Rockets launched at US forces stationed at Ain al-Asad airbase in Iraq

Four rockets struck Thursday near Ain al-Asad airbase in Iraq, which houses U.S. troops, but there were no reported injuries, and there was no damage to the base, Fox News has learned. 

A U.S. defense official told Fox News none of the rockets landed inside the base. 

The attack comes just days after U.S. and Iraqi officials met at a Pentagon summit to discuss when the coalition against ISIS in Iraq could end and transition to a bilateral security relationship with some U.S. troops likely remaining. 

ISIS REMAINS GLOBAL THREAT A DECADE AFTER DECLARING CALIPHATE, US MILITARY OFFICIAL SAYS

Iraqi factions aligned with Iran have called on all 2,500 U.S. troops that remain in the country to withdraw. 

The attack on the airbase also comes just one day after fighter jets intercepted two Russian Tu-95 "Bear" bombers and two Chinese H-6 bombers off the coast of Alaska.

IRAQ ASKS UN TO ABANDON POLITICAL MISSION IN BAGHDAD

NORAD fighter jets from the United States and Canada conducted the interception.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Iran-backed factions in Iraq have targeted U.S. troops at bases in the country dozens of times since the start of the Israel-Gaza War in October with a slowdown since February.  

Fox News' Stephany Prince and Reuters contributed to this report. 

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/h4uoNUQ

The world's 1st 'test tube baby' turns 46 years old, over 6 million babies born through IVF since 1978

On July 25, 1978, Louise Joy Brown was born in the United Kingdom and her birth quickly caught the media's attention, as she was the world's first "test tube baby."

In other words, Brown was the first baby born through in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Her mother Leslie and father Peter suffered from infertility due to Leslie's blocked fallopian tubes, according to History.com. 

In November 1977, Leslie underwent an experimental IVF procedure. A mature egg was taken from one of her ovaries and combined in a laboratory dish with one of Peter's sperm to form an embryo, per the source.  

MOM OF 5 CHOOSES PREGNANCY ONE MORE TIME AFTER FERTILITY CLINIC ASKS ABOUT HER LEFTOVER EMBRYOS

A few days later, the embryo was implanted into Leslie's uterus, and nine months later, their daughter was brought into the world through Cesarean section. 

This successful IVF treatment was made possible by Robert Edwards, a British scientist, and Patrick Steptoe, a gynecologist. Steptoe was the one who delivered Brown at Olham and District General Hospital in Manchester, England, and gave her the middle name Joy, according to Brown's website. 

At the time, Brown's birth was made very public, a decision many criticized. However, Brown herself has defended her parents and the publicity that came from her scientific birth. 

FDA APPROVES FIRST AT-HOME STERILE INSEMINATION KIT TO HELP WITH INFERTILITY: ‘GIVES ME GOOSEBUMPS’ 

"My parents didn’t have a choice about making it public," Louise previously told Time. "If they didn’t, they would have had people asking ‘Why can’t we see her? What’s wrong with her?'" 

She shared that Steptoe and Edwards needed the success of her birth to be made public. 

"Had there been anything at all wrong with me, it would have been the end of IVF," she said. 

ALABAMA GOVERNOR SIGNS BILL PROTECTING IVF INTO LAW: ‘PROUD WE ARE A PRO-LIFE, PRO-FAMILY STATE’ 

Following the birth of Louise, the Browns had a second daughter named Natalie by means of IVF. 

When they grew older, Louise and Natalie both gave birth to children of their own by natural means. 

After the success of Brown's birth, IVF slowly started to grow. In the United States, the first IVF baby was born in 1981, according to Time. 

Today, there have been over 6 million babies born through IVF, according to the Science Museum.

In the United States, the average cycle costs around $15,000 to $30,000 per cycle, according to Forbes.

The success rate varies greatly dependent on the age of the woman undergoing the procedure. For women younger than 35 and younger, the success rate on the first try is 55.1%, according to a 2020 CDC report. As a woman gets older, the rate of success begins to drop. 

Brown is still very vocal about being born through IVF today. She makes many public speeches telling her story, and penned an autobiography called "Louise Brown: My Life as the World's First Test-Tube Baby." 

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/WIXV40T

Rivals watching 'tenuous situation' in Biden White House following president's address: expert

President Biden’s Oval Office address on Tuesday night prompted little reaction from foreign leaders, but China and Russia provoked an Air Force incident in a preview of what the coming months may hold, an expert says.

"Russia and China will almost certainly take advantage of the tenuous situation in the White House," Rebekah Koffler, a strategic military intelligence analyst and author of "Putin’s Playbook," told Fox News Digital. "I expect provocations the closer we get to November."

