World News

Indian PM Modi to visit Ukraine after controversial Moscow meeting

Fox World News - Aug 22, 2024 12:51 PM EDT

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a historic visit Friday to Ukraine, a month and a half after he traveled to Moscow to hold talks with President Vladimir Putin.

Officials in India and Ukraine have said the visit will focus on boosting economic ties and cooperation in defense, science and technology.

But analysts say the visit could also be an attempt to have India strike a more neutral stance after what has been seen as a lean toward Russia, given Modi’s recent Moscow visit, his country's historic, Cold War-era relationship with Russia and New Delhi's avoidance of directly criticizing Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

Modi's landmark visit is the first to Ukraine from a prime minister of India since the country established diplomatic relations with Ukraine over 30 years ago. He will arrive in Kyiv after a two-day visit to Poland.

Analysts say the timing of the trip is aimed at controlling fallout from the Indian leader's July 8-9 trip to Russia.

That trip coincided with a NATO leaders gathering in Washington and Russian missile strikes on a hospital in Ukraine that killed scores of people, drawing strong criticism from Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian leader called Modi's meeting "a huge disappointment" and "a devastating blow to peace efforts" after the Indian leader was seen hugging Putin.

While Modi did not address the missile strikes directly, he alluded to the bloodshed while sitting next to Putin, and condemned any attack that harms innocent people.

This week's Ukraine trip represents India "trying to balance the situation" after being seen as "tilting towards Russia," said K C Singh, a strategic affairs expert and former diplomat.

Indian officials are downplaying any connections with the Moscow trip. "This is not a zero-sum game ... these are independent, broad ties," Secretary (West) Tanmaya Lal said this week.

Despite pressure from the West, New Delhi has refrained from condemning Russia’s invasion or voting against it in U.N. resolutions. It has avoided taking sides and urged Ukraine and Russia to resolve the conflict through dialogue.

"Modi’s visit is designed to some extent to show that New Delhi’s strategic orientation remains non-alignment, and as such, to keep balance in its foreign policy," said Derek Grossman, an Indo-Pacific analyst at the RAND Corporation.

India and Russia have had strong ties since the Cold War, and New Delhi’s importance as a key trading partner for Moscow has grown since the Kremlin sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022.

India has joined China in becoming a key buyer of Russian oil following sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies that shut most Western markets off to Russian exports.

Modi’s visit to Moscow was seen by analysts as reinforcing their partnership, especially since Russia remains a crucial trade and defense partner. Some 60% of India’s military systems and hardware is of Russian origin, and New Delhi now gets more than 40% of its oil imports from Russia.

Trade between the two has also seen a sharp increase, touching close to $65 billion in the 2023-24 financial year, according to India’s foreign ministry.

Bilateral trade between India and Ukraine is much lower, at about $3 billion before the invasion, but Modi and Zelenskyy have interacted since on the sidelines of global events and the Ukrainian foreign minister also visited New Delhi earlier this year.

India has also provided several consignments of humanitarian assistance to Ukraine since the invasion.

Analysts say Zelenskyy is unlikely to raise Modi’s meeting with Putin - at least publicly.

But Modi’s Moscow visit and the India-Russia relationship will be a "strong undertone" to his Ukraine trip, even if it not explicitly mentioned in public statements, added Chietigj Bajpaee, who researches South Asia at the Chatham House think tank.

The trip is likely to be well-received in the U.S. and other Western countries that had been critical of Modi's meeting with Putin in July, Grossman said.

For Modi, this trip is an opportunity "to engage Zelenskyy and secure Indian interests there, push back against Russian overreach and placate the West," Grossman added.

But while the trip will offer some reassurance to the West, it will remain clear that India maintains a closer relationship with Moscow and "Modi’s visit will not change this perception," Bajpaee said.

Modi is unlikely to use this visit to seek a role for India as a peacemaker in the conflict, which some had speculated it would do at the onset of the war given New Delhi’s ties to Russia and emerging stature globally.

