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Hundreds of hostages, mostly children and women, who were held captive for months or years by Boko Haram extremists in northeastern Nigeria have been rescued from a forest enclave and handed over to authorities, the army said.

The 350 hostages had been held in the Sambisa Forest, a hideout for the extremist group which launched an insurgency in 2009, Maj. Gen. Ken Chigbu, a senior Nigerian army officer, said late Monday while presenting them to authorities in Borno, where the forest is.

The 209 children, 135 women and six men appeared exhausted in their worn-out clothes. Some of the girls had babies believed to have been born from forced marriages, as is often the case with female victims who are either raped or forced to marry the militants while in captivity.

NIGERIAN EXTREMISTS ABDUCT AT LEAST 200 PEOPLE, MOSTLY WOMEN AND CHILDREN

One of the hostages had seven children and spoke of how she and others couldn't escape because of their children.

"I always wanted to escape but couldn’t because of the children," said Hajara Umara, who was rescued together with her children. "If they caught you trying to escape, they would torture you and imprison you indefinitely."

The army said the hostages were rescued during a dayslong military operation in Sambisa Forest, which was once a bustling forest reserve that stretches along the border with Cameroon and Niger, but now serves as an enclave from where Boko Haram and its breakaway factions carry out attacks that also target people and security forces in neighboring countries.

The freed hostages were transported in trucks to the Borno state government house, where authorities will look after them until they go home.

Some extremists were killed during the rescue operation and their makeshift houses were destroyed, the army said.

Boko Haram, Nigeria’s homegrown jihadi rebels, launched its insurgency in 2009 to establish Islamic Shariah law in the country. At least 35,000 people have been killed and 2.1 million people displaced as a result of the extremist violence, according to U.N. agencies in Nigeria.

At least 1,400 students have been taken from Nigerian schools since the 2014 kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls by Boko Haram militants in the village of Chibok in Borno state shocked the world. In recent years, abductions have been concentrated in the country’s conflict-battered northwestern and central regions, where dozens of armed groups often target villagers and travelers for ransom.

The alleged leaders of a suspected far-right plot to topple the German government went on trial on Tuesday, opening the most prominent proceedings in a case that shocked the country in late 2022.

Nine defendants faced judges at a special warehouse-like courthouse built on the outskirts of Frankfurt to accommodate the large number of defendants, lawyers and media dealing with the case. About 260 witnesses are expected at a trial that the Frankfurt state court expects to extend well into 2025, one of three related trials that in total involve more than two dozen suspects.

The defendants include the highest-profile suspects in the alleged plot, among them Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss, whom the group allegedly planned to install as Germany’s provisional new leader; Birgit Malsack-Winkemann, a judge and former lawmaker with the far-right Alternative for Germany party; and former German military officers.

GERMAN COURT CONVICTS PROMINENT FAR-RIGHT POLITICIAN FOR USING A NAZI SLOGAN, IMPOSES A FINE

Most of them are charged with belonging to a terrorist organization that was founded in July 2021 with the aim of "doing away by force with the existing state order in Germany," and also with "preparation of high treasonous undertaking." Reuss and Rüdiger von Pescatore, a former paratrooper, are alleged to have been the group's ringleaders.

Prosecutors have said that the accused believed in a "conglomerate of conspiracy myths," including Reich Citizens and QAnon ideology, and were convinced that Germany is ruled by a so-called "deep state." Adherents of the Reich Citizens movement reject Germany’s postwar constitution and have called for bringing down the government, while QAnon is a global conspiracy theory with roots in the United States.

The group planned to storm into the parliament building in Berlin and arrest lawmakers, according to prosecutors. It allegedly intended to negotiate a post-coup order primarily with Russia, as one of the allied victors of World War II.

The plotters allegedly had some $543,000 in funding and access to an arsenal including 380 firearms and nearly 350 weapons that could be used for stabbing, as well as equipment such as bulletproof vests and handcuffs. Federal prosecutors say they had drawn up several "lists of enemies" to be used in the takeover of regional and local authorities, and that the group's members were "aware the planned takeover of power would be linked with the killing of people."

Prosecutors say that Reuss tried to contact Russian officials in 2022 to win Russia’s support for the plan, and it isn’t clear whether Russia responded.

The defendants in Frankfurt include a Russian woman accused of supporting a terrorist organization, in part by allegedly setting up a contact with the Russian consulate in Leipzig and accompanying Reuss there.

The Frankfurt trial, while the most prominent, is the second of three trials focusing on the plot to open. They involve a total of 26 suspects. Originally there were 27, but one man charged in Frankfurt died before the trial.

A trial of nine people in Stuttgart that began at the end of April is focusing on the so-called "military arm" of the plot, which prosecutors say was tasked with implementing the plans drawn up by the alleged leaders.

A third trial, opening in Munich on June 18, will feature the other eight suspects.

The alleged coup plot came to light with a slew of arrests in December 2022. But officials had long warned that far-right extremists pose the biggest threat to Germany’s domestic security.

That threat was highlighted by the killing of a regional politician and an attempted attack on a synagogue in 2019. A year later, far-right extremists taking part in a protest against pandemic restrictions tried and failed to enter the parliament building in Berlin.

In a separate case, five people went on trial in Koblenz a year ago over an alleged plot by a group calling itself United Patriots — which prosecutors say also is linked to the Reich Citizens milieu — to launch a far-right coup and kidnap Germany’s health minister.

In January, a report that extremists met to discuss the deportation of millions of immigrants, including some with German citizenship, triggered mass protests against the rise of the far-right.

Some members of Alternative for Germany reportedly attended the meeting. The party, which has enjoyed strong support over the past year, sought to distance itself from the event while also decrying the reporting of it.

Congo's army spokesman on Tuesday released the name of the third American involved in a foiled coup plot in Kinshasa, while family members in Utah gathered to mourn Christian Malanga, the eccentric leader of the brazen and ill-fated attack targeting the presidential palace over the weekend.

Brig. Gen. Sylvain Ekenge told The Associated Press the third American was Taylor Thomson. It wasn't immediately clear whether Thomson was among those arrested or killed on Sunday morning following the attack on the palace and another on the residence of a close ally of President Felix Tshisekedi.

Malanga, described as a naturalized American by Ekenge, was killed in a shootout at the palace after resisting arrest. The State Department said it could not confirm Malanga was a U.S. citizen. The other two Americans involved were a convicted marijuana trafficker and Malanga’s 21-year-old son, Marcel.

AMERICANS IN ALLEGED CONGO COUP PLOT FORMED AN UNLIKELY BAND

Authorities were still trying to untangle how the young man went from playing high school football in Utah to allegedly trying to unseat the leader of one of Africa’s largest countries.

"My son is innocent," his mother, Brittney Sawyer, wrote in an email to The Associated Press on Monday, declining to elaborate.

