World News

A British woman was in for a surprise when her friends called to say her obituary was posted online, but she was still alive.

United Kingdom publication, Metro, reported that 39-year-old Faye Finaro of Nottingham was stunned to see her name and photo in the obituary section of the Mansfield Chad.

Along with Finaro’s obituary was an option to send flowers to her grieving family.

Finaro reportedly only saw the post after a friend called her to make sure "she wasn’t dead," after seeing her name on the page’s "Legacy" section.

WOMAN ARRESTED AFTER BREAKING INTO HOME, MAKING PASTA DINNER IN CREEPY ENCOUNTER: POLICE

"[Two] years ago, a celebration was sent in to the Mansfield Chad website congratulating me on my business launch. It appears this section of the Chad is merged now with the legacy obituaries, and it is showing that I am dead," the undead Finaro wrote to the publication.

She then asked Legacy to remove the obituary, saying she is the "only person in the world" with her name, and the obituary is causing people to become concerned.

Finaro was later told by the publication the obituary had been removed, adding that the obituary could still appear in search engine results for about 30 days.

MAN DIES IN FREAK ACCIDENT INVOLVING FROZEN HAMBURGERS: 'DIFFICULT TO HEAR'

"Yayyyy I’m alive again," Finaro wrote on Facebook.

Metro reported that Finaro said she thinks the issue happened when a post celebrating her new business became mixed up with the publication’s legacy section.

WOMAN LEFT WITH KIDNEY DAMAGE AFTER VISITING HAIR SALON

"I might have 30 days of flowers coming," she said. "It was a standard day in my life when I got a call from a friend asking me if I was alive.

"My friend was quite concerned," Finaro added. "I posted it on Facebook and quite a few people commented and thought it was hilarious – my son found it really funny."

President Biden on Thursday pledged another $8 billion in security aid to Ukraine just one day after Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested he might change Moscow’s rules when it comes to its nuclear doctrine. 

In a proposal to the Russian Security Council on Wednesday, the Kremlin chief suggested that any attack by a non-nuclear nation that has the backing of a nuclear-armed nation could be seen as a "joint attack" — a move that could have a resounding impact on the war in Ukraine. 

The comments were issued ahead of a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President Biden on Thursday, in which Zelenskyy is expected to go over a "victory plan" and likely, once again, appeal for long-range strike capabilities. 

ZELENSKYY WARNS VANCE’S PLAN TO GIVE RUSSIA SEIZED LAND WILL LEAD TO ‘GLOBAL SHOWDOWN’

Ukraine, a non-nuclear equipped nation, has relied heavily on the U.S.’ military support in its war against Russia. 

Neither the U.S. nor Russia have a "no first use policy" when it comes to the deployment of a nuclear weapon. And Putin looked to make clear the "conditions" for which Moscow might determine its right to use its nuclear capabilities.

"The conditions for Russia's transition to the use of nuclear weapons are also clearly fixed," Putin said, according to a Reuters translation of his comments. 

Putin said that Russia could use nuclear weapons to respond to a conventional attack — including the employment of missiles, drones and aircraft — that poses a "critical threat to our sovereignty."

Despite the Kremlin’s attempts to once again to escalate the threat of a nuclear conflict amid its war in Ukraine, Biden renewed his commitment to Kyiv on Thursday morning to help it "win this war."

While it is unlikely that Biden reneges on his, thus far, strict opposition to U.S. missiles being used to hit targets deep inside Russia, Washington approved the first-ever shipment of a medium-range precision-guided glide bomb called the Joint Standoff Weapon, which has a range of up to 81 miles, Reuters reported. 

ZELENSKYY QUESTIONS CHINA'S 'TRUE INTEREST' BEHIND PLAN TO END RUSSIA’S WAR

The missile would allow Ukraine to strike Russian targets at a safer distance — a capability that Ukrainian officials have said is needed to effectively counter Russian advances on its eastern front-line. 

Biden said the funds would be divided between a previously authorized $5.5 billion presidential drawdown set to expire on Monday, along with another $2.4 billion authorized through the Department of Defense under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. 

The president — who also said the U.S. would be sending another Patriot air defense battery and expand training into next year for another 18 F-16 pilots — championed what Ukraine has been able to achieve with the help of Western partners, including winning the battle for Kyiv, retaking roughly half the territory Russian had seized at the onset of the war, and "safeguard[ing] its sovereignty and independence."

"But there is more work to do," Biden said. "That is why, today, I am announcing a surge in security assistance for Ukraine and a series of additional actions to help Ukraine win this war."

The push to send additional aid to Ukraine comes as the U.S., and by extension Kyiv, face potentially a second Trump White House in which some fear aid to Ukraine would likely be largely cut off from further U.S. assistance. 

Two pro-democracy journalists in Hong Kong have been sentenced to prison for "seditious" activities and "illegal ideologies."

Chung Pui-kuen, 55, and Patrick Lam, 36, were found guilty in August of conspiring to publish seditious materials through their Stand News media outlet. 

Chung was the former editor-in-chief of Stand News and received a 21-month prison sentence.

HONG KONG JOURNALISTS CONVICTED OF SEDITION AS CHINA CRACKS DOWN ON FREE PRESS: REPORT

Lam, Chung's successor, was sentenced to 14 months but had his time reduced due to a variety of factors, such as his time served pre-trial and his health conditions.

The two men are the first journalists convicted of such crimes in Hong Kong since the United Kingdom handed over the nation state to Chinese rule in 1997.

Best Pencil, the publication's parent company, was also convicted.

PROTEST ANTHEM 'GLORY TO HONG KONG' OUTLAWED IN CITY

"The three defendants were not conducting genuine media work, but participating in the so-called resistance," District Court Judge Kwok Wai-kin claimed.

Hong Kong was placed under a national security law in the years following the 2019 protest movement as Beijing began to crack down on pro-democracy voices throughout China. 

The Safeguarding National Security Bill, passed in March, offers punishments for treason and insurrection with life imprisonment and allows for punishment for possession of treasonous publications with time in prison. 

"We didn’t have a hidden agenda, or any other goals that you couldn’t see," Chung said in his trial last year, according to The New York Times. "We saw very important events with a lot of public interest; we only wanted to document them."

In May, 14 pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong were also convicted in a national security case.

Fox News Digital's Jeffrey Clark and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

JERUSALEM—Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority, once again delivered a stridently anti-Israel speech at the U.N. on Thursday, where he also praised the anti-Israel protests across the U.S. and condemned Washington for its support of Israel. 

Abbas, who presented a 12-point plan for a post-war Gaza that calls for a permanent cease-fire, accused the Jewish state of committing genocide, while calling for its expulsion from the U.N. and taking aim at the Biden Administration for vetoing Security Council resolutions on the issue, while supplying arms to the Israelis. 