"Indian behavior… has been to try to stay out of resolving it, and to only occasionally comment against further aggression," said Grossman, adding that India — unlike China or Turkey — hasn’t come forward with a peace plan, for example.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin will be observing Modi’s visit, "but short of any statements that are highly critical of Russia, it is unlikely to be concerned," Bajpaee said.

Categories: World News

Russia looks to downplay Ukraine invasion as 'new normal' while Putin fails to stop war on home turf: report

Fox World News - Aug 22, 2024 11:58 AM EDT

Officials in the Kremlin are scrambling to downplay Ukraine’s invasion into the Kursk region as Russian President Vladimir Putin has failed for a second week to stop Kyiv’s advances on his home turf, according to a report by independent Russian news outlet Meduza.

The report, which first emerged last week, claimed that sources in the Kremlin have begun pushing government-funded media agencies to minimize the severity of the Ukrainian incursion and to start employing a propaganda campaign that encourages Russians to embrace the "new normal."

Fox News Digital could not independently verify the report, which comes as Ukraine continues to tout its success in capturing more than 780 square miles of Kursk, including the town of Sudhza, as well as nearly 100 Russian villages, according to Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi on Tuesday. 

UKRAINE TARGETS RUSSIAN BRIDGES IN MOVE AGAINST MOSCOW COUNTEROFFENSIVE IN KURSK

The report also said Moscow is attempting to distract Russians through humanitarian assistance drives and assuring those in the Kursk region that Russian forces will take back the region following the "inevitable" defeat of Ukraine on its eastern front. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he does not plan to keep his forces in southwestern Russia for the long term, claiming they are there for the time being to serve as a "buffer zone" to staunch Russian attacks in the northern Sumy region.

In a sign that Russian attacks in the Ukrainian border region have decreased following the incursion earlier this month, Zelenskyy traveled to Sumy on Thursday, when he met with military officials. He did not cross the Russian border into Kursk in a move that would have been interpreted as provocative by Moscow. 

Kyiv’s operational goals in Kursk remain unclear, and some have theorized it could be an attempt to draw Russian forces away from the front lines in eastern Ukraine. 

According to the Meduza report, Russian officials have suggested Ukrainian forces could remain in the region for several months – which suggests Putin is either unwilling or unable to immediately deploy the number of troops he would need to retake Kursk.

MOSCOW TARGETED WITH LARGEST DRONE ATTACK OF WAR WITH UKRAINE: RUSSIAN OFFICIALS

A report by the Wall Street Journal earlier this week said Russia, within the first week of Kyiv’s incursion, had redistributed some 5,000 troops largely from its operations in Donetsk to counter Ukraine’s alleged 6,000 forces in Kursk. 

However, the report also cited a source familiar with the operation and said Russia would likely need to move close to 20,000 troops to successfully oust Ukrainian forces from the Russian border region. 

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) assessed on Wednesday that Putin and his military officials are banking on Ukraine’s inability to keep up against Russia’s war of attrition amid its artillery insufficiencies, which were exacerbated following delays in U.S. arms package deliveries during the winter and spring months earlier this year.

"The Kremlin's theory of victory in Ukraine…[is] premised on the assumption that Russian forces can deprive Ukraine of the ability to contest the theater-wide initiative in perpetuity," the ISW reported. 

Though it also noted that despite Ukraine’s artillery disadvantage, Kyiv has still been able to employ alternative and asymmetrical tactics through drone and long-range missile strikes to successfully counter Russian advances.

"ISW recently assessed that both Russian and Ukrainian forces lack the capability to conduct individual decisive war-winning operations and must instead conduct multiple successful operations with limited operational objectives that, in the aggregate, can achieve strategic objectives," the assessment added. 

Concerns remain high over Russian advances in Donetsk, where Ukraine has begun enforcing mandatory evacuations.

