons to appear in a Perth court on June 14. What charges he will face have yet to be finalized.

The airline apologized to "guests impacted," adding the safety of passengers and crew was its top priority.

Both the airline and police declined comment beyond their statements.

Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported that it understood nobody was injured during the incident.

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

13 confirmed dead, 16 missing after stone quarry collapse in India’s northeast

A stone quarry collapsed Tuesday in India’s northeast due to heavy rains triggered by a tropical storm, killing 13 quarry workers, officials said, while 16 remain missing.

Senior police officer Rahul Alwal said rescuers recovered the bodies of those killed from the quarry in Melthum, about 3.7 miles from the state capital Aizwal, and were able to pull out two workers alive from the debris.

Alwal said rescue workers are digging through the rubble to try and reach the trapped workers while looking for more survivors.

POLICE SAY AT LEAST 27 PEOPLE KILLED IN A FIRE AT WESTERN INDIA AMUSEMENT PARK

Mizoram houses many stone quarries where raw material is mined for road and building construction. Many companies, however, extract stones without getting the required environmental clearance.

Last year, seven workers were killed in the state’s Mamit town when a stone quarry collapsed. In 2022, 12 workers were killed in another similar collapse.

India’s northeastern states are witnessing heavy rainfall after tropical storm Remal made landfall in Bangladesh on Monday.

India’s Meteorological Department has warned that heavy rains may cause damage to vulnerable structures and thatched houses, and result in landslides in the region.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/1GWgr8w

Taiwan's legislature passes controversial 'pro-China' measures, reducing president's power

Taiwan’s opposition-controlled legislature passed changes on Tuesday that are seen as favoring China and diminishing the power of the island's president.

The changes pushed by the opposition Nationalist Party and its allies give the body greater power to control budgets, including defense spending that the party has blocked in what many see as a concession to China.

The Nationalists officially back unification with China, from which Taiwan separated during a civil war in 1949.

CHINA'S THREATS, 'NAKED AGGRESSION' LOOM LARGE AS HOUSE LAWMAKERS MEET TAIWAN'S NEW PRESIDENT

They took control of the legislature with a single-seat majority after elections in January, while the presidency went to Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party, which favors Taiwan’s de facto independence from China.

Thousands of people gathered outside the legislature to protest the changes.

The legislative chamber was festooned with banners promoting both sides in the dispute, while arguments on the floor broke into shouting and pushing matches.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/ij7OYEF

Memorial Day ceremony held in Baghdad to honor US Army soldiers killed in Iranian-backed drone attack

U.S. Military personnel stationed in Baghdad, Iraq held a Memorial Day service Monday to honor the three U.S. Army soldiers who were killed in a drone attack in Jordan earlier this year. 

Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve presented the ceremonial wreath at the Memorial Day ceremony at the Union III base, in Baghdad's Green Zone. Those in attendance paid their respects to the fallen service members. 

Staff Sgt. William Rivers, 46, Sgt. Kennedy Sanders, 24, and Sgt. Breonna Moffett, 23, were killed Jan. 28 after a drone attack by an Iranian proxy group hit Tower 22, a small U.S. outpost in northeast Jordan, on the Iraq, Syria, Jordan tri-border, where they were stationed. 

BIDEN ADMIN REVERSES COURSE, GRANTS PERMIT FOR CATHOLIC GROUP'S MEMORIAL DAY MASS AT NATIONAL CEMETERY

The soldiers had been stationed at Tower 22 just across the border from Syria to support the mission to defeat ISIS. 

At its height, over 100,000 people lived there, blocked by Jordan from entering into the kingdom at a time when concerns about infiltration by the extremist group were rampant. Those concerns grew out of a 2016 car bomb attack there, that killed seven Jordanian border guards.

The camp has dwindled in the time since to some 7,500 people because of a lack of supplies, per United Nations estimates.

The base began as a Jordanian border observation outpost, then saw an increased U.S. presence after American forces entered Syria in late 2015. The small installation includes U.S. engineering, aviation, logistics and security troops with about 350 U.S. Army and Air Force personnel deployed there.

Rivers, Sanders and Moffett were all assigned to the 718th Engineer Company, an Army Reserve unit based in Fort Moore, Georgia, previously known as Fort Benning.