Sawyer had regularly posted proud family photos on social media, including one in December showing Marcel, a young sister and a toddler hugging in matching Christmas pajamas. In 2020, she posted photos of Marcel lifting weights and dancing during COVID lockdown.

In a Facebook post early Monday, Sawyer angrily wrote that her son had followed his father. "This was an innocent boy following his father. I’m so tired of all the videos being posted all over and being sent to me. God will take care of you people!"

AT LEAST 250,000 DISPLACED AS CONFLICTS RAGE ON IN THE CONGO

One video that circulated on social media over the weekend showed her son alongside a bloodied white man, whose identity was unclear, both covered in dust and surrounded by Congolese soldiers. Marcel has his hands raised and a frightened look on his face.

On Monday, at the West Jordan home of Malanga's mother, Chantal Malanga, relatives gathered to mourn the deceased leader. A steady flow of friends dropped by with plates of food and to offer condolences.

Sydney, a cousin of Christian Malanga’s who answered the door, told AP the family was feeling "heartbroken" and "so raw" after learning of his death. They were discussing plans for a possible funeral in Utah, she said, without giving further details.

It wasn't clear how Malanga had recruited the other Americans for his ill-fated attack on the Congolese state. His connection to Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, who in 2015 pleaded guilty to trafficking marijuana, appeared to be through a gold mining company that was set up in Mozambique in 2022, according to an official journal published by Mozambique’s government, and a report by Africa Intelligence newsletter.

American businessman Cole Ducey, also named as an official in the mining company in the Mozambique journal, said he met Christian Malanga when the two were introduced by a mutual acquaintance a few years ago and briefly explored investing together in mining concessions in Mozambique. Ducey said he also met Zalman-Polun, whom Malanga had met in Washington, D.C.

Ducey said they never discussed the political situation in Congo or Malanga’s desire to be part of the government there. Ducey said he eventually decided not to go into business with the two men.

"We simply viewed a couple mining concessions in Mozambique," Ducey said of Malanga. "I didn’t know him very well but from what I gathered he wasn’t very intelligent."

He said he had no contact with Malanga and Zalman-Polun in about two years and was shocked to read about their alleged involvement in a violent coup attempt.

"I had nothing to do with this and was not involved in any way," said Ducey, who was in Eswatini on Monday, referring to reports in the Congolese media naming him among the attackers.

The alleged coup attempt began at the Kinshasa residence of Vital Kamerhe, a federal legislator and a candidate for speaker of the National Assembly of Congo. His guards killed the attackers, officials said.

Malanga, meanwhile, was live-streaming video from the presidential palace in which he is seen surrounded by several people in military uniforms wandering around in the middle of the night. He was later killed while resisting arrest, Congolese authorities said.

Congo officials have not commented on how the attackers were able to get inside.

Dino Mahtani, who worked in Congo for years as a journalist and then a political adviser to the U.N. between 2015-18, told the AP that Malanga had likely been tricked or betrayed.

"Its really difficult to imagine how 20, 30 guys thought that by storming the presidential palace when nobody is around at 4 a.m. in the morning could somehow take over the Congolese state," he said. "It could be external plotters, but given his previous close relationship with at least one of Tshiskedi’s current military commanders, there’s some chance the plot was known about internally."

The first lady of Syria, Asma al-Assad, has been diagnosed with leukemia, according to the nation's top officials. 

Asma al-Assad, wife of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has been forced to temporarily withdraw from public life for the time being due to the disease. 

She was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia and will "adhere to a specialized treatment protocol that includes stringent infection prevention measures," according to a statement released by her husband's office on Tuesday.

Following the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Ama al-Assad became involved in charity work for national interests championed by her husband, who has been accused in France of alleged complicity in war crimes. 

FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERS IRAN, SYRIA TO PAY $191M FOR HAMAS-SUPPORTED SLAYING OF AMERICAN ISRAELI ACTIVIST

She makes frequent public appearances and hosts meetings with the families of fallen soldiers.

She also accompanied her husband during a diplomatic visit to the United Arab Emirates in 2023. It was her first trip out of the country since the civil war began.

HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP ALLEGES WIDESPREAD ABUSE IN SYRIAN DETENTION CENTERS HOLDING SUSPECTED ISIS MEMBERS

Asma al-Assad is a British citizen born in London to parents of Syrian descent. 

She has been diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses in the past, including breast cancer. She was deemed cancer-free in 2019.

She met her husband, Bashar al-Assad, through family connections. The couple has been married since 2000, when Bashar took office for the presidency.

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Prior to their relationship, Asma was employed as an investment banker at J.P. Morgan.

At least six Egyptian women died Tuesday after a vehicle carrying about two dozen people slid off a ferry and plunged into the Nile River just outside Cairo, authorities said.

The accident, which happened in Monshat el-Kanater town in Giza province, also injured nine other passengers, the Health Ministry said in a statement. Giza is one of three provinces forming Greater Cairo.

The ministry said six of the injured were treated at the site while three others were transferred to hospitals. It didn't elaborate on their injuries.

6 KILLED IN EGYPTIAN CRASH INVOLVING A PICKUP TRUCK, MINIBUS NEAR CITY OF ISMAILIA

Giza provincial Gov. Ahmed Rashed said the microbus was retrieved from the Nile, and rescue efforts were still underway as of midday Tuesday.

The cause of the accident was not immediately clear.

According to the state-owned Akhbar daily, about two dozen passengers, mostly women, were in the vehicle heading to work when the accident occurred.

Ferry, railway and road accidents are common in Egypt mainly because of poor maintenance and lack of regulations. In February, a ferry carrying day laborers sank in the Nile in Giza, killing at least 10 of the 15 people on board.

French President Emmanuel Macron is making a surprise trip to riot-hit New Caledonia, signaling French authorities’ growing confidence that reinforced security and emergency measures are bringing deadly unrest on the French Pacific territory under control.

Government spokesperson Prisca Thevenot announced the trip, which required a shake-up of Macron’s schedule. "He will go there tonight," she said after a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday where the president announced that he had decided to travel there himself.

Macron had previously been scheduled in Normandy, northern France, on Wednesday. Instead, he will be flying to the archipelago 10 time zones away from Paris, east of Australia, that has been gripped by deadly armed clashes, looting, arson and other mayhem, with six people killed, including two gendarmes, in the past week.

AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BEGIN EVACUATING CITIZENS AMID VIOLENT UNREST IN NEW CALEDONIA

Paris last Wednesday declared a 12-day minimum state of emergency on the island where indigenous people have long sought independence from France, and rushed in 1,000 reinforcements to bolster security forces that lost control of some parts of the capital, Nouméa.

"Faced with the outbreak of violence, the priority is the return of order to allow dialogue to resume in New Caledonia," Thevenot, the government spokeswoman, said.

"The return to calm is starting to arrive. The situation isn’t quite totally normalized, but the situation is improving. We are clear: Much remains to be done before the return to normal. The government is fully mobilized."

