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Taiwan's coast guard (CGA) detained the Chinese crew of a Togolese-registered vessel suspected of severing an undersea fiber optic cable connecting the islands of Taiwan and Penghu on Tuesday.

The CGA says the vessel, the Hong Tai 168, had been loitering within roughly 925 meters of the cable since 7 p.m. local time on Feb. 22. A coast guard vessel was dispatched to the ship at 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday, demanding that the vessel leave the area, Taiwan's state-owned media said.

Coast guard officials received confirmation that the Taiwan-Penghu No. 3 undersea cable had been cut at 3 a.m. Tuesday, and they began efforts to detain the ship's Chinese crew. All eight crewmembers were Chinese nationals, according to the coast guard.

Taiwan's Ministry of Digital Affairs confirmed that communications were diverted to other cables following the incident and that there was no disruption to service.

TAIWAN FM HAILS IMPORTANCE OF US RELATIONSHIP, SAYS GROUP VISITS 'CONTRIBUTE TO PEACE AND STABILITY'

The coast guard classified the incident as potential "gray zone" activity by China. The term refers to hostile actions that do not amount to an act of war.

Taiwan's government says it will investigate the incident.

The incident comes roughly a week after Chinese officials expressed frustration with President Donald Trump's administration for removing language on the State Department's website opposing Taiwan's independence.

TRUMP MUST DUMP 'ONE CHINA' POLICY AND RECOGNIZE 'FREE' TAIWAN, HOUSE REPUBLICANS SAY

Prior to Trump taking office, the State Department's fact sheet on U.S. relations with Taiwan had previously stated "we do not support Taiwan independence," but the phrase was removed earlier this month and continues to be absent. Chinese officials called on the U.S. to "immediately correct its wrongdoing," on Sunday, arguing it "sends a wrong signal to the Taiwan independence forces."

The State Department noted in a statement to NBC News that the U.S. stance on Taiwanese independence has not changed, however.

The U.S. has long held a delicate stance regarding Taiwan and its relation to the Chinese mainland. It has for decades followed the "One China" policy, in which the U.S. recognizes Beijing as the sole government of China, and acknowledges but does not affirm Beijing's claim to control over Taiwan.

Part of this understanding requires the U.S. to not have any formal diplomatic ties to Taiwan, a policy reflected in the lack of a U.S. embassy on the island.

Nevertheless, the U.S. has funded Taiwan's defense and worked with Western nations to prevent mainland China from taking over. Chinese President Xi Jinping has repeatedly stated that he is open to using military force to conquer the island.

Taiwan, which has its own democratically elected government, maintains that it is its own independent country. Taiwan first became a self-governed island after pro-democracy forces fled there in 1949 after losing a civil war to Mao Zedong and his Chinese Communist Party.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Moscow is willing to consider cooperating with the U.S. in mining rare earth minerals both in Russia and parts of Russian-occupied Ukraine.

Putin, in an interview broadcast on Russian state television Monday, emphasized Russia’s vast deposits of rare-earth minerals and their importance for the Russian economy but said his nation needs to do more to capitalize on its resources. He also said he is open to making an energy deal with the U.S.

His comments come as the Trump administration seeks to recoup the cost of aid sent to Ukraine by gaining access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, such as titanium, iron, and uranium, as part of a peace deal.

"Russia is one of the undisputed leaders in terms of reserves of these rare and rare-earth metals," Putin told state media correspondent Pavel Zarubin. "These are quite capital-intensive investments, capital-intensive projects. We would be happy to work together with any foreign partners, including American ones."

TRUMP OFFICIAL SAYS UKRAINE MINERAL DEAL IS 'WIN-WIN' FINANCIAL OPPORTUNITY FOR US TAXPAYERS, UKRAINIANS

Putin said that Russia would be willing to sell about 2 million tons of aluminum to the US market if the US lifted sanctions restricting the import of Russian metals. He said the move could help stabilize prices. 

He said that in 2017, Russia supplied about 15% of all American aluminum imports. Today, however, U.S. imports of Russian aluminum have dipped at least threefold due to sanctions. 

Putin also said a deal could be reached on Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine, which he referred to as "new territories."

"As for the new territories – the same applies: we are ready to attract foreign partners, and our so-called new historical territories, which have returned to the Russian Federation, also have certain reserves there," Putin said. "We are ready to work with our foreign partners, including American ones, there as well."

Putin also said that he is also willing to negotiate with the U.S. on Russian energy.

"There is much to think about here, as well as joint work on rare and rare-earth metals, and in other areas, including, for example, energy," Putin said.

His comments came on the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. A war that has killed thousands of civilians and displaced millions.

President Donald Trump suggested the war could end within weeks and wants to make a deal on Ukraine’s rare earth minerals.

The president, from the Oval Office Monday, hinted at a potential meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to finalize an agreement for rights to access its natural resources in exchange for the United States billions of dollars in support for the country's war against Russia.

TRUMP SAYS DEAL WITH UKRAINE FOR US ACCESS TO ITS RARE EARTH MINERALS IS ‘PRETTY CLOSE’

"In fact, he may come in this week or next week to sign the agreement, which would be nice, I'd love to meet him. Would meet at the Oval Office," Trump said. "The agreement is being worked on now." 

"They are very close to a final deal," said the president, who was meeting French President Emmanuel Macron in the Oval Office on Monday. 

Trump said the deal is "very beneficial to their economy," while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent added it is "very close." 

Trump’s comments come just after he posted on Truth Social that he was in "serious discussions" with Putin about ending the Russia-Ukraine war. 

The president on Monday also predicted that the Russia-Ukraine war could end within weeks and that Putin would accept allowing European peacekeeping troops in Ukraine as part of a potential peace deal. 

Trump administration officials, including White House national security advisor Mike Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, met in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, recently with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and President Vladimir Putin’s foreign affairs advisor Yuri Ushakov to hash out ways to end the conflict. 

Ukraine was absent from the negotiations in Saudi Arabia, a move that irked Zelenskyy.

The United States voted against a United Nations resolution laying blame on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine and demanding Moscow remove its troops from Ukrainian territory, as the Trump administration is chasing a peace deal between both sides. 

Russia and North Korea joined the U.S. in voting against the Europe-backed Ukrainian resolution, which cleared the General Assembly by 93-18 with 65 abstentions.  

The U.S. then abstained from voting on its own competing resolution after Europeans, led by France, succeeded in amending it to make clear Russia was the aggressor. That resolution passed 93-8 with 73 abstentions, with Ukraine voting "yes," the U.S. abstaining, and Russia voting "no." 

The voting unfolded on the third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and as Trump was hosting French President Emmanuel Macron in Washington. 

US-UKRAINE RIFT BREAKS OUT AT UNITED NATIONS ON 3RD ANNIVERSARY OF WAR 

The U.S. then pushed for a vote on its original draft in the more powerful U.N. Security Council, where resolutions are legally binding, and it has veto power along with Russia, China, Britain and France. The vote in the 15-member council was 10-0 with five European countries abstaining – Britain, France, Denmark, Greece and Slovenia. 

President Donald Trump on Monday teased a possible meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about ending the war between Russia and Ukraine. 

He also said "a lot of progress has been made" toward ending the war after Macron joined him at the White House for a call with Group of Seven (G7) leaders. 

"President Macron is a very special man in my book," Trump told reporters while sitting next to the French president. "We were together. We did it together. And I think a lot of progress has been made. We've had some very good talks with Russia. We've had some very good talks with others and we're trying to get the war ended with Russia and Ukraine." 

