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The death toll from the devastating earthquake that rocked Burma and Thailand on Friday has risen sharply to more than 1,650 victims. 

The earthquake's epicenter was in central Burma, where 1,644 have been confirmed dead with nearly 140 people still missing, the nation’s ruling military said Saturday.

The 7.7 magnitude quake knocked down scores of buildings as well as destroyed bridges and highways in what was the deadliest natural disaster to hit the impoverished, war-torn country in years. Burma is also known as Myanmar. 

Survivors in Mandalay, Burma's second-biggest city, dug with their bare hands on Friday in desperate attempts to save those still trapped, lacking heavy machinery and with authorities absent. Burma's military rulers let in hundreds of foreign rescue personnel on Saturday.

AMERICA'S MOST EXPENSIVE NATURAL DISASTERS IN RECENT DECADES

The quake struck during Friday prayers across the country, causing the collapse of at least 50 mosques across the country, killing nearly 300 people, the Yangon Khit Thit News Agency reported. 

An initial assessment by Burma's opposition National Unity Government said at least 2,900 buildings, 30 roads and seven bridges had been damaged by the quake.

The quake comes amid a raging civil war that has wrecked the economy and displaced millions. It makes movement around the country both difficult and dangerous, complicating relief efforts and raising fears that the death toll could still rise precipitously.

Airports too have been damaged, further hindering rescue efforts. For instance, satellite photos from Planet Labs PBC show the earthquake toppled the air traffic control tower at Naypyitaw International Airport as if sheered from its base, according to The Associated Press.

The country sits on the Sagaing Fault, a major north-south fault that separates the India plate and the Sunda plate.

IS THE EAST COAST ON THE BRINK OF A MAJOR EARTHQUAKE — AND ARE WE PREPARED?

President Donald Trump said the earthquake was "terrible" on Friday and assured that the United States would assist in relief efforts.

"It's a real bad one, and we will be helping. We've already spoken with the country," Trump said.

In neighboring Thailand, where the quake shook buildings and brought down a skyscraper under construction in the capital Bangkok, at least ten people were killed.

Dramatic footage captured in Bangkok midday Friday showed a 33-story apartment building that was under construction falling down, scattering dust and debris throughout the city's streets. Bangkok city authorities said earlier Friday that 10 people were killed, 16 were injured. 

Water from a separate high-rise building with rooftop pools in Bangkok spilled over the side as they shook and debris fell from many buildings.

Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said the country has now "returned to normalcy."

Aftershocks were reportedly felt in India and China. 

Photos and video from Burma showed two hard-hit cities with extensive damage. 

In Mandalay, Burma's second-largest city and close to the epicenter, the earthquake damaged part of the former royal palace and buildings, according to videos and photos released on Facebook social media.

In the Sagaing region just southwest of Mandalay, a 90-year-old bridge collapsed, and some sections of the highway connecting Mandalay and the city of Yangon were also damaged.

In the capital Naypyitaw, the quake damaged religious shrines, sending parts toppling to the ground and some homes.

 Christina Shaw, Greg Norman, Bradford Betz Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Brits have until Aug. 1 to get rid of all their ninja swords as the U.K.’s Labour government looks to crack down on knife crime.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Thursday that "ninja swords" specifically will be banned this summer after the 2022 murder of 16-year-old Ronan Kanda, who was stabbed to death by a ninja sword just outside his home. 

"Confirmed: Ninja swords will be banned by this summer," Starmer said in a post on X. "When we promise action we take it."

UK STABBING SUSPECT IN DEATHS OF 3 GIRLS FOUND WITH RICIN, AL QAEDA MATERIAL AND CHARGED UNDER TERRORISM ACT

The new ban, "Ronan's Law," will now make it illegal to possess, sell, make or import ninja swords.

"Since losing our beautiful boy Ronan, we have relentlessly campaigned for a ban on ninja swords, the lethal weapon which took his life," Pooja Kanda, the mother to the 16-year-old boy, said, according to a government readout. "We believe ninja swords have no place in our society other than to seriously harm and kill.

"Each step towards tackling knife crime is a step towards getting justice for our boy Ronan." 

UK STABBING SPREE LEAVES 2 KIDS DEAD, 9 OTHERS INJURED AT TAYLOR SWIFT-THEMED EVENT: 'DEEPLY SHOCKING'

The British government has set up a surrender process for any owner of a ninja sword, defined as a blade between 14 inches and 24 inches "with one straight cutting edge with a tanto-style point."

"From 1 August, anyone caught in possession of a ninja sword in private could face 6 months in prison, and this will later increase to 2 years under new measures in the Crime and Policing Bill," the government said in a statement. "There is already a penalty of up to 4 years in prison for carrying any weapon in public."  

Knife crime has long plagued the U.K. and though offenses involving a "sharp instrument" committed last year across England and Wales were down from a 15-year peak in 2019, they were still substantially higher than crimes reported in 2010, when 33,800 crimes were reported, versus the 50,500 cases in 2024.

A sharp instrument, according to the U.K., could include knives, but it could also include the use of a broken bottle to commit an offense.

The U.K. saw a significant drop from the 52,000 cases involving a "sharp instrument" reported in 2019 by the following year with 41,700 cases reported.

But these incidents have continued to increase each year since. 

Nearly two dozen different types of knives are already banned in the UK, including swords that are not a part of a national uniform, switch blades, zombie knives, belt buckle knives or butterfly knives, to name a few. 

Knives that are permitted are those used for cooking or while working and have a cutting edge of no more than three inches. 

Though the government states that "it’s illegal to use any knife or weapon in a threatening way."

Under Ronan’s Law, jail sentences were also increased for selling knives to minors and the illegal sale of banned knives.

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"Knife crime is destroying young lives as too many teenagers are being drawn into violence, and it is far too easy for them to get hold of dangerous weapons," Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said in a statement. "Ronan Kanda was just 16 when he was ruthlessly killed by two boys only a year older than him.

"We are acting with urgency to bring forward measures to prevent deadly weapons from getting into the wrong hands and will continue to do whatever is needed to prevent young people being killed on our streets as part of our mission to halve knife crime over the next decade." 

President Donald Trump's continued criticism of Germany’s failure to pay its defense bills looks to have pushed one of Europe's wealthiest nations into action. 

The president's criticism of Berlin has compelled Germany to increase funding for its military forces and infrastructure, which critics say are in a bad state of affairs.

Richard Grenell, U.S. Ambassador to Germany during the first Trump administration, told Fox News Digital "multiple German leaders ignored the warnings from President Trump that Russia was using energy as a weapon against them. 

US BRISTLES AT GERMANY'S DEFENSE BUDGET PLANS AFTER IT FALLS SHORT

"The war in Ukraine and the invasion of Putin showed the new German leadership that Donald Trump was absolutely right about Germany feeding the beast that ultimately turned on them."

Trump appointed Grenell as presidential envoy for "special missions" in December.

In 2018, Trump rebuked Germany’s addiction to Russian gas, according to observers of German-U.S. relations. He told the U.N. General Assembly that "Germany will become totally dependent on Russian energy if it does not immediately change course. Here in the Western Hemisphere, we are committed to maintaining our independence from the encroachment of expansionist foreign powers."

During his remarks, the camera panned to Germany’s delegation to the U.N. in 2018, including its then-U.N. Ambassador, Christoph Heusgen, and former Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, who all seemingly laughed and smiled at Trump. 