A priority for French authorities since the weekend has been clearing the highway to Nouméa's international airport of barricades and the burned hulks of vehicles, raising the prospect for stranded tourists of finally being able to leave.

Australia and New Zealand sent planes to New Caledonia on Tuesday to begin bringing home stranded citizens.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia had received clearance from French authorities for two evacuation flights.

Hours later, a Royal Australian Air Force C-130 Hercules touched down in Nouméa. The plane can carry 124 passengers, according to the Defense Department.

"We continue to work on further flights," Wong wrote on the social media platform X on Tuesday.

A Greek judge dismissed charges against nine Egyptian men accused of causing a shipwreck that killed hundreds of migrants last year and sent shockwaves through the European Union’s border protection and asylum operations, after a prosecutor told the court Greece lacked jurisdiction.

Shortly after the trial opened in the southern Greek city of Kalamata, public prosecutor Ekaterini Tsironi recommended that the charges be dismissed, saying that Greek jurisdiction could not be established because the overcrowded trawler sank outside Greek territorial waters.

More than 500 people are believed to have gone down with the fishing trawler, which had been traveling from Libya to Italy. Following the sinking, 104 people were rescued — mostly migrants from Syria, Pakistan and Egypt — and 82 bodies were recovered.

9 MEN ACCUSED OF CAUSING DEADLY MEDITERRANEAN SHIPWRECK WERE NOT EVEN CREW, GREEK DEFENSE TEAM SAYS

Supporters clapped and cheered as the judge announced the dismissal of a case that had faced criticism from international human rights groups, who argued that the accuseds' right to a fair trial was compromised because they faced judgment while an investigation into the Greek coast guard's rescue attempt is still under way.

Earlier, a small group of protesters clashed with riot police outside the courthouse. There were no reports of serious injuries but two people were detained. Officers from the special police forces maintained order in the courtroom.

The defendants, most in their 20s, faced up to life in prison if convicted on multiple criminal charges over the sinking of the "Adriana" fishing trawler on June 14 last year off the southern coast of Greece.

Defense lawyer Spyros Pantazis had earlier asked the court to declare itself incompetent to try the case, arguing that the sinking occurred outside Greek territorial waters.

"The court should not be turned into an international punisher," Pantazis told the panel of three judges.

Kontaratou questioned all nine defendants through an interpreter. The accused said their intention was to travel to Italy, not Greece, and several declared their innocence.

Kontaratou acknowledged that there "were no Greeks on board, it was not under a Greek flag and all the documents refer to the (vessel being) 47 nautical miles away."

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres last year described the shipwreck as "horrific."

The sinking renewed pressure on European governments to protect the lives of migrants and asylum seekers trying to reach the continent, as the number of people traveling illegally across the Mediterranean continues to rise every year.

Lawyers from Greek human rights groups are representing the nine Egyptians, who deny the smuggling charges.

"There’s a real risk that these nine survivors could be found ‘guilty’ on the basis of incomplete and questionable evidence, given that the official investigation into the role of the coast guard has not yet been completed," said Judith Sunderland, an associate director for Europe and Central Asia at Human Rights Watch.

Authorities say the defendants were identified by other survivors and the indictments are based on their testimonies.

The European border protection agency Frontex says illegal border detections at EU frontiers increased for three consecutive years through 2023, reaching the highest level since the 2015-2016 migration crisis — driven largely by arrivals at the sea borders.

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed on Tuesday they shot down an American drone over the impoverished Arab country. The U.S. military did not immediately acknowledge the claim.

If confirmed, this would be the second MQ-9 Reaper drone downed by the Houthis over the past week as they press their campaign over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

Last Friday, the Houthis claimed downing an American drone over the province of Marib, hours after footage circulated online of what appeared to be the wreckage of an MQ-9 Reaper. And early Saturday, a vessel also came under attack in the Red Sea.

LIKELY MISSILE ATTACK BY YEMEN'S HOUTHI REBELS DAMAGES A SHIP IN THE RED SEA

Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said Tuesday the drone was shot down with a locally made surface-to-air missile. He did not say when it took place but alleged the drone "was carrying out hostile missions" over Yemen’s southern province of Bayda.

The U.S. Mideast-based Central Command did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press regarding the incident.

Since Yemen's civil war started in 2014, when the Houthis seized most of the country’s north and its capital of Sanaa, the U.S. military has lost at least five drones to the rebels.

Reapers, which cost around $30 million apiece, can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet and have an endurance of up to 24 hours before needing to land.

The Houthis have also stepped up attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, demanding Israel ends the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians there. The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking some 250 hostage.

The Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on shipping, seized one vessel and sunk another since November, according to the U.S. Maritime Administration.

Shipping through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden has declined because of the threat.

The rebels claimed last week that they fired a missile towards a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Red Sea. However, the U.S. military said the warship intercepted the anti-ship ballistic missile.

The United States said Monday that Russia last week launched a satellite that could be part of weaponizing space, a possible future global trend that members of the United Nations Security Council condemned even as they failed to pass a measure against it.

The Security Council resolution drafted by Russia rivaled one backed by the U.S. and Japan that failed last month. The rival drafts focused on different types of weapons, with the U.S. and Japan specifying weapons of mass destruction. The Russian draft discussed all types of weapons.

The U.S. and its allies said the language that the 15-member council debated on Monday was simply meant to distract the world from Russia's true intention: weaponizing space.

US AND JAPAN CALL FOR BAN OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS IN OUTER SPACE

"The culmination of Russia’s campaign of diplomatic gaslighting and dissembling is the text before us today," U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood told the council.

Russia’s U.N. ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, denied that his nation was trying to mislead the world. Backed by China and others, he called the vote "a unique moment of truth for our Western colleagues."

"If they fail to support this, then they will clearly show that their main priority remains keeping freedom of the way for themselves to expedite the militarization of outer space," Nebenzia said.

Every nation says it wants weapons barred from space, and council members repeated that Monday. But when it came time to vote, the council evenly split 7-7 between backers of the U.S. and of Russia, with Switzerland abstaining. The measure failed under U.N. rules because it didn't receive nine votes.

RUSSIA DEFENDS VETO OF UN RESOLUTION PROHIBITING NUCLEAR WEAPONS IN OUTER SPACE

"We have this negative, squabbling attitude among leading space powers that seem more interested in scoring points off their adversaries rather than engaging in constructive dialogue," said Paul Meyer, Canada’s former ambassador for disarmament and a fellow at the Vancouver-based Outer Space Institute.

Since before humans left the Earth, the world’s most powerful nations have worried about their enemies using outer space to attack them .

The Soviet Union and the United States sent men into space in 1961. Six years later, the Soviets, the U.S. and the United Kingdom signed a treaty declaring outer space a global commons that could be used for only peaceful purposes.

Even though nations could not wage war without the space-based communications, reconnaissance and weather tools that satellites and spacecraft provide, the 1967 Outer Space Treaty requires them to keep their weapons on Earth.

