World News
Foul play ruled out month after body of Walmart employee found inside walk-in oven at Canada store
A month after the body of a Walmart employee was found inside a walk-in oven of a store in eastern Canada, police have determined that her death was not suspicious.
The Halifax Police Department released a statement to announce that an investigation into the death of the 19-year-old woman, who was found inside the walk-in oven of the Halifax Walmart on Oct. 19, was not suspicious and there was no evidence of foul play.
"We do not believe anyone else was involved in the circumstances surrounding the woman's death," Halifax Regional Police Constable Martin Cromwell announced in a video update on the department's Facebook page on Monday.
Cromwell added that they did not have many details they could share and did not expect any other updates anytime soon.
WALMART EMPLOYEE FOUND DEAD INSIDE WALK-IN OVEN AT CANADA STORE: POLICE
"We acknowledge the public's interest in this case and that there are questions that may never have answers," said Cromwell. "Please be mindful of the damage public speculation can cause. This woman's loved ones are grieving."
Police have not yet released the name of the victim. However, the Gurudwara Maritime Sikh Society, an organization for Sikh immigrants, has identified the woman as Gursimran Kaur.
The group also created a GoFundMe page, which is no longer running, that raised more than $194,000 for Kaur's family.
"Gursimran Kaur was only 19 years old, a young beautiful girl who came to Canada with big dreams," a post on the website read.
IDENTITY OF 'BADLY DECOMPOSED' BODY FOUND IN OHIO CAR WASH RELEASED: REPORT
According to the post, Kaur and her mother both worked at Walmart for the last two years.
During the evening of her daughter's disappearance, the society executive said Kaur's mother tried to find her after not having contact with her for an hour but brushed it aside, assuming she was helping a customer.
Kaur's phone was reportedly also not reachable.
"Mother started panicking as it was unusual for her to switch her phone off during the day. She reached out to the onsite admin for help," the post continued.
MISSOURI INFANT DIES AFTER MOTHER 'ACCIDENTALLY' PLACES BABY IN OVEN INSTEAD OF CRIB: POLICE
Sadly, after a few hours, her daughter's body was found inside a walk-in oven in the store's bakery.
"Imagine the horror that her mother experienced when she opened the oven, when someone pointed it out to her!" the society executive described. "This family's sufferings are unimaginable and indescribable."
Both Kaur's father and brother were both reportedly in India at the time of her death.
"Investigators met with family to share this update and extend condolences," Halifax police said. "Our thoughts remain with them at this difficult time."
A spokesperson for Walmart previously told Fox News Digital that the store "will be closed until further notice."
The Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported that the store reopened on Monday and that the bakery oven was being removed from the store.
Fox News Digital reached out to Walmart for comment on the latest news but did not immediately receive a response.
Cruz says UN draft resolution against Israel is aimed at undermining incoming Trump admin, GOP Congress
JERUSALEM— Just hours before the United Nations Security Council is slated to vote on an alleged anti-Israel resolution pushed by Algeria to impose an end on the Jewish state's war of self-defense against Hamas, the Biden administration has gone silent about how it will vote.
The irony of the notoriously anti-Israel Algeria devising the resolution recalls the witty line of the late Israeli Ambassador to the U.N., Abba Eban, who said, "If Algeria introduced a (U.N.) resolution declaring that the earth was flat and that Israel had flattened it, it would pass by a vote of 164 to 13 with 26 abstentions."
The proposed resolution has triggered outrage from several quarters, including a leading Republican U.S.senator.
"This resolution is just one of several assaults on Israel being planned at the United Nations, meant to preemptively and permanently undermine the incoming Trump administration and Republican Congress," Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital.
"I will work with my Republican colleagues and with President Trump to take whatever steps are necessary to undo these measures, including fundamentally reevaluating our relationship with the U.N. and the Palestinians, broadly cutting aid, imposing sanctions on specific officials responsible for those measures, and countering governments and NGOs pushing or implementing them," he said.
Fox News Digital reported last week that U.N. experts believed Biden’s administration might seek to replicate Obama’s parting shot at Israel, in which he failed to veto an anti-Israel resolution in the closing weeks of his administration.
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield delivered remarks on Monday at the world body but did not address the pending draft resolution. However, she noted, "The United States has exercised leadership and resolve in pursuing clear objectives: End the war in Gaza — end the war in Gaza by securing the release of hostages, while surging aid to Palestinians, who did not start and cannot end this conflict. Avoid a broader regional war while forcefully countering Iran’s terrorist proxies and destabilizing activities, and demonstrating an ironclad, unprecedented commitment to Israel’s security."
Fox News Digital approached the U.S. State Department and the United States mission to the U.N. for comment about the proposed draft.
Anne Bayefsky, President, Human Rights Voices in New York, told Fox News Digital, "Allies of Hamas are licking their chops at the prospect of the outgoing Biden administration refusing to veto an Israel-bashing resolution scheduled for adoption at the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday." She claimed, "For weeks, the United States has been busy massaging the terms of a draft, leaked to news outlets Al Jazeera and Al-Arabiya."
"The U.N.-U.S. operation is to pretend it's all about humanitarianism, when it is exactly the opposite. It guarantees to prolong the war and the suffering of the hostages and ignore the actual root causes: Iran, antisemitism and the illegal denial of Israel's right of self-defense. If adopted, it would be the fifth Security Council resolution President Biden has allowed to pass since Oct. 7 that doesn't even condemn Hamas," she said.
HOW A US-BACKED UN RESOLUTION FAILED TO STOP HEZBOLLAH TERROR TAKEOVER: 'BIPARTISAN FAILURE'
Speaking earlier at the Security Council, Israel's Ambassador to the U.N., Danny Danon, criticized the draft resolution, stating, "Any resolution that does not condition the cease-fire on the release of the hostages means abandoning the 101 hostages to the hell of the terrorist monsters."
Danon added, "The decision being promoted in this Council only strengthens Hamas and terrorism and abandons the hostages. We cannot allow the U.N. to tie the hands of the State of Israel from protecting its citizens, and we will not stop fighting until we return all the kidnapped men and women home."
Netanyahu confirms Israel strike against Iran hit nuke program during October retaliatory strikes
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the retaliatory attack Jerusalem launched on Iran in late October degraded part of Tehran’s nuclear program.
"It’s not a secret," Netanyahu said in a Knesset speech reported by the Times of Israel. "There is a specific component in their nuclear program that was hit in this attack."
Despite the prime minister’s comments, it had not previously been confirmed by Israeli officials that Tehran’s coveted nuclear program, which it has been attempting to beef up since the collapse of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear agreement in 2018, had been targeted in last month’s strike.
Israeli security officials confirmed that military sites had been targeted during the overnight strike on Oct. 26 that caused concern among global leaders about an all-out war as the two nations ramp up direct lines of attack on one another.
The international community, along with the Biden administration, attempted to re-enter into negotiations with Tehran to counter its nuclear development, though to no avail.
The U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), earlier this year warned that Iran’s nuclear program has largely run unchecked for the last six years, and it is believed to have increased its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium metals to 60% purity levels; just shy of weapons-grade uranium, which is enriched to 90% purity.
But IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi has warned that Iran's nuclear facilities should not become a target as Israel ramps up direct operations against Tehran.
Netanyahu did not expand on how Iran’s nuclear program has been affected after the strikes last month, but on Monday he reportedly said it was not enough to have entirely blocked Iran’s path to obtaining a nuclear weapon.
UN WATCHDOG WARNS TIME TO 'MANEUVER' ON IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM IS SHRINKING: REPORT
Israel destroyed an active nuclear weapons research facility in Parchin, roughly 20 miles southeast of Tehran.