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

Netanyahu responds to strike that killed Hamas terror leaders, civilians: 'Investigating the incident'

JERUSALEM – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his nation’s military on Monday flatly refuted claims that the country’s air force aimed to harm civilians in its strike that eliminated two senior Hamas terrorist leaders on Sunday, the same day Hamas launched its most recent barrage of missiles into densely populated areas of Israel.

There are mixed reports about the number of civilians killed in the Rafah strike. The Hamas-run health ministry claimed at least 45 people died, and other outlets have quoted up to 50 deaths.

According to Reuters in a speech to the Israeli parliament on Monday, Netanyahu said, "In Rafah, we already evacuated about one million non-combatants residents and despite our upmost effort not to harm non-combatants, something unfortunately went tragically wrong. We are investigating the incident and will reach conclusions because this is our policy."

EGYPTIANS, IDF EXCHANGE GUNFIRE AT RAFAH BORDER CROSSING: REPORTS

A statement released by a spokesman for the Biden administration's National Security Council on Monday said, "The devastating images following an IDF strike in Rafah last night that killed dozens of innocent Palestinians are heartbreaking."

The statement continued, "Israel has a right to go after Hamas, and we understand this strike killed two senior Hamas terrorists who are responsible for attacks against Israeli civilians. But as we’ve been clear, Israel must take every precaution possible to protect civilians. We are actively engaging the IDF and partners on the ground to assess what happened, and understand that the IDF is conducting an investigation."

Hamas does not differentiate between civilians and terrorists. Fox News Digital reported in March that an Ivy League statistician argued that Hamas’ death toll numbers are not trustworthy.

"Before the strike, a number of steps were taken to reduce the risk of harming uninvolved civilians during the strike, including conducting aerial surveillance, the deployment of precise munitions by the IAF, and additional intelligence information. Based on these measures, it was assessed that there would be no expected harm to uninvolved civilians," said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) statement, which added, "In addition, the strike did not occur in the Humanitarian Area in Al-Mawasi, to which the IDF has encouraged civilians to evacuate."

ISRAELI AIRSTRIKE ON RAFAH KILLS 2 TOP HAMAS COMMANDERS, DOZENS OF CIVILIANS 

The IDF's statement continued, "The incident is under the investigation of the General Staff's Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism, which is an independent body responsible for examining exceptional incidents in combat. The General Staff's Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism is investigating the circumstances of the deaths of civilians in the area of the strike. The IDF regrets any harm to uninvolved civilians during combat."

The military advocate general, Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, directed the General Staff’s Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism to investigate the strike carried out in Rafah, noted the IDF statement.

Hamas said in a statement that the terrorist organization sought to hit Israel’s Mediterranean metropolis: "We fired a large salvo at Tel Aviv in response to the Zionist massacres of civilians."

The EU and U.S.-designated terrorist movement Hamas has for over a decade launched rockets at civilians in Israel, triggering a series of mini-wars with the Jewish state.

PRESIDENT OF UN'S TOP COURT HAS LONG HISTORY OF ANTI-ISRAEL BIAS: ‘CONFLICT OF INTEREST’

According to the IDF, "Yesterday, IAF aircraft conducted an intelligence-based strike in the area of Rafah against significant terror targets, including senior terrorists in Hamas’ Judea and Samaria Wing who directed terror attacks in Judea and Samaria and carried out murderous attacks against Israeli civilians."

The IDF added, "The strike was carried out based on prior intelligence information regarding the presence of the senior Hamas terrorists at the site of the strike."

The two Hamas leaders killed  were Yassin Rabia, the commander of Hamas’ leadership in Judea and Samaria (the biblical name for the West Bank), and Khaled Nagar, a senior official in Hamas who oversaw the Judea and Samaria wing.

The IDF statement, with a possible view toward alleged Hamas propaganda, also said, "Claims that the strike was conducted using seven munitions weighing a ton are false. The strike was conducted using two munitions with a reduced warhead aimed specifically for a strike of these types of targets."

Tor Wennesland, the U.N. special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, condemned the strike in a statement issued Monday. "I condemn last night’s Israeli airstrikes which hit tents for displaced people in the southern Gaza city of Rafah and have tragically led to the reported loss of more than 35 Palestinian lives, including women and children, and dozens of injuries."