"You realize what an important conflict-prevention measure that was," Meyer said.

It’s become even more important, he said, as a growing number of nations have moved into space. About a dozen have the capacity to launch spacecraft, and about 80 have their own satellites, not to mention the private companies with assets in orbit.

All of that could be at risk if a conflict in space causes an explosion and shrapnel, which could disable the vital systems that millions of people around the world depend on.

"A lot of people have a stake in being able to operate in space safely and securely," Meyer said.

The U.S. has gathered highly sensitive intelligence about Russian anti-satellite weapons that has been shared with the upper echelons of government, four people who had been briefed on the intelligence said in February. The people, who were not authorized to comment publicly, said the capability was not yet operational.

Five rescue dogs were honored by Ecuador’s Fire Department on Monday at a ceremony formally retiring them after seven years of service and turning them over to new adoptive owners.

Lt. Col. Esteban Cardenas said the dogs — Ares, Kratos, Zeus, Titan and Gaia — were part of the first class of canines used by the department's rescue unit, which works with German shepherds and golden retrievers.

Cardenas recalled some of their feats, including aiding in finding survivors of earthquakes and landslides across Ecuador and abroad, including a mission to Mexico in 2017.

SERVICE DOG SAVES THE DAY FOR OWNER WITH RARE MEDICAL CONDITION

He said veterinarian reports had suggested it was time to retire the five dogs.

"Today for us is a day of mixed feelings. We really would not want them to leave. We would have liked to have them with us in our ranks," Cardenas said.

The dogs’ new owners were selected carefully after meeting certain requirements, he said.

Gaia’s new owner, Valeria Zevallos, said she was amazed by her new pet’s previous career of saving lives.

"Many adventures await us now. After her work adventures, family adventures," she said.

Australia and New Zealand sent airplanes to New Caledonia on Tuesday to begin bringing home stranded citizens from the violence-wracked French South Pacific territory.

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia had received clearance from French authorities for two flights to evacuate citizens from the archipelago, where indigenous people have long sought independence from France.

Hours later, a Royal Australian Air Force C-130 Hercules touched down in Noumea, the capital. The plane can carry 124 passengers, according to the Defense Department.

FRENCH SECURITY REINFORCEMENTS EASE VIOLENT UNREST IN NEW CALEDONIA

"We continue to work on further flights," Wong wrote on the social media platform X on Tuesday.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said 300 Australians were in New Caledonia. It did not immediately confirm whether the Australian-organized flights would also evacuate other stranded foreign nationals, believed to number in the thousands.

New Zealand's government also announced that it had sent a plane to New Caledonia to begin evacuating about 50 of its citizens.

"New Zealanders in New Caledonia have faced a challenging few days — and bringing them home has been an urgent priority for the government," Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said. "In cooperation with France and Australia, we are working on subsequent flights in coming days."

FRANCE GRAPPLES TO REGAIN CONTROL OF VIOLENT UNREST IN NEW CALEDONIA AS DEATH TOLL RISES TO 4

Noumea’s international airport remains closed to commercial flights. Its reopening will be reassessed on Thursday.

At least six people have died and hundreds more have been injured since violence erupted last week in New Caledonia following controversial electoral reforms passed in Paris.

About 270 suspected rioters have been arrested as of Tuesday, and a 6 p.m.-6 a.m. curfew is in effect for the archipelago of about 270,000 people, which is a popular tourist destination with its idyllic beaches and climate.

France has sent in over a thousand security personnel, with hundreds more due to arrive Tuesday, to try to quell the unrest and restore control.

Armed clashes, looting, arson and other violence turned parts of Noumea into no-go zones. Columns of smoke billowed into the sky, hulks of burned cars littered roads, businesses and shops were ransacked and buildings became smoking ruins.

There have been decades of tensions between indigenous Kanaks who are seeking independence and descendants of colonizers who want to remain part of France.

The unrest erupted May 13 as the French legislature in Paris debated amending the French Constitution to make changes to New Caledonia voter lists. The National Assembly in Paris approved a bill that would, among other changes, allow residents who have lived in New Caledonia for 10 years to cast ballots in provincial elections.

Opponents fear the measure will benefit pro-France politicians in New Caledonia and further marginalize Kanaks who once suffered from strict segregation policies and widespread discrimination.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange may appeal an extradition order to the U.S. on espionage charges for publishing classified U.S. military documents, the British High Court ruled Monday.

Judges Victoria Sharp and Jeremy Johnson ruled in favor of Assange after his lawyers successfully argued that the U.S. government's assurances that he would be entitled to the same free speech protections as American citizens in a U.S. courtroom were "blatantly inadequate."

Assange, 52, faces 17 counts under the Espionage Act for allegedly receiving, possessing and communicating classified information to the public, as well as one charge alleging conspiracy to commit computer intrusion. If extradited from London, Assange would stand trial in Alexandria, Virginia, and could face up to 175 years in an American maximum security prison if convicted.

The charges were brought by the Trump administration's Justice Department over WikiLeaks' 2010 publication of cables leaked by U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, and the Biden administration has since continued to pursue Assange's prosecution. The information detailed alleged war crimes committed by the U.S. government in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, detention camp, as well as instances of the CIA engaging in torture and rendition.

AUSTRALIAN LAWMAKERS SEND LETTER URGING BIDEN TO DROP CASE AGAINST JULIAN ASSANGE ON WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY

WikiLeaks' "Collateral Murder" video showing the U.S. military gunning down civilians in Iraq, including two Reuters journalists, was also published 14 years ago.

Assange's family praised Monday's ruling as a victory for freedom of speech, now allowing the Australian publisher to make a full appeal before the British court.

"Today was a huge blow to the prosecution against Julian Assange and win for free expression around the world," Assange's brother, Gabriel Shipton, told Fox News Digital on Monday. "Today the U.K. courts rejected the notion that U.S. secrecy laws have the ability to restrict the free expression of people in the United Kingdom. We are one step closer to Julian’s freedom and we'll continue to fight this indictment until he is free to come home to his family."

Speaking outside the court, Assange's wife, Stella, said the U.S. government attempted to put "lipstick on a pig — but the judges did not buy it." She also called on America to "read the situation" and drop the prosecution against her husband.

"As a family we are relieved, but how long can this go on?" she said. "This case is shameful and it is taking an enormous toll on Julian."

The U.S. Justice Department and U.S. State Department declined to comment to Fox News Digital about Monday's ruling.

ASSANGE EXTRADITION CASE MOVES FORWARD AFTER US ASSURES UK COURT THERE WILL BE NO DEATH PENALTY

The ruling comes after Biden said last month he is considering a request from Australia to drop the charges against Assange.

A U.K. district court judge had initially rejected the U.S. extradition request in 2021 on the grounds that Assange was likely to kill himself if held under harsh U.S. prison conditions. Higher courts later overturned that decision after getting assurances from the U.S. about his treatment.