Biden spoke from the Oval Office in a relatively brief primetime address during which he explained his reasons for deciding not to seek a second term after running for several months and debating former President Trump.

The lack of response on Wednesday cut a sharp contrast to the outpouring of support Biden found from allies or even the backhanded comments from rival foreign leaders on Sunday following his initial announcement.

BIDEN SAYS ‘THE CHOICE IS UP TO YOU, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE’ WHILE SAYING HE WON'T SEEK RE-ELECTION

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov earlier this week explained that Russia viewed Biden as a "predictable" candidate and cryptically warned that "the election is still four months away, and that is a long time during which much can change." 

Ahead of Biden’s address, Russia and China deployed jets and bombers that skirted the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), forcing the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) to scramble jets and intercept the foreign aircraft. 

The brief incident occurred less than an hour before Biden addressed the nation, which Koffler said would essentially serve as Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s response to Biden’s speech. 

HARRIS WON'T SAY WHEN SHE FIRST LEARNED BIDEN WAS DROPPING OUT OF PRESIDENTIAL RACE

"While there hasn't been an official verbal reaction from the Kremlin, the joint patrol that the Russian and Chinese warplanes conducted in international airspace near Alaska was almost certainly a reaction by Moscow and Beijing to President Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race," Koffler argued. 

"Putin and Xi are likely strategic messaging to Washington that Russia and China that they will escalate their geopolitical confrontation with the United States during what they perceive as a vulnerable period for America," she added. 

Trump, during a "Fox & Friends" interview, ridiculed Biden’s speech and blasted media outlets for not treating him more rigorously after what he deemed to be a "terrible" speech. 

DOCTORS REACT AFTER BIDEN'S LIVE ADDRESS TO THE NATION: A CONCERNING ‘LACK OF EMOTION’

"It was terrible, it was a terrible speech," Trump said. "Terrible delivery, he was having problems, and yet you watch the other networks, and you’d think he was Ronald Reagan in his prime, he was Winston Churchill in his prime, and he wasn’t." 

"It was not good. It was not a good speech," Trump reiterated, insisting that it was clear Biden was having "problems." 

Trump went on to address the global impact of Biden’s decision and speech, saying that the protests during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress on Tuesday would draw notice from rival leaders in China, Russia and elsewhere. 

"All over the world, Putin and President Xi of China, all over the world, they're watching this," Trump claimed. "Kim Jong Un, he looks at us like we're a bunch of babies."

"They see that that wouldn't happen in their countries," Trump insisted. "It's impossible for that to happen in their country… we look so bad to the world." 

Fox News Digital’s Stepheny Price contributed to this report. 

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/NGb1mYZ

Thousands flee Canada's Jasper National Park as wildfire spreads to town

One of two raging wildfires menacing the town of Jasper in the Canadian Rockies’ largest national park roared into town Wednesday and began burning buildings.

Jasper National Park officials said the fire entered the southern edge of the community Wednesday evening and crews were battling multiple structural fires and working to protect key infrastructure. There were significant losses in some areas, they said.

Forest firefighters and others without self-contained breathing apparatuses were told to evacuate to the nearby town of Hinton, with structural firefighters staying behind.

FBI OFFERING $10,000 REWARD FOR INFO LEADING TO ARREST OF SUSPECTS IN DEADLY NEW MEXICO WILDFIRES

Parks Canada spokesperson James Eastham told reporters outside Jasper that the town is filled with smoke and there "has been structural loss."

"At this point I can't confirm how many, locations or specific structures. The fire continues to burn," he said.

Parks Canada said firefighters are working to save "as many structures as possible and to protect critical infrastructure, including the wastewater treatment plant, communications facilities, the Trans Mountain Pipeline and others."

A few hours earlier, many first responders were ordered out of Jasper National Park for their safety.

Jasper is being menaced by fires from the north and south, and the town’s 5,000 residents -- along with 20,000 more park visitors -- fled on short notice late Monday night when the fires flared up.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said they are "mobilizing every necessary resource available." Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she was "heartbroken."

A record number of wildfires in 2023 forced more than 235,000 people across Canada to evacuate and sent thick smoke into parts of the U.S., leading to hazy skies and health advisories in multiple U.S. cities.

The northern fire was spotted about 3 miles from Jasper earlier in the day. The southern fire had been reported about 5 miles away from the town, but Katie Ellsworth of Parks Canada said strong wind gusts swooping in behind it sent it racing.

Everything that could go wrong did go wrong as fire perimeters changed minute by minute.

Ellsworth said bucketing efforts by helicopter failed. Crews using heavy equipment to build fireguards couldn’t complete the work before having to pull back for safety. Water bombers couldn’t help due to dangerous flying conditions.