Categories: World News

Botswana unearths 2,492-carat diamond, among largest ever uncovered

Fox World News - Aug 22, 2024 9:53 AM EDT

One of the largest diamonds ever unearthed from a mine has been discovered in Botswana, the government of the southern African country announced Wednesday.

The massive, 2,492-carat diamond was recovered from Karowe Mine, known for previously producing four diamonds over 1,000 carats. Botswana said the stone is believed to be the second-biggest ever uncovered from a mine.

The Karowe Mine is operated by Canadian mining company Lucara Diamond Corp., which announced in a statement Wednesday that it recovered the "exceptional" rough diamond from the mine using X-ray technology. Lucara said the diamond was a "high-quality" stone and was found intact.

"We are ecstatic about the recovery of this extraordinary 2,492-carat diamond," Lucara president and CEO William Lamb said in the statement.

ANCIENT TREASURE DATING BACK THOUSANDS OF YEARS UNEARTHED IN BURIAL MOUND

The 2,492-carat stone is the largest diamond found in more than 100 years and the second largest ever dug out of a mine after the Cullinan Diamond discovered in South Africa in 1905. The Cullinan was 3,106 carats and was cut into gems, some of which form part of the British Crown Jewels.

The newly discovered diamond will be presented to the world at the office of Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi, the Botswanan government said. Masisi will be one of the first to view it.

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Botswana is the second-biggest producer of diamonds and has unearthed all the world's biggest stones in recent years.

The 1,758-carat Sewelo diamond was brought out of the Karowe Mine in 2019 and was recognized as the second-biggest mined diamond in the world at that time. It sold to French fashion house Louis Vuitton for an undisclosed amount.

The mine also produced the 1,111-carat Lesedi La Rona diamond, which was bought by a British jeweler for $53 million in 2017.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Categories: World News

Guatemalan police arrest 7 accused of trafficking the 53 migrants who died in Texas in 2022

Fox World News - Aug 22, 2024 5:24 AM EDT

Guatemalan police on Wednesday arrested seven Guatemalans accused of having smuggled 53 migrants from Mexico and Central America who died of asphyxiation in 2022 in Texas after being abandoned in a tractor trailer in the scorching summer heat.

They were the latest arrests after years of investigation into one of the deadliest human smuggling attempts to the United States. The dead included eight children.

VENEZUELAN MIGRANTS ALLEGEDLY CHOKE, ROB CHICAGO MAN ON TRAIN, VIDEO SHOWS

Interior Minister Francisco Jiménez told The Associated Press the arrests were made possible after 13 raids in three of the country’s departments. They included Rigoberto Román Mirnado Orozco, the alleged ringleader of the smuggling gang whose extradition has been requested by the United States.

"This is a collaborative effort between the Guatemalan police and Homeland Security, in addition to other national agencies, to dismantle the structures of human trafficking, one of the strategic objectives of the government President Bernardo Arévalo in order to take on the phenomenon of irregular migration," Jiménez said.

Six people were charged previously.

Homero Zamorano Jr., who authorities say drove the truck, and Christian Martinez were arrested shortly after the migrants were found. Both are from Texas. Martinez later pleaded guilty to smuggling-related charges. Zamorano pleaded not guilty to smuggling-related charges and is awaiting trial. Four Mexican nationals were also arrested in 2023.

Authorities have said the men were aware that the trailer’s air-conditioning unit was malfunctioning and would not blow cool air to the migrants trapped inside during the sweltering, three-hour ride from the border city of Laredo to San Antonio.

When the trailer was opened in San Antonio, 48 migrants were already dead. Another 16 were taken to hospitals, where five more died. The dead included 27 people from Mexico, 14 from Honduras, seven from Guatemala and two from El Salvador.

Authorities have alleged that the men worked with human smuggling operations in Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico, and shared routes, guides, stash houses, trucks and trailers, some of which were stored at a private parking lot in San Antonio.

Migrants paid the organization up to $15,000 each to be taken across the U.S. border. The fee would cover up to three attempts to get into the country.