He was not in court for Monday's ruling due to health reasons, according to his lawyers.

Last month, the U.S. provided assurances sought by the British court stating that Assange would not face additional charges that could lead to the death penalty and that he would be allowed to make a First Amendment argument in a U.S. courtroom. The U.S., however, acknowledged that the applicability of the First Amendment is within the purview of the U.S. courts.

Assange’s lawyers only accepted that he would not face the prospect of capital punishment, pointing out that the assurance that Assange could "raise and seek to rely upon" the First Amendment was inadequate. His lawyers also argued that the U.S. refused to agree not to challenge Assange's right to use the First Amendment defense.

"The real issue is whether an adequate assurance has been provided to remove the real risk identified by the court," lawyer Edward Fitzgerald said. "It is submitted that no adequate assurance has been made."

A lawyer representing the U.S., James Lewis, said Assange would be "entitled to the full panoply of due process trial rights" but argued that some of what he is accused of was "simply unprotected" by the First Amendment.

"No one, neither U.S. citizens nor foreign citizens, are entitled to rely on the First Amendment in relation to publication of illegally obtained national defense information giving the names of innocent sources, to their grave and imminent risk of harm," Lewis said.

The court ruled that Assange could appeal on two grounds related to the First Amendment, but it accepted the U.S. assurances that Assange would not face the death penalty.

BRITISH COURT RULES JULIAN ASSANGE EXTRADITION ON PAUSE UNTIL US GUARANTEES NO DEATH PENALTY

The judges said if Assange was denied a First Amendment defense, his extradition could be incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights, which also provides free speech and media protection. The judges further stated that Assange could be treated unfairly because of his nationality if he cannot rely on the First Amendment because he is not a U.S. citizen.

In March, when the British court asked the U.S. to provide assurances, it rejected six of Assange’s nine appeals, including allegations of a political prosecution and concerns about an alleged CIA plot under the Trump administration to kidnap or kill Assange while he was at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.

The Obama administration in 2013 decided not to indict Assange over WikiLeaks' 2010 publication of classified cables because it would have had to also indict journalists from major news outlets who published the same materials.

President Obama also commuted Manning’s 35-year sentence for violations of the Espionage Act and other offenses to seven years in January 2017, and Manning, who had been imprisoned since 2010, was released later that year.

No publisher had been charged under the Espionage Act until Assange, and many press freedom groups have said his prosecution sets a dangerous precedent intended to criminalize journalism.

"This decision marks an important milestone in Julian Assange's legal case, opening up a vital new path to prevent extradition," Reporters Without Borders Director of Campaigns Rebecca Vincent said in a statement. "The two grounds for appeal that have been granted mean that, for the first time in three years, the U.K. courts will consider the issues at the very heart of this case, related to freedom of expression and the First Amendment. We urge the U.K. to act in the interest of journalism and press freedom and refuse to further enable this dangerous prosecution."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Monday called for "decent nations" to defund the International Criminal Court (ICC) after a court prosecutor filed applications for arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas leaders for alleged "war crimes." 

Prosecutor Karim Khan said his office had collected evidence to give "reasonable grounds" to believe Netanyahu and Gallant "bear criminal responsibility for... war crimes and crimes against humanity committed on the territory of the State of Palestine." 

Khan said those alleged crimes include "starvation of civilians as a method of warfare" and "intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population."  

He said he is also seeking arrest warrants for Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, its top political leader Ismail Haniyeh, and its military commander Mohammed Deif. 

AMAL CLOONEY PLAYED KEY ROLE IN ICC ARREST WARRANTS FOR NETANYAHU, HAMAS LEADERS

Bennet said the prosecutor’s request was "a moment of shame for the ICC and the world community" and provided "a huge boost to global Jihadi terror."

"An ICC that compares the executor of a deliberate murderous attack that included raping women and burning babies, with those who are defending themselves against it, is better off not existing," Bennett said. "It’s time for the decent nations to defund the ICC." 

He included the hashtag: "DefundTheICC."

Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders condemned the move as disgraceful and antisemitic. U.S. President Joe Biden also lambasted the prosecutor and supported Israel's right to defend itself against Hamas.

A panel of three judges will decide whether to issue the arrest warrants and allow a case to proceed. The judges typically take two months to make such decisions.

Israel is not a member of the court, so even if the arrest warrants are issued, Netanyahu and Gallant do not face any immediate risk of prosecution. But the threat of arrest could make it difficult for the Israeli leaders to travel abroad.

Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Three Americans involved in a brazen weekend attack on Congo's presidential palace formed an unlikely band under the leadership of eccentric opposition figure Christian Malanga, who dabbled in gold mining and used cars before persuading his Utah-born son to join in the foiled coup, according to officials' description of events.

Six people, including Malanga, were dead and dozens arrested, including the three Americans, following that attack and another on the residence of a close ally of President Felix Tshisekedi, the Congolese army spokesperson, Brig. Gen. Sylvain Ekenge, said.

A LOOK AT HIGH-PROFILE POLITICAL ASSASSINATIONS AND ATTEMPTS THIS CENTURY

Ekenge said Malanga was killed in a shootout early Sunday with presidential guards. The situation "is under control," he said.

Authorities said they were still trying to untangle how Malanga’s 21-year-old son, Marcel, went from playing high school football to allegedly trying to unseat the leader of one of Africa’s largest countries.

"My son is innocent," his mother, Brittney Sawyer, wrote in an email to The Associated Press, declining to elaborate.

Sawyer had regularly posted proud family photos on social media, including one in December showing Marcel, a young sister and a toddler hugging in matching Christmas pajamas. In 2020, she posted photos of Marcel lifting weights and dancing during COVID lockdown.

In a Facebook post early Monday, Sawyer angrily wrote that her son had followed his father. "This was an innocent boy following his father. I’m so tired of all the videos being posted all over and being sent to me. God will take care of you people!"

One video that circulated on social media showed her son alongside a bloodied white man, whose identity was unclear, both covered in dust and surrounded by Congolese soldiers. Marcel has his hands raised and a frightened look on his face.

It was far from the persona that Marcel appeared to have been building in videos recently posted on Facebook and TikTok showing him posing with stacks of dollar bills and talking about women.

His father, Malanga, had described himself on his website as a refugee who thrived after settling in the U.S. with his family in the 1990s. He said he became a leader of a Congolese opposition political party and met high-level officials in Washington and the Vatican. He also described himself as a devoted husband and father of eight.

Court records and interviews paint another picture.

In 2001, the year he turned 18, Malanga was convicted in Utah in incidents including assault with a firearm that resulted in a 30-day jail sentence and three years of probation. That same year, he was charged with domestic violence assault in one incident and battery and disturbing the peace in another, but he pleaded not guilty and all counts in both cases were dismissed.