‘MAKE NATO GREAT AGAIN’: HEGSETH PUSHES EUROPEAN ALLIES TO STEP UP DEFENSE EFFORTS 

However, those smirks soon turned into raw anxiety, when four years later, in 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine and Germany scrambled for a way to wean itself off Russian gas to avoid helping reward Putin.

Matthew Kroenig, director of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, told Fox News Digital, "Every U.S. presidential administration since Eisenhower has complained about European free riding, but asking "pretty please" has not worked. Trump’s tough rhetoric is achieving results that eluded his predecessors.

"The Trump effect is in part due to Trump raising NATO burden sharing to the very top of the transatlantic security agenda and in part due to genuine fears that Washington could abandon NATO and Europe would need to fend for itself."

After Trump and Grenell helped to cajole the Germans out of their security slumber, Berllin reached the NATO goal of spending 2% of gross domestic product spending in 2024. This was the first time Berlin reached 2% since 1991, the end of the Cold War. 

Trump, however, called for Germany to spend 5% on defense because, he argues, the U.S. is contributing significant resources to protect the central European country.

The frustration with Germany and other European allies was captured in text messages reported between Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance. 

TRUMP WATCHES STRIKE ON IRAN-BACKED HOUTHIS IN YEMEN IN NEW WHITE HOUSE PICS AS LARGE-SCALE OP CONTINUES

"I fully share your loathing of European free-loading. It's PATHETIC," Hegseth said in response to Vance, who questioned U.S. leadership in advancing security policies in the Red Sea to counter Houthi aggression and reopen shipping lanes. 

Germany’s export trade greatly benefits from free navigation in the Middle East, but it refuses to aid the U.S. in stopping the Iran-backed Houthi terrorist movement via military strikes. Europe and Germany are unwilling to follow Trump’s lead and sanction the Houthis as a terrorist entity.

The so-called Trump Effect has also affected the German parliament’s decision to relax restrictions on debt so it can pump funds into its military superstructure.  

The likely new German chancellor, Friedrich Merz of the conservative Christian Democratic Union party, said he would do "whatever it takes" to rebuild Germany’s frail military. Berlin’s mainstream parties aim to invest hundreds of billions of euros in defense and infrastructure. Germany’s armed forces (Bundeswehr) are, according to reports, in a state of disarray, with a mere 181,174 soldiers at the end of last year. Germany’s Defense Ministry seeks to expand its armed forces to 203,000 by 2031.

Recruitment remains an ongoing challenge within a population raised on pacifism. After Germany started two World Wars in the last century, Germany's power politics stressed the role of multilateral institutions like the U.N. and diplomacy in remedying conflicts.

The Associated Press recently reported that Germany's parliamentary commissioner for the armed forces, Eva Högl, said, "The biggest problem is boredom. She added "If young people have nothing to do, if there isn’t enough equipment and there aren’t enough trainers, if the rooms aren’t reasonably clean and orderly, that deters people, and it makes the Bundeswehr unattractive."

In an interview earlier this month with German news outlet WELT, the German historian Michael Wolffsohn, who taught at the Bundeswehr University Munich, said of Germany and Western Europe’s failure over the decades to address its severe defense deficits, "Now we get the receipt for everything we neglected."

Fox News Digital sent a detailed press query to the German Foreign Ministry about Trump’s criticism that Berlin has chronically underinvested in defense and remained wedded to Putin’s gas supply after his warnings.

Fox News' Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.

The United Kingdom could be the first G7 nation not to manufacture its own steel, with a major steel firm blaming President Donald Trump's tariffs for the planned closure of its two blast furnaces. 

British Steel, which is owned by Jingye, the Chinese steel group, announced plans to close its two blast furnaces in England, The Telegraph reported. The closures put 2,700 jobs at risk and the end of steel production in the United Kingdom after 150 years. Jingye bought British Steel in 2020. 

Jingye said the "imposition of tariffs" had made the blast furnaces and steel-making operations "no longer financially sustainable". 

THE LEFT THINKS TRUMP’S TARIFFS ARE A DECLARATION OF WAR. BUT THEY’RE CLUELESS ABOUT THE BATTLEFIELD

Trump has imposed 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to the United States that went into effect earlier this month.

Jingye said it has invested billions of dollars to maintain operations since 2020 but that losses have ballooned to around hundred of thousands of dollars daily.

The closures could have national security implications. 

"There is a reason why Russia bombed all the blast furnaces in Ukraine pretty much straight away; because countries need steel not just for defense but to build the roads and the infrastructure," said Sarah Jones, the energy minister. 

Roy Rickhuss, general secretary of the Community union, said: "We urge Jingye and the government to get back around the table to resume negotiations before it is too late."

TRUMP’S 25% TARIFF INCREASE ON ALL STEEL, ALUMINUM IMPORTS TAKES EFFECT, PROMPTING RETALIATION FROM EUROPE

"Given that we are now on the cusp of becoming the only G7 country without domestic primary steelmaking capacity, it is no exaggeration to say that our national security is gravely threatened," he added.

Trump has fought to keep U.S. Steel in American hands. Nippon Steel, a Japanese company, said it was willing to increase investment in U.S. Steel facilities to $7 billion as it tries to convince Trump thah the Pittsburgh steelmaker would be in good hands with foreign ownership. 

"We are also going to keep U.S. Steel right here in America," Trump said during a September 2024 campaign rally. 

Trump first opposed the deal in February 2024, but said earlier this year that Nippon would negotiate an investment in U.S. Steel, rather than a purchase, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. 

Israel on Friday launched an attack on Lebanon's capital for the first time since a ceasefire ended the latest Israel-Hezbollah war in November.

Associated Press reporters in Beirut heard a loud boom and witnessed smoke rising from an area in the city's southern suburbs that Israel's military had vowed to strike.

EXCLUSIVE: A LOOK AT HEZBOLLAH'S PLAN TO TERRORIZE AND INVADE NORTHERN ISRAEL

It marked Israel's first strike on Beirut since a ceasefire took hold last November between it and the Hezbollah militant group, though Israel has attacked targets in southern Lebanon almost daily since then.

Israel’s army said it hit a Hezbollah drone storage facility in Dahiyeh, which it called a militant stronghold. The strike came after Israel, which accuses Hezbollah of using civilians as human shields, warned residents to evacuate the area.

The area struck is a residential and commercial area and is close to at least two schools.

Israeli officials said the attack was retaliation for rockets it said were fired from Lebanon into northern Israel. They promised strikes on Beirut would continue unless Lebanon's government worked to ensure such attacks ceased.

"We will not allow firing at our communities, not even a trickle," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. "We will attack everywhere in Lebanon, against any threat to the State of Israel."

Hezbollah denied firing the rockets, and accused Israel of seeking a pretext to continue attacking Lebanon.

Lebanon’s government ordered all schools and universities in Beirut’s southern suburb of Hadath to close for the day. Residents were seen fleeing the area in cars and on foot ahead of the strike.

Hezbollah began launching rockets, drones and missiles into Israel the day after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel by its Hamas allies ignited the war in Gaza. Palestinian militants killed about 1,200 in Israel and abducted 251 others during the 2023 attack.

The Israel-Hezbollah conflict exploded into all-out war last September when Israel carried out waves of airstrikes and killed most of the militant group’s senior leaders. The fighting killed over 4,000 people in Lebanon and displaced about 60,000 Israelis.