ISRAEL’S AMBASSADOR SLAMS UN’S SILENCE ON HAMAS: ‘HAS NO RESOLUTIONS’ 

The U.S.-drafted resolution presented to the U.N. on Monday acknowledged "the tragic loss of life throughout the Russia-Ukraine conflict" and "implores a swift end to the conflict and further urges a lasting peace between Ukraine and Russia," but never mentioned Moscow’s aggression. 

In a surprise move, France proposed three amendments, which added that the conflict was the result of a "full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation." The amendments reaffirmed the assembly’s commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity, and call for peace that respects the U.N. Charter. 

Both assembly resolutions were supported by U.S. allies in Asia, including Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, its neighbors Canada and Mexico and European countries, with the exception of Hungary. 

U.S. deputy ambassador Dorothy Shea said Monday that multiple previous U.N. resolutions condemning Russia and demanding the withdrawal of Russian troops "have failed to stop the war," which "has now dragged on for far too long and at far too terrible a cost to the people in Ukraine and Russia and beyond." 

In the Security Council, Russia used its veto to prevent European amendments to the U.S. resolution. 

Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya said the U.S. resolution is "a step in the right direction, a common-sense initiative which reflects the will of the new administration in the White House to really contribute to the peaceful settlement in the conflict," according to the Washington Post. 

Fox News’ Morgan Phillips, Alec Schemmel and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 

An American woman was arrested in Paris after she allegedly threw a newborn baby out of a hotel window, according to reports.

The Paris prosecutor's office confirmed the incident, first reported by local outlet Paris Match, with the New York Post on Monday. The child was thrown out of the window earlier that morning.

The fall reportedly took place from a second-floor window. The newborn was given emergency medical care but did not survive.

The hotel is located in the 20th arrondissement of Paris, a neighborhood popular with tourists seeking to visit the Père Lachaise Cemetery, where Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, Frédéric Chopin and other notable people are buried.

LAW STUDENT KILLED BY ELEPHANT DURING VACATION TO THAILAND: OFFICIALS

The American woman, who is currently detained, was allegedly part of a group of young adults traveling in Europe. The Paris Match described her as being part of a "study trip."

Officials are investigating the case as a possible instance of "pregnancy denial," in which a woman is unaware of her pregnancy or unable to accept it. 

EXPERT WARNS AMERICANS ABOUT ELEPHANT TOURISM AFTER YOUNG STUDENT IS KILLED IN THAILAND: 'RECIPE FOR DISASTER'

Paris' Child Protection Brigade was assigned to the case, which will be investigated as a homicide, according to NEXSTAR.

Fox News Digital reached out to the Paris prosecutor's office for additional comment.

Authorities are actively investigating the incident. No additional details are known at this time.

UNITED NATIONS — Israeli U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon is demanding the international body break its silence on Hamas’ atrocities not only on Oct. 7, 2023, but in the months since then, as released hostages detail the brutal conditions in which they were held.

"We demand justice for all of them to come back, and the U.N. should pass a resolution condemning Hamas," Danon said while speaking to the press on Monday. "Since October 7 it never happened."

Since the attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, which kicked off the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, the U.N .has passed several resolutions regarding Israel, but not one condemning Hamas by name.

"The U.N. has held countless emergency meetings on Israel, it has passed endless resolutions, but when terrorists massacred a baby and a child and then mutilated them, the U.N. has no resolutions to offer," Danon said.

Danon’s demand comes days after Israel received the bodies of Shiri Bibas, Ariel Bibas, Kfir Bibas and Oded Lifshitz.

ISRAEL'S UN AMBASSADOR SLAMS HAMAS' 'EVIL AND DEPRAVED' DISPLAY OF HOSTAGES' COFFINS

In response to a Fox News Digital request for comment, the U.N. secretary-general's spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, said that "even in the absence of such resolution on Hamas, the Secretary-General has clearly and explicitly condemned Hamas terror actions more than 100 times in public speeches or statements since October 7th."

"We have been very clear, including last week in my briefings, that we condemn the parading of bodies and displaying of the coffins of the deceased hostages, including the Bibas family, in the manner it was done by Hamas, which is both abhorrent and appalling," Dujarric added.

When asked to comment on Israel’s assessment of how the Bibas children were killed, Durjarric said, "It is vital that a full accounting be done on how the two children were killed."

The IDF spokesperson, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said forensic evidence shows that those who murdered the two boys did so "with their bare hands." Danon referenced the brutal murder in his remarks, adding that the perpetrators mutilated the two young boys’ bodies to make it look as though they had been killed in an airstrike, something Hamas claimed in November 2023.

During a memorial for the Bibas family and Oded Lifshitz, an emotional Danon said, "This is a grief that will echo throughout Jewish history. We will never forget. We will never forgive."

US-UKRAINE RIFT BREAKS OUT AT UNITED NATIONS ON 3RD ANNIVERSARY OF THE WAR

The memorial event, which opened with a video montage of the Bibas family before and during the Oct. 7 attacks, also included remarks by Argentina's U.N. Ambassador Francisco Fabián Tropepi. 

"We cannot allow these atrocities to be forgotten. We cannot allow those responsible to remain unpunished," Tropepi said. "What happened on October 7 was not just another attack in the history of this conflict, it was an act of terrorism of unprecedented brutality."

The Bibas family held both Israeli and Argentinean citizenship. Argentine President Javier Milei declared two days of mourning for the slain mother and her children.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Milei in a post on X, saying the declaration "should serve as an inspiration to all leaders of the civilized world."

"We will not stop raising our voice until every hostage still in Gaza is brought home, until the terrorists of Hamas are defeated, until the world fully understands the magnitude of horror these people endured," Tropepi said.

The U.S. State Department and Department of the Treasury reimposed what they describe as "maximum pressure" sanctions on Iran’s "shadowy" oil trade on Monday as tensions between Tehran and Washington remain high after President Donald Trump took office last month.

The State Department designated 16 entities and vessels part of a "network of illicit shipping facilitators" that "obfuscates and deceives its role in loading and transporting Iranian oil for sale to buyers in Asia," spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a written statement.

The State Department, along with the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), are concurrently sanctioning a total of 22 people and identified 13 vessels "as blocked property, across multiple jurisdictions, for their involvement in Iran’s oil industry," the statement said.

Bruce said those involved in the shadowy network have "shipped tens of millions of barrels of crude oil worth hundreds of millions of dollars."

IRAN TESTS TRUMP AS REGIME GENERAL SAYS IT WILL WIPE ISRAEL OFF THE MAP

"Today’s action represents an initial step to realize President Trump’s campaign of maximum pressure on the Iranian regime," she said. "It disrupts efforts by Iran to amass oil revenues to fund terrorists’ activities."

Those facing sanctions include oil brokers in the United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong, tanker operators and managers in India and the People’s Republic of China, the head of Iran’s National Iranian Oil Company, and the Iranian Oil Terminals Company, whose operations help finance Iran’s destabilizing activities, the OFAC said in a statement.

Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said the U.S. will continue to identify and go after anyone involved in the illicit network with Iran.

"Iran continues to rely on a shadowy network of vessels, shippers, and brokers to facilitate its oil sales and fund its destabilizing activities," Bessent said in a written statement. "The United States will use all our available tools to target all aspects of Iran’s oil supply chain, and anyone who deals in Iranian oil exposes themselves to significant sanctions risk."

PRESIDENT TRUMP CAN STOP IRAN'S MARCH TO NUCLEAR WEAPONS: ‘RE-ESTABLISH CREDIBLE MILITARY THREAT,’ REPORT SAYS

After Trump signed an executive order reinstating the campaign earlier this month, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said "maximum pressure is a failed experiment, and trying it again will only lead to another failure."