He continued, "While the IDF said it struck a Hamas installation and killed two senior Hamas militants in the strikes, I am deeply troubled by the deaths of so many women and children in an area where people have sought shelter."

IDF spokesman Peter Lerner took to X to debunk a Hamas source who appeared in media reports to inflate the number of casualties and claimed the strike unfolded in the humanitarian area. 

Lerner wrote, "Muhammad Abu Hani, quoted is a Hamas official. He appears to be the source of the widely reported claim that the IAF targeted the humanitarian zone. Is he also the source of the reports from the same ‘civil defense’ of 50 people killed in the strike? A number published by many of the world media. Fact: The strike never took place in the designated humanitarian zone."

Reuters contributed to this report.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/nZCT8rd

Egyptians, IDF exchange gunfire at Rafah border crossing: reports

Egyptian service members and Israeli Defense Forces exchanged gunfire Monday at the Rafah border crossing along the Gaza Strip, the Times of Israel is reporting.

Other Israeli media outlets are reporting that an Egyptian soldier was killed Monday during the incident. 

The Israel Defense Forces said "a shooting incident occurred on the Egyptian border" and that the "incident is under review and discussions are being held with the Egyptians." 

The gunfight comes just hours after an Israeli airstrike on a Hamas compound in Rafah killed two top Hamas officials as well as dozens of civilians.  

‘SQUAD’ MEMBER RASHIDA TLAIB CALLS BIDEN ‘ENABLER’ OF GENOCIDE AT CONFERENCE LINKED TO TERRORIST GROUP, CCP 

While the exact number of killed remains unclear at this time, the IDF confirmed that it struck a Hamas compound in which "significant Hamas terrorists were operating." 

The IDF said it carried out the strike "against legitimate targets under international law." 

IDF sources told Fox News Digital the strike eliminated Yassin Rabia, the commander of Hamas’ leadership in Judea and Samaria, as well as Khaled Nagar, a senior official in Hamas’ Judea and Samaria wing. 

The IDF said both men had perpetrated numerous terrorist attacks in the early 2000s in which Israeli civilians and soldiers were killed. 

The IDF acknowledged reports that "several civilians in the area were harmed" from the airstrike and a subsequent fire. It said incident is "under review" as well. 

ISRAELI AIRSTRIKE ON RAFAH KILLS 2 TOP HAMAS COMMANDERS, DOZENS OF CIVILIANS 

Last week, the United Nations’ top court issued an order demanding Israel "immediately halt its military offensive" against Hamas in Rafah, the Palestinian terrorist group’s final stronghold in the Gaza Strip.  

"The military ground offensive in Rafah, which Israel started on 7 May 2024, is still ongoing and has led to new evacuation orders," the International Court of Justice said in its ruling. "As a result, according to United Nations reports, nearly 800,000 people have been displaced from Rafah as of 18 May 2024."  

It added that the "immense" humanitarian risks "associated with a military offensive in Rafah have started to materialize and will intensify even further if the operation continues."  

But Israeli government spokesperson Avi Hyman, when asked about the ICJ order on Friday, declared, "No power on earth will stop Israel from protecting its citizens and going after Hamas in Gaza."  

"We will destroy Hamas, we will return peace and security to the people of Israel and to the people of Gaza," Hyman added. "We cannot go on with a genocidal terrorist regime on our southern border." 

Fox News’ Bradford Betz and Trey Yingst contributed to this report. 

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

Papua New Guinea says landslide buries over 2,000 people alive

A Papua New Guinea government official has told the United Nations more than 2,000 people were believed to have been buried alive by Friday's landslide and has formally asked for international help.

The government figure is roughly triple the U.N. estimate of 670 killed by the landslide in the South Pacific island nation's mountainous interior. The remains of only six people had been recovered so far.

In a letter seen by The Associated Press to the United Nations resident coordinator dated Sunday, the acting director of the South Pacific island nation’s National Disaster Center Luseta Laso Mana said the landslide "buried more than 2000 people alive" and caused "major destruction" at Yambali village in the Enga province.

AFTER DOZENS DIE IN FLOODS, INDONESIA SEEDS CLOUDS TO BLOCK RAINFALL

Estimates of the casualties have varied widely since the disaster occurred, and it was not immediately clear how officials arrived the number of people affected.