In 2004, he was charged with domestic violence with threat of using a dangerous weapon, but he pleaded not guilty and the charges were dismissed. Since 2004, records show several cases related to a custody dispute and a child support dispute. It is unclear if the disputes involved Sawyer.

Malanga’s relatives gathered Monday afternoon at the West Jordan home of his mother, Chantal Malanga, to mourn. A steady flow of friends dropped by with plates of food and to offer condolences.

Sydney, a cousin of Christian Malanga's who answered the door, told AP the family was feeling "heartbroken" and "so raw" after learning of his death. They were discussing plans for a possible funeral in Utah, she said, without giving further details.

Malanga described himself as the organizer of the United Congolese Party, a movement aimed at organizing emigres like him against the "current Congolese dictatorship government regime." He also described himself as president of the "New Zaire" government in exile and published a manifesto that detailed plans including creating business opportunities and reforming Congo’s security services.

Photos on Facebook and his website show him meeting then-senior U.S. political figures, including former Utah Rep. Rob Bishop and New York Rep. Peter King.

Bishop told AP he did not recall the meeting and couldn’t tell when the photo was taken. King could not be reached for comment.

Dino Mahtani, an independent researcher into African issues, said he first heard of Malanga in 2018 while serving as a political adviser to the United Nations in Congo. He said Congolese authorities voiced suspicions that Malanga was involved in a purported plot to kill then-President Joseph Kabila.

In an interview, Mahtani said he had never met Malanga in person but thinks Malanga was obsessed with capturing some form of power in Congo.

He also speculated Malanga had been set up or betrayed in the weekend attack, given the implausible way it was carried out.

"Somebody put him up to this. It could be external plotters, but given his previous close relationship with at least one of Tshiskedi’s current military commanders, there’s some chance the plot was known about internally and this allowed them to move quickly," Mahtani said.

The alleged coup attempt began at the Kinshasa residence of Vital Kamerhe, a federal legislator and a candidate for speaker of the National Assembly of Congo. His guards killed the attackers, officials said.

Malanga, meanwhile, was live-streaming video from the presidential palace in which he is seen surrounded by several people in military uniforms wandering around in the middle of the night. He was later killed while resisting arrest, Congolese authorities said.

Congo officials have not commented on how the attackers were able to get inside.

"Its really difficult to imagine how 20, 30 guys thought that by storming the presidential palace when nobody is around at 4 a.m. in the morning could somehow take over the Congolese state," Mahtani said.

A second American allegedly involved was identified as Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, according to images of a U.S. passport circulated by Congolese media. He graduated from the University of Colorado and attended business administration classes at Georgetown University, court records indicate. He later started a commodity trading business and worked as a courier and Uber driver, the records show.

His connection to Malanga appeared to be through a gold mining company that was set up in Mozambique in 2022, according to an official journal published by Mozambique's government, and a report by Africa Intelligence newsletter.

Zalman-Polun pleaded guilty in 2015 to drug trafficking charges in the U.S., admitting that he conspired with a friend to ship more than 20 kilograms of marijuana from a home base in Lake Tahoe, California, to customers across the United States. Prosecutors requested leniency, citing the "substantial assistance" they said he provided in their investigation.

His attorney in that case did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

No information was released on the third American.

The U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa said it was aware "U.S. citizens might have been involved in Sunday’s events," adding in a statement that it would cooperate with authorities "as they investigate these violent criminal acts."

The Netherlands-based International Criminal Court on Monday exposed itself as a deeply antisemitic and politicized institution that ignores facts and jurisdiction to conduct lawfare against democracies that defend themselves against terrorism.

American policy should now turn toward pressuring allies to defund this kangaroo court and imposing financial sanctions to grind its operations to a halt.

The ICC’s indictment of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes has nothing to do with law and everything to do with lawfare – that is, the use of legal systems to damage or delegitimize an adversary.

In this case, detractors of the United States and Israel are using the ICC to attack a free democracy exercising its inherent right to self-defense in the face of a brutal terrorist enemy.

BIDEN REJECTS ICC ALLEGATIONS AGAINST ISRAEL: 'WHAT'S HAPPENING IS NOT GENOCIDE'

In effect, the ICC has joined an Iran-led axis as a partner in a multi-front war to destroy the one Jewish state – all under cover of international law.

In a perverse game of public relations, ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan packaged the Israeli indictments alongside charges against the terrorist leaders of Hamas – an attempt to look even-handed while creating a false moral equivalency between bloodthirsty terrorist organizations and democratic governments.

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, of course, could care less about an ICC indictment. He lives in a hole in the ground surrounded by Israeli hostages and rightly views an ICC indictment of Israelis as another ticket to his survival.

The ICC indictments against Netanyahu and Gallant falsely claim that Israel has intentionally inflicted harm on civilians in Gaza.

The facts not only refute such accusations but demonstrate an historic Israeli effort to minimize civilian casualties — with a civilian casualty ratio so low as to be unheard of in modern urban warfare — alongside ongoing Israeli efforts to flood Gaza with humanitarian aid.

The indictments are not only baseless, using Hamas allies as sources, but also clearly fall outside the ICC’s jurisdiction.

Israel is not a member of the ICC and, as a democracy, it has a robust mechanism for self-investigation and accountability.

The Rome Statute, the treaty that governs the ICC, makes clear these indictments are wholly illegitimate.

WATCH HOW US DIPLOMAT REACTS TO UN'S MOMENT OF SILENCE FOR RUTHLESS IRANIAN PRESIDENT

Today the target is Israel. Tomorrow, however, it might be the United States. Like Israel, the US is not a member of the ICC and is a democracy with a respected system for self-accountability.

The threat to the United States from the ICC isn’t hypothetical. Washington faces an active ICC investigation into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan.

Defending Israel from the ICC’s lawfare now will help protect American soldiers and government officials down the road.

The double standard and political nature of the ICC’s action against Israel becomes apparent by its notable inaction against the world’s most evil regimes.

In more than 20 years, this so-called court has taken no action against some of the greatest perpetrators of crimes against humanity on the planet — from Xi Jinping’s genocide in Xinjiang, to Ali Khamenei’s brutalization of the Iranian people and sponsorship of terrorism throughout the world, to Bashar al-Assad’s mass-murder of the Syrian people.

But when the world’s only Jewish state, taking utmost care to mitigate civilian casualties, fights back against Nazi-like terrorists that slaughtered Jewish families and took others hostage, the democracy of Israel becomes the ICC’s primary concern and target.

BERNIE SANDERS BUCKS BIDEN WITH CLEAR POSITION ON POTENTIAL NETANYAHU ARREST

Tragically, it took only 79 years for Europe to become a place where Jews are put on trial for fighting Nazis.

That Japan and Germany are the top donors to the institution perpetrating this abomination should be jarring.

That the United Kingdom and France are the next two top donors should be nauseating.

No democracy can call itself an ally of the United States and fund antisemitic lawfare against Israel that invites future lawfare against America, too.