The return of the maximum pressure campaign comes as tensions flare in the Middle East between Iran-backed Hamas and Israel, and Tehran’s icy relationship with Washington under the Trump administration.

The U.S. Department of Justice last year charged the Islamic Republic with an assassination attempt against Trump, presumably in retaliation for the military strike that eliminated IRGC General Qassem Soleimani in 2020. Iran's president, however, denied the claim during an interview with NBC News' Lester Holt in Tehran. 

Iranian officials have also pushed back on all U.S. efforts to curtail its nuclear ambitions.

Fox News Digital’s Benjamin Weinthal contributed to this report.

Daily evening prayers for the health of Pope Francis will be held at St. Peter’s Square, the Vatican announced Monday. 

The Vatican No. 2, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, is set to lead the first prayer this evening. 

It comes as Pope Francis, 88, spent his 10th day at Rome's Gemelli Hospital for a complex lung infection that has led to the early stages of kidney insufficiency, according to the Vatican. 

"The night passed well, the pope slept and is resting," the Vatican said earlier Monday. 

POPE FRANCIS RESTING ON DAY 10 IN HOSPITAL 

Francis was admitted to the hospital on Feb. 14 after a week-long bout of bronchitis worsened. Doctors first diagnosed the complex viral, bacterial and fungal respiratory tract infection and subsequently the onset of pneumonia in both lungs. 

Late Sunday, doctors said blood tests revealed "early, slight kidney insufficiency" but that it remained under control. The doctors said Francis remained in critical condition but had not experienced any further respiratory crises since Saturday evening. 

POPE FRANCIS SHARES WRITTEN MESSAGE WHILE CONTINUING HOSPITALIZATION 

At the Gemelli hospital, Bishop Claudio GiulioDori presided over an emotional, standing-room-only Mass in the St. John Paul II Chapel – named for the former pope – according to the Associated Press. 

Some of the estimated 200 people who attended were in white doctor coats or green surgical scrubs, the AP reported. 

"We are very sorry. Pope Francis is a good pope, let’s hope that he makes it. Let us hope," Filomena Ferraro, who was visiting a relative at Gemelli on Monday, told the AP. "We are joining him with our prayers, but what else can we do?" 

Fox News’ Landon Mion and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Germany’s chancellor-elect, Friedrich Merz, leader of the center-right Christian Democratic Union party, said his "absolute priority" upon taking up the top job will be to secure Europe so that it can "achieve independence" from Washington.

"I would never have thought that I would have to say something like this in a TV show but, after Donald Trump's remarks last week... it is clear that this government does not care much about the fate of Europe," Merz said on Sunday, according to multiple reports.

"My absolute priority will be to strengthen Europe as quickly as possible so that, step by step, we can really achieve independence from the USA," Merz added.

TRUMP CELEBRATES CONSERVATIVE PARTY WIN IN GERMANY

The comments by the incoming chancellor – who has been described as an ardent "Trans-Atlanticist" – are significant because they could signify a major shift from previous post-World War II relations between the U.S. and Europe.

In speaking about the upcoming NATO summit in June, Merz suggested the NATO alliance "in its current form" is in jeopardy and said European nations may "have to establish an independent European defense capability much more quickly," reported the BBC.

Mike Waltz, Trump's national security advisor, reaffirmed the U.S. position on NATO last week, saying, "We fully support our NATO allies. We fully support the Article 5 commitment."

"But it’s time for our European allies to step up," he said, noting the Trump administration’s repeated position in its demand that European countries increase their defense spending.

But concern has also mounted over whether the U.S. will pull troops stationed in Europe, particularly after Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said earlier this month that though he has no short-term plans to withdraw troops, NATO allies shouldn’t make the "assumption that America’s presence will last forever." 

ON THIRD ANNIVERSARY OF UKRAINE INVASION, EUROPEAN LEADERS SHOW SUPPORT, EXPRESS UNEASE

European leaders over the last few weeks have increasingly demanded a unified answer from the Trump administration on what its strategy is when it comes to Russia.

Concern escalated after Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke last week, followed by a meeting between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart in Saudi Arabia, in which the administration's push to re-establish diplomatic ties was revealed.

Trump's negative comments toward Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have also prompted international ire and Washington’s position on securing a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine is expected to be a major topic of discussion this week as French President Emmanuel Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer travel to Washington to meet with Trump.

Merz, who appears to be attempting to once again make Germany a top player when it comes to geopolitics, on Monday emphasized his support for Ukraine. 

"Three years of Russian war of aggression against [Ukraine]. Three years of war in Europe," he highlighted in X. "For three years, we have been accompanied by the terrible images of destruction and war crimes. Europe remains firmly on the side of Ukraine. 

"Now more than ever, we must put Ukraine in a position of strength. For a just peace, the attacked country must be part of peace negotiations," Merz said.  

Two explosive projectiles reportedly detonated near the Russian consulate in Marseille, France, on Monday – the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

A third soda bottle thrown over the perimeter wall of the facility reportedly failed to explode. There were no reports of injuries, and investigators are now analyzing the contents of the incendiary devices, according to Reuters. 

"The blasts at the Russian consulate general in Marseille exhibit all the signs of a terrorist attack," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told the state-run TASS news agency. 

"We demand that the host country take immediate, thorough action to investigate the incident, as well as measures to improve the security of Russia’s foreign facilities," she added. 

ON THIRD ANNIVERSARY OF UKRAINE INVASION, EUROPEAN LEADERS SHOW SUPPORT, EXPRESS UNEASE 

The motive of the incident is unclear, but it happened on the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

A lone suspect fled the scene, an official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. 

Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond Monday to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

UKRAINE ENTERS FOURTH YEAR OF WAR WITH RUSSIA: ‘CLOSER TO THE BEGINNING THAN WE ARE TO THE END’ 

Photos taken at the scene showed firefighters and first responders gathering outside the entrance of the consulate. 

Staff at the facility were kept inside while bomb disposal officers were conducting checks on the devices, Reuters reported. 

Multiple protests against Russia’s war in Ukraine have unfolded in Marseille since Putin’s forces invaded the country on Feb. 24, 2022.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

A former French surgeon accused of raping or sexually abusing 299 victims, mostly children under his care, over the course of nearly three decades is set to stand trial in France on Monday.

Joël Le Scouarnec, now 74, is set to stand trial over four months in Vannes, Brittany. The trial will examine alleged rapes and other abuses committed between 1989 and 2014 against 158 men and 141 women. The alleged victims’ average age was 11.

Le Scouarnec, who will face hundreds of alleged victims during the trial, does not deny the allegations, though he says he doesn't remember everything. Many alleged victims say they have no memory of the assaults, having been unconscious at the time.

The case was brought into the spotlight in 2017 when a 6-year-old neighbor accused Le Scouarnec of touching her over the fence that separated their properties. 

FRENCHMAN FOUND GUILTY IN HORRIFIC RAPE TRIAL THAT SHOCKED THE WORLD

Investigators searched his home and uncovered more than 300,000 photos, 650 pedophilic, zoophilic and scatological video files, according to investigation documents. 

The investigation further found that the surgeon described himself in his notebooks as a pedophile and revealed details of his actions. Investigators tracked down alleged victims whose names were found written in the notebooks.

Le Scouarnec was convicted in that case in 2020, along with the rape and sexual assault of his two nieces when they were children in the 1980s and 90s, and a 4-year-old patient. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Amélie Lévêque, one of the alleged victims named in the notebooks, was 9 years old at the time of her surgery in 1991. When speaking about the revelations recently, she said she recalled little about the operation, although she remembered "a surgeon who was quite mean" following the procedure, noting that she "cried a lot."