The International Organization for Migration, which is working closely with the government and taking a leading role in the international response, has not changed its estimated death toll of 670 released on Sunday, pending new evidence.

"We are not able to dispute what the government suggests but we are not able to comment on it," said Serhan Aktoprak, the chief of the U.N. migrant agency's mission in Papua New Guinea.

"As time goes in such a massive undertaking, the number will remain fluid," Aktoprak added.

The death toll of 670 was based on calculations by Yambali village and Enga provicincial officials that more than 150 homes had been buried by the landslide. The previous estimate had been 60 homes.

INDONESIA'S MOUNT IBU VOLCANO ERUPTS, AUTHORITIES PREPARE TO EVACUATE THOUSANDS

The office of Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape did not respond Monday to a request for an explanation of what the government estimate of 2,000 was based on. Marape has promised to release information about the scale of the destruction and loss of life when it becomes available.

Determining the scale of the disaster is difficult because of challenging conditions on the ground including the village's remote location, a lack of telecommunications and tribal warfare throughout the province which means international relief workers and aid convoys require military escorts.

At least 26 tribal warriors and mercenaries were killed in a battle between two warring tribes in Enga in February, as well as an unconfirmed number of bystanders.

The national government's lack of reliable census data also adds to the challenges of determining how many are potentially dead.

The government estimates Papua New Guinea’s population at around 10 million people, although a U.N. study, based on data including satellite photographs of roof tops, estimated in 2022 it could be as high as 17 million. An accurate census has not been held in the nation in decades.

BALTIMORE KEY BRIDGE COLLAPSE: CARGO SHIP THAT CAUSED DISASTER HAD 2 POWER FAILURES BEFORE DEPARTURE

The landslide had also buried a 650-foot stretch of the province's main highway under debris 20 to 26 feet deep which creates a major obstacle to relief workers.

Mana said the landslide would have a major economic impact on the entire country.

"The situation remains unstable" due to the shifting ground, "posing ongoing danger to both the rescue teams and survivors alike," Mana wrote to the United Nations.

An excavator donated by a local builder Sunday became the first piece of heavy earth-moving machinery brought in to help villagers who have been digging with shovels and farming tools to find bodies. Working around the still-shifting debris is treacherous.

Mana and Papua New Guinea's defense minister, Billy Joseph, flew on Sunday in an Australian military helicopter from the capital of Port Moresby to Yambali, 370 miles to the northwest, to gain a firsthand perspective of what is needed.

Mana’s office posted a photo of him at Yambali handing a local official a check for $130,000 to buy emergency supplies for the 4,000 displaced survivors.

The purpose of the visit was to decide whether Papua New Guinea's government needed to officially request more international support.

Earth-moving equipment used by Papua New Guinea's military was being transported to the disaster scene 250 miles from the east coast city of Lae.

Traumatized villagers are divided over whether heavy machinery should be allowed to dig up and potentially further damage the bodies of their buried relatives, officials said.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/m0DnaOl

Israeli airstrike on Rafah kills 2 top Hamas commanders, dozens of civilians

An Israeli airstrike on a Hamas compound in the Gaza city of Rafah has killed two top Hamas officials as well as dozens of civilians. 

While the exact number of killed remains unclear at this time, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed that it struck a Hamas compound in Rafah "in which significant Hamas terrorists were operating." 

The IDF, citing intelligence indicating Hamas’ use of the area, said it carried out the strike "against legitimate targets under international law." 

IDF sources told Fox News Digital the strike eliminated Yassin Rabia, the commander of Hamas’ leadership in Judea and Samaria, as well as Khaled Nagar, a senior official in Hamas’ Judea and Samaria wing.

The IDF said that both men had perpetrated numerous terrorist attacks in the early 2000s in which Israeli civilians and soldiers were killed. 

The IDF acknowledged reports that "several civilians in the area were harmed" from the airstrike and a subsequent fire. It said the incident is "under review." 

HAMAS LAUNCHES ROCKET BARRAGE INTO ISRAEL FROM RAFAH, SOUNDING ALARMS IN TEL AVIV

Palestinian health and civil emergency service officials, meanwhile, say the airstrike killed at least 35 Palestinians and wounded dozens more. 

A spokesperson with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said the death toll was likely to rise as search and rescue efforts continued in Rafah's Tal al-Sultan neighborhood more than a mile northwest of the city center.