He charged the U.S. "furnished Israel with the deadly weapons that it used to kill thousands of innocent civilians, children and women. And this further encouraged Israel to continue with aggression."

Abbas started his speech by questioning Israel's legitimacy: "We will not leave. We will not leave. We will not leave. Palestine is our homeland. It is the land of our fathers, our grandfathers. It will remain ours. And if anyone were to leave, it would be the occupying usurpers." 

EXTREMISTS RISE IN NEW PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY GOVERNMENT AS BIDEN THREATENS ISRAEL OVER GAZA WAR

"Abbas spoke for 26 minutes and did not say the word ‘Hamas’ once. Since the massacre of October 7, Abbas has failed to condemn Hamas for their crimes against humanity," Israel's U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon charged in a statement following the speech. 

Yet while leaders from around the world watched his UNGA speech, some critics complain the 88-year-old's rule and domination of Palestinian politics in the West Bank (known in Israel by its biblical name of Judea and Samaria in Israel) has done little for the Palestinian cause.

Abbas was born Safed duing the British mandate period [now in Israel]). His family fled to Syria when Arab armies invaded Israel to prevent the establishment of the Jewish state.

Abbas has been accused of rewarding Palestinian terrorism via the infamous "pay for slay" system that supports financial stipends for convicted Palestinian terrorists and their family members.

He has also garnered a reputation over the decades as an anti-American agitator who stokes wild antisemitic conspiracy theories. Just last month, Abbas delivered a speech to the Turkish parliament, where he announced that that "America is the plague, and the plague is America" and "We implement Shari'a law: victory or martyrdom."

Asaf Romirowsky, executive director of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (SPME), told Fox News Digital that "Mahmoud Abbas aka Arafat's appointed successor after 20 years has done what Arafat hoped he would, that is maintain a Palestinian stasis while at the same time refusing to root out the corruption within the PA or combat terrorism. Further, as he has shown during his recent speech in the Turkish Parliament, a clear allegiance to Hamas and an endorsement of 10/7, underscoring the consistent antisemitism of his leadership."

Romirowsky added "With no heir apparent, Abbas's legacy, as was Arafat's, is that of self-inflicted victimology while maintaining wealth on the back of his own people in the name of the so-called Palestinian struggle."

MORE THAN A MILLION PALESTINIANS IN GAZA ARE NOW DISPLACED; WHY ARE ARAB COUNTRIES NOT OPENING THEIR DOORS?

Fox News Digital reported shortly after Hamas slaughtered nearly 1,200 people in Israel on October 7, including over 30 Americans, that the Abbas’ PA might compensate convicted Hamas terrorists for their role in the attack.

Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, told Fox News Digital the PA and Abbas "duplicate all of the corruption, nepotism, and inefficiency of the Palestine Liberation Organization" that was created by Arafat. 

He said "Abbas does not accept the basic right of the Jewish people to self-determination, and therefore he doesn’t recognize the right of the state of Israel to be a nation state of the Jewish people in any borders."

Michael, who is affiliated with the Misgav Institute continued, "He has not educated the young generation and has not educated PA officials for peace. On the contrary, Abbas has led and enabled the indoctrination toward hatred and toward delegitimization of the state of Israel."

In contrast to the U.S.-designated terrorist movement, Hamas, Abbas and the PA are considered to be relatively moderate, according to some Mideast observers. 

In 2022, Fox News Digital reported Abbas, issued a shocking diatribe against Israel in the German capital of Berlin, where the Holocaust – the mass extermination of European Jewry – was organized, claiming that the Jewish state has carried out "50 Holocausts."  

Abbas refused to apologize (or aid in a professional inquiry) in Berlin at the time of the Palestinian Black September massacre of 11 Israeli athletes and a German police officer during the 1972 Munich Olympics.

Fox News' David Hammelburg contributed to this story.

A Japanese court found an 88-year-old former boxer not guilty on Thursday after a retrial for a 1966 quadruple murder, reversing a decision that made him the world's longest-serving death row inmate.

Iwao Hakamada’s acquittal by the Shizuoka District Court makes him the fifth death row inmate to be found not guilty in a retrial in postwar Japan, where prosecutors have a more than 99% conviction rate. The case could rekindle a debate around abolishing the death penalty in Japan.

The court found that evidence was fabricated and planted by investigators and that Hakamada was not the culprit, his lawyer Hideyo Ogawa said.

MAN GETS $300K SETTLEMENT AFTER WRONGFUL ACCUSATION; COPS CHANGE FACIAL RECOGNITION TECHNOLOGY

After the ruling and an explanation were read out, his 91-year-old sister Hideko Hakamada walked out of the courthouse with a big smile, welcomed by cheers and two big bouquets of flowers to celebrate the acquittal of her brother after the 58-year legal battle.

"Thank you, everyone, we won an acquittal," she told a televised news conference. "When I heard the main sentence, it sounded almost divine. I was so touched and could not stop crying with joy."

Hakamada was convicted of murder in the 1966 killing of an executive and three of his family members, and setting fire to their home in central Japan. He was sentenced to death in 1968, but was not executed due to the lengthy appeal and retrial process in Japan's notoriously slow-paced criminal justice system.

He spent 48 years behind bars — more than 45 of them on death row — making him the world’s longest-serving death row inmate, according to Amnesty International.

UK TO OVERTURN CONVICTIONS FOR HUNDREDS OF POSTAL WORKERS WRONGLY ACCUSED OF FRAUD

Ogawa said he asked the prosecutors not to appeal the case, as is possible, but was told they have not yet decided what to do.

The lawyer also said the defense team is considering filing a lawsuit against the government, in part to learn more about the troubled investigation. If prosecutors do not appeal and his acquittal is finalized, Hakamada would be entitled to seek compensation.

It took 27 years for the top court to deny his first appeal for retrial. His second appeal for a retrial was filed in 2008 by his sister.

That request was granted in 2014, when a court ruled there was evidence suggesting he was wrongly accused. He was not cleared of the conviction, but he was released from prison and allowed to await retrial at home because his poor health and age made him a low risk for escape.

But the case continued to bounce among several courts, until one finally ruled in his favor in 2023, paving the way for the latest retrial that began in October.

Following his arrest, Hakamada initially denied the accusations, but then confessed. He later said his confession was forced during a violent interrogation by police.

CALIFORNIA MAN WRONGLY CONVICTED FOR RAPE RELEASED AFTER 28 YEARS IN PRISON: 'GRAVE INJUSTICE'

"I have nothing to do with the case … I am innocent," he wrote in his letter to his mother while on trial in 1967.