She described being contacted over the discovery of her name in the notebooks. 

FRENCH GIRL, 11, FOUND DEAD NEAR SCHOOL, MURDER INVESTIGATION UNDERWAY

"That was the beginning of the answers to a lifetime of questions, and then it was the beginning of the descent into hell," Lévêque told public broadcaster France 3. "I felt like I had lost control of everything. I wasn’t crazy, but now I had to face the truth of what had happened."

"I fell into a deep depression. ... My family tried to help, but I felt completely alone," she said.

Le Scouarnec was previously convicted in 2005 of possessing and importing child sexual abuse material and sentenced to four months of suspended prison time. Despite that conviction, he was appointed as a hospital practitioner the following year.

Le Scouarnec faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted in this trial, on top of 15 years he has been serving after being found guilty in 2020 of rape and sexual assault of children.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

On the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, European leaders are showing support for Kyiv, while also expressing unease about the current state of the conflict with President Donald Trump's administration at the negotiating table. 

The winner of Germany’s election on Sunday – conservative leader Friedrich Merz – has been a staunch backer of Ukraine.

"More than ever, we must put Ukraine in a position of strength," Merz, whose victory was celebrated by Trump, posted to X on Monday. "For a fair peace, the country that is under attack must be part of peace negotiations."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and some European leaders took issue with Kyiv being left out of talks between U.S. and Russian diplomats in Saudi Arabia last week geared toward ending the war. 

UKRAINE ENTERS FOURTH YEAR OF WAR WITH RUSSIA: ‘CLOSER TO THE BEGINNING THAN WE ARE TO THE END’

A dozen leaders from Europe and Canada were in Ukraine's capital on Monday to mark three years since Russian troops invaded on Feb. 24, 2022.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were among visitors scheduled to attend anniversary events and discuss supporting Ukraine with Zelenskyy.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier – primarily the ceremonial head of state – said "peace and freedom in Europe demand of us that we support Ukraine resolutely."

"Germany stands firmly beside Ukraine, with humanitarian aid, with protection for refugees, with military support," Steinmeier said in the video message, parts of which were aired on Ukrainian television. "And we will not ease up as long as this illegal war lasts." Steinmeier reportedly planned to join a video summit Zelenskyy was holding Monday with leaders of supportive nations.

The anniversary comes amid escalating public tensions between Trump and Zelenskyy. 

"I love Ukraine, but Zelenskyy has done a terrible job," Trump said Sunday. 

Trump also dubbed the Ukrainian leader "a dictator without elections," following Zelenskyy's accusation that Trump is living in a Russian-made "disinformation space." In an interview with the Daily Mail, Vice President JD Vance warned that "the idea that Zelenskyy is going to change the president's mind by badmouthing him in public media, everyone who knows the President will tell you that is an atrocious way to deal with this administration." 

Trump's former national security adviser John Bolton characterized Trump's remarks as "shameful," while former Vice President Mike Pence condemned the president for suggesting that Ukraine was at fault in the war. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy mentioned speaking Sunday with Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. 

Trump had a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and then Zelenskyy afterward, last week. Trump's Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg arrived in Kyiv last Wednesday to meet with Zelenskyy.

The European Union’s top diplomat insisted Monday that the U.S. cannot seal any peace deal to end the war with Putin without Ukraine or Europe being involved.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas also highlighted what she claimed were pro-Russian positions being taken up by the Trump administration.

"You can discuss whatever you want with Putin. But if it comes to Europe or Ukraine, then Ukraine and Europe also have to agree to this deal," Kallas told reporters in Brussels, where she is chairing a meeting of EU foreign ministers.

Kallas travels to Washington on Tuesday for talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. In terms of the U.S. message, she said it was "clear that the Russian narrative is there very strongly represented."

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said Monday that the last few "turbulent weeks" surrounding the push to bring an end to the war had brought European nations "face to face with history."

"Today marks the start of the fourth year of the terrible war. Let us hope that it also marks the beginning of the end," he said.

TRUMP SOUNDS OFF ON ZELENSKYY'S INSULTS AS US WORKS TO BROKER UKRAINE PEACE DEAL WITH RUSSIA: 'I'VE HAD IT'

Finnish President Alexander Stubb said Europe needs "to make clear to the Russians and everyone else that there are a few things that are completely off the table in these negotiations." 

"One is EU membership. It is not Russia who decides on EU membership, it is the European Union who does that. Two is NATO. It is not Russia that decides on NATO membership. It is the alliance itself," he declared.

"We will see a European Ukraine. We will see eventually Ukraine in NATO," Stubb said. "We’ve seen a unified European Union and hopefully a stronger trans-Atlantic alliance in the long run. And on a day like this, I think it’s time to pave the way for a plan for Ukrainian victory." 

Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, notably suggested Sunday that Russia was "provoked" ahead of the Ukraine invasion by increasing talks of Kyiv joining NATO. 

Czech President Petr Pavel said via remote link that he has "no doubt that the ultimate goal of this aggression has always been to wipe Ukraine as we know it off the map."

"Yet the resilience of the Ukrainian people has proven to be unbreakable," Pavel told the gathering of European leaders in Kyiv. "It deserves not only our admiration, but also our full respect. We all sincerely want peace in Ukraine and for its people, but not a peace at any cost."

Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said Russia does not see any way to resume "dialogue with Europe" after the European Union adopted its 16th round of sanctions against Russia on the third anniversary of the invasion. 

The measures include targeting Russia’s so-called "shadow fleet" of ships that it exploits to skirt restrictions on transporting oil and gas, or to carry stolen Ukrainian grain. The EU said 74 vessels were added to its list. 

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the new sanctions also target "those who support the operation of unsafe oil tankers, videogame controllers used to pilot drones, banks used to circumvent our sanctions, and propaganda outlets used to spout lies." Asset freezes and travel bans were imposed on 83 officials and entities. More than 2,300 officials and entities have been hit since the invasion began, Putin. 

By adding new sanctions, European nations appear to be convinced that the war should continue, Peskov said.

This stands in contrast with searching for ways to resolve "the conflict around Ukraine which is what we are currently doing with the Americans," Peskov said.

Speaking about Russia’s changing relationship with the U.S., Peskov welcomed "attempts by Washington to really understand what was the root cause of this conflict."

The U.N. General Assembly, meanwhile, is expected to vote Monday on dueling resolutions: Ukraine’s European-backed proposal demanding an immediate withdrawal of Russian forces from the country and a U.S. call for a swift end to the war that never mentions Moscow’s aggression, the Associated Press reported.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Pope Francis, 88, was resting Monday morning, his 10th day at Rome's Gemelli Hospital for a complex lung infection that led to the early stages of kidney insufficiency, according to the Vatican.

"The night passed well, the pope slept and is resting," the Vatican said in a statement.

It is unclear if he was awake and eating breakfast.

Francis was admitted to the hospital on Feb. 14 after a weeklong bout of bronchitis worsened. Doctors first diagnosed the complex viral, bacterial and fungal respiratory tract infection and subsequently the onset of pneumonia in both lungs.

POPE FRANCIS SHARES WRITTEN MESSAGE WHILE CONTINUING HOSPITALIZATION

Late Sunday, doctors said blood tests revealed "early, slight kidney insufficiency" but that it remained under control. The doctors said Francis remained in critical condition but had not experienced any further respiratory crises since Saturday evening.