The society asserted that Israel had designated the location been a "humanitarian area." The neighborhood is not included in areas that Israel's military ordered evacuated earlier this month.

Footage from the scene showed heavy destruction. 

The airstrike was reported hours after Hamas fired a barrage of rockets from Gaza that set off air raid sirens as far away as Tel Aviv.

There were no immediate reports of casualties in what appeared to be the first long-range rocket attack from Gaza since January. Hamas' military wing claimed responsibility. Israel's military said eight projectiles crossed into Israel after being launched from Rafah and "a number" were intercepted, and the launcher was destroyed.

PRESIDENT OF UN'S TOP COURT HAS LONG HISTORY OF ANTI-ISRAEL BIAS: ‘CONFLICT OF INTEREST’

The war between Israel and Hamas has killed nearly 36,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and fighters in its count. Israel blames civilian deaths on Hamas because the militants operate in dense, residential areas.

Around 80% of Gaza's 2.3 million people have fled their homes, severe hunger is widespread and U.N. officials say parts of the territory are experiencing famine.

Hamas triggered the war with its Oct. 7 attack into Israel, in which Palestinian militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and seized some 250 hostages. Hamas still holds some 100 hostages and the remains of around 30 others after most of the rest were released during a cease-fire last year.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel must take over Rafah to eliminate Hamas' remaining battalions and achieve "total victory" over the militants, who recently regrouped in other parts of Gaza.

Sunday’s strike came two days after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to end its military offensive in Rafah, where more than half of Gaza's population had sought shelter before Israel's incursion earlier this month. Tens of thousands of people remain in the area while many others have fled.

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

Biden admin urges China show to 'restraint' in Taiwan as former Navy captain warns CCP 'preparing for war'

The Biden administration is warning China to "act with restraint" after the CCP-controlled Chinese military ran provocative military drills near Taiwan on Friday.

Dozens of Chinese navy vessels and warplanes were spotted off the coast of Taiwan on Friday, according to Taiwanese military officials. 49 Chinese warplanes and 19 navy vessels were counted in total.

Taiwanese officials reported that 35 of the Chinese planes flew across the median line in the Taiwan Strait, which is considered the de-facto boundary between the two countries.

In a statement published on Saturday, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that the U.S. is "deeply concerned" over the military drills.

CHINA’S FOREIGN MINISTRY BLASTS TAIWAN INAUGURATION, PHILIPPINES STANDOFF IN SOUTH CHINA SEA

"We are monitoring PRC activities closely and coordinating with allies and partners regarding our shared concerns," the statement read. "We strongly urge Beijing to act with restraint."

"Using a normal, routine, and democratic transition as an excuse for military provocations risks escalation and erodes longstanding norms that for decades have maintained peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, which is critical for regional and global security and prosperity and a matter of international concern," Miller added.

CHINA SANCTIONS FORMER REPUBLICAN REP MIKE GALLAGHER AFTER TAIWAN PRESIDENT'S INAUGURATION

On Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin blasted the U.S.'s previous calls for restraint in response to past military drills.

"[The U.S.] is in no position to make such irresponsible remarks," Wang was quoted as saying.

The drills come as tensions continue to intensify in the region. Former Taiwanese navy captain Lu Li Shih told Sky News that China is "preparing for war."

"China is preparing for war based on the number of military ships and the hiring of new recruits. It's all for self-defense, and Taiwan," the former captian said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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

Police say at least 27 people killed in a fire at western India amusement park

A major fire broke out Saturday at an amusement park in Gujarat state in western India, killing at least 27 people, including several children, police and media reports said.

The fire erupted at the park in the city of Rajkot in Gujarat state. Police Commissioner Raju Bhargava said that the blaze was under control and a rescue operation was underway.

Police officer Vinayak Patel said that it was difficult to identify the bodies.

AT LEAST 9 DEAD IN INDIA AFTER FIRE AT CHEMICAL FACTORY, AUTHORITIES SAY

Police said they have detained the owner and the manager of the amusement park for questioning as they launched an investigation in the cause.

"So far we have confirmed the death of 27 persons in the fire incident," the Press Trust of India news agency quoted Patel as saying, adding that the dead included four children under the age of 12.