Grossi visited two Iranian nuclear sites last week and said he would engage in high-level talks with Tehran in a push to get Iran to adhere to international agreements and nuclear safeguards.
In a message later posted to X, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he was ready to engage in international talks but noted Tehran would not succumb to pressure as President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House with what many believe will be a much stronger approach when it comes to Iran.
"The ball is in the EU/E3 court," the foreign minister said in reference to three European countries, France, Britain and Germany, that represent Western interests, including the U.S., during nuclear talks.
"Willing to negotiate based on our national interest and inalienable rights but not ready to negotiate under pressure and intimidation," Araghchi said.
Thune threatens International Criminal Court with sanctions if it doesn’t drop Netanyahu warrant for arrest
South Dakota Republican Sen. John Thune on Sunday threatened to slap the International Criminal Court (ICC) with sanctions if it did not drop its application for an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Thune – who was selected Wednesday to be the next Senate Majority Leader once the GOP takes the upper chamber come January 2025 – warned that if the current Democratic leader does not take on the international court, he will.
"If the ICC and its prosecutor do not reverse their outrageous and unlawful actions to pursue arrest warrants against Israeli officials, the Senate should immediately pass sanctions legislation, as the House has already done on a bipartisan basis," Thune wrote on X. "If Majority Leader Schumer does not act, the Senate Republican majority will stand with our key ally Israel and make this – and other supportive legislation – a top priority in the next Congress."
BIDEN REVERSES TRUMP, LIFTS SANCTIONS ON INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT
In May, the ICC issued applications for arrest warrants against Netanyahu, as well as then-Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and three Hamas terrorists for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity following the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks. All three Hamas leaders are believed to since have been killed.
Thune’s threats were made in coordination with a bill introduced by Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., in June – which closely aligned with a bill that passed in the House with bipartisan support just days prior – that called for sanctions against prosecutors who have gone after "U.S., Israeli, or any other allied citizen wrongfully targeted by the ICC."
The U.S. does not officially recognize the ICC’s authority, but it is not the first time Washington has looked to halt the court’s actions.
In 2020, the Trump administration opposed attempts by the ICC to investigate U.S. soldiers and the CIA involved in alleged war crimes between 2003-2004 "in secret detention facilities in Afghanistan," and issued sanctions against ICC prosecutors.
However, the sanctions did more than target individuals through asset freezing and international travel bans and were deemed, at the time, to have the potential for "wide-reaching consequences."
TOP TRUMP ALLIES MEET WITH NETANYAHU IN ISRAEL AS ICC SEEKS ARREST WARRANTS
"Service providers to the ICC – from banks to vending machine companies – may reassess whether continuing to work with the institution is prudent given the risk of inadvertently violating U.S. sanctions," Human Rights Watch explained.
"[It] created apprehension and uncertainty for nongovernmental organizations, consultants, and lawyers who work with the ICC in investigative and adjudicative capacities," the organization added.
Richard Goldberg, who served on the White House National Security Council during the Trump administration and who is now a senior adviser to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital the 2020 sanctions were also "effective in shaking up the organization since it was coming up on an election for a new chief prosecutor."
"Many believed that the presence of U.S. sanctions led Karim Khan to put investigations of Israel and the U.S. in a drawer once he was elected," Goldberg explained in reference to the ICC’s chief prosecutor who filed the applications for warrants of arrest against Netanyahu and Gallant.
Goldberg argued that sanctions against prosecutors may not be enough to dissuade Khan from pursuing the case against Netanyahu and warned the ICC chief might view them as "a badge of honor."
Goldberg said he thinks lawmakers should consider going after the ICC as a whole rather than individual prosecutors this time around.
"It's one thing to threaten sanctions against individuals involved in illegitimate schemes to indict American or Israeli soldiers, it's another thing to use sanctions as a tool to cut off the ICC's access to funds," he told Fox News Digital.
"I think countries like Japan and Germany will put enormous pressure on the ICC to back down if they think their own banks may be subject to sanctions for wiring money to the ICC," he added.
Decisions by the court on arrest warrants are generally made within three months, according to Reuters, though it remains unclear when the panel will reach a decision.
The last time the Pre-Trial Chamber of the ICC was asked to make a decision over issuing a warrant for the arrest of a government leader was when an application was filed against Russian President Vladimir Putin in February 2023. The panel reached a decision within one month of the application having been filed.
Israeli strike kills Hezbollah spokesman in Beirut; at least 30 dead in Gaza airstrikes
A rare Israeli strike in central Beirut killed the Hezbollah militant group's chief spokesman on Sunday, while an Israeli strike in northern Gaza ’s Beit Lahiya killed at least 30 people, a hospital director there told The Associated Press.
Mohammed Afif al-Naboulsi was killed in a strike on the Arab socialist Baath party’s office in Beirut, Hezbollah confirmed in a statement. He had been especially visible after all-out war erupted between Israel and Hezbollah in September.
Israel's military in a statement said he "wielded significant influence over Hezbollah’s military operations" and "glorified and incited" attacks on Israel.
ISRAEL’S NEW DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS COUNTRY HAS DEFEATED HEZBOLLAH
It was the latest targeted killing of a senior Hezbollah official. On Sunday night, another strike in central Beirut hit a computer shop, killing two people and wounding 22, Lebanon's Health Ministry said. There was no immediate comment from Israel's military.
The strikes happened as Lebanese officials considered a United States-led cease-fire proposal. "This confirms the crimes of the Israeli enemy, and that it wants to negotiate under fire and is expanding and targeting safe and safer areas," said a Lebanese member of parliament, Faisal Al Sayegh.
Israel also bombed several buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs, where Hezbollah has long been headquartered, after warning people to evacuate.
There was no Israeli evacuation warning before the strike near a busy intersection that killed Afif. Four people were killed and 14 wounded including two children, the Health Ministry said.
"I was asleep and awoke from the sound of the strike, and people screaming, and cars and gunfire," said witness Suheil Halabi.
HEZBOLLAH CONFIRMS DEATH OF SENIOR COMMANDER IN LINE TO REPLACE HASSAN NASRALLAH
After the second strike in central Beirut, firefighters struggled to control the blaze in the busy residential neighborhood of Mar Elias. Bystanders said they heard a second explosion and a car nearby appeared to be hit.
Hezbollah began firing rockets, missiles and drones into Israel the day after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack ignited the war in Gaza. Israel launched retaliatory airstrikes in Lebanon and the conflict steadily escalated.
Israeli forces invaded Lebanon on Oct. 1. On Sunday, Israel’s military said mobile artillery batteries had crossed into Lebanon and began attacking Hezbollah targets, the first time artillery was launched within Lebanese territory.
More than 3,400 people have been killed in Lebanon, according to the Health Ministry, and over 1.2 million driven from their homes. It is not known how many of the dead are Hezbollah fighters.
Hezbollah has fired dozens of projectiles into Israel daily. The attacks have killed at least 76 people, including 31 soldiers, and caused some 60,000 people to flee. Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency service said a teenager suffered blast injuries Sunday in Upper Galilee.
Lebanon's army, largely on the sidelines, said an Israeli strike on Sunday hit a military center in southeastern Al-Mari, killing two soldiers and wounding two others. There was no immediate Israeli comment.
The director of the Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahiya, Hosam Abu Safiya, said dozens were wounded in the Israeli strike and other people likely were under the rubble.
Fleeing residents told the AP that houses were hit. An Israeli military statement earlier said it conducted several strikes on "terrorist targets" in Beit Lahiya, and that efforts to evacuate civilians from the "active war zone" continued.
Israeli forces have again been on the offensive in northern Gaza, saying Hamas militants have regrouped.