A last-ditch effort to use controlled burns to reroute the fire to natural barriers like Highway 16 and the Athabasca River failed due to "unfavorable conditions."

The hope was that rain forecast overnight would bring some relief.

Ellsworth said the decision to relocate all first responders to Hinton, just outside the eastern edge of the park, "has not been made lightly."

She said, "Given the intensity of fire behavior being observed the decision has been made to limit the number of responders exposed to this risk."

Jasper National Park is considered a national treasure. The United Nations designated the parks that make up the Canadian Rockies, including Jasper, a World Heritage Site in 1984 for its striking mountain landscape.

In 1953, Hollywood star Marilyn Monroe visited to make the movie "River of No Return." More recently, the TV show "The Bachelorette" was filmed there.

Park rangers in helicopters scoured the park earlier Wednesday, looking for stragglers still there despite a mass evacuation aimed at moving visitors and residents away. Searchers looking through the backcountry trails of Jasper National Park already had picked up 245 people, and they continued the search Wednesday in two helicopters, Ellsworth said.

Residents and visitors streamed out by the thousands late Monday and Tuesday, and officials said Wednesday the evacuation of the town of Jasper was complete.

Ellsworth said park officials expected the evacuation of the park's backcountry areas to be completed later Wednesday. Reservations are required for the park, so authorities have an idea of where people are, though Ellsworth said she wasn't immediately sure how many people were left.

Alberta has been baking under scorching temperatures that have already forced another 7,500 people out of remote communities. About 177 wildfires were burning across the province.

Jasper resident Leanne Maeva Joyeuse was relieved but exhausted after reaching the Grand Prairie evacuation center following 20 hours on the road with her grandmother, parents and younger brother.

"We’re just waiting to go back home and see how many days we’re going to be stuck here," Joyeuse said.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/jM7wuRC

Death toll reaches 6 in Mexican tequila distillery blast

Rescue teams on Wednesday found another body at a tequila distillery in Mexico a day after an explosion and fire, bringing the death toll to six. Two workers were injured.

The factory belongs to the Jose Cuervo company, one of Mexico's most famous tequila brands.

POSEIDON VS. CHAAC: MEXICO 'CANCELS' STATUE OF GREEK GOD AFTER COMPLAINT FROM MAYA INDIGENOUS GROUPS

The local civil defense posted on X that the latest body was found in a waste area where large containers had collapsed.

The company on Tuesday said the explosion occurred as employees were carrying out maintenance work. Authorities on Tuesday night said the situation was under control, but on Wednesday morning a fire broke out in a storage area with cardboard and other materials.

The town of Tequila is about 375 miles northwest of Mexico City. Overlooked by a volcano and surrounded by plantations of agave, the plant from which the liquor is produced, life in the municipality of 40,000 residents revolves around tequila production and the tourism it generates.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/bY7Mkcs

1 dead, 3 injured after storm blows down tree at Cambodian Angkor temple complex, damaging statues

One person was killed and three others injured at Cambodia’s famed centuries-old Angkor temple complex after a large tree was blown down onto their vehicle during a fierce rainstorm, a government statement said Wednesday.

The accident occurred late Tuesday afternoon at the southern gate to Angkor Thom, which is near the more famous Angkor Wat temple and part of the same archaeological complex in the northwestern province of Siem Reap, about 200 miles northwest of the capital, Phnom Penh.

The site is Cambodia’s most popular tourist attraction and in the first half of this year attracted more than half a million international tourists, according to Cambodia's Tourism Ministry.

CAMBODIA ARMY BASE EXPLOSION THAT KILLED 20 WAS LIKELY CAUSED BY MISHANDLING MUNITIONS, MILITARY OFFICIAL SAYS

The tree fell on a tuk-tuk — a kind of motorized three-wheeled vehicle popular in South and Southeast Asia — killing the driver instantly and injuring its three passengers, one critically, according to a statement issued by the Siem Reap Provincial Administration on Wednesday.

Several statues on the balustrade of what is called Tonle Oum Gate were also damaged by the fallen tree, the statement said.

The Apsara National Authority, the government agency that oversees the archaeological park, posted photos late Tuesday on its official Facebook page showing the fallen tree in front of the temple entrance. The agency later announced that the fallen tree had been removed so that the entrance was again accessible for visitors.

The Angkor site sprawls across some 155 square miles, containing the ruins of capitals of various Cambodian empires from the 9th to the 15th centuries. Scholars consider it to be one of the most important archaeological sites in Southeast Asia.

from Latest World News on Fox News https://ift.tt/8HO9Ewv

North Korean trash balloon drops garbage on South Korea’s presidential compound

Trash carried by at least one North Korean balloon fell on the South Korean presidential compound on Wednesday, raising worries about the security of key South Korean facilities during North Korean provocations.