Francis, who had part of one lung removed when he was younger, was receiving high flows of supplemental oxygen, and received two blood transfusions on Sunday to increase hemoglobin levels. Doctors said his prognosis was guarded.

The pope was alert and responsive on Sunday and attended Mass.

Francis' condition is touch-and-go, given his age, fragility and pre-existing lung disease, doctors said. The main threat to Francis, doctors warned, is sepsis, a serious infection of the blood that can arise as a complication of pneumonia.

There has been no indication of any onset of sepsis as of Monday morning.

Monday is Francis' 10th day in the hospital, matching the longest hospitalization of his papacy. He spent 10 days at Gemelli Hospital in 2021 after he had 13 inches of his colon removed.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan said Sunday in New York that the Catholic faithful were united "at the bedside of a dying father," an acknowledgment of Francis' short time left that church leaders in Rome have not said publicly.

POPE FRANCIS HAD PEACEFUL NIGHT'S REST AT HOSPITAL FOLLOWING RESPIRATORY CRISIS, VATICAN SAYS

"As our Holy Father Pope Francis is in very, very fragile health, and probably close to death," Dolan said in his homily from the pulpit of St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

Dolan later told reporters he hoped and prayed that Francis would "bounce back."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

"We are way closer to the beginning than we are to the end," former CIA Moscow station chief Dan Hoffman said as Ukraine entered a fourth year of war on Monday. 

Since the Nov. 5, 2024, re-election of President Donald Trump, the Western world has been scrambling to understand what the future holds for Russia’s war in Ukraine as Washington looks to re-establish ties with Moscow in a move to end the conflict and secure a peace deal.

In the span of a week, Trump held a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin; Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov; retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, met with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth sparked international debate by pronouncing that Ukraine would unlikely be permitted to join NATO.

TRUMP ENVOY FOR RUSSIA AND UKRAINE CALLS ZELENSKYY A 'COURAGEOUS LEADER' AFTER TRUMP LAMBASTS FOREIGN FIGURE

But far from bringing a sense of optimism that an end to the brutal war in Ukraine could be on the horizon, questions erupted across the globe as the geopolitical atmosphere descended into a state of confusion.

"What a ceasefire would look like? I have no idea," Hoffman said, highlighting the numerous and almost indeterminable factors that will shape whether Moscow and Kyiv agree to terms under a deal.

"It’s getting the Russians to stop. That's the key," he explained. "The Russians are intrigued by the idea that they could make a grand bargain with this administration and eliminate the sanctions that are causing so much harm. 

"But what hangs over this is Vladimir Putin – he’s a KGB guy. He hates Donald Trump just as much as he hates Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, and every one of us, because the United States is the main enemy," Hoffman explained. "He's going to try to get a great deal. 

"Putin's going to try to frame negotiations as if Russia is going toe to toe with the United States, he will want to make it look like Russia got the better of us, to enhance his own image and the Kremlin's [to] throw weight against us globally, including in the MIddle East and Africa," Hoffman explained. 

TRUMP SOUNDS OFF ON ZELENSKYY'S INSULTS AS US WORKS TO BROKER UKRAINE PEACE DEAL WITH RUSSIA: 'I'VE HAD IT'

Some of the biggest factors that will be involved in negotiating a ceasefire will be security guarantees for Ukraine, including whether Russia has the right to influence who can be permitted into the alliance. 

"Ukraine's NATO membership should not be a negotiation tactic, because we don't want Russia to have, you know, de facto veto power over who joins NATO," Catherine Sendak, director of transatlantic defense and security with the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), said during a discussion on Ukraine on Thursday. 

Some nations like Britain and France have said they may be willing to send in troops to serve as a deterring force should a ceasefire be agreed to, though Russian officials have already said NATO forces in Ukraine would be unacceptable to Moscow.

Though even with European forces in Ukraine, it remains unclear in what capacity as a deterring force they would serve.

Questions over whether European forces would help police Ukrainian borders shared with Russia or merely act as air and naval support for Kyiv remain.  

Experts involved in the CEPA discussion were unanimous in their agreement that the U.S. should be involved, though the Trump administration has already suggested that not only will the possibility of the U.S. sending in troops to Ukraine not be an option, but it may look to remove American forces currently positioned around Europe. 

"Many European nations just have not had any experience in leading a force of that size," said William Monahan, senior fellow with CEPA and former deputy assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs during the previous Trump administration.

UKRAINE WAR 'WILL END SOON' UNDER TRUMP'S LEADERSHIP, US NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR VOWS

"Determining where the U.S. could be providing key enablers, I think, would be an essential element of any force, and determining its credibility and deterrence capability," he added.

Putin has made clear that his latest war objective is the ownership of four Ukrainian regions, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, which he illegally "annexed" in 2022 but none of which have his forces been able to fully seize.

Zelenskyy has said he will not agree to cede any land to Russia, including Crimea, which Russia has illegally occupied since 2014, but which Hegseth said this month would be an "unrealistic" objective at the negotiating table. 

Though some Western experts have argued that Ukraine does not necessarily need to cede land in order to reach a ceasefire agreement. 

This proposal suggests that the Ukrainian territory would remain internationally recognized as "occupied" by Russia, which would allow the fighting to stop, though Kyiv and its international partners would then need to attempt to renegotiate land releases at a later time. 

What has become clear is the Trump administration’s push for Europe to be more heavily involved in providing military support to Ukraine. But as European nations look to ramp up defense on the continent without Washington’s support, security experts are warning this is changing geopolitical views of the U.S. and its reliability as an ally.

"I think there is a group of European countries now, I think increasingly, including the U.K. potentially, and France, that actually are beginning to see the U.S. as part of the problem," said Sam Green, director of democratic resilience at CEPA and professor of Russian politics at King's College London.

EU WARNS TRUMP AGAINST LETTING PUTIN DIVIDE THE US AND EUROPE: 'LET’S NOT DO HIM THE FAVOR'

Green said European nations may need to come up with their own solution to counter a U.S.-Moscow proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine. 

Ultimately, the security experts warned that the increasingly apparent divisions between Washington under the Trump administration and Europe are playing into one of Putin's longtime chief aims.

"I think there's a need to get a coordinated approach that brings in our allies and partners [and] maintains that source of strength," Monahan said. "I think Putin is very happy he has been able to achieve one of his strategic goals, which is create disunion and division among the United States and its allies in the transatlantic relationship."

When asked by Fox News Digital if some of the controversial comments made by Trump, like calling Zelenskyy a dictator, claiming he has low internal approval ratings and seeming to suggest he was to blame for Russia’s illegal invasion, are aiding Putin in his negotiating calculus, Hoffman said, "I don't know what damage, if any, it's causing, but the intelligence community can assess that."

"What Vladimir Putin thinks about the U.S. and Ukraine, about Zelenskyy and Trump going, rhetorically at least, toe to toe in the Octagon against each other – it's not a great look," he added. 

"[Putin] thinks he can break Europe. He doesn't think Europe is going to be strong enough without the United States," Hoffman argued. "That's certainly the past. The history during the Soviet-Evil Empire, it was the U.S. strength, our nuclear umbrella, that deterred the Soviet Union from expanding.

"NATO has always been an alliance to deter Russian aggression," he said. "We're nowhere close to knowing how all this is going to play out. 

"Right now, you're just hearing a lot of noise," Hoffman cautioned. 

An Afghan radio station produced entirely by Afghan women will resume broadcasts after the Taliban lifted a suspension that was imposed over alleged cooperation with a foreign country's TV channel.

Radio Begum launched on International Women’s Day in March 2021, just five months before the Taliban took control of Afghanistan during the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops from the region.