On Thursday, the court concluded that five pieces of bloodstained clothing that investigators claimed to have found hidden in a tank of fermented soybean paste, or miso, a year after Hakamada's arrest must have been put there long after the arrest.

The court cited scientific experiments that showed the bloodstains should not have been visible on clothing soaked in miso for a year. The ruling concluded that investigators, who had said Hakamada wore the clothes during the crime, had applied the bloodstains themselves and planted the clothing.

According to defense lawyers and earlier court rulings, the blood samples did not match Hakamada’s DNA, and trousers that prosecutors submitted as evidence were too small for him.

Thursday's ruling also blamed the prosecutors for forcing Hakamada into a false confession because of an "inhumane" interrogation.

Ogawa, Hakamada’s lawyer, praised the ruling as "groundbreaking" for clearly stating that the prosecution fabricated key evidence at the beginning. "I believe this ruling puts an end to the case. ... Now we must prevent prosecutors from appealing no matter what."

WRONGFULLY CONVICTED MAN WALKS FREE AFTER MORE THAN 2 DECADES AS PODCAST SHED LIGHT ON HIS MURDER CASE

After Hakamada was sentenced to death, he expressed fear and anger at being falsely accused.

"When I go to sleep in a soundless solitary cell every night, I sometimes cannot help cursing God. I have not done anything wrong," he wrote to his family. "What a cold-blooded act to inflict such cruelty on me."

Hakamada, whose Christian name is Paulo, was invited to a Mass in Tokyo during Pope Francis' visit in 2019, five years after his release.

Supporters say Hakamada’s nearly half-century detention took a toll on his mental health. Most of his 48 years behind bars was spent in solitary confinement. The first two months after Hakamada's release, he kept pacing inside the apartment, without even trying to go outside, his sister said.

One day, she asked him to help her with groceries to get him to agree to leave the house. Going out for a walk then became his daily routine, though today he is less able and he goes out by car, assisted by his supporters.

The case has drawn attention to and criticism of Japan's legal system. Japan Bar Association Chairperson Reiko Fuchigami urged the government and parliament on Thursday to promptly take steps to abolish the death penalty and lower hurdles for retrials.

"The Hakamada case clearly shows the cruelty of the wrongful death penalty, and the tragedy should never be repeated," she said, expressing hope that Hakamada truly regains his freedom and lives in serenity as a citizen.

CHICAGO MAN WRONGFULLY CONVICTED FOR MURDER AWARDED $50M AFTER SUING CITY, POLICE DETECTIVES

At a final hearing at the Shizuoka court in May before Thursday’s decision, prosecutors again demanded the death penalty, triggering criticism from rights groups that prosecutors were trying to prolong the trial.

Japan and the United States are the only two countries in the Group of Seven advanced nations that retain capital punishment. A survey by the Japanese government showed an overwhelming majority of the public supports executions.

Executions are carried out in secrecy in Japan and prisoners are not informed of their fate until the morning they are hanged. In 2007, Japan began disclosing the names of those executed and some details of their crimes, but disclosures are still limited.

Hideko Hakamada has devoted around half of her life to her brother's case. Before Thursday's ruling, she said she was in a never-ending battle.

"It is so difficult to get a retrial started," She told reporters in Tokyo. "I’m sure there are other people who have been wrongly accused and crying. … I want the criminal law revised so that retrials are more easily available."

UNITED NATIONS, New York - Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó revealed in an interview with Fox News Digital that former President Donald Trump alone is his country’s "hope" for helping bring stability to a fraught and increasingly chaotic international security landscape. 

"We do believe that actually the game changer here can be the U.S. presidential election, in case President Trump wins," Szijjártó said, referring specifically to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. "Because knowing Trump, I think it’s absolutely possible – absolutely likely – that with two phone calls he can end this conflict." 

"No one else can do so," he insisted. "I think only President Trump has the hope and our hope is all in President Trump to do this."

When pressed on whether that could be understood as a preference for a second Trump administration, Szijjártó insisted that "We are not Americans, so we cannot say we prefer this or that." 

EL SALVADOR'S BUKELE SLAMS CENSORSHIP AS HE TOUTS HIS COUNTRY'S TURNAROUND: ‘WE HAVE FREED MILLIONS’

"What we can definitely say is the following: Politics is based on experience, and we have a clear experience about the term of President Trump in office, and we have clear experience from the terms when the Democrats were there," he said. 

"From the aspect of the U.S.-Hungary relations and from the aspect of the global security situation, when it comes to the U.S.-Hungary relations, it’s obvious that during President Trump[‘s term] these relations have been on the top – best ever," Szijjártó added. 

Trump and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán have done little to hide their rosy friendship, with Trump invoking the Hungarian leader as a "strong man of Europe" who speaks well of the former president. 

DANNY DANON: UN ABDICATES ROLE OF MIDDLE EAST PEACEMAKER BY BACKING TERRORISTS

Orbán proved this is a mutual dynamic when he chose to leave the NATO summit in Washington, D.C., earlier this year to instead meet with Trump in Mar-a-Lago in Florida to discuss foreign relations.

"Under President Trump, everything was under control," Szijjártó said. "Since President Trump has left office, the whole global security situation is deteriorating, so, I mean, these are experiences." 

"If we base it on our experience, we say yes, from a perspective of U.S.-Hungary relations, I think President Trump would bring another impetus, freshness, dynamism to this relationship, and I think if President Trump is elected, I think the world has a good chance to become a more peaceful place compared to the current situation." 

Szijjártó argued that "if you look at an administration which is led by a president and vice president, and we didn’t hear too much initiatives from the vice president … means to me that the vice president was part of the structure 100%." He noted that this comment came from a personal opinion "based on logic" and not the opinion of the Hungarian foreign minister. 

ARGENTINA'S PRESIDENT JAVIER MILEI SAYS UN TURNING INTO ‘LEVIATHAN’ LIKE ORGANIZATION

Hungary has attempted to pursue peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, positioning itself as a chief facilitator for resolving the conflict. Hungary assumed the presidency of the European Union as part of a rotating six-month structure.

Orbán seized on the opportunity to visit both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy within the first days after taking the seat, but European leaders moved quickly to stress that the role is purely ceremonial and that Hungary had no official capacity to represent Europe in any peace talks. 

Szijjártó blasted those who criticized the Hungarian effort, claiming "those who have been criticizing us, the prime minister, the peace mission, have clearly been the pro-war politicians." 

"They just simply don't like that there is a country, there is a government, there is a prime minister in Europe who speaks direct language, who speaks honestly and who is not a hostage of the liberal mainstream," Szijjártó said. "Therefore, it is very unpleasant and inconvenient for them that we are there and that we act, that we speak, that we make actions."