HEZBOLLAH GENERATES FUNDS FOR ACTIVITIES UNDER THE GUISE OF A NON-PROFIT: ISRAELI OFFICIALS
"Tonight we did not sleep at all," said one fleeing Beit Lahiya resident, Dalal al-Bakri. "They destroyed all the houses around us. ... There are many martyrs."
A woman, Umm Hamza, said the bombing escalated overnight. "It’s cold and we don’t know where to go," she said.
Earlier, officials said Israeli strikes killed six people in Nuseirat and four in Bureij, two built-up refugee camps in central Gaza dating back to the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s creation.
Two people were killed in a strike on Gaza’s main north-south highway, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central city of Deir al-Balah.
Israel’s military said two soldiers were killed in northern Gaza on Sunday.
The war between Israel and Hamas began after Palestinian militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7. last year, killing about 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and abducting around 250 others. Around 100 hostages remain in Gaza, about a third believed to be dead.
On Sunday, Israel’s Shin Bet internal security agency said it met with the heads of the army and intelligence to discuss mediation efforts to release the hostages. It was the first public word of any such effort since Qatar announced earlier this month it was suspending its mediation work.
Gaza's Health Ministry says around 43,800 Palestinians have been killed in the war. It does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but has said women and children make up more than half the dead.
Around 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million Palestinians have been displaced, and large areas have been flattened by Israeli bombardment and ground operations.
Pope Francis has called for an investigation to determine if Israel’s attacks in Gaza constitute genocide, according to excerpts released Sunday from an upcoming book.
Israeli police arrested three suspects after two flares were fired overnight at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private residence in the coastal city of Caesarea.
Netanyahu and his family were not there, authorities said. A drone launched by Hezbollah struck the residence last month, also when they were away.
The police did not provide details about the suspects, but officials pointed to domestic political critics of Netanyahu.
The prime minister has faced months of mass protests. Critics blame him for security and intelligence failures that allowed the Oct. 7 attack to happen and for not reaching a deal with Hamas to release hostages.
His government also faces anger from the ultra-Orthodox community over military draft notices. Some protested Sunday in the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak near Tel Aviv after the government said 7,000 new notices would be issued.
Zelenskyy: Russia using Iranian weapons in 'massive' attack targeting energy infrastructure
Russian forces launched hundreds of drones and missiles targeting Ukraine's energy and power plant infrastructure on Sunday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack included at least 120 missiles and 90 drones, including Iranian-made Shahed drones. Ukrainian officials say it was the largest long-range attack from Russia in at least three months.
"The enemy's target was our energy infrastructure throughout Ukraine. Unfortunately, there is damage to objects from hits and falling debris. In Mykolaiv, as a result of a drone attack, two people were killed and six others were injured, including two children," Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy added that Ukrianian forces were able to shoot down 144 of the projectiles before they reached their targets.
TRUMP TEAM REACTS TO REPORT PRESIDENT-ELECT TOLD RUSSIA'S PUTIN NOT TO ESCALATE WAR WITH UKRAINE
Explosions were reported in the Ukrianian cities of Kyiv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, Kryvyi Rih, Dnipro and in western Ukraine. Odesa, a port city, was reportedly left without power.
Poland's military reacted to the attack by scrambling its own airforce within its borders, though there were no reports of Russian ordnance falling on Polish soil.
DOCUMENTS REVEAL RUSSIA'S INITIAL 'PEACE DEAL' EQUATED TO THE SURRENDER OF UKRAINE: REPORT
Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure as temperatures get colder in Ukraine, a strategy Mosocw has employed in previous years of the conflict.
The attack comes as President-elect Donald Trump is expected to soon appoint a Ukrainian peace envoy to lead negotiations on ending the war with Russia.
TRUMP'S FIRST CABINET PICKS DECIDEDLY NOT ISOLATIONISTS: UKRAINE, ISRAEL BREATHE A SIGH OF RELIEF
The job is not expected to be a salaried role - from 2017 to 2019, Kurt Volker had served as special representative to Ukrainian negotiations on a volunteer basis.
Trump has been rolling out appointee names of those he wants to fill his Cabinet and advise him on top issues at a lightning-quick pace.
Trump has long insisted he could negotiate an end to the war with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Few details have been given about how he would do this.
Some advisers are reportedly encouraging Trump to push Kyiv to agree to terms that would freeze the frontlines by creating an 800-mile-long demilitarized zone and allow Russia to keep the land it has illegally seized, which amounts to roughly 20% of Ukraine.
It has also been suggested that Kyiv should agree not to pursue NATO membership for 20 years, a stipulation that critics of this plan argue kowtows to Putin.
Fox News' Morgan Phillips and the Associated Press contributed to this report
Mexican president might be changing view on US as Trump win sends warning to ruling socialists
Mexico City - President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration is considering adjusting certain policies in response to the anticipated challenges posed by President-elect Trump’s return to office, seeking to safeguard Mexico’s economic interests, and manage immigration effectively.
Fearing that measures from the coming Trump administration might be harmful to Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum and other officials have expressed a commitment to maintaining a positive bilateral relationship while emphasizing Mexico’s sovereignty. At a recent press conference, she reassured Mexicans that there is "no reason for concern" regarding the election outcome, indicating confidence in the stability of bilateral relations. "We will work with dialogue and respect for our sovereignties," she said.
Rodrigo Montes de Oca, a scholar at the Baker Institute Center for the U.S. and Mexico, talked to Fox News Digital and said that "the bilateral relationship will no longer be reduced to a single issue but will be addressed in a broader manner." He explained that "former President López Obrador – AMLO, was very skillful in being able to concentrate the entire bilateral relationship on a single issue: immigration.
MIGRANT CENTER LEADER HOPES TRUMP DOESN'T BRING BACK 'REMAIN IN MEXICO'
He continued, "If AMLO cooperated on immigration, the Biden administration turned the other way on important issues such as security and fentanyl trafficking and all the antidemocratic policies that Mexico was and is promoting. Now with the coming Trump administration, everything is going to be much more complex because they will not only focus on immigration but also on trade and security. That is why Trump went so far as to say during the campaign that if Mexico did not cooperate on these issues, he would make public the U.S. government's intelligence information on politicians in Mexico who are related to drug cartels. The relationship is going to be approached in a more comprehensive way. I don't see that the Mexican government is preparing for that."
With Trump’s plans for mass deportations and more immigration controls, Mexico is expected to strengthen its immigration policies. This may involve increased enforcement at its southern border and expanded cooperation with U.S. authorities to manage migration flows effectively. Such measures aim to address U.S. concerns while upholding Mexico’s sovereignty and humanitarian commitments.
President Claudia Sheinbaum has continued Mexico’s existing strategies to manage and discourage migrant caravans traveling toward the United States. These measures include the deployment of the National Guard and other security forces to intercept and disperse migrant groups at the southern border. This approach aims to prevent large caravans from forming and progressing northward.
INCOMING LEFT-WING MEXICAN PRESIDENT COULD BE 'BAD NEWS' FOR US ON BORDER CRISIS: EXPERT
Mexican government has organized flights to repatriate migrants to their countries of origin, seeking to reduce the number of individuals attempting to cross Mexico en route to the U.S. Mexico continues to work closely with U.S. authorities to manage migration flows, including accepting certain deported migrants and implementing policies to control the surge of individuals seeking entry into the United States.
President-elect Trump’s proposed tariffs on Mexican exports, particularly in the automotive sector, have prompted Mexico to consider reciprocal measures. Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard indicated that Mexico might impose its own tariffs on U.S. imports if such U.S. tariffs are enacted, emphasizing the potential economic repercussions for both nations.