Under the ceasefire, Israeli forces were supposed to withdraw from all Lebanese territory by late January. The deadline was extended to Feb. 18, but Israel has remained in five border locations while carrying out dozens of strikes on what it said were Hezbollah targets in southern and eastern Lebanon. Last week, Israeli airstrikes on several locations in Lebanon killed six people.

Speaking in Paris, Lebanon’s President, Joseph Aoun, said the Beirut area strike was a continuation "of Israel’s violations of the agreement" sponsored by France and the U.S.

During a joint news conference with Aoun, French President Emmanuel Macron called the attack "unacceptable," and promised to address it with Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump. Macron said that the U.S. can exert pressure on Israel.

A U.S. State Department spokeswoman called on Lebanon's government to act.

"Israel is defending its people and interests by responding to rocket attacks from terrorists in Lebanon," the spokeswoman, Tammy Bruce, said Friday. "We expect the Lebanese Armed Forces to disarm these terrorists to prevent further hostilities."

The U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, said the escalation had created "a critical period for Lebanon and the wider region."

Israeli strikes in other parts of Lebanon on Friday killed three people and wounded 18, including children and women, in the southern village of Kfar Tibnit, said Lebanon's health ministry.

The strikes comes less than two weeks after Israel ended its ceasefire with Hamas with surprise strikes that killed hundreds of people in Gaza. Earlier this month, Israel halted deliveries of food, fuel, medicine and humanitarian aid to Gaza's roughly 2 million Palestinians.

Israel has vowed to escalate the war until Hamas returns 59 hostages it still holds — 24 of them believed to be alive. Israel is demanding that the group give up power, disarm and send its leaders into exile.

Hamas has said it will only release the remaining captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

Israel's offensive in the Strip has killed over 50,000 people and wounded 114,000, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many were civilians or combatants.

The ministry said Friday that nearly 900 have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire ended in mid-March, including more than 40 over the past 24 hours.

Denmark on Friday found itself in President Donald Trump’s crosshairs. Trump appears to be honing in on what his administration is now arguing is a failure by Copenhagen to protect Greenland from Russian and Chinese aggression.   

Speaking to American soldiers from the U.S.’s Pituffik Space Base in northwest Greenland, Vice President Vance said, "Denmark hasn't done a good job at keeping Greenland safe."

"What we think is going to happen is that the Greenlanders are going to choose, through self-determination, to become independent of Denmark," Vance explained in a more toned-down approach from Trump’s previous statements. "And then we're going to have conversations with the people of Greenland from there."

PUTIN SAYS TRUMP PLANS FOR GREENLAND 'HAS NOTHING TO DO' WITH RUSSIA

The vice president’s answer was in response to questions from reporters as to what lengths Trump would go to, to acquire Greenland despite strong resistance within the arctic nation to become a part of the U.S. as the president has previously signaled is his ambition.

"We do not think that military force is ever going to be necessary," Vance continued. "And because we think the people of Greenland are rational and good, we think we're going to be able to cut a deal, Donald Trump-style, to ensure the security of this territory, but also the United States of America."

Vance said that Russia and China have been largely running unchecked in the area and "encroaching" on Greenland without proper protection from Denmark. 

Though Greenland is an autonomous nation, it is still a territory of Denmark, which means Copenhagen oversees its security needs. 

Greenland does not currently have its own military and would no longer be protected by NATO if it left Denmark, as it would need to formally apply for NATO membership as an independent nation. 

"There has been an expansion of the security footprint in the security interests of Russia and China. They're doing what they believe is in their interest," Vance said. "The United States must do what I know is in our interest -- which is to make sure that Greenland is safe. 

"If Greenland doesn't have self-determination, if the people of Greenland have their future controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, it's not going to make their lives better off, and most importantly, it's going to make American and world…security much, much weaker," he added.

TRUMP DOUBLES DOWN ON ACQUIRING GREENLAND FOR ‘WORLD PEACE’ AMID VANCE VISIT

Vance said he wants Greenland to have American weapons, not Chinese weapons, and that he believes a partnership could be secured once the arctic nation votes for independence from Denmark.

While some in Greenland have said they would be interested in securing a partnership with Washington that could include access to fishing lanes in exchange for defense guarantees, Trump has signaled that he may be more interested in the nation’s rare earth minerals and energy opportunities. 

However, Greenland, which is environmentally conscious, has previously blocked the EU from making deals to access those coveted resources. 

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"When the President says we've got to have Greenland, he's saying this island is not safe," Vance said. "A lot of people are interested in it. A lot of people are making a play. 

"Our message is very simple: Yes, the people of Greenland are going to have self-determination," he continued. "We hope that they choose to partner with the United States.

"We're the only nation on earth that will respect their sovereignty and respect their security, because their security is very much our security," Vance said. 

Speaking from the Arctic as Vice President JD Vance prepared for his trip to Greenland to assess U.S. security concerns, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Washington’s ambitions for the Arctic nation had "nothing to do" with Russia. 

"In short, America's plans in relation to Greenland are serious," Putin said Thursday during an address to Russia's Arctic Forum in Murmansk. 

"These plans have deep historical roots," he continued, according to a BBC report. "And it's clear that the US will continue to systematically pursue its geo-strategic, military-political and economic interests in the Arctic.

"As for Greenland, this is a matter for two specific countries," he added. "It has nothing to do with us."

TRUMP SAYS 'WE NEED GREENLAND FOR INTERNATIONAL SAFETY AND SECURITY' AHEAD OF VANCE TRIP

Putin’s comments coincided with remarks by President Donald Trump, who on Thursday doubled down on his ambitions for the Arctic nation despite international rebuke, and said, "We need Greenland for international safety and security. We need it. We have to have it."

"It’s [an] island from a defensive posture and even offensive posture is something we need," he told radio host Vince Coglianese. "When you look at the ships going up their shore by the hundreds, it’s a busy place."

Trump acknowledged he was unsure if the people of Greenland wanted to become U.S. citizens, but he said it was important to "convince them."

Greenland's citizens and leadership have repeatedly made clear they are not interested in becoming a part of the U.S. and are seeking full independence from Denmark. 

It is unclear if the vice president will be advancing Trump’s message while visiting the U.S.’ Pituffik Space Force base in northwest Greenland, but Vance and his wife, second lady Usha Vance, quickly changed their itinerary earlier this week upon announcing the planned trip after Greenland’s leaders made clear the Vance's were not issued an invitation – sparking a diplomatic uproar.

GREENLAND PM SLAMS UPCOMING VISIT FROM USHA VANCE AS 'VERY AGGRESSIVE' PROVOCATION: REPORT

However, as Trump claims the Arctic nation is needed for U.S. security, Russian officials are now touting the idea that Washington and Moscow could expand economic cooperation in the Arctic. 

"We are open to considering different investment opportunities that we can do jointly with the U.S., in certain sectors approved by the Russian government," Putin's envoy for foreign investment and economic cooperation, Kirill Dmitriev, said according to the BBC report, which also noted the Kremlin official has already been in "direct talks" with the U.S.

"We are open for investment cooperation in the Arctic. That could be in logistics, or other areas beneficial to Russia and to the U.S.," Dmitriev added. "But before deals can be done, the war in Ukraine needs to end."