Szijjártó resisted the idea that Ukraine should join NATO, noting that "including Ukraine into NATO would put us in a totally exposed situation, security-wise, because it would mean that NATO could be easily dragged into a war against Russia at any time, and this is something that we don’t want." 

"Everyone knows that any kind of direct confrontation between NATO and Russia would mean an outbreak of Third World War immediately, and we have joined the NATO to enhance our security and not to make ourselves exposed," he said.  

Discovering ancient treasure resulted in a major payday for the lucky finder. 

A 34-year-old archaeologist named George Ridgway found a collection of more than 680 gold and silver coins with his metal detector in September 2019, according to a press release from Noonans Mayfair, the London-based auction house responsible for the sale of the coins. 

The coins were discovered with a metal detector in the grounds of Helmingham Hall near Stowmarket in Suffolk.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS DISCOVER UNIQUE ARTWORK IN ENGLAND DATING BACK TO THE EARLY 2ND CENTURY

"It was on September 8th, 2019, that I decided to investigate an unusual crop mark in a recently harvested barley field in Suffolk with my Garrett AT Pro metal detector. I knew that a Roman road ran close to the field and was hoping the two might be related, but after scouring the area nothing turned up," Ridgway said prior to the sale, per the press release. 

No immediate luck didn't turn away Ridgway. He moved just 30 yards from where he was, where he uncovered two Roman brooches that dated back to the mid first century A.D. His detector went off again, and he found a silver coin issued by Julius Caesar from 46 B.C., according to the press release.

"I couldn’t believe that over the next 3 hours of searching, I found 160 more Roman silver coins, with a few of the coins stuck to pottery fragments. I knew I had made an important archaeological discovery and called my dad to guard the site overnight while we waited for an archaeological team to arrive and excavate the site. It took three months to recover the hoard," Ridgway went on to say. 

12-YEAR-OLD BOY STUMBLES UPON STUNNING ANCIENT FIND WHILE WALKING DOG IN ENGLAND: ‘RELATIVELY RARE’

Through further excavation, "Iron Age gold coins of Cunobelin, the king of the Catuvellauni and Trinovantes tribes started appearing," Ridgway said, per the press release. The collection of coins dates back as early as 206 B.C. up to the emperor Claudius in 46-47 A.D.

The find was a remarkable one for Ridgway, who said in the press release that he was inspired at a young age to "start history hunting" by Indiana Jones. Ever since he was gifted a metal detector by his grandmother when he was 12, finding a Roman hoard has always been on his mind. When he finally detected Roman gold and silver coins, he called the moment "awe-inspiring."

"We are very pleased with the result of todays (sic) sale. This is one of the largest hoards containing both Iron Age coins and Roman coins found in Britain, with the latest coins of Claudius and those of Cunobelin in virtually as struck condition," said Alice Cullen, coin specialist at Noonans, per the press release.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS FIND SEVERAL ROCK CARVINGS OF ANCIENT BOARD GAME DATING BACK 4,000 YEARS

Sixty-three of the coins collected went to the British Museum and the Colchester & Ipswich Museum for their own collections. 

The coins up for auction were estimated to bring in £75,000 (about $100,000), but they ended up selling for even more. 

The total amount brought in during the Sept. 18 auction of the coins was £132,865 (about $177,000), Noonans announced in the press release.

The money earned at the auction is being split between the landowner and Ridgway, according to Noonans.

When asked what he was going to do with the money, Ridgway told Noonans, "I would like to buy my dad a pint!"

The Taliban said Thursday it was absurd to accuse them of gender discrimination and other human rights violations, as four countries vow to hold Afghanistan’s rulers accountable under international law for their treatment of women and girls.

Australia, Canada, Germany and the Netherlands are set to start legal proceedings against the Taliban for violating a U.N. convention on women, to which Afghanistan is a party.

The countries launched the initiative on Wednesday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, which is taking place in New York until Monday.

NEW GOP-BACKED BILL WOULD BAN AID TO AFGHANISTAN TO AVOID GIVING US DOLLARS TO THE TALIBAN

Despite promising more moderate rule after they seized power in 2021, the Taliban have barred women and girls from education beyond sixth grade, many public spaces and most jobs. In August, the Vice and Virtue Ministry issued laws banning women’s bare faces and prohibiting them from raising their voices in public.

More than 20 countries expressed their support Thursday for the proposed legal action against the Taliban.

"We condemn the gross and systematic human rights violations and abuses in Afghanistan, particularly the gender-based discrimination against women and girls," the countries said.

"Afghanistan is responsible under international law for its ongoing gross and systematic violation of numerous obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women," they added.

AFTER 3 YEARS OF TALIBAN RULE, LIFE CONTINUES TO GET WORSE IN AFGHANISTAN

The countries said they did not politically recognize the Taliban as the legitimate leaders of the Afghan population.

"Afghanistan’s failure to fulfill its human rights treaty obligations is a key obstacle to normalization of relations," they said.

The Taliban’s deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said human rights were protected in Afghanistan and that nobody faced discrimination.

"Unfortunately, an attempt is being made to spread propaganda against Afghanistan through the mouths of several fugitive (Afghan) women and misrepresent the situation," he said on social media platform X.

"It is absurd to accuse the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan of violating human rights and gender discrimination," he added.

The Taliban reject all criticism of their policies, especially those affecting women and girls, describing it as interference. They maintain that their actions are in line with their interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia.

Fereshta Abbasi, an Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch, urged other countries to register their support for the four countries’ legal action and for them to involve Afghan women as the process moved forward.

"The announcement by Germany, Canada, Australia and the Netherlands may mark the beginning of a path to justice for the Taliban’s egregious human rights violations against Afghan women and girls," said Abbasi.

Hong Kong welcomed a new pair of giant pandas gifted by Beijing on Thursday with a lavish ceremony, raising hopes for a boost to the city's tourism.

An An and Ke Ke are the third pair of giant pandas to be sent to the city from mainland China since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997. Their arrival came after their new neighbor, Ying Ying, gave birth to twins last month and became the world’s oldest first-time panda mother on record.

With the addition of the new bears, the twins, and their father, Le Le, Hong Kong now houses six pandas.

GIANT PANDA CELEBRATES HER 20TH BIRTHDAY IN TAIWAN: 'FUNNY AND CUTE'

Chief Executive John Lee on Tuesday said An An is a 5-year-old male panda who is agile, intelligent and active, while Ke Ke, a 5-year-old female, is good at climbing, cute and has a gentle temperament.