The park is usually packed with families with children enjoying the school summer vacation over the weekend.

Footage showed firefighters clearing debris around collapsed tin roof structures that media reports said were used for bowling, go-carting, and trampoline attractions.

THE MYSTERY OF INDIRA GANDHI'S ASSASSINATION BY HER OWN BODYGUARDS

The amusement park was privately owned by Yuvraj Singh Solanki and Bhargava said that police would file a case of negligence against him.

"We will be registering an offense for negligence and the deaths which have occurred. Further investigation will take place once we complete the rescue operation," he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on X that he was "extremely distressed by the fire ... in Rajkot. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones. Prayers for the injured."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Fires are common in India, where builders and residents often flout building laws and safety codes.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/EvcD9bt

Police respond to deadly stabbing spree at popular beach destination

British police have announced the arrest of a 17-year-old boy in connection to two stabbings that happened in Bournemouth, England, on Friday night.

Two women were knifed at Durley Chine Beach at around 11:42 p.m. on Friday. In a Saturday press release, Dorset Police reported that a 17-year-old boy from Lancashire was arrested soon after the stabbings took place.

A 34-year-old woman was found dead at the scene, while a 38-year-old woman was rushed to a hospital with "serious injuries," authorities say.

Both women were residents of Poole, which is around 8 miles east of Bournemouth. Bournemouth's coastline is a popular tourist destination and often ranked highly among the best beaches in the UK, according to the town's government website.

SKELETAL REMAINS FOUND ON FLORIDA BEACH TRACED TO WOMAN LAST SEEN IN 1968 WITH KILLER BOYFRIEND

In a statement, Detective Superintendent Richard Dixey said that officials had "worked tirelessly throughout the night" on the stabbing case.

The official also said that it is "unhelpful to speculate as to why this tragedy has happened," and promised that the area will have an increased police presence.

"I want to reassure our communities in Dorset as well as the many people who choose to visit our county during the bank holiday weekend that we are exploring all available lines of enquiry to establish the motives for this horrendous incident," the detective said.

BRITISH STUDENTS KILLED IN NOTTINGHAM STABBING RAMPAGE WERE CELEBRATING END OF EXAMS

"We understand the concern that the public will have as a result of this incident," Dixey added. "There will be an enhanced police presence in the area and we are also working closely with our partner agencies and community groups to address this."

Authorities are actively investigating the incident and urge anyone who was nearby at the time of the incident to contact them. Tips can be submitted at crimestoppers-uk.org

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Fox News Digital reached out to Dorset Police for comment.

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

UN warns of 'frightening and disturbing' activity by military, rebels in western Burma

The U.N. human rights office warned Friday of "frightening and disturbing reports" about the impact of new violence in Burma's western state of Rakhine, pointing to new attacks on Rohingya civilians by the military and an ethnic armed group fighting it.

Spokesperson Liz Throssell of the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights cited the burning of the town of Buthidaung, as well as air strikes, reports of shootings at unarmed fleeing villagers, beheadings and disappearances as part of the violence in the northern part of Rakhine in recent weeks.

"We are receiving frightening and disturbing reports from northern Rakhine state in Myanmar of the impacts of the conflict on civilian lives and property," she told a regular briefing in Geneva. "Some of the most serious allegations concern incidents of killing of Rohingya civilians and the burning of their property."

REPORTS OF ARMY KILLING OF VILLAGERS IN BURMA SUPPORTED BY PHOTOS AND HARROWING TALE OF A SURVIVOR

She said tens of thousands of civilians have been displaced in recent days amid fighting in Buthidaung, citing evidence from satellite images, testimonies and online video indicating that the town has been largely burned. A battle begun in neighboring Maungdaw presented "clear and present risks of a serious expansion of violence," she added.

Throssell denounced signs of new attacks on Rohingya civilians by Burma's military and the Arakan Army, the well-armed military wing of the Rakhine ethnic minority movement that seeks autonomy from the central government.

She pointed to one survivor's account about dozens of dead bodies as he fled Buthidaung, while others spoke of abuse and extortion from the Arakan Army forces.

A statement issued online late Friday by the United League of Arakan, the political arm of the Arakan Army, said civilians in the battle zone had taken refuge in areas controlled by its forces, adding that it "has been doing its utmost to safeguard and care for these Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) as valued citizens, irrespective of race or religion."