Montes de Oca told Fox News Digital that "Mexico needs to prepare a comprehensive plan to address the current violence in the country; otherwise, it may face economic repercussions that could affect the renegotiation of the USMCA trade deal in 2026." In response to Trump’s previous threats of military action against drug cartels, Mexico might enhance its security strategies to mitigate the risk of unilateral U.S. interventions which the Mexican government is afraid of.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS
The President of the Mexican Senate, Gerardo Fernández Noroña, said that "Donald Trump is a difficult guy, but he does not eat fire, he knows very well the importance of the relationship with our country, he knows very well the importance of the Mexican community in the United States and that he had very important support from Mexicans during the election." He also mentioned that "Claudia Sheinbaum has the ability, firmness, character, preparation and the popular support to get along with him correctly."
Congressman Raúl Torres, who is House Representative of Mexicans Abroad, spoke with Fox News Digital: "Claudia Sheinbaum's administration will have to reinforce the security strategy on the southern border by deploying the National Guard and strengthening the presence of the National Migration Institute. Likewise, she must change the narrative and a new way of negotiating with the U.S. given the upcoming negotiation of the USMCA trade deal. She must put at the center an economic agenda to empower Mexicans in the United States, whose weight is increasing every day since many of them open businesses, generate jobs and voted for Donald Trump."
Experts consider it is still early and uncertain to know the extent to which Sheinbaum’s government will be open to changing certain positions and policies to benefit the relationship with the United States. Mainly in security, since her predecessor preferred to protect criminal groups instead of fighting them. She promised continuity in everything, and security policy could be the point of most tension with the coming Trump administration.
In a meeting with Biden, China's Xi cautions US to 'make the wise choice' to keep relations stable
China’s leader Xi Jinping met for the last time with President Biden on Saturday, but was already looking ahead to President-elect Donald Trump and his "America first" policies, saying Beijing "is ready to work with a new U.S. administration."
During their talks on the sidelines of the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru, Xi cautioned that a stable China-U.S. relationship was critical not only to the two nations but to the "future and destiny of humanity."
TRUMP LOOMS LARGE AS BIDEN SET TO MEET CHINA'S XI DURING LATIN AMERICA SUMMITS
"Make the wise choice," he cautioned. "Keep exploring the right way for two major countries to get along well with each other."
Without mentioning Trump’s name, Xi appeared to signal his concern that the incoming president’s protectionist rhetoric on the campaign trail could send the U.S.-China relationship into another valley.
"China is ready to work with a new U.S. administration to maintain communication, expand cooperation and manage differences so as to strive for a steady transition of the China-U.S. relationship for the benefit of the two peoples," Xi said through an interpreter.
Xi, who is firmly entrenched atop China’s political hierarchy, spoke forcefully in his brief remarks before reporters. Biden, who is winding down more than 50 years of public service, talked in broader brushstrokes about where the relationship between the two countries has gone.
He reflected not just on the past four years but on the decades the two have known each other.
"We haven’t always agreed, but our conversations have always been candid and always been frank. We’ve never kidded one another," Biden said. "These conversations prevent miscalculations, and they ensure the competition between our two countries will not veer into conflict."
Biden urged Xi to dissuade North Korea from further deepening its support for Russia’s war on Ukraine. The leaders, with top aides surrounding them, gathered around a long rectangle of tables in an expansive conference room at a Lima hotel.
They had much to discuss, including China’s indirect support for Russia, human rights issues, technology and Taiwan, the self-ruled democracy that Beijing claims as its own. On artificial intelligence, the two agreed on the need to maintain human control over the decision to use nuclear weapons and more broadly improve safety and international cooperation of the rapidly expanding technology.
There’s much uncertainty about what lies ahead in the U.S.-China relationship under Trump, who campaigned promising to levy 60% tariffs on Chinese imports.
Already, many American companies, including Nike and eyewear retailer Warby Parker, have been diversifying their sourcing away from China. Shoe brand Steve Madden says it plans to cut imports from China by as much as 45% next year.
In a congratulatory message to Trump after his victory over Vice President Kamala Harris, Xi called for the U.S. and China to manage their differences and get along in a new era. In front of cameras Saturday, Xi spoke to Biden — but it was unmistakable that his message was directed at Trump.
"In a major flourishing sci-tech revolution, neither decoupling nor supply chain disruption is a solution," Xi said. "Only mutual, beneficial cooperation can lead to common development. ‘Small yard, high fence’ is not what a major country should pursue."
Biden administration officials have said they would advise the Trump team that managing the intense competition with Beijing will likely be the most significant foreign policy challenge they will face.
On Saturday, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Biden had reinforced to Xi "that these next two months are a time of transition" and that the president would like to pass off the U.S.-China relationship "in stable terms" to the new administration.
Biden has viewed his relationship with Xi as among the most consequential on the international stage and put much effort into cultivating it. The two first got to know each other on travels across the U.S. and China when both were vice presidents, interactions that both have said left a lasting impression. They last met a year ago on the APEC sidelines in Northern California.
"For over a decade, you and I have spent many hours together, both here and in China and in between," Biden said. "We’ve spent a long time dealing with these issues."
But the last four years have presented a steady stream of difficult moments.
The FBI this week offered new details of a federal investigation into Chinese government efforts to hack into U.S. telecommunications networks. The initial findings have revealed a "broad and significant" cyberespionage campaign aimed at stealing information from Americans who work in government and politics.
Sullivan said Biden raised the matter with Xi during their talks and that the U.S. will have more to say about the investigation in the weeks ahead.
U.S. intelligence officials also have assessed China has surged sales to Russia of machine tools, microelectronics and other technology that Moscow is using to produce missiles, tanks, aircraft and other weaponry for use in its war against Ukraine.
And tensions flared last year after Biden ordered the shooting down of a Chinese spy balloon that traversed the United States.
Biden wants Xi to step up Chinese engagement to prevent an already dangerous moment with North Korea from further escalating.
Biden, along with South Korean President Yoon Seok Yul and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, on Friday condemned North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s decision to send thousands of troops to help Moscow repel Ukrainian forces who have seized territory in Russia’s Kursk border region.
White House officials have expressed frustration with Beijing, which accounts for the vast majority of North Korea’s trade, for not doing more to rein in Pyongyang.
The North Koreans also have provided Russia with artillery and other munitions, according to U.S. and South Korean intelligence officials. And the U.S., Japan and South Korea have expressed alarm over Pyongyang’s stepped-up cadence of ballistic missile tests.
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Kim ordered testing exercises in the lead-up to this month’s U.S. election and is claiming progress on efforts to build capability to strike the U.S. mainland.
Xi and Biden started their day at the leaders’ retreat at the APEC summit, taking part in a photo where they all wore scarves made from vicuña wool, a symbolic animal for Peru. It’s common practice that leaders at these gatherings are given a gift — usually traditional clothing of the host country — that they don for the photo.
10 newborn babies die in India after fire rips through hospital neonatal unit
Ten newborn babies died from burns and suffocation after a fire swept through a neonatal intensive care unit in northern India, a government official said on Saturday.
The blaze broke out late on Friday at the Maharani Laxmibai Medical College in Jhansi district about 180 miles southwest of Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh state.
INDIA'S CAPITAL INTRODUCES STRICTER ANTI-POLLUTION MEASURES AS TOXIC SMOG HIDES TAJ MAHAL
Emergency responders rescued 38 newborns from the ward, which housed 49 infants at the time of the incident, said state Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak.
"Seventeen of the injured are receiving treatment in different wings and some private hospitals," Pathak told reporters in Jhansi. Seven of the deceased infants have been identified, while the authorities are working to identify the remaining three, he said.
One infant remains missing, said a government official who asked not to be identified as he is not authorised to speak to media.
The cause of the fire remains unknown. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ordered an inquiry into the incident.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences over the "heart-wrenching" incident.
"My deepest condolences to those who lost their innocent children in this," Modi posted on the X platform. "I pray to God to give them the strength to bear this immense loss."