Washington must act decisively by threatening financial sanctions against any bank that processes a transaction for or on behalf of the ICC. Its officials should face asset freezes and visa denials.

And the ICC’s leading donors must be put to a choice: stand with democracy and the rule of law or stand with terrorist sympathizers using lawfare to undermine both.

The ICC should not be dismissed as symbolic or a joke.

The institution is misusing law as a weapon of war, and the United States should act accordingly.

Violence intensified in southwestern Colombia on Monday when a bomb blast injured six people in the city of Jamundi and an attack by insurgents on a police station in the rural town of Morales left at least two officers dead, according to police.

Colombia’s government attributed the attacks to the FARC-EMC a rebel group that broke off from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and refused to sign a 2016 peace deal in which more than 14,000 rebels demobilized.

COLOMBIA'S PRESIDENT SAYS HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PIECES OF AMMUNITION HAVE GONE MISSING FROM MILITARY BASES

The group’s western faction walked away from a new round of peace talks with the government in April and has since staged a series of attacks on military and police, including a roadside bomb last Friday that killed an 11-year-old.

Elizabeth Dickinson, a Colombia analyst at the International Crisis Group, said Monday’s attacks show that the EMC’s western faction is trying to set itself apart by becoming "the only armed or criminal group in Colombia that is directly attacking the state."

Dickinson said the FARC-EMC’s western front, which is led by commander Ivan Mordisco, could end up splitting from EMC groups in eastern Colombia that are still involved in peace talks with the government.

"The split within the EMC is real and is likely to be permanent," she said. "We are headed towards a situation of atomization and fragmentation in the conflict which has pretty dramatic implications for civilians."

With around 5,000 fighters the EMC is the third-largest armed group in Colombia, behind the Gaitanista Self Defense Forces and the National Liberation Army.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has tried to hold peace talks with Colombia’s remaining rebel groups since he was elected into office, under a strategy known as total peace.

The Petro administration has signed ceasefires with some of these groups and begun discussions on development programs and rural reforms.

Experts say the strategy has had mixed results.

While the ceasefires have reduced violence between the military and armed groups, crimes like kidnapping, extortion and the recruitment of children have increased as armed groups continue to strengthen their grip over rural communities and fight for the control of illegal businesses that were abandoned by the FARC after the peace deal. Rebel groups like the FARC-EMC also continue to profit from illegal mining and the drug trade.

Kosovo police on Monday closed six branches of a Serbia-licensed bank in line with the decision on the ban of the use of the Serbian dinar currency in the country, a move that has raised tension with neighboring Serbia.

A police statement said they closed the branches of the Postal Savings Bank, following a request from financial institutions on their illegitimacy and based on an authorization from the prosecutor’s office.

Starting on Feb. 1, the government required areas dominated by the ethnic Serb minority in Kosovo to adopt the euro currency, which is used in the rest of the country, and abolished the use of the Serbian dinar.

Priština postponed the move for about three months, following pressure from the European Union and the United States, concerned that the decision would negatively impact the ethnic Serb minority in northern Kosovo.

Most of Kosovo uses the euro, even though the country isn’t part of the EU. But parts of Kosovo’s north, populated mostly by ethnic Serbs, continue to use the dinar. Many Serbs there rely on the government of Serbia for financial support, often delivered in dinars in cash.

Brussels and Washington are pressing both countries to implement agreements that Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti reached in February and March last year.

The EU-facilitated normalization talks have failed to make progress, especially following a shootout last September between masked Serb gunmen and Kosovo police that left four people dead and ratcheted up tensions.

Serbia and Kosovo have both said they want to join the EU, but the bloc’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, has warned that their refusal to compromise is jeopardizing their chances.

Serbian forces fought a 1998-99 war with ethnic Albanian separatists in what was then the province of Kosovo. About 13,000 people, mostly ethnic Albanians, died until a 78-day NATO bombing campaign pushed Serbian forces away. Kosovo declared independence in 2008, which Belgrade doesn’t recognize.

Turkey’s president took a swipe at the Eurovision Song Contest on Monday, accusing the annual event of allegedly encouraging "gender neutralization" and threatening the traditional family.

In a speech following a Cabinet meeting, Recep Tayyip Erdogan described participants at the contest as the "Trojan horses of social corruption" and said his government was right to keep Turkey out of the pan-European pop competition since 2012.

TURKEY'S ERDOGAN DEFENDS HAMAS, CLAIMS OVER 1K MEMBERS ARE AT HIS COUNTRY'S HOSPITALS

It was an apparent reference to Swiss singer Nemo who won the 68th Eurovision Song Contest earlier this month with "The Code," an operatic pop-rap ode to the singer’s journey toward embracing a nongender identity. The 24-year-old singer became the first nonbinary winner of the contest that has long been embraced as a safe haven by the LGBTQ community.

"At such events, it has become impossible to meet a normal person," claimed Erdogan, whose ruling Justice and Development Party finds its roots in Turkey’s Islamic movement and whose government has grown less tolerant of LGBTQ rights in recent years.

"We understand better how we made the right decision by keeping Turkey out of this disgraceful competition for the past 12 years," he said.

Erdogan on Monday also decried a serious decline in birth rates in Turkey as an "existential threat" and a "disaster" for the country.

Last week, Turkey’s State Statistical Institute announced that the country’s birth rate in 2023 had dropped to 1.51 children per woman.

The Turkish leader has long called on families to have at least three children.

Despite earning the nickname the "Butcher of Tehran" for presiding over Iran’s human rights abuses, the United Nations on Monday held a moment of silence for Ebrahim Raisi after the Iranian president died in a helicopter crash. 

At the request of Russia, China, and Algeria, representatives – including United States Deputy Ambassador to the U.N. Robert Wood – stood at the U.N. Security Council for a minute to honor Raisi. 

Israeli U.N. Ambassador Gilad Erdan called the moment of silence in memory of "mass murdering" Raisi a "disgrace." 

Erdan slammed the U.N. Security Council for doing nothing to advance the release of the remaining hostages who have been in Hamas captivity since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. 

‘BUTCHER OF TEHRAN’ DEAD BUT RAISI'S LEGACY CONTINUES AS IRAN APPOINTS ACTING PRESIDENT

This Council, Erdan said, "bowed its head for a man responsible for massacring and murdering thousands in Iran, in Israel, and around the globe. What’s next? Will the Council dedicate a moment of silence to commemorate Hitler?" 

State Department spokesperson Matt Miller addressed the U.S.’ participation in the moment of silence at an afternoon press briefing. 

Asked if the U.S.’ participation was appropriate, Miller clarified that "we have been quite clear that Ebrahim Raisi was a brutal participant in the repression of the Iranian people for nearly four decades." 

Miller pointed to Raisi’s involvement in "numerous horrific human rights abuses, including playing a key role in the extrajudicial killing of thousands of political prisoners in 1988." 