However, Rohingya activists have blamed the Arakan Army for most of the current destruction. The ethnic Rakhine nationalists whose cause the armed group espouses have long expressed antipathy towards the Rohingya.

The fighting comes in the context of a civil war in Burma that began after the army ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, leading to an armed resistance opposing military rule.

The pro-democracy fighters are allied with several of the ethnic minority groups that have been fighting for greater autonomy for decades, and have well-trained military forces.

The Arakan Army had a loose cease-fire with the military government until last October, when it joined with two other ethnic armed groups to capture territory in northeastern Burma.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller on Tuesday said the United States was "deeply troubled" by reports of increased violence in Rakhine state, and called on the military and armed groups to protect civilians and allow humanitarian access.

The Rohingya were the targets of a brutal counterinsurgency campaign incorporating rape and murder that saw an estimated 740,000 flee to neighboring Bangladesh as their villages were burned down by government troops in 2017.

They have lived in Burma for generations, but they are widely regarded by many in the country’s Buddhist majority, including members of the Rakhine minority, as having illegally migrated from Bangladesh. The Rohingya face a great amount of prejudice and are generally denied citizenship and other basic rights.

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

The collapse of a building on Spain’s Mallorca island leaves 4 people dead, officials say

Four people died and several more were seriously injured Thursday when a building collapsed on the island of Mallorca, Spanish emergency authorities said.

Emergency services said that seven more people had been very seriously injured while another nine were seriously injured. They were being attended at local hospitals.

3 KILLED, SEVERAL MISSING AFTER INCIDENT INVOLVING MIGRANT BOAT OFF SOUTHEASTERN SPAIN

The accident occurred in the city of Palma on the Mediterranean island popular with tourists.

Spanish news agency EFE and other media said the building housed a restaurant called "Medusa Beach Club" located near the beach.

Public television for the Balearic Islands, IB3, reported there were people dancing on a terrace that collapsed on top of another floor underneath.

No cause has been given for the collapse of the building.

Emergency services are continuing to search the site and attend the wounded.

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

3 US service members injured on Gaza humanitarian aid mission, 1 in critical condition: Defense officials

A U.S. service member is in critical condition after sustaining a non-combat injury on Thursday while supporting humanitarian aid to Gaza, according to a U.S. defense official.

"On May 23, a U.S. service member sustained a non-combat related injury aboard USNS Benavidez (T-AKR 306) while in support of the humanitarian aid mission to Gaza," a U.S. defense official said. "The service member was transported to a medical facility and is in critical condition at this time. More information will be provided as it becomes available."

During an on-record call on Thursday, defense officials confirmed to reporters that three U.S. service members were injured while supporting a mission to provide humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.

While one individual was found to be in critical condition, the other two sustained injuries that were "very minor," according to Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, who described them as "routine injuries."

UN PLANS NEW AID ROUTES IN GAZA AFTER DESPERATE CROWDS HALT DELIVERIES FROM US-BUILT PIER

He added that the two service members who sustained minor injuries had returned to duty.

"On the injuries, I'm not getting too much detail," Cooper told reporters. "One was simply a sprained ankle."

A temporary pier was anchored to a Gaza beach last Thursday as Israel comes under growing global pressure to allow more supplies into the besieged coastal enclave, where it is at war with Palestinian militants Hamas and a famine looms.

GROWING CONTROVERSY OVER BIDEN'S GAZA PIER FUELS CONCERNS OVER COST, SECURITY

Operations began on Friday and 10 aid trucks were driven by U.N. contractors to a World Food Programme warehouse in Deir El Balah in Gaza. But on Saturday, only five trucks made it to the warehouse after 11 others were intercepted.

"Crowds had stopped the trucks at various points along the way. There was ... what I think I would refer to as self-distribution," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York on Tuesday.

"These trucks were traveling through areas where there'd been no aid. I think people feared that they would never see aid. They grabbed what they could," he said.

Distribution was ultimately paused as the U.N. planned new routes and coordination of deliveries in a bid to prevent more aid being intercepted, said Abeer Etefa, a WFP spokesperson in Cairo.

Aid access into southern Gaza has been disrupted since Israel stepped up military operations in Rafah, a move that the U.N. says has forced 900,000 people to flee.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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