2,000-year-old Roman road discovered by archaeologists in London
During excavations amid the early stages of expanding low carbon heating to thousands of homes along Old Kent Road in London, archaeologists found physical evidence of an ancient Roman road.
Wating Street was built closely following the Roman invasion of Britain in AD 43, according to a Wednesday press release from the London Borough of Southwark.
Prior to this discovery, there was very little evidence to support the exact route of the ancient Roman road.
12-YEAR-OLD-BOY STUMBLES UPON STUNNING ANCIENT FIND WHILE WALKING DOG IN ENGLAND: ‘RELATIVELY RARE’
With the shared characteristic of Roman roads traditionally being straight, archaeologists believed they knew where the ancient road would be.
Sections of the 2,000-year-old route were uncovered by a team of archaeologists from the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA), working on behalf of Veolia and archaeological consultants RPS, A Tetra Tech Company, beneath modern day Old Kent Road, according to the press release.
"The discovery of an intact section of Roman Wating Street directly under the current Old Kent Road has redrawn the Roman road map for Southwark and informs on Roman construction techniques generally. It is a key finding for archaeological research for London," said Gillian King, director of archaeology at RPS, per the release.
RARE TOOL DATING BACK 3,500 YEARS FOUND IN THE UK
The section of the ancient Roman road was well-preserved, with distinct layers observable, helping experts to better understand its construction.
The road measured 5.8 meters (about 19 feet) wide and 1.4 meters (about 5 feet) high.
Its construction was completed using a solid foundation of gravel sealed by two layers of chalk, and another layer of compacted sand and gravel on top, according to the press release.
"It’s amazing this section of road has survived for almost 2,000 years. There has been so much activity here over the past few hundred years, from sewers to power cables, tramlines and of course the building of the modern road, so we’re really excited to find such a substantial chunk of Roman material remaining," Dave Taylor, MOLA project manager said, according to the press release.
The discovery will be signified with a sign close to Old Kent Road Bridge.
Trump looms large as Biden set to meet China's Xi during Latin America summits
President Biden is in Latin America for a farewell tour to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Peru and the G-20 summit in Brazil.
The Biden administration can do little about the future agenda of these institutions, Ariel González Levaggi, Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Fox News Digital.
Levaggi said much of what Biden will highlight at these summits will not be on the table for the incoming Trump administration. Because of the change of power, the G-20 will be "less politically relevant," limiting Biden’s ability to make any commitments.
The president’s first stop is in Lima, Peru, where he will meet world leaders at the APEC summit, placing a heavy focus on the Indo-Pacific region. Biden’s next stop on Sunday will be in Brazil’s capital, Rio de Janeiro, where he will meet with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on the margins of the G-20 summit.
BIDEN, XI MEETING WILL BE FORUM FOR 'INTENSE DIPLOMACY' AMID TENSIONS BETWEEN US, CHINA: OFFICIALS
Biden is also expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the APEC summit on Saturday as China has expanded its economic footprint in Latin America, particularly in APEC host Peru. Xi watched along with Peruvian President Dina Boluarte for a ceremonial ribbon-cutting for the opening of the new Peruvian megaport of Chancay, a project financed by China to the tune of over $1 billion. The megaport’s symbolism highlights China's growing investment and influence in Latin America.
China has become South America’s top trading partner, and trade between China and Latin America grew significantly between 2000 and 2020, increasing from $12 billion to $315 billion. Two-way trade is expected to double by 2035, reaching more than $700 billion, according to figures from the World Economic Forum.
Biden’s visits to APEC and the G-20, which will likely be his last appearances on the international stage in his 50-year political career, come in the shadow of former President Trump’s election victory and his return to the White House. The summits will focus on trade, security and global alliances, but there are unlikely to be any deliverables at the conclusion of each.
"Biden is playing a weak hand that just got weaker," Mark Montgomery, retired Rear Admiral and Senior Fellow at Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital.
XI JINPING WARNS TRUMP US WOULD 'LOSE FROM CONFRONTATION' WITH CHINA AS RENEWED TRADE WAR LOOMS
"Biden has to contend with both Trump’s victory but also with Chinese President Xi’s ascendency in Latin America, especially given China’s predominant role as an economic partner of choice," Montgomery added.
As Trump prepares for his second term, some leaders will have to contend with a more aggressive U.S. posture, including in the economic realm and international trade.
"China and the EU should expect higher U.S. tariffs in 2025," Derek Scissors, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, told Fox News Digital. He also said the tariffs could provide leverage for Trump in his second term.
GERMANY BRACES UNDER COLLAPSING GOVERNMENT AND LOOMING TRUMP TRADE WAR
China and other members of the G-20 will likely brace for a reboot of Trump’s "America First" policy, placing a heavy emphasis on higher tariffs. Trump famously launched a trade war with China in his first term in 2018, raising tariffs up to 25% on steel, aluminum and other Chinese-made products. China responded with reciprocal tariffs against the U.S. Trump promised to raise tariffs up to 60% on Chinese imports while running for president, although it’s unclear if he would actually go that high.
Traditional U.S. allies might not be exempt, either, from a second Trump administration tariff policy, where some nations could see up to a 20% increase in tariffs.
Ukrainian troops train for trench warfare near France's WWI battlefields
Soldiers scramble through trenches under a haze of yellow smoke, machine gunfire booms across the fields, invisible drones buzz overhead and voices scream in Ukrainian "Watch out!"
The scene could be 1,860 miles away in Ukraine's Donbas region, but instead some 2,000 Ukrainian conscripts and veterans are training in the muddy fields of France's eastern Marne region, where French and German armies once hammered each other during World War I.
DOCUMENTS REVEAL RUSSIA'S INITIAL 'PEACE DEAL' EQUATED TO THE SURRENDER OF UKRAINE: REPORT
The initiative is part of a European Union-funded program that has already prepared 60,000 Ukrainians for the front lines since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
For this training, the French military has tried to recreate the conditions faced by the Ukrainian forces back home, while training them on the equipment that France is providing.
This includes 128 armored vehicles for troop movements and reconnaissance, Caesar howitzers, anti-tank missile units, surface-to-air missiles and battlefield radars.
The Anne of Kyiv brigade - named after a princess who married French King Henri I in 1051 in nearby Reims cathedral - has been training in France since September, and in the next 10 days will head to Poland before being dispatched to the front.
French officials say Ukraine needs as many as 15 new highly trained, battle-ready brigades, especially amid uncertainty over future Western military aid following the victory of Donald Trump - a strong critic of such aid - in the U.S. elections.
Most of the Ukrainians being trained here only joined the army a month before coming to France, while about 10% are veterans. Their average age is 38, but some are as old as 50.
Those who spoke to Reuters sounded apprehensive but determined to defend their country.
"Fear is part of war. For us, it's a war for our existence and survival," said Ukrainian Col. Dmytro Rymschyn, 38, who heads the Anne of Kyiv brigade.
"We will soon go back to our native land and our brigade will show its competence. I believe in our victory."
Mykhailo, 50, who left a chemical factory to join the army, was trained to lead an AMX light tank squadron.
When asked whether he hoped the war could end by year-end, he smiled awkwardly: "The hope is that it finishes before we have to go back."
French officials said the current trainees, despite many being civilians, were learning quickly and were showing how Ukraine's army can adapt despite shortages on the ground.
After nine weeks of training, the Ukrainians were now able, for example, to repel an attack on their trenches and to mount a counter-attack.
French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu told reporters France hoped to prepare more such troops in coming months.
"There is a certain human element to all of this," he added. "There is an exchange with people here who in several weeks will be in a combat situation on the frontline and some of them may well lose their lives."
Fire kills at least 10 people in Spanish retirement home
At least 10 people were killed after a fire broke out in a retirement home in the northern Spanish town of Villafranca de Ebro early Friday, authorities said.