Orozco, the alleged ringleader, was arrested in the Guatemalan department of San Marcos, on the border with Mexico. The other arrests occurred in the departments of Huehuetenango and Jalapa. The police identified the gang as "Los Orozcos" because several of those arrested are family members and carry that surname.

Categories: World News

Greek-flagged oil tanker adrift and on fire after suspected Houthi attack

Fox World News - Aug 21, 2024 3:41 PM EDT

A Greek-flagged oil tanker traveling through the Red Sea came under repeated attack Wednesday, leaving the vessel "not under command" and drifting ablaze after an assault suspected to have been carried out by Yemen's Houthi rebels, the British military said.

The attack, the most serious in the Red Sea in weeks, comes during a monthslong campaign by Houthis targeting ships over the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip that has disrupted a trade route through which $1 trillion in cargo typically passes each year.

In the attack, men on small boats first opened fire with small arms about 90 miles west of the rebel-held Yemeni port city of Hodeida, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said.

Four projectiles also hit the ship, it added. It wasn't immediately clear if that meant drones or missiles.

IRAN-BACKED HOUTHI REBELS STRIKE 2 COMMERCIAL SHIPS IN GULF OF ADEN

"The vessel reports being not under command," the UKMTO said, likely meaning it lost all power. "No casualties reported."

Later, the UKMTO warned the ship was drifting while on fire in the Red Sea.

The Greek shipping ministry later identified the vessel as the tanker Sounion, which had 25 crew members on board at the time of the attack as it traveled from Iraq to Cyprus.

Later Wednesday, the UKMTO reported a second ship being targeted in the Gulf of Aden by three explosions that occurred in the water close to it, though they caused no damage.

The Houthis did not immediately claim responsibility for the attacks, though it can take them hours or even days before they acknowledge their assaults.

The Houthis have targeted more than 80 vessels with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza started in October. They seized one vessel and sank two in the campaign that also killed four sailors.

Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by a U.S.-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets.

The rebels maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the United States or the UK to force an end to Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.

The Houthis have also launched drones and missiles toward Israel, including an attack on July 19 that killed one person and wounded 10 others in Tel Aviv. Israel responded the next day with airstrikes on Hodeida that hit fuel depots and electrical stations, killing and wounding a number of people, the rebels say.

After the strikes, the Houthis paused their attacks until Aug. 3, when they hit a Liberian-flagged container ship traveling through the Gulf of Aden. A Liberian-flagged oil tanker came under a particularly intense series of attacks beginning Aug. 8, likely carried out by the rebels. A similar attack happened Aug. 13 as well.

The last three recent attacks, including Wednesday's, targeted vessels associated with Delta Tankers, a Greek company.

As Iran threatens to retaliate against Israel over the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, the U.S. military told the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to sail more quickly to the area. America also has ordered the USS Georgia-guided missile submarine into the Mideast, while the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier strike group was in the Gulf of Oman.

Additional F-22 fighter jets have flown into the region and the USS Wasp, a large amphibious assault ship carrying F-35 fighter jets, is in the Mediterranean Sea.

Categories: World News

Hezbollah rocket barrage hammers homes in Golan Heights

Fox World News - Aug 21, 2024 1:49 PM EDT

Terrorist organization Hezbollah rained rockets down on Israeli territory this week as cease-fire negotiations between Hamas and Israel continue to deteriorate. 

Over 50 rockets struck the Golan Heights during a Wednesday attack that injured one individual and destroyed two houses – part of a deadly exchange still ongoing between the Lebanese group and Israel.

"Hezbollah continues to indiscriminately fire projectiles toward Israel," the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement Wednesday. "Just now, approx. 50 projectiles were fired and some fell in the town of Katzrin."