The station’s sister satellite channel, Begum TV, operates from France and broadcasts content on Afghanistan's school curriculum from grades seven through 12.

The Taliban banned education for women and girls in the country after sixth grade.

RUBIO DEMANDS ANSWERS WITH 2 MORE AMERICANS REPORTEDLY HELD BY TALIBAN

On Saturday, the Taliban's Information and Culture Ministry said in a statement that Radio Begum had repeatedly requested permission to resume broadcasts.

The suspension was lifted after the station made commitments to Taliban officials, the ministry said.

Radio Begum agreed to conduct broadcasts "in accordance with the principles of journalism and the regulations of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, and to avoid any violations in the future," the statement said. The ministry did not offer details on what those principles and regulations may be.

VETERANS GROUPS ASK TRUMP TO RECONSIDER IMMIGRATION EXECUTIVE ORDER, CITE IMPACTS ON AFGHAN PARTNERS

The station confirmed it had been given permission to resume broadcasting, without providing additional details.

Taliban officials imposed the suspension after they raided the Kabul-based station on Feb. 4 and seized computers, hard drives and phones, and took into custody two male employees who do not hold any senior management positions, the outlet said in a statement at the time.

The Taliban have prohibited women from education, many fields of work and public spaces since they seized control of the country in the summer of 2021. Journalists, especially women, have lost their jobs as the Taliban control the media in the region.

Reporters without Borders ranked Afghanistan 178 out of 180 countries in the 2024 press freedom index, a dip from the year before when it ranked 152.

The ministry did not identify the TV channel it accused Radio Begum of working with, but its statement cited alleged collaboration with "foreign-sanctioned media outlets."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Pope Francis remained in critical condition in an Italian hospital on Sunday, as officials shared that he is suffering from :mild renal insufficiency" amid his treatment for bilateral pneumonia.

Francis, who is currently staying at the Gemelli University Hospital in Rome, remains alert and attended Mass on Sunday, according to the Vatican. The pope has been fighting pneumonia and a complex lung infection since being hospitalized on Feb. 14.

The Holy See Press Office published a detailed statement about the 88-year-old pope's health on Sunday, noting that his condition "remains critical, but since [Saturday] evening, he has not experienced any further respiratory crises."

"He received two units of concentrated red blood cells with benefit, and his hemoglobin levels have risen," the report noted.

POPE FRANCIS' MEDICAL CONDITION: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT BILATERAL PNEUMONIA

"The thrombocytopenia remains stable; however, some blood tests show early, mild renal insufficiency, which is currently under control."

The Holy See also noted that Pope Francis is receiving oxygen and "remains alert and well-oriented."

"The complexity of the clinical situation and the necessary time for the pharmacological treatments to show results require that the prognosis remain reserved," the statement concluded. "This morning, in the apartment on the tenth floor, he participated in the Holy Mass, together with those who have been taking care of him during these days of hospitalization."

POPE FRANCIS IS 'FINE,' CONDITION NOT LIFE-THREATENING, DOCTORS SAY

The statement came after Pope Francis published a message of his own on X, thanking the international Catholic community for their prayers. He had suffered a prolonged asthmatic respiratory crisis on Saturday, a condition worsened by the fact that he had part of one of his lungs removed when he was younger.

"I have recently received many messages of affection, and I have been particularly struck by the letters and drawings from children," Pope Francis posted on X Sunday. "Thank you for your closeness, and for the consoling prayers I have received from all over the world!" 

"I urge you to continue your apostolate with joy and to be a sign of a love that embraces everyone, as the #GospelOfTheDay suggests," another post of his read. "May we transform evil into goodness and build a fraternal world. Do not be afraid to take risks for love!" 

EDITOR'S NOTE: This report has been updated to clarify the Vatican's comments about Pope Francis' condition.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Pope Francis remained in critical condition in an Italian hospital on Sunday, as officials shared that he is suffering from early-stage kidney failure amid his treatment for bilateral pneumonia.

Francis, who is currently staying at the Gemelli University Hospital in Rome, remains alert and attended Mass on Sunday, according to the Vatican. The pope has been fighting pneumonia and a complex lung infection since being hospitalized on Feb. 14.

The Holy See Press Office published a detailed statement about the 88-year-old pope's health on Sunday, noting that his condition "remains critical, but since [Saturday] evening, he has not experienced any further respiratory crises."

"He received two units of concentrated red blood cells with benefit, and his hemoglobin levels have risen," the report noted.

POPE FRANCIS' MEDICAL CONDITION: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT BILATERAL PNEUMONIA

"The thrombocytopenia remains stable; however, some blood tests show early, mild renal insufficiency [kidney failure], which is currently under control."

The Holy See also noted that Pope Francis is receiving oxygen and "remains alert and well-oriented."

"The complexity of the clinical situation and the necessary time for the pharmacological treatments to show results require that the prognosis remain reserved," the statement concluded. "This morning, in the apartment on the tenth floor, he participated in the Holy Mass, together with those who have been taking care of him during these days of hospitalization."

POPE FRANCIS IS 'FINE,' CONDITION NOT LIFE-THREATENING, DOCTORS SAY

The statement came after Pope Francis published a message of his own on X, thanking the international Catholic community for their prayers. He had suffered a prolonged asthmatic respiratory crisis on Saturday, a condition worsened by the fact that he had part of one of his lungs removed when he was younger.

"I have recently received many messages of affection, and I have been particularly struck by the letters and drawings from children," Pope Francis posted on X Sunday. "Thank you for your closeness, and for the consoling prayers I have received from all over the world!" 

"I urge you to continue your apostolate with joy and to be a sign of a love that embraces everyone, as the #GospelOfTheDay suggests," another post of his read. "May we transform evil into goodness and build a fraternal world. Do not be afraid to take risks for love!" 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu displayed images of Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, during an address at a combat officers' graduation ceremony on Sunday, delivering a solemn message.

"I want to show you something. I want to show you this picture of Shiri Bibas and her tender children, Ariel and Kfir Bivas. This picture says it all; I ask that you engrave it on the board of your hearts, so that you will always remember what we are fighting for and against whom we are fighting," Netanyahu told the graduates, according to Fox News' translation of the Hebrew speech. "We are fighting to secure our existence against man-monsters who have risen to annihilate us." 

"Already in the first days of the war, they murdered Shiri and her children in cold blood; they strangled the tender children with their own hands," Netanyahu said, holding up a photo of the Bibas family. "And if they could, they would have killed us all with the same cruelty, until our very last man. Against this we fight, and these monsters we must and can defeat – and defeat them we will. This is our mission, and this is your mission!" 

"As the defenders of our homeland, each of you is imbued with purpose, wielding sword and shield," he added. "We have high expectations of you, but I know that above all, you have expectations of yourselves." 

TRUMP ENVOY WITKOFF SEEKING 'EXTENSION' OF PHASE 1 OF ISRAEL-HAMAS CEASEFIRE DEAL, TO HEAD BACK TO MIDDLE EAST

Hamas handed over the bodies of the two young brothers on Thursday, but initially returned the wrong remains for Shiri in what Netanyahu had decried as a "brazen violation of their agreement." The Israeli mother's actual remains were handed over on Saturday and identified by Israeli forensic authorities to be Shiri following a standoff with the terrorist group. Also returned was the body of Oded Lifshitz, a fellow resident of Kibbutz Nir Oz kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, and who Israel says was murdered in captivity. The Israel Defense Forces said the boys' bodies proved they were "murdered by terrorists in cold blood," despite Hamas previously claiming the brothers were killed in an airstrike.