Russia has stalled U.S. attempts to secure a ceasefire in Ukraine by laying out conditions European nations have made clear they will not agree to, like lifting sanctions and booting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy from office – which security experts have long warned is Putin’s chief aim to cement control over the former Soviet nation.

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Putin reiterated this goal during his address from the Arctic and said, "We could, of course, discuss with the United States, even with European countries, and of course with our partners and friends, under the auspices of the UN, the possibility of establishing a transitional administration in Ukraine."

It remains highly unlikely Ukraine or its European partners, including France and the U.K. who sit on the UN Security Council, will agree to Putin’s conditions. 

Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report. 

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Friday that the Trump administration intends to boost military ties with the Philippines to strengthen deterrence against Chinese aggression in the disputed South China Sea.

The assurance came during a meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the Philippines, part of Hegseth’s trip to Asia to reaffirm Washington's "ironclad" commitment to the region under the administration of President Donald Trump.  

"Deterrence is necessary around the world but specifically in this region, in your country, considering the threats from the communist Chinese," Hegseth told Marcos. "Friends need to stand shoulder to shoulder to deter conflict, to ensure that there is free navigation whether you call it the South China Sea or the West Philippine Sea."

"Peace through strength is a very real thing," Hegseth said, praising the Philippines for standing "very firm" to defend its interests in the contested waters.

HEGSETH SAYS NO CLASSIFIED INFORMATION WAS SHARED IN SIGNAL GROUP CHAT: ‘NOBODY’S TEXTING WAR PLANS'

China claims virtually the entire South China Sea, a major security and global trade route. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have overlapping claims to the resource-rich and busy waters, but confrontations have spiked between Chinese and Philippine coast guard and naval forces in the last two years.

US-CANADA BORDER EYED AS VULNERABILITY BY CHINA, RUSSIA, SAYS PATEL: ‘THE ENEMY ADAPTS’

Chinese forces have used powerful water cannons and dangerous maneuvers in the high seas to block what Beijing said were encroachments by Philippine ships into China's waters. Chinese military aircraft have also approached Philippine patrol planes at alarmingly close distances to drive them away from the Scarborough Shoal, a hotly disputed fishing atoll in the disputed waterway.

Hegseth echoed that pledge by expressing "the ironclad commitment" of Trump and him "to the Mutual Defense Treaty and to the partnership."

Marcos told the U.S. defense chief that by visiting the Philippines first in Asia, he "sends a very strong message of the commitment of both our countries to continue to work together to maintain peace in the Indo-Pacific region, within the South China Sea."

"We have always understood the principle that the greatest force for peace in this part of the world would be the United States," Marcos said.

Hegseth's visit to the Philippines comes a month before the longtime treaty allies hold their largest annual combat exercises that will include live-fire drills. 

The defense secretary’s visit comes as he faces calls back home for his resignation for texting attack plans to a Signal group that included top-level U.S. security officials and the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A massive 7.7 magnitude earthquake rattled Burma and Thailand Friday, causing buildings to collapse as people scrambled for safety. 

The massive earthquake shook across almost every region of the country and aftershocks were reportedly felt in India and China.

The aftershock was reported to have been 6.4 magnitude, the United States Geological Survey (USGS). People in Bangkok evacuated from their buildings were cautioned to stay outside in case there were more.

AMERICA'S MOST EXPENSIVE NATURAL DISASTERS IN RECENT DECADES

A dramatic video circulated on social media showed the multi-story building in Bangkok with a crane on top collapsing into a cloud of dust, while onlookers screamed and ran.

Police were responding to the scene near Bangkok's popular Chatuchak Market, and had no immediate information on how many workers were on the site at the time of the collapse.

IS THE EAST COAST ON THE BRINK OF A MAJOR EARTHQUAKE — AND ARE WE PREPARED?

Police were responding to the scene near Bangkok's popular Chatuchak Market, and had no immediate information on how many workers were on the site at the time of the collapse.

The U.S. Geological Survey and Germany's GFZ center for geosciences said the earthquake was a shallow 6.2 miles, with an epicenter in Myanmar, according to preliminary reports.

Water from high-rise rooftop pools in Bangkok sloshed over the side as they shook, and debris fell from many buildings.

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra called an emergency meeting to assess the impact of the quake.

The greater Bangkok area is home to more than 17 million people, many of whom live in high-rise apartments.

Alarms went off in buildings as the earthquake hit around 1:30 p.m., and startled residents were evacuated down staircases of high-rise condominiums and hotels in densely populated central Bangkok.

They remained in the streets, seeking shade from the midday sun in the minutes after the quake.

Thailand's Department of Disaster Prevention said the quake was felt in almost all regions of the country.

The epicenter of the earthquake was in central Myanmar, about 30 miles east of the city of Monywa.

In the capital Naypyitaw, the quake damaged religious shrines, sending parts toppling to the ground, and some homes.

"We have started the search and going around Yangon to check for casualties and damage. So far, we have no information yet," a Burmese fire official told Reuters.

Meanwhile, dozens are missing, and rescue teams are currently forming to search for survivors, according to the China Earthquake Networks Centre (CENC).

Further reports of damage were not immediately available from Burmese, which has for years been embroiled in a civil war.

There are reportedly 188 people injured so far in Tibet on the Chinese side of the border, reports the official Xinhua News Agency.

The Polish military has established a group to assist the Lithuanian Army and U.S. Army in a recovery operation for four U.S. Army soldiers who disappeared early Tuesday during a training exercise near Pabradė, Lithuania.

The soldiers, based in Fort Stewart in Georgia, were riding in an M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle on a scheduled maintenance mission to recover another U.S. Army vehicle in the training area when they disappeared, U.S. Army Europe and Africa public affairs in Wiesbaden, Germany, confirmed.

Hundreds of U.S. and Lithuanian soldiers and law enforcement, Lithuanian military helicopters and dive teams aided in the initial ground-based search through the thick forests and swampy terrain.

However, the soldiers have yet to be located, and the M88 Hercules was found submerged in a body of water inside the training area, located over a highly pressurized gas pipeline near Pabradė, a town north of the capital Vilnius.

BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS MISSING AND MURDERED UNIT INVESTIGATING ALLEGED MILITARY BASE KILLING

In an interview with Fox News Digital Thursday afternoon, Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė said from the moment the country learned of the incident, it had "given everything" it has, both from its armed forces and internal affairs ministry institutions, to find the soldiers.

"From helicopters with thermal vision to forces on the ground, we are continuing very intensely," Šakalienė said.

U.S. Army Europe and Africa public affairs noted water, thick mud and soft ground around the site "have complicated recovery efforts," requiring specialized equipment to drain water from the side and stabilize the ground. 

Polish officials announced Thursday they were sending a group of troops with engineering equipment to assist.

As of Thursday afternoon, officials said land dredging equipment was on the way, and a dam was being reinforced to isolate the mud pumping area. 

The pressurized gas has been removed, and it is now safe to work at the site, according to Šakalienė.

The internal water waste agency will send out a water master dredger and more than 900 feet of bulk pipe on Friday morning, and they should reach the the location by midday. 

It will take several hours to install the pipeline and the dredgers. Then, they will begin making water influx with the excavator.

"The dredger pump usually pumps 80% of water, while working with 20% of mud or sludge, and the goal is to start working with the pump until the evening, so that, finally, on Saturday morning, a diver and the hydrographic team can use a multi-beam echo founder to assess the position of the vehicle, because we don't know yet if it has overturned or what position it is in," Šakalienė said.