The blaze started in one of the rooms, Fernando Beltran, the national government's top official in Aragon region, told reporters.
SPAIN SEARCHES FOR BODIES AFTER UNPRECEDENTED FLOODING CLAIMS AT LEAST 158 LIVES
All the victims were elderly people living in the Jardines de Villafranca residence, a care home for people with mental health issues, Aragon regional president Jorge Azcon told reporters.
One person was in a critical condition and another was in a serious condition, Azcon said.
The fire started at around 5 a.m. local time, and it took about two hours for firefighters to extinguish it, a spokesperson for the regional government said.
Firefighter chief Eduardo Sanchez told reporters the fire was contained to the room where it started and that the fatalities were caused by smoke inhalation.
"The doors were closed, they prevented the fire from spreading. The tragedy could have been worse," Azcon said after visiting the building.
Several residents were treated, mainly for smoke inhalation, mayor Volga Ramirez said.
Authorities have opened an investigation into the cause of the fire.
Azcon said the priority now was to transfer the residents who were not injured in the blaze to another care home in nearby Huesca.
Iran told Biden administration it won't try to assassinate President-elect Trump: report
In an unusual assurance to the Biden administration last month, Iran promised it would not assassinate Donald Trump in a secret exchange intended to ease tensions, U.S. officials told the Wall Street Journal, according to a Friday report.
The assurances reportedly came in a written message to the administration on Oct. 14, after the White House in September said it would take any attempt on Trump’s life as a serious national security that would reportedly "be treated as an act of war."
IRAN DENIES INVOLVEMENT IN TRUMP ASSASSINATION PLOT OUTLINED IN DOJ REPORT: 'MALICIOUS CONSPIRACY'
The Department of Justice last week outlined allegations levied at Tehran that detailed a plot by an Iranian agent to assassinate the former president from the campaign trail.
The allegations came after a Pakistani man involved in an Iranian murder-for-hire scheme was charged by federal prosecutors in August with plotting to kill Trump.
Fox News Digital could not immediately reach the White House for comment on how it will act following the department’s charges last week.
Iran has long said it would seek revenge for the 2020 killing of its top military commander and chief of Iran’s Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani, who was assassinated after then President Trump directed the U.S. military to kill him in Iraq.
IRAN DENIES INVOLVEMENT IN TRUMP ASSASSINATION PLOT OUTLINED IN DOJ REPORT: 'MALICIOUS CONSPIRACY'
Soleimani has since been dubbed a hero and a martyr.
In response to the news that Iran has since pledged not to assassinate the now president-elect, the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations told Fox News Digital, "We do not issue public statements on the details of official messages exchanged between the two countries."
"The Islamic Republic of Iran has long declared its commitment to pursuing Martyr Soleimani’s assassination through legal and judicial avenues, while adhering to the recognized principles of international law," the Mission added.
The White House has not publicly commented on the report, and Fox News Digital could not immediately reach Trump’s transition team for the president-elect’s reaction to it.
The Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, appeared to dismiss the Department of Justice’s allegations, calling the claims "third-rate comedy" earlier this week.
Protesters storm Putin-backed parliament in Georgia breakaway region
Protesters on Friday stormed the parliament of the Russian-backed government in the breakaway region of Abkhazia in Georgia and have demanded the resignation of the pro-Kremlin leader President Aslan Bzhania.
A truck was used to smash through metal gates surrounding the government building in the capital city of Sukhumi, and images of the riot show protesters then climbing through the windows and chanting in the halls, according to information sent to Fox News Digital by the East 2 West news outlet.
Russian officials said they were monitoring the "crisis situation" and urged citizens to avoid traveling to the region, Reuters reported Friday.
PRO-PUTIN PARTY WINS CONTESTED ELECTION AS GEORGIA DRIFTS FURTHER FROM US, EUROPE
Moscow has had a vested interest in the region given its immense economic support since it first recognized Abkhazia, along with the region of South Ossetia, as independent from Georgia following its 2008 invasion.
Protesters originally intended to demand that Bzhania drop an investment agreement that critics argue would have paved the way for wealthy Russians to buy up property in the region by easily out-pricing the local residents, reports said Friday.
But according to one opposition leader, Temur Gulia, the protest has morphed into an overall demand that Bzhania step down from the presidency, which he has held since 2020, Reuters reported.
He is not believed to have been in the parliamentary building at the time of the ambush.
The presidential administration reportedly said in a statement that authorities were preparing to withdraw the investment agreement, but another opposition leader, Eshsou Kakalia, maintained that the protesters would not leave until Bzhania steps down.
PUTIN LOOKS TO HALT NEIGHBORING GEORGIA'S WESTERN AMBITIONS IN VITAL ELECTION
If Bzhania were to step down, he would be the third leader to do so in Abkhazia since 2008.
"The Abkhazians don't want to rejoin Georgia," Will Stewart of East 2 West News explained to Fox News Digital. "They fought a bloody war against this, after all, or their fathers did.
"But nor do they want their culture and distinctive way of life overrun by super-rich Russians buying them up. And this is the risk now," he added.
Stewart explained that Western sanctions on Russia over its war in Ukraine have likely prompted wealthy Russians to look to the beaches of Abkhazia for their new vacation destinations, but this is being met with opposition by the locals there.
Reports in late August 2008 suggested that separatist supporters in the regions championed the recognition by Moscow, and it remains unclear whether there has been a shift in attitude toward the Kremlin following its invasion of Ukraine nearly three years ago.
The majority of nations across the globe do not recognize the breakaway region as separate from Georgia, and Moscow’s decision to do so under former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sparked outcry from then President George W. Bush, who said the move was "irresponsible."
Similarly, then-Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel argued that it violated the U.N.’s "understanding of the principle of territorial integrity and the fundamental international rights of nations" and said it was "unacceptable."
The move, which came just weeks after Russian invaded Georgia, largely signified a fundamental shift in the era of post-Cold War cooperation between the West and Russia.
But despite strong condemnation from Western leaders in 2008, the West’s altogether muted response to the violation of Georgia’s territorial integrity essentially paved the way for Russia’s uninhibited invasion of Ukraine, first in 2014 and again in 2022.
Scientists in Argentina unearth oldest tadpole fossil ever discovered
A tadpole fossil found in Argentina, dating back at least 161 million years, is the oldest that has ever been discovered.
The fossil was found back in January 2020, with news of the discovery published on Oct. 30, 2024, in Nature.
The team was not necessarily in search of what they found and came upon their monumental discovery by accident.
12-YEAR-OLD BOY STUMBLES UPON STUNNING ANCIENT FIND WHILE WALKING DOG IN ENGLAND: ‘RELATIVELY RARE’
The team was actually on the hunt for dinosaur fossils, according to National Geographic.
What they ended up finding was the oldest-known fossil of a tadpole on a piece of sandstone, according to The Associated Press.
The fossil contained parts of the tadpole's skull and backbone, as well as impressions of eyes and nerves, according to the source.
"It’s not only the oldest tadpole known, but also the most exquisitely preserved," said study author Mariana Chuliver, a biologist at Buenos Aires’ Maimonides University, per AP.
"It’s starting to help narrow the timeframe in which a frog becomes a frog," said Ben Kligman, a paleontologist at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History who was not part of the research, according to the source.
IRISH FARMER FINDS NEAR 60-POUND SLAB OF ANCIENT BOG BUTTER ON HIS LAND BY ‘PURE LUCK’
The tadpole discovered belongs to the Jurassic species Notobatrachus degiustoi, according to the published research, and provides a greater understanding of the evolution of the life cycle of a frog.