DEMONSTRATORS SHOUT 'F--- YOU' AT CHICAGO POLICE, MORE THAN 70 ARRESTED ON 2ND NIGHT OF DNC

Israel claims the attack was a response to their successful strike on a weapons storage facility in Lebanon. That strike reportedly killed at least one person.

"There was no other target in the area other than a civilian neighborhood and kids on their summer vacation," Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said following the attack. "Attacks against our civilians will not go unanswered."

KAMALA HARRIS' CHOICE OF JEWISH LIAISON DIRECTOR DRAWS CRITICISM OVER ISRAEL, IRAN STANCE: 'RED FLAG'

Israel has controlled the Golan Heights since capturing it at the end of the Six Days War. 

Israel maintains the Golan Heights is necessary for national security and the territory was officially annexed in 1967. The United States has recognized it as Israel's territory since 2019. 

Israel and Hezbollah have consistently exchanged missile strikes since October of last year, when the Hamas-led terrorist attack on the Jewish state initiated the ongoing conflict. Hamas and Israel have been unable to finalize a cease-fire deal, despite extensive assistance from United States diplomats.

Speaking to reporters from Israel, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that a proposal put forward last week by the White House in coordination with leaders from Qatar and Egypt looked to "bridge the gaps" between the warring parties and has been "accepted" by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

"He supports it," Blinken said. "It's now incumbent on Hamas to do the same."

"The parties – with the help of the mediators, the United States, Egypt and Qatar – have to come together and complete the process of reaching clear understandings about how they'll implement the commitments that they've made under this agreement," he added.

Fox News Digital's Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.

Categories: World News

Hezbollah rocket barrage hammers homes in Israeli-annexed Golan Heights

Fox World News - Aug 21, 2024 1:49 PM EDT

Terrorist organization Hezbollah rained rockets down on Israeli-annexed territory this week as cease-fire negotiations between Hamas and Israel continue to deteriorate. 

Over 50 rockets struck the Golan Heights during a Wednesday attack that injured one individual and destroyed two houses – part of a deadly exchange still ongoing between the Lebanese group and Israel.

"Hezbollah continues to indiscriminately fire projectiles toward Israel," the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement Wednesday. "Just now, approx. 50 projectiles were fired and some fell in the town of Katzrin."

DEMONSTRATORS SHOUT 'F--- YOU' AT CHICAGO POLICE, MORE THAN 70 ARRESTED ON 2ND NIGHT OF DNC

Israel claims the attack was a response to their successful strike on a weapons storage facility in Lebanon. That strike reportedly killed at least one person.

"There was no other target in the area other than a civilian neighborhood and kids on their summer vacation," Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said following the attack. "Attacks against our civilians will not go unanswered."

KAMALA HARRIS' CHOICE OF JEWISH LIAISON DIRECTOR DRAWS CRITICISM OVER ISRAEL, IRAN STANCE: 'RED FLAG'

The Golan Heights has been occupied by civilian residents since Israel captured the patch of land from Syria at the end of the Six Days War. 

Israel claimed the Golan Heights was necessary for national security and the territory was officially annexed in 1967. Except by the United States, the area is internationally recognized as Israeli-occupied Syrian territory.

Israel and Hezbollah have consistently exchanged missile strikes since October of last year, when the Hamas-led terrorist attack on the Jewish state initiated the ongoing conflict. Hamas and Israel have been unable to finalize a cease-fire deal, despite extensive assistance from United States diplomats.

Speaking to reporters from Israel, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that a proposal put forward last week by the White House in coordination with leaders from Qatar and Egypt looked to "bridge the gaps" between the warring parties and has been "accepted" by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

"He supports it," Blinken said. "It's now incumbent on Hamas to do the same."

"The parties – with the help of the mediators, the United States, Egypt and Qatar – have to come together and complete the process of reaching clear understandings about how they'll implement the commitments that they've made under this agreement," he added.

Fox News Digital's Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.