A diver will attach cables, and workers will use pulleys to tow the vehicle to shore.

"Then we will be able to check if the missing soldiers are inside," she said. 

Šakalienė said it is unknown if the soldiers could have escaped the vehicle before it sank but reiterated there was "no evidence" confirming the deaths of the missing soldiers as of Thursday afternoon.

FOREIGN NATIONALS FLYING DRONES OVER US MILITARY SITES RAISES ‘ESPIONAGE’ CONCERN: EXPERT

The area surrounding the site is a forested area with swamps and bogs, similar to an environment found in Alaska. Weather conditions are also similar, making it a challenging training area for Army personnel.

"Maybe they were lost, confused, hurt or in hypothermic condition, and we haven't found them yet," Šakalienė said. "But we are not losing hope until the very last moment. These are strong soldiers, strong, grown men. All scenarios are possible."

She added Lithuania, a member of NATO, considers American soldiers their own and will not leave them behind.

"We are working with them. We are friends with them, and all of our society is heartbroken watching every single moment of this rescue operation," Šakalienė said. "I have a 24-year-old son. It's difficult for me even to imagine what they are going through. … Let me assure you, we will do everything in our power to find them and to find the answers as soon as possible."

SEARCH ‘ONGOING’ FOR 4 AMERICAN SOLDIERS MISSING FROM TRAINING AREA IN LITHUANIA: NATO

Deputy Prime Minister of Poland Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz confirmed on X a task force of several dozen Polish soldiers with heavy equipment and frogmen were "urgently" heading to Lithuania to help.

"We are responding to a request from our allies #StrongerTogether," Kosiniak-Kamysz wrote in the post.

The country, also a member of NATO, has reportedly feared talks between Russia and Ukraine could end in a settlement that would allow Russian President Vladimir Putin to threaten the region.

Lithuanian officials said they are in touch with U.S. Ambassador Kara C. McDonald and U.S. Army personnel.

"We are leveraging every available U.S. and Lithuanian asset to coordinate and provide the required resources for this effort," U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Curtis Taylor, the commanding general of 1st Armored Division, wrote in a statement.

The rescue mission has now turned into "search and recovery efforts," according to a statement from U.S. Army Europe and Africa.

"We are incredibly appreciative of the dedicated and professional efforts of our Lithuanian allies in ensuring the safety of U.S. personnel," Taylor added. "They have worked tirelessly alongside us over the last 48 hours, and we continue to be grateful for their support." 

The U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division is keeping the soliders' families updated on the search.

"This tragic situation weighs heavily on all of us, and we’re keeping the families, friends and teammates of our soldiers and recovery team in our thoughts and prayers," Taylor wrote. "We want everyone to know we will not stop until our soldiers are found."

President Donald Trump told reporters Wednesday he had not been briefed about the missing soldiers.

The training site is less than 6 miles from Belarus, a Russian ally since its independence from the Soviet Union in 1990.

Lithuania, a Catholic country, will be organizing a joint prayer Sunday at its main church, the capital cathedral, and will host a mass for the missing soldiers.

The White House and Fort Stewart did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

The Associated Press and Fox News Digital's Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday said the "old relationship" with the United States "is over" while vowing to engage in a renegotiation over a trade agreement. 

Carney, 60, who won the Liberal leadership this month with 86% of the vote after former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stood down, was speaking in Ottawa after meeting the nation’s provincial premiers when he spoke about President Donald Trump's new tariffs. 

CANADA 'RAGE ROOM' LETS VISITORS SMASH TRUMP, VANCE, MUSK PORTRAITS TO RELEASE TARIFF ANGST

"The old relationship we had with the United States, based on deepening integration of our economies and tight security and military cooperations, is over," he told reporters. "The time will come for a broad renegotiation of our security and trade relationship."

Carney's remarks didn't specify the future of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which was renegotiated during Trump's first term in office.

Carney said what the U.S. will do next "is unclear." 

CANADA’S NEW PM AND TRUMP CRITIC MARK CARNEY ACCUSED OF BEING OUT OF TOUCH WITH THE 'COMMON MAN'

"What is clear is that we as Canadians have agency. We have power. We are masters in our own home," he said. "We control our destiny. We can give ourselves much more than any foreign government, including the United States, can ever take away."

Trump's tariffs and remarks about making Canada the 51st state have unsettled Canadian leaders and upset many Canadians. 

On Wednesday, Trump said that he would impose a 25% tariff on imports of foreign-made cars, a move intended to boost the U.S. auto industry. He paused the tariffs on goods covered by the USMCA.

A man wielding a knife seriously wounded five people in Amsterdam, including two from the U.S., during a stabbing attack in a shopping district on Thursday, according to Dutch police.

The Associated Press said police noted the attack, which lasted for several minutes, ended when the suspect was stopped by a passerby near the city’s Dam Square late Thursday afternoon.

Police closed off the area, which was tended to by emergency crews who responded in ambulances and a trauma helicopter.

In a statement, authorities said the motive for the attack had not been established, though police were investigating a situation where the suspect randomly targeted victims.

TRAM SET ON FIRE AS AMSTERDAM RIOTS RAGE ON

Authorities identified the victims as a 69-year-old man and 67-year-old woman from the U.S.; a 73-year-old woman from Belgium; a 26-year-old man from Poland; and a 19-year-old woman from Amsterdam.

ISRAEL SENDS EVACUATION PLANES TO AMSTERDAM AFTER ‘SHOCING’ ATTACK ON ISRAELI SOCCER FANS

"The police investigation is in full swing and has full priority at the moment. We hope to soon get more clarity about the background of this horrible stabbing," Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema said. "Our hearts go out to the victims, their families and loved ones."

Police told the AP that the suspect was injured when a bystander overpowered him.

ISRAELI SOCCER FANS TARGETED IN WAVE OF VIOLENCE IN AMSTERDAM

"The suspect was detained with the help of a civilian," police spokesperson Eline Roovers told the AP.

Guido Oostorm, another spokesperson for the police department, said the victims had been taken to area hospitals for treatment.

A State Department spokesperson confirmed to Fox News that two U.S. citizens were injured during the incident.

"The U.S. Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of U.S. citizens overseas," the spokesperson said. "We are closely following reports of a stabbing in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. We extend our sympathies to the victims and to the families of those affected. We can confirm that two U.S. citizens were injured. Due to privacy and other considerations, we have no further comment."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday looked to make Washington’s position on the recent visa removal of Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk "abundantly clear" and said anyone found to be "creating a ruckus" will have their visa revoked.

"I don't care what movement you're involved in," he told reporters from a press event in Guyana. Why would any country in the world allow people to come and disrupt?

"We gave you a visa to come and study and get a degree, not to become a social activist," he added. 

VIDEO SHOWS ARREST OF TUFTS UNIVERSITY STUDENT FOR ALLEGEDLY SUPPORTING HAMAS

Rubio suggested that after Ozturk wrote a March 2024 op-ed criticizing the university’s ties to Israel amid the war in Gaza, he viewed her actions as equivalent to those who "vandalize universities, harass students, take over buildings, [and] create a ruckus."

While her op-ed never mentioned support for Hamas, the terrorist network, it did call on the university to divest from companies with ties to Israel and to acknowledge the "Palestinian genocide."

The Department of Homeland Security said it had found Ozturk to have "engaged in activities in support of Hamas," though it has not publicly released the evidence behind that determination.