In his speech Sunday, Netanyahu said President Donald Trump "sees eye to eye with us on everything related to Gaza." 

"We support President Trump’s groundbreaking plan to allow free exit for Gazans, and to create a different Gaza," Netanyahu told the graduating combat officers. 

"I thank President Trump for his directive to supply Israel with vital weapons," Netanyahu said. "The new defensive and offensive arms will greatly aid us in achieving absolute victory. At the same time, we have approved enormous budgets for the domestic development of weapon systems – systems that will enhance our ability to stand up to our enemies on our own." 

ISRAEL DELAYS PALESTINIAN PRISONER RELEASE AFTER HAMAS' 'HUMILIATING' TREATMENT OF HOSTAGES, NETANYAHU SAYS 

The prime minister also laid out his government's objectives. Netanyahu said Israeli forces "have eliminated most of Hamas’s organized strength" in Gaza. 

"But let there be no doubt: we will complete the war objectives, including this one, to the very end," he said. "It can be achieved through negotiation, and it can also be achieved by other means. From the start of the war, the conditions we set for its conclusion were clear – and they remain clear. All of our abductees, without exception, will return home. Hamas will not govern Gaza. Gaza will be purged, and its combat capability will be dismantled." 
 

Trump's envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, said he plans to return to the region on Wednesday to negotiate an "extension" of Phase One of the ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas. 

Phase Two, Witkoff noted, includes ensuring Hamas will never return to government leadership in Gaza, which he predicts will not be a safe living environment for another 15 to 20 years and will require a lengthy reconstruction plan. 

Fox News' Yael Rotem-Kuriel contributed to this report.

Israel sent tanks into the West Bank on Sunday for the first time since 2002, telling its military to prepare for "an extended stay" as the Jewish state remains determined to stamp out terrorism in the territory’s refugee camps.

Several tanks were seen moving into Jenin as a fragile ceasefire between the terrorist organization Hamas and Israel remains in place.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to "increase the intensity of the activity to thwart terrorism" across the West Bank.

Katz said troops will remain "for the coming year" in parts of the territory and indicated that Palestinians who have fled cannot return.

HAMAS RELEASES MORE HOSTAGES IN EXCHANGE FOR MORE THAN 600 PALESTINIAN PRISONERS AS PART OF CEASEFIRE DEAL

"We will not allow the return of residents, and we will not allow terrorism to return and grow," he said.

Earlier, Katz said he instructed the military to prepare for "an extended stay" in some of the West Bank's urban areas, from which he said about 40,000 Palestinians have fled, leaving the areas "emptied of residents." That figure was confirmed by the United Nations.

Netanyahu said Israeli forces will remain "as long as needed."

The Palestinian foreign ministry called the Israeli moves "a dangerous escalation of the situation in the West Bank."

MEET EDAN ALEXANDER, THE LAST LIVING AMERICAN HOSTAGE IN HAMAS CAPTIVITY

Tanks were last deployed in the territory in 2002, when Israel fought against deadly Palestinian violence.

The move on Sunday comes as the delicate ceasefire deal that was reached a month ago between Hamas and Israel remains in place.

Hamas freed six hostages on Saturday in exchange for more than 600 Palestinian prisoners as part of the agreement. Netanyahu has said 63 hostages remain, including the remains of a soldier captured in 2014.

The conflict began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists from the Gaza Strip led an assault in southern Israel, killing more than 1,100 people and abducting about 250 more.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

German voters cast their ballots in Sunday’s election, with opposition leader Friedrich Merz claiming victory. Exit polls also indicate that Alternative for Germany, or AfD, is heading for the strongest showing for a far-right party since World War II.

The election came as Germany and the rest of Europe grapple with the new Trump administration, the Russia-Ukraine war and security across the continent.

Here’s the latest:

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has conceded defeat in his country’s national election after exit polls showed painful losses for his party.

Scholz told supporters that "this is a bitter election result" for his center-left Social Democrats and "this is an election defeat."

Center-right opposition leader Friedrich Merz claimed victory in Germany’s national election after exit polls showed his bloc in the lead.

Merz said that he was aware of the dimension of the task he faces and said that "it will not be easy."

Merz said he aims to put together a governing coalition as quickly as possible.

German exit polls show opposition leader Friedrich Merz’s conservatives leading in the election, while Alternative for Germany is heading for the strongest showing for a far-right party since World War II.

The exit polls for ARD and ZDF public television show Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s center-left Social Democrats on track for their worst postwar result in a national parliamentary election, and expected to be in third place.

The election was dominated by worries about the years-long stagnation of Europe’s biggest economy, pressure to curb migration and growing uncertainty over the future of Ukraine and Europe’s alliance with the United States.

Polls across Germany will close at 6 p.m. local time (1700 GMT).

Exit polls are expected to be released immediately afterward.

The candidates for chancellor will also likely address their members at parties across the country.

Citizens in the German capital are casting their votes in traditional polling stations like schools, kindergartens, gyms or retirement homes.

But there are also some unusual voting locations in Berlin, local broadcaster RBB reports, including car dealerships, restaurants and pubs.

About 2.43 million people are eligible to vote in the city.

Election workers in Munich are preparing to count postal votes by spreading pink envelopes on a big table.

Letters can be opened starting at 3 p.m. local time (1400 GMT) and the actual count begins at 6 p.m. (1700 GMT) when polling stations have closed.

Germany’s election authority says 52% of eligible voters had cast their ballots four hours before polling stations close.

The authority said the figure for turnout by 2 p.m. local time (1300 GMT) didn’t include people who voted by postal ballot. It compares with 36.5% at the same time in the 2021 election, but many people cast absentee ballots in that vote, which took place during COVID-19 restrictions.

Turnout is typically high in German elections. The final turnout figure in the 2021 election was 76.4%.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition was an alliance of the Social Democrats, Greens and Free Democrats.

The grouping is known as the "traffic light" coalition because of the combination of red, green and yellow party colors.

The colors of the parties running in Sunday’s election are black (Union bloc), red (Social Democrats), green (the Greens), yellow (Free Democrats) and blue (AfD).

The new government could be a "Kenya" coalition (Union bloc, Social Democrats, the Greens) or a "Germany" coalition (Union bloc, Social Democrats, Free Democrats).

Almost a third of the new Germans are originally from Syria. Most of them left their home countries in the last decade, fleeing war, political instability and economic hardship. In 2015-2016 alone, more than 1 million migrants came to Germany, most from Syria, but also from Afghanistan and Iraq.

Since the last national election in 2021, the number of naturalizations in Germany has risen sharply.

For the new Germans originally from Syria, the election is weighted with extra significance. Many of them fled their country because of the civil war that followed former President Bashar Assad’s crackdown on protests calling for greater democratic freedom. He was toppled in November, but whether Syria will now become a democracy remains unclear. In the meantime, they are able to vote in multi-party elections in their new home.

There is no formal referee for the process of forming a new government, and no set time limit.

Conservative leader and front-runner Friedrich Merz has said he hopes to form a new government by mid-April if he wins.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s outgoing government will remain in office on a caretaker basis until the Bundestag elects the new chancellor.

Mainstream German parties say they won’t work with any far-right parties threatening democracy, a postwar stance often referred to as a "firewall."

That includes the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Sunday’s election.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance in Munich earlier this month said there is no place for "firewalls," drawing strong criticism from German leaders.

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) party first entered parliament eight years ago on the back of discontent with the arrival of large numbers of migrants in the mid-2010s, and curbing migration remains its signature theme.

But the party has proven adept at harnessing discontent with other issues, too: Germany’s move away from fossil fuels, restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic and support for Ukraine after Russia’s full-scale invasion nearly three years ago.