The new arrivals will undergo two months of quarantine and adapt to their new home at Ocean Park, a zoo and aquarium that has long been a favorite of residents and tourists. Lee expressed hope that the public could meet the new bears in mid-December.

In October, the government will invite residents to propose new names that showcase the pandas’ characteristics.

Tourism industry representatives are optimistic about the potential impact of housing six pandas, hoping it will boost visitor numbers in Hong Kong. Officials have encouraged businesses to capitalize on the popularity of the new bears and newborn cubs to seize opportunities in what some lawmakers have dubbed the "panda economy."

Pandas are widely considered China’s unofficial national mascot. The country's giant panda loan program with overseas zoos has long been seen as a tool of Beijing’s soft-power diplomacy. Giant pandas are only found in China's southwest and their population is under threat from development.

But caring for pandas in captivity is expensive. A zoo in Finland agreed with Chinese authorities to return two loaned giant pandas to China more than eight years ahead of schedule because they were too costly for the facility to maintain amid declining visitors.

Hong Kong's Ocean Park has been hosting pandas since 1999, when the first pair, An An and Jia Jia, arrived in the financial hub shortly after it was handed back to China.

Jia Jia, who died at 38 in 2016, is the world’s oldest-ever panda to have lived in captivity. The average lifespan for a panda in the wild is 18 to 20 years, while in captivity it’s 30 years, according to the Guinness World Records.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shut down reports of a cease-fire at the Israel-Lebanon border on Thursday, saying he "did not even respond" to the U.S. proposal.

Netanyahu vowed to continue fighting both in Gaza and against Hezbollah "with full force." The statement comes as Israel stands on the brink of all-out war with Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy terrorist group that operates in Lebanon.

The Commanding Officer of the IDF Home Front Command, MG Rafi Milo, said Israeli forces are currently engaged in "a very significant offensive effort."

"We have set a very, very clear goal. We want to change the security reality in the north fundamentally. So that we can bring the residents back home with security, with a sense of security, and truly change the security situation. This week we are in a very significant offensive effort, with strikes that are taking away a lot of [Hezbollah's] capabilities and resources," Milo said.

HOW A US-BACKED UN RESOLUTION FAILED TO STOP HEZBOLLAH TERROR TAKEOVER: 'BIPARTISAN FAILURE'

Israeli forces say they carried out 75 airstrikes within Lebanon overnight on Thursday, targeting Hezbollah terror cells and weapon caches.

ISRAEL STRIKES WITHIN LEBANON AFTER HEZBOLLAH BALLISTIC MISSILE FORCES MILLIONS IN TEL AVIV INTO BOMB SHELTERS

Meanwhile, the IDF is also transferring large amounts of military power northward. The military released photos of tanks being mobilized toward the northern border.

IDF troops also conducted drills simulating "maneuvers in Lebanon" on Thursday, a potential indication of plans to invade.

"The exercise took place a few kilometers from the Lebanese border and trained the troops in maneuvering and combat in thicketed, mountainous terrain. During the exercise, the troops enhanced their operational and logistical readiness for various combat scenarios in enemy territory on the northern front," the IDF said in a statement.

KIRBY SLAMS HAMAS CHIEF SINWAR AS 'THE MAJOR OBSTACLE' TO CEASE-FIRE, HOSTAGE RELEASE DEAL WITH ISRAEL

Israel's conflict with Hezbollah has continued to escalate in recent weeks, with both sides exchanging dozens of missiles and rockets. Israel's attacks have been far more effective, however, as most of Hezbollah's missiles never reach their targets.

A massive bombardment from Israel earlier this week killed at least 560 over the course of two days, according to Lebanese officials. Israel says it targeted Hezbollah personnel, weapons and infrastructure with the strikes, but it has also said those targets have been purposely placed near civilians.

In a pointed warning to the West, Russian President Vladimir Putin said any nation’s conventional attack on Russia supported by a nuclear power will be considered a joint attack on his country.

Putin's announcement came as the Biden administration announced $375 million in additional security assistance to Ukraine, including air-to-ground weapons, munitions for rocket systems and artillery, armored vehicles and anti-tank weapons.

The warning came at a meeting of Russia’s Security Council, with Putin announcing revisions to the country's nuclear doctrine.

Putin said a revised version of the document states that an attack against his country by a nonnuclear power with the "participation or support of a nuclear power" will be seen as a "joint attack on the Russian Federation."

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY'S VANCE CRITICISM COULD COME BACK TO HAUNT HIM, REPUBLICANS WARN

Putin emphasized that the revised doctrine spells out conditions for using nuclear weapons in greater detail, noting they could be used in case of a massive air attack.

"Conditions for Russia’s move to use nuclear weapons are clearly stated" in the revisions, he said.

IRAN SPOUTS 'PROPAGANDA' FROM UN PODIUM, CALLS ON MIDDLE EAST TO UNITE BEHIND TEHRAN

"We will consider such a possibility when we receive reliable information about a massive launch of air and space attack assets and them crossing our state border," Putin added, citing "strategic and tactical aircraft, cruise missiles, drones, hypersonic and other flying vehicles."

The Kremlin's revision of its nuclear response doctrine has opened the door for a major nuclear power to loosen its declaratory policy, which is "never good," one expert warned.

"Regardless of whether you think this is a bluff or not, it’s never good when a major nuclear power loosens the conditions for nuclear use in its declaratory policy," Samuel Charap, senior political scientist at RAND, said in a post on X.

The $375 million package for Ukraine was announced by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken late Wednesday.

"The United States is committed to Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s brutal aggression," Blinken said in a statement. "We will deploy this new assistance as quickly as possible to help Ukraine protect its territory and its people."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to meet with President Biden and Vice President Harris in Washington Thursday to discuss allowing his troops to use long-range weapons to strike deeper into Russia.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Japan's Self Defense Force patrolled the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday for the first time in an attempt to send a message to China, the Yomiuri newspaper, reported citing multiple government sources.

JAPAN SAYS RUSSIAN PATROL AIRCRAFT VIOLATED ITS AIRSPACE, RESPONDS BY FIRING FLARES

SDF destroyer Sazanami entered the waters from the East China Sea on Wednesday morning, spending more than 10 hours sailing southward to complete the passage, the Japanese newspaper reported on Thursday.

The passage was conducted in concert with naval ships from Australia and New Zealand, the paper said.

An SDF official declined to comment on the report.

Thailand’s landmark marriage equality bill was officially written into law Tuesday, allowing same-sex couples to legally wed.

The law was published in the Royal Gazette after endorsement by King Maha Vajiralongkorn, and will come into effect in 120 days. This means LGBTQ+ couples will be able to register their marriage in January next year, making Thailand the third place in Asia, after Taiwan and Nepal, to allow same-sex marriage.