TRUMP DOJ INVOKES STATE SECRETS IN TREN DE ARAGUA DEPORTATION CASE

But Rubio on Thursday maintained that "every country in the world has a right to decide who comes in as a visitor and who doesn't."

"I encourage every country to do that, by the way, because I think it's crazy to invite students into your country that are coming onto your campus and destabilizing it," he told reporters. "We're just not going to have it.

 "We'll revoke your visa, and once your visa is revoked, you're illegally in the country and you have to leave," Rubio confirmed. 

The secretary said the U.S. has thus far revoked some 300 visas.

"We do it every day. Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visa," Rubio said. "At some point, I hope we run out because we've gotten rid of all of them. But, we're looking every day for these lunatics."

Rubio also highlighted that Washington's push to revoke the visas of "destabilizing" visitors applies not only to students, but also to gang members. 

The secretary pointed to the administration’s efforts to expel gang members of MS-13 and Tren de Aragua, who were first housed in the Guantánamo Bay prison before being transferred to Venezuela and El Salvador. 

Argentina is set to declassify all government-held files relating to Nazi fugitives who fled and settled in Argentina after World War II, according to reports. 

The documents will likely include Nazi-linked bank accounts and archival records detailing the use of Nazi "ratlines" which were monetary and logistic pathways Nazis used to escape justice and flee Argentina following the war.

Guillermo Alberto Francos, Argentina’s interior minister, made the announcement Tuesday, the Buenos Aires Times reported citing DNEWS.

HITLER WWII 'ESCAPE' INVESTIGATED BY THE CIA, BOMBSHELL DOCUMENT REVEALS

It is estimated that up to 10,000 Nazis and other fascist war criminals escaped justice for Holocaust atrocities by fleeing to Argentina and other Latin American countries.

Notorious high-level Nazis, including Holocaust mastermind Adolph Eichmann and "angel of death" Josef Mengele, fled to the South American country, while rumors have swirled for years that former Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler also ended up there.

The pending release comes after Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, requested their release last month in a letter to Argentinian President Javier Milei. Grassley is investigating Credit Suisse and its historic servicing of the Nazi-linked accounts and ratlines.

In the letter, Grassley wrote that the records would help shine a light on the Nazi planning of the covert escape routes. Grassley recently chaired a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing focused on stemming the tide of antisemitism in the U.S.

Milei promised officials of the Simon Wiesenthal Center his full cooperation in granting access to the documents. The center is famous for tracking down Nazis and is named after the famed Nazi hunter.

12,000 NAZIS LIVED IN ARGENTINA IN 1930S WITH SWISS BANK ACCOUNTS, NEWLY DISCOVERED DOCUMENTS SHOW

In 2017, the CIA declassified a document revealed that the intelligence agency investigated the possibility that Adolf Hitler was alive in South America as late as 1955 — nearly a decade after World War II ended.

The three-page document, which appears on the CIA's website, highlights a former SS soldier who told spies he had regularly met with Hitler in Colombia. 

The document suggests that Hitler may have worked as a shipping company employee, prior to potentially fleeing to Argentina. On the second page is a picture of the informant, Phillip Citroen, with a person he claims is Hitler in the mid-1950s.

It is not known if the upcoming declassifications by Argentina will shed any light on the Hitler conspiracy.

Mainstream historians say Hitler committed suicide by taking a cyanide capsule and shooting himself in Berlin in 1945. His body was later discovered by Soviet soldiers and buried in an unmarked spot. A German court declared Hitler dead, but not until 1956, more than a decade after the war ended.

His wife Eva Braun also killed herself by swallowing a cyanide pill.

Eichmann, one of the main architects of the Final Solution, escaped Europe after World War II and was living in Argentina under an assumed name when Israeli agents snatched him off a street in 1960. He was later tried and hung in Israel. 

Mengele, meanwhile, was arrested by U.S. forces in 1945 but released shortly after. He then spent years on the run and was infamous for carrying out brutal medical experiments. He arrived in Argentina in 1949 and lived there for a decade before fleeing to Paraguay and later to Brazil, where he died in 1979.

Nazis fled to several countries in the Americas following the war, including to the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

In 2020, a cache of documents appeared to identify more than 12,000 Nazis who lived in Argentina in the 1930s and who had one or more bank accounts at what is now Credit Suisse bank.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center said the files were found in a storeroom at a former Nazi headquarters in Buenos Aires.

Fox News’ Lucia Suarez Sang and Chris Ciaccia contributed to this report.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stunningly predicted that Russian President Vladimir Putin will die soon as his health is deteriorating. 

Zelenskyy made the sensational prediction in an interview Wednesday, when the Ukrainian leader also called on the U.S. not to bring Russia in from the global political wilderness amid ongoing peace talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.  

"He will die soon, that is a fact, and everything will be over," Zelenskyy told Eurovision News in Paris, according to a partial translation of the interview by the Kyiv Independent. 

Putin hopes to "remain in power until his death," Zelensky said, adding that the Russian leader seeks "a direct confrontation with the West," per the Kyiv Independent. 

VLADIMIR PUTIN IN NEW VIDEO SPARKS CANCER RUMORS OVER INTRAVENOUS MARKS ON HAND

Zelenskyy did not appear to go into detail as to why he thinks the 72-year-old Russian strongman may be nearing the end.

Speculation has swirled in recent years about Putin’s health, with rumors of his declining well-being gaining momentum since Russia invaded Ukraine. However, the Kremlin has been quick to shut down such rumors, denying reports several times last year amid no concrete evidence backing up claims of Putin's alleged ill health.

In October, Putin showcased what seemed to be intravenous (IV) track marks on his hands while meeting with soldiers, sparking rumors he was undergoing cancer treatment. The origin of the marks was unclear. 

Rumors have also swirled about Putin suffering strokes and Parkinson’s disease. 

Zelenskyy’s comments come amid delegations from Russia and Ukraine on Tuesday agreeing to a ceasefire on energy infrastructure attacks and hostilities in the Black Sea following talks with Trump administration officials in Saudi Arabia.

TRUMP ENVOY DOESN'T BELIEVE PUTIN WANTS TO TAKE OVER EUROPE

The Kremlin said a Black Sea ceasefire will only be implemented with the removal of Western sanctions on Russia's Rosselkhozbank – which reportedly services agriculture firms – and when access to the international banking system is restored, according to a report by Reuters.

During Zelenskyy’s interview, the Ukrainian leader pleaded with the U.S. to not cave to the Kremlin’s demands during ongoing peace and cease-fire negotiations. The U.S. has agreed to expand Russia's access to global markets.

"It is very important that America does not help Putin to get out of this global isolation now," Zelenskyy said.

"I believe that this is dangerous. This is one of the most dangerous moments."

On Thursday, Zelenskyy met with French President Emmanuel Macron ahead of a summit in Paris of some 30 nations about how to strengthen Kyiv’s hand and its military as it pushes for a ceasefire with Russia. Proposals to deploy European troops in the country in tandem with any peace deal are also being discussed.

Putin has served as president of Russia since 2012, having previously served in the role from 2000 to 2008. The former KGB foreign intelligence officer also served as prime minister of Russia from 1999 to 2000 and again from 2008 to 2012.

Fox News’ Haley Chi-Sing, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

European leaders have made clear they will not adhere to President Donald Trump’s plans to help Russia re-enter the world market and lift international sanctions until Moscow ends its illegal war – essentially rendering the Black Sea truce dead in the water. 