The fossil shared similar characteristics to a modern-day tadpole. Similarities include "the filter-feeding mechanism characteristic" that is present in tadpoles still in existence today, according to the research.
The exceptionally large tadpole fossil measured to be about six inches in length.
Modern frogs range greatly in size. The largest frog species surviving today is the Goliath frog.
Though the tadpoles belonging to these species generally fall in line with other frog species in terms of size, they can grow to be a whopping 12.5 inches, according to San Diego Zoo's website. These massive frogs can weigh up to 7.2 pounds, per the source.
As for the tadpole fossil recently studied, there was no doubting what it was upon discovery, but further investigation began to reveal more about the record-breaking find.
"When I first saw the fossil, I said, 'Okay, it is a tadpole, there is no doubt,'" Chuliver said, per NPR. "But then when I saw it under the binocular microscope, I said, 'Okay, this is the best tadpole ever!' Because up to now, there wasn't any other type of fossil tadpole with the gill skeleton preserved."
Priest stabbed in the face during Mass as religion-based hate crime is on the rise worldwide
Attacks against priests appear to be on the rise around the globe following the latest assault in which a priest in Singapore was stabbed in the face during a Mass on Saturday Nov. 9., marking at least the third attack of its kind this month.
Father Christopher Lee – parish priest of St. Joseph church in the west-central Singapore region of Bukit Timah – was attacked by Basnayake Keith Spencer with a knife while he was distributing Holy Communion, reported Catholic media outlet OSV News on Friday.
Spencer has reportedly been charged with the "offense of voluntarily causing grievous hurt by a dangerous weapon" and remanded by a court in Singapore for three weeks.
US CATHOLIC CHURCH UNDER EXPLICIT ATTACK, ARCHBISHOP WARNS — BUT SAYS THERE'S HOPE
Lee was reported to have sustained a "laceration on his tongue," along with a cut on his upper lip and on the corner of his mouth. He is said to be recovering from his injuries.
The Father in Singapore was not the only priest to have been assaulted last Saturday, as a monastery in Spain’s Valencia region was also attacked by a middle-aged man who yelled out "I am Jesus Christ" during his ambush before he was subdued.
Three friars at the Monastery of Santo Espíritu del Monte in Gilet, Spain were injured in the attack after the unidentified man "wielding a blunt object, burst into the premises with a violent and provocative attitude," according to a statement by the Immaculate Conception of the Franciscan Order, the community to which the monastery belongs, reported multiple reports.
Father Juan Antonio Llorente, 76 – one of three friars attacked in the incident – died two days later in a hospital after succumbing to his injuries on Monday.
Nov. 9 was marred by one other attack on a priest in Poland, where Father Lech Lachowicz, 72, died due to extensive brain damage following an attack one-week prior.
An axe-wielding 27-year-old – whose identity remains unclear – attacked Lachowicz on Nov. 3 in his rectory during an alleged robbery attempt in a Szczytno parish in northeastern Poland.
The assailant has been taken into custody.
The series of attacks across the globe came roughly one month after a priest was brutally attacked inside his Philadelphia home located across the street from St. Maron's Maronite Catholic Church, though he is reported to be recovering.
CHICAGO JEWISH MOTHER SPEAKS OUT AGAINST RESPONSE TO ALLEGED HATE CRIME: 'TERRORISM ON MY PROPERTY'
Hate crimes against not only Catholics, but Jews, Muslims and others, are growing across the globe, particularly in Europe and the U.S.
A report released Friday by the Organization for Security and Co-operation (OSCE) in Europe found that across 48 nations in Europe, there were over 4,480 incidents of hate crimes committed against Jews, more than 580 incidents targeting Christians and nearly 240 reported incidents against Muslims.
While anti-Christian and anti-Muslim incidents dropped from 2022 OSCE records, crimes against Jews grew by more than 20% from the previous year.
In the U.S., 2023 attacks against Catholics came in fourth behind targeted attacks against Sikhs, Muslims and Jews respectively – an increasing trend in recent years, though the assaults have skyrocketed following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent war that has ensued in the Gaza Strip, which has since extended into Lebanon, and increasingly, Syria, Iraq and Iran.
The FBI reported in September that there was a 3% decrease in overall hate crimes committed in the U.S. between 2023 and 2022, but according to its figures, there was also a 20% increase in the number of religiously motivated hate crimes committed over the last year.
More than 2,500 incidents of religion-based hate crimes were reported in the U.S. in 2023, a jump from the nearly 2,050 incidents reported the year prior.
While more than half of the religion-based hate crimes in 2022 were driven by anti-Jewish bias, that percentage jumped in 2023 to account for some 67% of all religious hate crimes in the U.S.
Anti-Muslim hate crimes came in second with 236 attacks last year, which accounted for less than nine percent of all religion-based hate crimes that year, according to the FBI.
Attacks against Sikhs accounted for 5%, and attacks against Catholics accounted for nearly 3%.
All attacks against Christians, as defined by Catholic, Protestant and "other Christians," made up over 6% of religious hate crimes, accounting for 176 incidents reported in 2023.
The BBC in October reported a similar trend in Britain and Wales where there was a 5% decrease in overall hate crimes but a 25% increase in religion-based hate crimes.
Crimes against Jews more than doubled in 2023 where more than 3,280 incidents were reported, up from just over 1,540 incidents in 2022. Attacks against Muslims also grew by 13% in Britain and Wales.
Trump said to lift all military restrictions on Israel on 1st day in office according to reports
Amid escalating tensions between Hezbollah and Israel, President-elect Donald Trump has promised to lift all restrictions and delays on the supply of military equipment and ammunition to Israel immediately after his inauguration, Israeli Channel 12 News reports.
The assurance from Trump’s team came as Israel is considering a 60-day cease-fire with Hezbollah, which would provide a window until Trump takes office and implements the promised changes.
Sources indicate that this commitment from Trump’s administration clarifies Israel’s willingness to temporarily halt military actions, with the understanding that support will resume without delay once Trump is in office.
Unnamed Israeli officials have confirmed the reports from Israeli media to Fox News Digital.
WHAT DOES PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP’S WIN MEAN FOR US AMID WAR BETWEEN ISRAEL, HAMAS?
Currently, U.S. restrictions include an embargo on a certain weapons shipment and limitations on various combat-related equipment, even if they do not involve explosive ordnance. This embargo has impacted Israel’s defense capabilities, especially as the military now contends with active fronts in both Lebanon and Gaza, requiring strict control over ammunition and supply use.
This pledge to lift all military supply restrictions, starting from Trump’s first day in office, would allow Israel to replenish its stockpiles and alleviate current constraints. With the 60-day cease-fire, Israel aims to temporarily suspend hostilities until the new administration takes office, enabling a resumption of full military operations if necessary, without the existing limitations.
On Thursday, the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon submitted a draft truce proposal to Lebanon's Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri to halt fighting between armed group Hezbollah and Israel, two political sources told Reuters, without revealing details.
WORLD LEADERS REACT TO TRUMP VICTORY 'ON HISTORY'S GREATEST COMEBACK'
Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is increasing military pressure in Lebanon, operating along the second line of villages to further diminish Hezbollah’s capabilities, alongside airstrikes in Syria and Beirut’s Dahiya district.
IDF spokesperson Brigadier General Daniel Hagari commented on the truce negotiations, stating, "The IDF’s role is to clear out terrorist infrastructure in southern Lebanon and ensure that Hezbollah cannot threaten Israeli citizens from there. This is our duty, and we must create the conditions that enable the political echelon to take diplomatic action."
Channel 12's chief political analyst, Amit Segal, who first reported the story, told Fox News Digital that "The Trump administration’s commitment grants Israel greater operational freedom—whether to pursue a cease-fire in Lebanon or, if needed, to take more decisive action with U.S. backing and no restrictions."