The rubbish that landed on the presidential compound in central Seoul contained no dangerous material and no one was hurt, South Korea’s presidential security service said. While North Korea likely lacks sophisticated technology to drop balloons on specific targets, some experts say South Korea should shoot down incoming North Korean balloons next time to protect major facilities because they might contain hazardous substances in the future.

North Korea's latest balloon launches came days after South Korea boosted its broadcasts of K-pop songs and propaganda messages across the two countries' heavily armed border. Their tit-for-tat Cold War-style campaigns are inflaming tensions, with the rivals threatening stronger steps and warning of grave consequences.

SOUTH KOREA PREPARING 'STARWARS' LASER DEFENSE SYSTEM TO TAKE OUT NORTH KOREAN DRONES

Seoul officials earlier said North Korea used the direction of winds to fly balloons toward South Korea, but some of the past balloons had timers that were likely meant to pop the bags of trash in midair.

The security service gave no further details about the rubbish found at the presidential compound. It refused to disclose whether President Yoon Suk Yeol was at the compound when the balloons were flying over his office, a no-fly zone in South Korea.

If North Korea is found to have used timers or any other device to deliberately dump trash on the presidential office, it would invite a strong response by South Korea. But experts say dropping balloons on selected ground targets requires advanced technology and that North Korea would certainly lack such an ability.

"Some of (the hundreds of balloons) launched by North Korea landed on the presidential compound by coincidence. North Korea has no technology to precisely drop balloons at certain targets," said Jung Chang Wook, head of the Korea Defense Study Forum think tank in Seoul.

Jung said that a GPS navigation device and a power system would need to be attached to a balloon to make it fall on certain sites and that North Korea doesn't possess such balloons. He said North Korea likely wanted the balloons to fall on Seoul, about an hour's drive from the border, after calculating factors like the weight of the trash bags tied to the balloons, the volume of air in the balloons and the weather conditions.

Lee Illwoo, an expert with the Korea Defense Network in South Korea, said strong winds in Seoul would also make it impossible for North Korea to target certain places with balloons.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said earlier Wednesday that North Korea had resumed floating balloons across the border, the 10th such launch since late May.

The more than 2,000 North Korean balloons discovered in South Korea in the past weeks carried wastepaper, scraps of cloth, cigarette butts and even manure. North Korea has said it was responding to South Korean activists who have scattered political leaflets across the border via their own balloons.

North Korea’s balloons haven’t caused any major damage but have raised security jitters among people worried it could use such balloons to drop chemical and biological agents.

South Korea has avoided shooting at the balloons because of possible damage caused by falling bullets and the chance that the balloons might contain hazardous substances.

Lee said South Korea should still shoot down North Korean balloons in border areas because attacking them over the populous Seoul area would be too risky if they contain dangerous items like biological agents. But there are worries that doing so could cause skirmishes with North Korea. Jung said South Korea could use recently developed laser weapons to intercept North Korean balloons.

Experts say North Korea considers leafleting activities by South Korean civilian groups a major threat to its efforts to stop the inflow of foreign news and maintain its authoritarian rule. In furious responses to past South Korean leafleting, North Korea destroyed an empty South Korean-built liaison office in its territory in 2020 and fired at incoming balloons in 2014.

South Korea said Sunday it was ramping up its anti-North Korean propaganda broadcasts from loudspeakers at all major sites along the land border because the North was continuing its launches of trash-carrying balloons. South Korea restarted its loudspeaker broadcasts last Thursday for the first time in about 40 days in retaliation for North Korea's previous balloon activities.

Observers say the propaganda broadcasts can demoralize front-line North Korean troops and residents. In 2015, North Korea fired artillery rounds across the border in anger over South Korea's restart of propaganda broadcasts, prompting the South to return fire.

South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson Lee Sung Joon said the current South Korean broadcasts include K-pop songs and news on South Korean economic development. South Korean media reported the broadcasts also contained news on the recent defection of a senior North Korean diplomat and called the planting of land mines by North Korean soldiers at the border "hellish, slave-like lives."

South Korea has an estimated 40 loudspeakers — 24 stationary and 16 mobile ones. South Korea's military said Monday it was operating all of the fixed loudspeakers and plans to use the mobile loudspeakers as well.

North Korea hasn't officially responded to the South Korean propaganda broadcasts. But last week, Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, threatened new countermeasures against South Korean civilian leafleting, warning that South Korean "scum" must be ready to pay "a gruesome and dear price" for their actions.

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