Earlier this week, the Trump administration touted its negotiations with Ukraine and Russia and said both nations had agreed to "eliminate the use of force" in the Black Sea – but the Kremlin later confirmed this was only contingent on the removal of international economic restrictions. 

"Russia shall have no right of say regarding the support we are providing and will provide Ukraine, nor shall they set the conditions," French President Emmanuel Macron reportedly said while standing alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Wednesday night.

RUSSIA, UKRAINE AGREE TO BLACK SEA CEASEFIRE FOLLOWING US TALKS

Macron said it was "much too early" to be discussing any sanction relief and EU officials confirmed to Fox News Digital that as the Kremlin continues to list demands, sanctions remain a chief leveraging tool that European leaders will not give up easily.

"Ultimately, sanctions depend solely on Russia’s choice of aggression, and therefore, their lifting depends solely on Russia’s choice to comply with international law," Macron added. 

Leaders from 30 nations and the head of NATO met in Paris on Thursday as part of the France-U.K.-led "coalition of the willing," which was spearheaded following Trump’s re-entrance into the White House and amid concerns the U.S. could no longer be considered a reliable partner for Ukraine or Europe. 

The U.S. was not invited to the international summit, the third of its kind, which did include leaders from Poland, Italy and Turkey. 

Though France and the U.K., the apparent bulwarks of this new foundation of support for Ukraine, have been toeing the line to maintain positive relations with the U.S. as the geopolitical sphere of reality changes in Europe.

Macron reportedly spoke with Trump prior to the summit on Wednesday, and the U.K. on Thursday reaffirmed its commitment to "back U.S. efforts to make real progress despite continued Russian obfuscation."

"Unlike President Zelenskyy, [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has shown he’s not a serious player in these peace talks," Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement ahead of the Thursday summit. "Playing games with the agreed naval ceasefire in the Black Sea despite good-faith participation from all sides."

NATO LEADER WARNS PUTIN AGAINST ATTACKING POLAND, SAYS RETALIATION WOULD BE 'DEVASTATING'

"His promises are hollow," the statement added. "The U.S. is playing a leading role by convening the ceasefire talks, President Zelenskyy has demonstrated his commitment repeatedly, and Europe is stepping up to play its part to defend Ukraine’s future. 

"Now Putin needs to show he’s willing to play ball," Starmer said.

France on Wednesday pledged another $2.1 billion for Kyiv in its continued fight against Russia, and more pledges of support are expected to be announced Thursday. 

The White House did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions on the apparent collapse of the Black Sea ceasefire. 

Though earlier in the week, following the Kremlin’s list of economic relief demands, a spokesperson for the White House said, "Our engagement is continuing. We agreed on language with both parties in our work towards a cessation of hostilities."

The spokesperson said "the Russians engaged us…with requests for more negotiations."

"President Trump believes in diplomacy and in giving diplomacy every chance to succeed," the spokesperson added. 

Six people have died and nine were injured when a tourist submarine sank off the Egyptian coast on Thursday, according to the Associated Press.

All the victims were Russian, and were among 45 passengers aboard the tourist submarine, said provincial officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to not having authorization to speak to the media. 

The sinking happened off one of the beaches in the tourist promenade area in the Red Sea resort of Hurghada, and that is where 29 people were rescued. 

There were some minors on board the submarine, Russian consular officials in Hurghada said, according to the AP. It is unknown how many crew members were on the submarine.

AT LEAST 16 TOURISTS MISSING AFTER EGYPTIAN YACHT CARRYING AMERICANS SINKS IN HIGH-WAVES RED SEA

The sub belonged to Sindbad hotel in Hurghada. It took off on a regularly scheduled tour to view coral reefs at around 10 a.m. Thursday and went under about half a mile from shore. 

The vessel, which was operated by a Hurghada-based company called Sindbad Submarines, had 44 passenger seats, two pilot seats, and a round viewing window for each passenger, according to the company website.

US-EGYPTIAN ARCHAEOLOGICAL TEAM UNCOVERS 4,000-YEAR-OLD TOMB NEAR LUXOR WITH JEWELRY, OTHER ARTIFACTS

The people rescued were taken to hospitals and are in stable condition, according to the Russian consulate.

The cause of the submarine's sinking is not yet known. 

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Back in November, a tourist yacht sank in the Red Sea after warnings of rough waters, Egyptian officials said. At least four people drowned, while 33 were rescued. Some were missing following the sinking. Two American tourists had been onboard. 

Tourism is an important sector of Egypt's economy, but many tourist companies have stopped or limited travel on the Red Sea due to the dangers from conflicts in the region.

Fox News Digital's Andrea Margolis and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Liran Berman calls his brothers, Gali and Ziv, "the light of every room [they] walk into." 

Twins Gali and Ziv were taken hostage from their home in Kibbutz Kfar Aza during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks. He told Fox News Digital that it was fitting that they brought light into every room, as the two brothers were lighting technicians. 

While most Israelis in their 20s move to the center of the country to live in cities like Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Gali and Ziv opted to stay in their family’s home in southern Israel. They wanted to help their mother care for their father, who is suffering from dementia and Parkinson’s disease.

Liran told Fox News Digital that his brothers were ripped from their beds while sleeping late on a Saturday during a holiday weekend.

​BROTHER OF ISRAELI TWIN HOSTAGES RECOUNTS OCT. 7 TERRORIST ATTACK ON THEIR HOME

The Berman brothers were kidnapped together from the kibbutz, but their family has since learned from released hostages that they were separated shortly after arriving in Gaza. They are not the only brothers who were separated. Iair Horn was freed from Hamas captivity in February 2025 but had to leave his brother, Eitan, behind in Gaza.

"This is the longest they've been separated in their whole lives," Liran told Fox News Digital. Gali and Ziv were kidnapped along with Emily Damari, who was freed during the most recent ceasefire deal. When he spoke with Fox News Digital, Liran said he had not had a chance to talk to Emily since her release.

"Gali and Ziv have done nothing wrong to anyone. They are victims of a conflict," Liran told Fox News Digital.

The Berman family received signs of life after Gali and Ziv had spent more than a year in Gaza. Prior to the confirmation, which has come from freed hostages, Liran said his family "fought with the belief that my brothers were alive." 

"It was a breath of fresh air, really it’s, it’s — For more than a year, we fought with a belief that they are still alive, nothing more. Because for more than a year we had information from November ‘23 and until late January ’25 we didn’t know anything," Liran told Fox News Digital. "It gave us strength. We have the knowledge now that they are alive, not just a belief."

ISRAELI ACTIVIST VISITS US CITIES TO BRING AWARENESS TO TWIN BROTHERS CAPTURED BY HAMAS TERRORISTS

Liran believes that President Donald Trump has the power to secure his brothers’ release. He told Fox News Digital that Trump’s election brought a "different atmosphere" to the negotiations.

"We are in awe of what President Trump has done in his short term this far, and we are still hopeful that with the current administration we will see the remaining hostages, until the last one. Because that’s what they promised us. Until the last one will be home. It gives us a lot of strength," Liran told Fox News Digital. He also described himself as a "firm believer in the Trump effect."

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When asked about the renewed anti-Israel unrest on U.S. college campuses, Liran told Fox News Digital that he wants those students to realize that they are not so different from Gali and Ziv. They are around the same age and likely share the same interests.