"Some of the worst human rights abuses occurred during his tenure as president, especially the human rights abuses against the women and girls of Iran," Miller said, but qualified: "That said, we regret any loss of life. We don’t want to see anyone die in a helicopter crash. But that doesn’t change the reality of his record, both as a judge and as the president of Iran." 

Behnam Ben Taleblu, an expert on Iranian security at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD), criticized both the U.N. and the State Department for self-defeating actions.

"Rather than use this time to push for moral clarity, this muddled approach towards Raisi’s bloody past mistakenly prioritizes diplomatic niceties over reality," Taleblu said.  

A senior adviser to the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. told Fox News Digital that it "is [the] diplomatic norm to stand for moments of silence in the Security Council and by no means represents any honor or tribute to a man whose repression and brutality the U.S. consistently countered in that very room." 

"Raisi was a brutal participant in the repression of the Iranian people for nearly four decades.  He was involved in numerous, horrific human rights abuses, including playing a key role in the extrajudicial killings of thousands of political prisoners in 1988," the adviser said. "Some of the worst human rights abuses on record, especially against the women and girls of Iran, took place during his tenure."

Iranian state media confirmed early Monday that President Raisi, along with others, including the country's foreign minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, was found dead after an hours-long search through a foggy, mountainous region of the country's northwest. 

LEBANON FOREIGN MINISTER ‘FEELS GREAT LOSS’ OVER DEATH OF IRAN PRESIDENT, OTHER OFFICIALS IN HELICOPTER CRASH

Raisi was returning via helicopter after traveling to Iran's border with Azerbaijan to inaugurate a dam with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev when the crash happened in the Dizmar forest in East Azerbaijan province.

Raisi was seen as a protégé to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a potential successor for his position within the country's Shiite theocracy.

But Raisi’s death has also highlighted his human rights record. 

In 1988, at the end of Iran's long war with Iraq, Raisi served on what would become known as "death commissions," which handed down death sentences for political prisoners, militants and others. International rights groups estimate that as many as 5,000 people were executed.

Raisi has defended his actions, saying at a news conference that he was "proud of being a defender of human rights and of people's security and comfort as a prosecutor wherever I was." 

Activists abroad, like the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran, described Raisi’s presidency as seeing "a stunning escalation of state repression and violence against peaceful dissent in Iran."

"Raisi presided over a country suffocated by a regime that fears its own people," said Hadi Ghaemi, the center's executive director. "He was merely one boot on the necks of the Iranian people; others can easily take his place."

Mass protests swept the country in 2022 after the death of Mahsa Amini, a woman who had been detained over her allegedly loose headscarf, or hijab. 

The monthslong security crackdown that followed the demonstrations killed more than 500 people and more than 22,000 others were detained.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Former South African President Jacob Zuma was barred Monday from running for Parliament in next week's national election over a previous criminal conviction, the latest twist in his return to politics.

The decision by the country’s highest court, the Constitutional Court, may still be appealed. It ruled that Zuma is only eligible to serve as a lawmaker five years after his 2021 sentence for contempt of court was completed.

EX-SOUTH AFRICAN LEADER DISQUALIFIED FROM NATIONAL ELECTION CANDIDACY OVER CRIMINAL RECORD

Zuma is now the leader of a new party, uMkhonto weSizwe Party, and is campaigning against the long-ruling African National Congress he once led.

Analysts say the ANC, which has comfortably held power since Nelson Mandela became the country’s first Black president in 1994, might receive less than 50% of votes in next Wednesday's election and lose its parliamentary majority.

That would be the ANC's worst electoral performance since it came into power in South Africa at the end of apartheid.

One reason the ANC is under pressure is Zuma, who stepped down as president in 2018 amid a swirl of corruption allegations and now threatens to draw more support away from the ANC.

Here is what you need to know about the 82-year-old Zuma’s contentious return and why he was disqualified from the election:

WHO IS JACOB ZUMA?

Zuma has long been one of South Africa’s most recognizable politicians. He was a senior leader in the ANC during the liberation struggle against apartheid. A former ANC intelligence chief, he has repeatedly threatened to reveal some of the party’s secrets. While Zuma was not one of Mandela’s preferred choices to succeed him, Mandela trusted Zuma to play an influential role in ending deadly political violence that engulfed the KwaZulu-Natal province before the historic 1994 elections. The province has remained a vocal base of support for Zuma ever since, and members of Zuma’s Zulu ethnic group make up its majority. Zuma became deputy leader of the ANC in 1997 and was appointed South Africa’s deputy president in 1999.

HOW DID HE BECOME PRESIDENT?

Zuma’s path to power included legal challenges. In 2006, he was found not guilty of raping the daughter of a comrade at Zuma’s home in Johannesburg. A year earlier, he was fired as South Africa’s deputy president after his financial advisor was convicted for corruption for soliciting bribes for Zuma during an infamous arms deal. Alleging a political witch hunt, Zuma launched an aggressive political campaign that saw him elected ANC president in 2007. His campaign appealed to widespread discontent with then-President Thabo Mbeki, who was often described as autocratic and aloof. The corruption charges against Zuma were later dropped, amid controversy, and he was elected South Africa’s president in 2009. The arms deal case has resurfaced decades later, however, and Zuma is due to go on trial for corruption next year.

HOW DID HE LOSE POWER?

Zuma’s presidency was often under fire. His close friends and allies, the Gupta family, were accused of influencing appointments to key cabinet positions in exchange for lucrative business deals. The allegations of corruption in government and state-owned companies eventually led the ANC to force Zuma to resign in 2018. A judicial commission of inquiry uncovered wide-ranging evidence, and Zuma in 2021 was convicted and sentenced to 15 months in jail for refusing to testify at that commission. Zuma remains aggrieved with the ANC and his successor, President Cyril Ramaphosa. But few South Africans expected the break to go so far.

HOW HAS HE REEMERGED?

Zuma shocked the country in December by denouncing the ANC and campaigning against a party that had been at the heart of his political career. His new political party, uMkhonto weSizwe (which means Spear of the Nation), was named after the ANC’s military wing, which was disbanded at the end of the struggle against white minority rule. The ANC launched a legal case seeking to stop the new party from using a name and logo that are similar to those of the military wing. The charismatic Zuma continues to crisscross the country, delivering lively speeches, and an image of his face is expected to represent the party on ballots.

WHY WAS HE DISQUALIFIED FROM THE ELECTION?

Zuma was disqualified from standing as a candidate for Parliament because of that previous conviction for contempt of court in 2021. The Constitutional Court said that a section of the constitution disqualifying people from standing for office if they’ve been sentenced to more than 12 months in prison without the option of a fine does apply to Zuma. It said Zuma is not allowed to run for Parliament for five years from when his sentence was completed. Even if he's not allowed to be a candidate, Zuma’s party still threatens to draw support from within the often divided ANC. It may emerge as a significant opposition party and could play a role if the weakening ANC must form coalitions to run the country.