THAILAND'S SENATE APPROVES HISTORIC BILL LEGALIZING SAME-SEX MARRIAGES

The bill, which grants full legal, financial and medical rights for marriage partners of any gender, sailed through both the House of Representatives and the Senate in April and June respectively.

"Congratulations to everyone’s love," Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra wrote on X, adding the hashtag #Love Wins.

Thailand has a reputation for acceptance and inclusivity but struggled for decades to pass a marriage equality law. Thai society largely holds conservative values, and members of the LGBTQ+ community say they face discrimination in everyday life.

The government and state agencies are also historically conservative, and advocates for gender equality had a hard time pushing lawmakers and civil servants to accept change.

Bangkok Deputy Governor Sanon Wangsrangboon said last week that the city officials will be ready to register same-sex marriages as soon as the law gets enacted.

The legislation amended the country’s Civil and Commercial Code to replace gender-specific words such as "men and women" with gender-neutral words such as "individual."

The government led by the Pheu Thai party has made marriage equality one of its main goals. It made a major effort to identify itself with the annual Bangkok Pride parade in June, in which thousands of people celebrated in one of Bangkok’s busiest commercial districts.

The organizers of Bangkok Pride announced on Facebook that it will organize a wedding for couples who wish to register their marriage on the very first day that the law becomes effective.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took to the podium at the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) for the third time since Russia’s deadly invasion began more than two and half years ago, though this time he took direct aim at nations aiding Moscow: China, North Korea and Iran. 

Zelenskyy – who has long toed the line when it comes to maintaining murky geopolitical relations amid the war – for the first time called out not only the nations supplying direct arms to Moscow, but those who have remained complacent in their refusal to back Ukraine’s demands that Russian President Vladimir Putin withdraw his troops. 

"We need to make it clear the war is over. This is the peace formula – what part of this could be unacceptable to anyone who upholds the U.N. Charter?" he questioned. "If someone in the world seeks alternatives…it likely means they themselves want to do a part of what Putin is doing. [It] reveals the desire they are hiding." 

ZELENSKYY WARNS VANCE’S PLAN TO GIVE RUSSIA SEIZED LAND WILL LEAD TO ‘GLOBAL SHOWDOWN’

"And when the Chinese-Brazilian duo tries to grow into a choir of voices with someone in Europe, with someone in Africa, saying something alternative to a full and just peace, the question arises – what is the true interest?"

Zelenskyy’s comments referred to a monthslong attempt by China to enlist the backing of other nations for a six-point peace plan it introduced in coordination with Brazil in May, rather than backing the 10-point plan Ukraine first introduced in 2022.

China's plan has not been embraced by Western nations as it not only lacked concrete steps to actually end the war, but it did not explicitly call for Russia's withdrawal from Ukraine. 

Chinese representatives have not addressed the U.N. body, though Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Tuesday said he encouraged the joint plan.

In a similarly assertive tone, Zelenskyy called out Iran and North Korea for providing direct military aid to Russia – a step he has not taken before at the international meeting despite Tehran having provided Moscow’s war chest with drones for over two years. 

IRAN SPOUTS 'PROPAGANDA' FROM UN PODIUM, CALLS ON MIDDLE EAST TO UNITE BEHIND TEHRAN

One topic the Ukrainian leader has regularly touched on, and once again drew attention to, is the threat Russia poses to nuclear security. 

Zelenskyy in years past has reminded the UNGA that nuclear security is not only a concern for Ukraine, and on Wednesday, he warned that "radiation will not respect state borders."

Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine’s energy sector in a move to cut the nation from its power sources, especially during the winter months.

"Russia has destroyed all our thermal power plants and a large part of our hydroelectric capacity. This is how Putin is preparing for winter, hoping to torment millions, millions of Ukrainians," he said. 

Zelenskyy said that now, not only is Putin looking to employ the same strategy as winter looms, but he is also planning to target nuclear power plants in a move to disconnect the plants from the power grid – a tactic he is allegedly employing by relying on satellite images supplied by other nations, though Zelenskyy did not specify which ones. 

"Since Russia can't defeat our people's resistance on the battlefield, Putin is looking for other ways to break the Ukrainian spirit," Zelenskyy warned. 

UNITED NATIONS, New York - El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele in his speech before the United Nations General Assembly warned that society is "moving toward a scary inflection point" as the world goes through a "dark period." 

Bukele told the General Assembly that while his country is small, it has proven a great example for other nations to follow, highlighting that it does "not imprison our opposition; we do not censor opinions; we do not confiscate property from those who think differently."

"We do not arrest people for expressing their ideas," Bukele said. "In El Salvador, your freedom of expression, as well as your private property, will always be protected."

"In El Salvador, we prioritize the safety of our honest citizens over the comfort of criminals," he added. "Some say that we have imprisoned thousands, but the reality is that we have freed millions." 

DANNY DANON: UN ABDICATES ROLE OF MIDDLE EAST PEACEMAKER BY BACKING TERRORISTS

Elon Musk took to social media platform X to praise Bukele for his "great speech," highlighting the portion in which the president discussed "the dark times coming" and the need to "shelter from the coming storm to maintain hope." Bukele last week toured the Tesla Gigafactory in Austin, Texas, ahead of his appearance at the United Nations. 

"As a Salvadoran, I recognize these symptoms because we have experienced them all," Bukele said. "We saw the collapse of our nation step by step and we are seeing the same steps, but this time on a global scale." 

ARGENTINA'S MILEI BLASTS UN OVER SUPPORT FOR COVID LOCKDOWNS, APPEASING ‘BLOODY DICTATORSHIPS’

Bukele rose to international prominence after clamping down severely on his country’s crime problem, transforming what was once the "murder capital of the world" by building a super prison that holds tens of thousands of prisoners and allowing authorities – who received expanded powers – to clear the streets of anyone even suspected of gang or criminal activity.

Bukele attributed the swift and significant turnaround to his people remembering "that freedom is something that you take; it isn’t given to us," going a step further and urging others to come and see El Salvador and "contribute to our vision." 

IRAN SPOUTS ‘PROPAGANDA’ FROM UN PODIUM, CALLS ON MIDDLE EAST TO UNITE BEHIND TEHRAN

"It won't be easy to do this," Bukele said. "The next step, in fact, is perhaps harder than the previous steps that we've had to take: We have freed our country, but we need to maintain this freedom and do so in a world that is increasingly less free."

"El Salvador has left its past behind, but we never wish to return to it again," he added, saying that "it’s not too late to build a bridge and to escape the dust storm."