Segal added that a cease-fire with Lebanon at this stage signals that Israel’s northern objectives have been met, effectively decoupling the northern and southern fronts. While there may be progress toward calm in the north, he clarified, this development does not extend to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump transition team for comment on the Ch. 12 report but did not get a response.
Could Biden copy Obama with December surprise at UN to punish Israel's Netanyahu?
JERUSALEM — After 10 non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council proposed a binding resolution that would impose an end to Israel’s war to root out Hamas terrorists in Gaza, there is growing concern that the Biden administration could embrace the measure to send a strong parting message to the Netanyahu government.
Relations between Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have been tense since Israel launched its self-defense war against the U.S.-designated terrorist movement on Oct. 7, 2023.
U.N. experts are speculating that Biden might seek payback against Netanyahu at the U.N., just as President Obama did in 2016 when they let an anti-Israel resolution pass weeks before President-elect Donald Trump was to take office.
"Without a doubt, this is a calculated effort to Trump-proof the failed Biden agenda. Once a Security Council resolution is adopted, the Russians and the Chinese would veto any attempt to revoke it. Americans of all political stripes need to remind President Biden’s lame-duck administration that they didn't come out to vote only to hand over control to the Russians, the Chinese and the United Nations," Anne Bayefsky, president of Human Rights Voices, told Fox News Digital.
The proposed Security Council draft resolution fails to secure the release of more than 100 hostages being held by the terrorist organization, including Americans. The anti-Israel measure recalls President Obama’s punitive council action against Israel in the lame duck phase of his administration.
A version of the draft was leaked to Al Jazeera, which the Israel Defense Forces has accused of employing Hamas terrorists as reporters.
Israel’s ambassador to the world body, Danny Danon, told Fox News Digital, "It’s shameful that this proposed resolution fails to link the call for a cease-fire with the release of all 101 remaining hostages still held in brutal captivity by Hamas in Gaza. It is a one-sided resolution and shouldn’t pass."
Russia’s mission to the U.N. on Wednesday wrote on X that it "expresses its full support for the draft resolution on Gaza introduced by ‘the ten’ non-permanent members of the UNSC, which contains a direct demand for an immediate, unconditional and permanent cease-fire and the release of all hostages. We also call for this draft to be put to a vote without further delay."
Russia, along with the U.S., China, France and Britain are the five permanent members of the body.
US, ISRAEL AT ODDS OVER DECLINE IN AID DELIVERIES
Israel accused former President Obama of permitting passage of a council resolution in 2016 that censured Israel for the building of Israeli residences in Judea and Samaria, known more widely as the West Bank. There are growing fears among supporters of the Jewish state that the White House will use its lame-duck period to punish Israel again.
Danon told a group of journalists on Thursday, "While I don't think the U.S. would let the resolution pass, there might be other attempts to alienate and delegitimize Israel during the transition period, like we saw in 2016."
However, when asked at a press briefing last week if the Biden administration plans to replicate President Obama’s enabling in 2016 of what was deemed as an anti-Israel resolution by the Jewish state and many Trump officials shortly before Obama left office, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said, "So you should not read this – into this answer I’m about to give anything. You shouldn’t read in one way or the other. I cannot speculate on how we will vote on resolutions that are not yet even before the Security Council. Obviously, we will look at any resolution that comes up before the Security Council and make … our judgments based on the interests of the United States, as we always do."
BIDEN ADMIN ISSUES WARNING TO NETANYAHU AS ISRAEL HOLDS EMERGENCY MEETING ON GAZA AID
Fox News Digital sent a press a query to the State Department about the newly proposed draft resolution.
Bayefsky added, "Strip away the facade of faux peace, and you find a United Nations and an embittered Biden administration making big plans to do permanent harm to the state of Israel. President Obama produced the template for an end run around a Trump presidency in 2016: enable the U.N. to do the dirty work during the lame-duck term. The endgame is simple: Thwart Congress and the election results by bending American sovereignty to the will of the United Nations."
"To be very clear, a U.N. Security Council resolution that demands right now an unconditional and permanent cease-fire before the release of every single hostage, before the end of Hamas rocket fire, with Hamas still armed and hell-bent on genocide, is not pro-peace," Bayefsky continued. "It’s a guarantee of more war. There has never been a cease-fire that Hamas hasn’t broken. So the truth is that the U.N.’s idea of a cease-fire is actually directed at a party of one: Israel. Israel ceases and Hamas fires. A democratic United States needs to shut down these negotiations, period."
The 10 non-permanent members of the council are Algeria, Ecuador, Guyana, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, Republic of Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia and Switzerland.
"The Security Council Trump-proof plan involves setting up a continual barrage of U.N. reports and endless meetings on Israel's ‘compliance’ with the resolution," Bayefsky said. "… make no mistake: A Trump-proof production line of secretary-general reports ensures that the U.N. will be constantly throwing gasoline on any American attempt to put out the fire. U.N. reports, meetings and press conferences are not mere hot air. They fan the flames of hate and antisemitism until they blow up not only in Israel and Europe but right here on the streets and campuses of the USA."
India's capital introduces stricter anti-pollution measures as toxic smog hides Taj Mahal
India's government banned non-essential construction in New Delhi, the world's most polluted capital, and urged residents to avoid burning coal for heating, to combat worsening air quality that has disrupted flights and obscured the Taj Mahal.
The new measures, which include sprinkling water with dust suppressants on roads, as well as mechanised sweeping that would help settle dust, will come into effect from Friday morning.
INDIA'S POPULAR BUT POLARIZING LEADER NARENDRA MODI IS EXTENDING HIS DECADE IN POWER. WHO IS HE?
Delhi's Chief Minister Atishi, who uses only one name, also directed all primary schools to shift to online classes.
They also include a ban on non-essential construction and an appeal to citizens to use more public transport and avoid using coal and wood for heating, a government release said on Thursday, without saying how long the measures would be in place.
Air quality in Northern India has deteriorated over the past week, with toxic smog obscuring India's famed monument to love, the Taj Mahal, about 220 km (136 miles) from New Delhi, as well as Sikhism's holiest shrine, the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
New Delhi has a severe air quality level of 424, according to live rankings kept by Swiss group IQAir, the worst amongst global capitals.
The city battles smog - a toxic mix of smoke and fog - every winter as cold air traps dust, emissions, and smoke from illegal farm fires.
Around 38% of the pollution in New Delhi this year has been caused by stubble burning - a practice where stubble left after harvesting rice is burnt to clear fields - in the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana.
Delhi flights faced delays, with tracking website Flightradar24 showing 88% of departures and 54% of arrivals were delayed as of Thursday afternoon due to smog.
ALLERGIES, COUGHS, ASTHMA
Officials blamed high pollution, combined with humidity, becalmed winds and a drop in temperature for the smog, which cut visibility to 300m (980 ft) at the city's international airport, which diverted flights in zero visibility on Wednesday.
More patients flocked to hospitals, particularly children.
"There has been a sudden increase in children with allergies, cough and cold ... and a rise in acute asthma attacks," Sahab Ram, a paediatrician in Punjab's Fazilka region, told news agency ANI.
Delhi's minimum temperature fell to 16.1 degrees Celsius (61°F) on Thursday from 17 degrees C (63 degrees F) the previous day, weather officials said.
Pollution in New Delhi is likely to stay in the "severe" category on Friday, the earth sciences ministry said, before improving to "very poor", or an index score of 300 to 400.
The number of farm fires to clear fields in northern India has risen steadily this week to almost 2,300 on Wednesday from 1,200 on Monday, the ministry's website showed.
Lahore, the capital of Pakistan's eastern province of Punjab, was rated the world's most polluted city on Thursday, in IQAir's rankings. Authorities there have also battled hazardous air this month.