Bayern Munich powerbroker Uli Hoeness says he would speak with any of the club’s players who support the far-right, anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.

Hoeness, Bayern’s honorary president after more than 40 years at the forefront of the club, told Kicker magazine in an interview published Sunday that he would question any AfD-supporting player "and ask him if he still has all his tools in his toolbox."

Hoeness previously spoke against AfD at a memorial service for Bayern great Franz Beckenbauer, arguing for the continuation of club projects that fight racism and discrimination.

"Bayern is a wonderful role model for migration and integration. More than half of our youth players have a migration background," Hoeness told Kicker.

Germany’s next government will be central to Europe’s response to U.S. President Donald Trump and his assertive new administration.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz said last month that a second Trump presidency will be "a challenge."

Far-right leader Alice Weidel has vowed to "make Germany great again" in an echo of Trump’s campaign slogan.

Tens of thousands of people across Germany in recent weeks have protested against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and conservative front-runner Friedrich Merz for sending to parliament proposals for tough new migration rules that received AfD’s backing.

The demonstrators — and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel — say Merz broke "the firewall" against cooperation with anti-immigrant, far-right parties.

Merz insists his position is unchanged and that he didn’t and won’t work with the party.

Conservative leader and front-runner Friedrich Merz has cast his vote in the German election.

Merz is the leader of the center-right Union bloc, which has by far the best chance of forming a new government.

Merz voted Sunday in Arnsberg in western Germany, just minutes after his main rival, Chancellor Olaf Scholz. He is also facing environmentalist Greens candidate Robert Habeck and far-right leader Alice Weidel in the race for chancellor.

Habeck and Weidel voted early.

Sunday’s election comes as Germany and the rest of Europe grapples with the new Trump administration, the Russia-Ukraine war and security across the continent.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has voted in a German election that comes after his governing coalition collapsed last year.

Scholz then lost a confidence vote, forcing President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to dissolve the parliament and schedule a new election.

Scholz voted Sunday in Potsdam, a city outside Berlin, and is facing opposition leader and front-runner Friedrich Merz, Vice Chancellor and environmentalist Greens candidate Robert Habeck and far-right leader Alice Weidel in the race for chancellor.

Friedrich Merz, the current opposition leader, is the front-runner in the country’s election campaign.

His center-right Union bloc is leading polls.

The 69-year-old became leader of the Christian Democratic Union after Chancellor Angela Merkel stepped down in 2021, though he joined the party decades before.

President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has cast his vote at a polling station in Berlin, according to the German news agency dpa. He is in his second term as president and hails from the center-left Social Democratic Party.

Germany is the most populous country in the 27-nation European Union and a leading member of NATO. It will be central to shaping the continent’s response to the challenges of the coming years, including the Trump administration’s confrontational foreign and trade policies.

Merz vowed to revive the stagnant economy and defend Europe’s interests in the face of a confrontational U.S. administration. Scholz, meanwhile, insisted that he still hopes for an improbable last-minute comeback.

German citizens aged 18 and up can vote. At least 59.2 million people in the nation of 84 million are eligible, about 2.3 million of them for the first time.

Polling stations are open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time.

Exit polls will be announced and vote-counting will begin immediately after voting ends. A final official result is expected early Monday.

Four candidates are bidding to be Germany’s next leader in Sunday’s election.

The candidates are incumbent Chancellor Olaf Scholz, opposition leader Friedrich Merz, Vice Chancellor and environmentalist Greens candidate Robert Habeck and co-leader of the AfD Alice Weidel.

Polls are now open across Germany in an election that could shape Europe’s response to the new Trump administration, the Russia-Ukraine war and security across the continent.

The election comes seven months ahead of schedule following the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party coalition in early November.

It’s only the fourth time the Bundestag has been dissolved ahead of schedule following a confidence vote under Germany’s post-World War II constitution.

A first-person written message from Pope Francis was shared Sunday as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church continues his hospitalization in Rome.  

"I have recently received many messages of affection, and I have been particularly struck by the letters and drawings from children," Pope Francis posted on X Sunday. "Thank you for your closeness, and for the consoling prayers I have received from all over the world!" 

"I urge you to continue your apostolate with joy and to be a sign of a love that embraces everyone, as the #GospelOfTheDay suggests," another post said. "May we transform evil into goodness and build a fraternal world. Do not be afraid to take risks for love!" 

The language was similar to part of Pope Francis' longer homily, which Archbishop Rino Fisichella read on his behalf while celebrating the Holy Mass for the Jubilee of Deacons on Sunday. 

POPE FRANCIS HAD PEACEFUL NIGHT'S REST AT HOSPITAL FOLLOWING RESPIRATORY CRISIS, VATICAN SAYS

The Vatican released a copy of the text "prepared by the Holy Father." 

"Brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!" the pope's homily began. "This morning, in Saint Peter’s Basilica, the celebration of the Eucharist with the Ordination of some candidates to the diaconate was celebrated. I greet them and the participants in the Jubilee of Deacons, which has taken place in the Vatican in these days; and I thank the Dicasteries for the Clergy and for Evangelization for the preparation of this event." 

Pope Francis urged the deacons "to continue your apostolate with joy and – as today’s Gospel suggests – to be a sign of a love that embraces everyone, that transforms evil into goodness and engenders a fraternal world." 

"Do not be afraid to risk love!" the homily continued. "On my part, I am confidently continuing my hospitalization at the Gemelli Hospital, carrying on with the necessary treatment; and rest is also part of the therapy! I sincerely thank the doctors and health workers of this hospital for the attention they are showing me and the dedication with which they carry out their service among the sick." 

In the pre-prepared statement, Pope Francis added that Monday "will be the third anniversary of the large-scale war against Ukraine: a painful and shameful occasion for the whole of humanity!" 

"As I reiterate my closeness to the suffering Ukrainian people, I invite you to remember the victims of all armed conflicts, and to pray for the gift of peace in Palestine, Israel and throughout the Middle East, Myanmar, Kivu and Sudan," the message said. 

POPE FRANCIS' MEDICAL CONDITION: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT BILATERAL PNEUMONIA

"In recent days, I have received many messages of affection, and I have been particularly struck by the letters and drawings from children," the pope added. "Thank you for this closeness, and for the prayers of comfort I have received from all over the world! I entrust you all to the intercession of Mary, and I ask you to pray for me." 

The Vatican said Pope Francis was conscious but still receiving high flows of supplemental oxygen on Sunday, following a respiratory crisis and blood transfusions. He remains in critical condition with a complex lung infection. 

The Holy See Press Office's brief statement early Sunday did not mention if Pope Francis was out of bed or eating breakfast, which it had on previous days. 

"The night passed quietly, the pope rested," it said.

The Vatican later said Francis was conscious, continuing to receive supplemental oxygen and that further clinical tests were being conducted. A more detailed medical update was said to be later Sunday.

The 88-year-old pope was admitted to Rome's Gemelli hospital on Feb. 14 due to a worsening case of bronchitis.

On Saturday, doctors said Pope Francis, who had part of one lung removed as a young man, was in critical condition after suffering a prolonged asthmatic respiratory crisis while being treated for pneumonia and a complex lung infection.

The Saturday statement also said that the pontiff "continues to be alert and spent the day in an armchair although in more discomfort than yesterday." Doctors said the prognosis was "reserved," and that the pope's condition is touch-and-go, given his age, fragility and pre-existing lung disease. His condition has revived speculation about what might happen if he becomes unconscious or otherwise incapacitated, and whether he might resign.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.