As tensions continue to mount between Israel and Lebanon, Jerusalem on Wednesday called up reserve brigades to its northern border and ordered them to be "prepared" as Israel stares down a "new phase of the campaign."

According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), a "number" of reservists were called up for "operational activities in the northern arena."

Fox News Digital could not confirm the exact number of Israeli soldiers being called to the northern border, though government-sponsored public broadcasting Israeli news outlet KAN reported that at least two reserve brigades had been mobilized. 

"You hear the jets overhead. We have been striking all day. This is both to prepare the ground for your possible entry and to continue degrading Hezbollah," Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, chief of the General Staff, said while speaking to his troops on the northern border. "Today, Hezbollah expanded its range of fire, and later today, they will receive a very strong response."

ISRAEL STRIKES WITHIN LEBANON AFTER HEZBOLLAH BALLISTIC MISSILE FORCES MILLIONS IN TEL AVIV INTO BOMB SHELTERS

"Prepare yourselves," he added. "Today, we will continue. We are not stopping."

The IDF said the order to mobilize reservists would further its combat operations against Hezbollah, as well as continue to secure the north to ensure Israelis can return to their homes in the region.  

"We have entered a new phase of the campaign, and we must be fully prepared for maneuvering and action," Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin, head of the Northern Command, said following his assessment of the troops on the border Tuesday.

"We are now in Operation ‘Northern Arrows,’" he continued. "Facing this, we need to change the security situation, and we must be fully prepared for maneuvers and action."

Israel has not formally announced any plans for a land invasion into Lebanon, but security experts have been warning for weeks that this is the likely next step as Jerusalem continues to ramp up its aerial campaign against Hezbollah. 

Leaders from around the world have met at the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to address the world’s most pressing issues, and Israel’s war in Gaza, as well as its strikes in Lebanon, have dominated the week’s debate.

HOW A US-BACKED UN RESOLUTION FAILED TO STOP HEZBOLLAH TERROR TAKEOVER: 'BIPARTISAN FAILURE'

Earlier this month, the Israeli prime minister’s office said Benjamin Netanyahu would be attending the top meeting in New York, though as the fighting along the northern border escalated over the last week it became increasingly unclear if he would actually make the trip.

Netanyahu’s office confirmed Wednesday that the prime minister will leave for the meeting Thursday instead of this evening as previously planned, and will address the UNGA on Friday with the intention of returning to Israel on Saturday.

It is unclear why exactly he postponed his departure, though it coincides with reporting Wednesday that said the entire Political-Security Cabinet will now convene this evening – a move that suggests proposals could be put forward that require a vote, according to KAN reporting.

Netanyahu’s office also confirmed Wednesday morning that the prime minister "will hold consultations with security officials in order to discuss the continuation of the attacks in Lebanon."

In a statement to reporters, Netanyahu said, "I cannot elaborate on everything we are doing, but I can tell you one thing: we are determined to return the residents of the north safely to their homes.

"We are inflicting blows on Hezbollah that he did not imagine. We do it with power, we do it with guile. I promise you one thing – we will not rest until they return home," he added.

By Wednesday afternoon local time, Israel had hit more than 280 Hezbollah targets in a one-day period and was continuing to conduct strikes against weapons storage facilities and other targets. 

The barrage of missile fire came after Hezbollah launched what it claimed was a ballistic missile toward the headquarters of the Mossad intelligence agency in Tel Aviv. 

The missile, which was intercepted, was fired by the terrorist network one day after Israel killed Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Muhammad Qubaisi in an airstrike in Beirut. 

The exchange of fire continued after Lebanon saw its deadliest day of conflict since 2006 on Monday with nearly 500 people killed, according to local authorities, including more than 90 women and children.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has warned Americans against re-electing former President Trump.

"What I’d say in a respectful way to Americans is: I don’t think you realize that the rest of the world is watching because we’ve got skin in the game," Khan reportedly said in an interview with Politico. 

"What happens in America is the metronome… that sets the beat of what happens across the globe," Khan, who is in his third term as mayor of London, told the outlet while in New York City for the United Nations General Assembly. "It sets the beat for how other politicians behave in an election campaign."

Khan, a left-leaning Labour Party member, claimed that Trump's withdrawal from the Paris climate accords, efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, and rhetoric about women and immigrants are dangerous, according to Politico. He encouraged Americans to consider Trump's first term. 

LONDON MAYOR URGES FOREIGN LEADERS TO CONDEMN TRUMP AS RACIST, SEXIST, HOMOPHOBIC

Compared to other United Kingdom leaders, such as Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Politico said Khan could more boldly support Vice President Kamala Harris as president of the United States. Starmer became the first Labour Party member to address their annual conference as prime minister in 15 years this week, the Washington Post reported. His speech referenced a need for "joy" – a catchphrase promoted by the Harris campaign. 

Khan, who has been engaged in public feuds with Trump in the past and has outwardly called the Republican presidential nominee a racist, a sexist and a homophobe, categorized the upcoming American election as one of significant importance. Trump has also been critical of Khan, describing the mayor in 2019 as a "stone cold loser who should focus on crime in London." 

"Make sure you’re registered to vote and make sure you vote," Khan told Politico this week. "Because the election that happens on Nov. 5, in my view, is the most important election in my lifetime." 

Politico also asked Khan about some of the worst unrest the United Kingdom had seen in years following the mass knife attack in Southport this summer. 

The mayor argued that British and American politicians should focus on responding to issues surrounding health care, housing and education, "not to play on people’s fears.' 

"The oldest trick in the book is to blame the other," Khan said. "The oldest trick in the book is to pick on one community and one minority, manufacture a situation where they’re blamed for the problems."

LONDON MAYOR PRESSED BY PIERS MORGAN IN INTERVIEW TO DEFINE 'WOMAN'

London was gripped with mass protests, arson and rioting in response to three young girls being stabbed to death during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the Southport neighborhood. Authorities blamed speculation online suggesting the attacker was a migrant Islamic extremist as driving "far-right" protests and violent clashes with the police. Nearly 1,000 people were arrested, reports say. 

The July 29 knife attack left eight other children and two adults seriously injured. Authorities later identified the assailant as Axel Muganwa Rudakubana, a 17-year-old born in Cardiff to parents from Rwanda, the BBC reported. He is facing three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder. 

In the interview, Khan also defended Starmer, who has been mired in controversies in his first three months in office involving accepting donor gifts, slashing winter fuel allowances for retirees and low approval ratings. 

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"It has been tough. Of course, it’s tough. Running things is tough, but I’d rather Keir Starmer make those tough calls, tough decisions, to be straight with the British people now, rather than having things being covered up and buried away," Khan told Politico. "And that means sometimes making decisions that in the short term are unpopular, but leading to medium-term, long-term benefits."