"I want them to know that Gali and Ziv have their whole lives ahead of them," Liran told Fox News Digital. "And I want them to know that Gali and Ziv are missed by so many people."

The United Nations Human Rights Council’s (UNHRC) session in Geneva on Wednesday was marked by the interruption and scolding of pro-Israel speakers.

Meanwhile, those speaking against the Jewish state were allowed to lob insults and accusations of "genocide."

U.N. Watch Executive Director Hillel Neuer was interrupted twice while speaking out against United Nations Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, whose term is up for renewal. He was interrupted and ultimately blocked from delivering his full remarks.

The Permanent Observer Representative of the State of Palestine to the U.N. Ibrahim Khraishi first interrupted Neuer with a "point of order." Khraishi started his remarks by saying Neuer was out of order and accused the U.N. watchdog chief of being "affiliated with the Mossad." This claim went unchallenged by the officials running the session, who complained repeatedly about "disrespectful language."

FREED ISRAELI HOSTAGE TELLS UNITED NATIONS THAT HAMAS STEALS AID

Neuer called the incident "censorship in its rawest form" and said it was "a day of shame for the United Nations" in a statement to Fox News Digital.

"They let the PLO spew slander but shut down my microphone when I cited the words of France, Germany, Canada, and the United States. What is more ‘disrespectful’—reporting the fact that democracies have condemned Francesca Albanese for antisemitism, or allowing a U.N.-accredited delegate to accuse a human rights defender of being a Mossad operative?"

After the first interruption, Neuer cited precedent for bringing a complaint against a U.N. official in the council session. However, Khraishi once again objected and, at that point, the U.N. official running the session moved to proceed to the next speaker rather than let Neuer conclude.

"I was silenced today, but the truth will not be. France, Germany, Canada, the U.S., and the Netherlands have all spoken. They’ve condemned Francesca Albanese’s antisemitism. They’ve called her unfit. It’s time for every democracy to find its voice. Silence is complicity," Neuer told Fox News Digital.

UN BLAMES ISRAELIS FOR ATTACK ON COMPOUND BUT DOESN'T MENTION HAMAS, SAYS FORCED TO REDUCE GAZA FOOTPRINT

Neuer was not the only pro-Israel speaker who was reprimanded for their language. Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust Director Anne Bayefsky was also scolded. After her video was played in the session, she was condemned for what the U.N. officials running the session deemed to be "disrespectful" and outside of "acceptable limits."

"They don’t define terrorism. They don’t name Hamas. Albanese and [Navi] Pillay are immune from condemnation for their atrocities. There is no U.N. accountability. And for that the new American administration must hold them to account," Bayefsky told Fox News Digital.

Albanese, who was appointed special rapporteur in 2022, has been condemned by the governments of multiple countries and faced accusations of antisemitism. According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Albanese responded to a Hamas-organized conference in Gaza by saying "you have the right to resist this occupation." That was just a few months after her appointment to the U.N. position.

PAUSE IN US FOREIGN AID HAS UN IN PANIC OVER FUNDING CUTS, TRUMP SAYS WORLD BODY ‘NOT BEING WELL RUN’

On Wednesday, Neuer sent an official letter to Human Rights Council President Jürg Lauber urging him not to reappoint Albanese. In the letter, Neuer accuses Albanese of "routinely" violating the Code of Conduct, characterizing her breaches as "widespread, systematic and grave."

"Failure to address this issue would gravely undermine the credibility of the UNHRC and signal an unacceptable tolerance for antisemitism within its ranks," Neuer warned in the letter.

Albanese’s response to French President Emmanuel Macron calling the Oct. 7 attacks "the largest antisemitic massacre of our century" sparked backlash from France, the U.S. and Germany.

In February 2024, Albanese said that those killed on Oct. 7 were murdered "in response to Israel’s oppression," and not because they were Jewish.

The French Mission to the U.N. condemned Albanese’s response in a post on X. According to the ADL’s translation, the post read: "The October 7 massacre is the largest antisemitic massacre of the 21st century. To deny it is wrong. To seem to justify it, by bringing in the name of the United Nations, is a shame." This was just a few months after the mission condemned her "hate speech and antisemitism."

The German Mission to the U.N. backed France’s condemnation. The office reposted France’s post and wrote, "To justify the horrific terror attacks of 7/10 & deny their antisemitic nature is appalling. Making such statements in a U.N. capacity is a disgrace and goes against everything the United Nations stand for."

Michèle Taylor, who was serving as the U.S. ambassador to UNHRC at the time, condemned Albanese’s statements "justifying, dismissing and denying the antisemitic undertones of Hamas’ October 7 attack are in and of themselves antisemitic."

Fox News Digital reached out to the Palestinian Mission to the U.N. regarding Khraishi’s accusation against Neuer and has yet to get a response.

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un has overseen tests of newly developed AI-powered suicide drones and called for their increased production, North Korean state media said Thursday.

Photos released from the communist country show Kim inspecting new upgraded reconnaissance drones that are capable of detecting various tactical targets and enemy activities on land and at sea, KCNA state news agency said.

Kim said unmanned control and AI capability must be the top priorities in modern arms development.

NORTH KOREA UNVEILS ITS FIRST NUCLEAR-POWERED SUBMARINE

In recent months, he has been emphasizing the development of drones, and the tests were the latest display of his country’s growing military capabilities.

"The field of unmanned equipment and artificial intelligence should be top-prioritized and developed in modernizing the armed forces," KCNA quoted Kim as saying of the "defense science research work."

Kim was seen walking with aides with what appeared to be an unmanned surveillance aircraft that resembles the U.S. RQ-4 Global Hawk high-altitude surveillance aircraft parked on the tarmac in the background.

Other images showed a fixed-wing drone zeroing in on a tank-shaped target then exploding in flames. Kim previously inspected other demonstrations of drones that explode on impact in November and August last year.

The agency said the test demonstrated the reconnaissance drone’s ability to track multiple targets and monitor troop movements on land and at sea, potentially enhancing North Korea’s intelligence-gathering operations and ability to neutralize enemy threats. The report said the new exploding drones are designed for various attack missions and feature unspecified artificial intelligence capabilities.

TRUMP MUST NOT REPEAT HIS KIM JONG UN MISTAKE WITH IRAN, SECURITY EXPERT WARNS

Kim was also seen walking to a large aircraft with four engines and a radar dome mounted on the fuselage. Analysts have previously reported that North Korea was converting the Russian-made Il-76 cargo aircraft for an early-warning role to help augment the North's existing land-based radar systems, which are sometimes limited by the peninsula's mountainous terrain, London's International Institute for Strategic Studies said in a report in September.

The drone display comes just weeks after North Korea revealed, for the first time, a nuclear-powered submarine under construction, a weapons system that could pose a major security threat to South Korea and the U.S.

It also comes as North Korea has been sending more missiles, artillery equipment and ammunition to help Russia -- raising concerns that North Korea may receive Russian technology transfers in return.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea has said that North Korea could increase its weapons supplies further depending on the war situation. Russia and Ukraine recently agreed on a limited ceasefire, though both sides have accused each other of violations.

North Korea has sent approximately 11,000 military personnel to fight alongside Russia in the war against Ukraine in its first involvement in a large-scale conflict since the 1950-53 Korean War. The South Korean military assessed that around 4,000 of them have been killed or wounded.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.