Board games have long been a favored pastime, even thousands of years ago. 

The ancient game called "Hounds and Jackals," also called "58 Holes," has long been thought to have originated in Egypt.

An archaeological discovery recently published in the European Journal of Archaeology by Walter Crist and Rahman Abdullayev suggests that the game could have different origins. 

ANCIENT PLANT LIFE UNEARTHED IN 53-MILLION-YEAR-OLD FOREST IN TASMANIA

Boards have been found spread across Egypt, the Levant, Mesopotamia, Iran and Anatolia, the study notes.

The game is played on a board covered in holes meant for the peg-shaped pieces. Players must navigate their way along the board, which is constructed of two parallel lines of tiny holes and an arc of 38 holes around them.

The player who reaches the end first is declared the winner. The ancient board game operates similarly to the far more modern game "Chutes and Ladders." 

ARCHAEOLOGISTS DISCOVER UNIQUE ARTWORK IN ENGLAND DATING BACK TO THE EARLY 2ND CENTURY

The new study explains that six boards were found at several different archaeological sites in modern-day Azerbaijan. 

One board each was found at Çapmalı, Yenı Türkan and Dübəndi, while three boards were found at Ağdaşdüzü, per the study. 

"Six boards bearing this game's distinct pattern were found at sites on the Abşeron Peninsula and Gobustan Reserve in Azerbaijan. Their presence there not only indicates that the region was connected to societies to the south, but also demonstrates the game's popularity across cultures and socioeconomic groups. Its supposed first appearance in Egypt is questioned in favour of a south-western Asian origin," the study notes. 

"While much attention has focused on the origin, typology, layout, and potential rules of the fifty-eight holes game and boards, less attention has been paid to the cultural processes that influence the transmission of games between regions," the study further explains. 

FOSSILS DATING BACK 9 MILLION YEARS UNEARTHED DURING CONSTRUCTION AT HIGH SCHOOL

The findings of these ancient boards suggest that the origins of the game could lie in southwestern Asia, dating back to the late third, early second millennium B.C. 

Additionally, "the Abşeron Peninsula's connection to exchange networks suggests that the game of fifty-eight holes spread through trade rather than conquest," the study states. 

"Whatever the origin of the game of fifty-eight holes, it was quickly adopted and played by a wide variety of people, from the nobility of Middle Kingdom Egypt to the cattle herders of the Caucasus, and from the Old Assyrian traders in Anatolia to the workers who built Middle Kingdom pyramids," the study further states.

While this finding makes a strong case about the game's origins, the study acknowledges that more evidence is needed to fully understand where the game got its start.

China fired a missile into the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday following a speech on the international stage by President Biden, in which he called for security in the region.

The Ministry of Defense of the People's Republic of China announced that its military had launched an intercontinental ballistic missile on Wednesday morning.

The missile, which carried a dummy warhead and was not targeting any nation, fell into the ocean without incident. The People's Liberation Army's Rocket Force claims that the launch was part of its routine military training calendar.

Just hours prior, Biden made his final address to the United Nations in New York City, running through a series of security concerns for the international body.

BIDEN ADDRESSES UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY FOR LAST TIME AS DICTATORS, DESPOTS COME TO NEW YORK

Biden specifically noted the threat posed against Western interests by China and urged efforts for peace.

"We also need to uphold our principles as we seek to responsibly manage the competition with China so it does not veer into conflict," he said. "We stand ready to cooperate on urgent challenges for the good of our people and the people everywhere."

HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF US RESEARCH DOLLARS MAY HAVE AIDED CHINESE MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, GOP-LED REPORT SAYS

"We recently resumed cooperation with China to stop the flow of deadly synthetic narcotics," Biden continued. "I appreciate the collaboration. It matters for the people in my country and many others around the world."

Biden specifically referenced the need to combat the forces of "military coercion" being applied to Taiwan and others in the region.

"On matters of conviction, the United States is unabashed, pushing back against unfair economic competition and against military coercion of other nations in the South China Sea, in maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits, in protecting our most advanced technologies so they cannot be used against us or any of our partners," the president said.

Israel launched a wave of airstrikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon on Wednesday, after Hezbollah launched a long-range projectile toward Tel Aviv.

Hezbollah said it launched a ballistic missile toward the headquarters of the Mossad intelligence agency. Millions of people in Tel Aviv received warnings and fled to bomb shelters, though Israel says it ultimately intercepted the missile.

The exchange comes one day after Israel killed Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Muhammad Qubaisi in an airstrike in Beirut. Qubaisi was a top commander in Hezbollah's missile and rocket force.

The Israeli military has vowed to do "whatever is necessary" to repel Hezbollah from their northern border, but top officials say they are not seeking to escalate into all-out war.

KIRBY SLAMS HAMAS CHIEF SINWAR AS 'THE MAJOR OBSTACLE' TO CEASE-FIRE, HOSTAGE RELEASE DEAL WITH ISRAEL

Qubaisi's death came amid a two-day bombing campaign from Israel, which they say targeted Hezbollah cells and weapons caches. Lebanese officials say the attack killed at least 560 people.

US SENDING MORE TROOPS TO MIDDLE EAST, NETANYAHU WARNS LEBANESE AS ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH CONFLICT HEIGHTENS

Israel has now conducted five targeted airstrikes in Lebanon’s capital of Beirut since the start of the Israel-Hamas War. Three of those targeted airstrikes have come in the last five days.

On Friday, IDF officials said another airstrike in Beirut killed Ibrahim Aqil, who headed Hezbollah’s operations and was commander of its Radwan Force.

ISRAEL SAYS IT CONDUCTED RETALIATORY STRIKES AGAINST HEZBOLLAH IN LEBANON, STRUCK HAMAS IN GAZA

The U.S. announced an additional deployment of American troops to the Middle East on Monday. The U.S. already had 40,000 troops in the region.

"In light of increased tension in the Middle East and out of an abundance of caution, we are sending a small number of additional U.S. military personnel forward to augment our forces that are already in the region. But for operational security reasons, I’m not going to comment on or provide specifics," Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters during an off-camera gaggle Monday.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a message to the people of Lebanon, saying Hezbollah is using them as "human shields," and urging them to get out of harm's way.

"Israel's war is not with you. It's with Hezbollah. For too long, Hezbollah has been using you as human shields. It placed rockets in your living rooms and missiles in your garages," Netanyahu said. "Those rockets and missiles are aimed directly at our cities, directly at our citizens. To defend our people against Hezbollah strikes, we must take out those weapons."

Fox News' Danielle Wallace and the Associated Press contributed to this report