Categories: World News

UK looks to treat misogyny as extremist violence, raising free speech crackdown concerns

Fox World News - Aug 21, 2024 12:55 PM EDT

The United Kingdom is looking to treat some forms of misogyny as a form of extremism under the new government’s Home Office, according to reports. 

"Hateful incitement of all kinds fractures and frays the very fabric of our communities and our democracy," British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said during an interview with LBC. "Action against extremism has been badly hollowed out in recent years, just when it should have been needed most."

Cooper revealed that she has ordered a "rapid analytical sprint on extremism" that will "map and monitor extremist trends," looking for ways to divert at-risk individuals from extremist views and "identify any gaps in existing policy." 

That catch-all for a range of views includes Islamist and far-right extremists as well as extreme misogyny or "fixation on violence" and causes of radicalization. 

ITALIAN YACHT DISASTER VICTIMS, INCLUDING 2 AMERICANS, MISSING AS SURVIVOR'S FATHER REVEALS GRIM TEXT MESSAGE

The Home Office in March – under the previous, Conservative government – redefined extremism as that which aims to "negate or destroy the fundamental rights and freedom of others" or "undermine, overturn or replace the U.K.’s system of liberal parliamentary democracy and democratic rights." 

Including misogyny in that review has raised concerns that the government could lay the foundations to target free speech, to which Minister for Safeguarding and Violence against Women and Girls Jess Phillips has claimed, "You just use the exact same test you would with far-right extremism and Islamism, wouldn’t you?" 

"People can hold views about women all they like, but it’s not OK anymore to ignore the massive growing threat caused by online hatred towards women and for us to ignore it because we’re worried about the line, rather than making sure the line is in the right place as we would do with any other extremist ideology," Phillips argued, according to The Guardian

CHURCH OF ENGLAND APPEARS TO STOP USING THE WORD ‘CHURCH’ TO SOUND MORE ‘RELEVANT’: STUDY

Peter Lloyd, author of "Stand by Your Manhood," branded the policy a "sexist move" and an "Orwellian attack on free speech," which left his debate partner Joanna Jarjue stunned during a debate on GB News. Lloyd insisted that there were "other issues" such as terrorism that "are the priority" and "not people like Andrew Tate." 

Jarjue said she was "offended" by Lloyd's comments, accusing him of minimizing the issue and citing a figure of two million women victimized by men in the U.K. each year. She called the issue an "epidemic" that "snowballs into a bigger position where women are dying and being raped."

"When you have women being attacked specifically because they're women, and specifically because there are some men within our society who have an ideology that women are fair game, or they're entitled to a woman's body – which is exactly what someone who would go and rape somebody would be thinking… that is very specific to a very specific group and gender," Jarjue insisted. 

The British government has had a review of how it responds to misogyny squarely in its crosshairs for a few years: The House of Lords held a debate in November 2021 to determine whether they would consider misogyny a hate crime.

2 STABBED, INCLUDING 11-YEAR-OLD, IN LONDON'S LEICESTER SQUARE, 1 MAN IN CUSTODY

The Lords recognized calls for stronger action on misogyny "for years," including a campaign by Citizens UK in 2015 that called for sex and gender to be recognized as a protected characteristic for hate crime. 

The Nottinghamshire Police were the first constabulary in England and Wales to recognize misogyny as a hate crime, leading to other constabularies to follow their example. 

The Home Office changed the title of its junior ministerial role to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Preventing Abuse, Exploitation and Crime a few times since its creation in 2014, but expanded the role to include specifically Safeguarding and Violence against Women and Girls following the Labour Party victory on July 4, appointing MP Jess Phillips just days later. 

Phillips this week told Glamour UK that "the last few weeks have been pretty tough on women and girls in our country" following the stabbing of several young girls that killed three at a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop in Southport. 

"I want to make sure that people realize that we recognize, here in government, how difficult it is and how much grief is currently being felt in the country, and say that we hear you," Phillips said. 

"And we know that we have to do everything that we can to start preventing rather than just cleaning up the violence committed by men against women and girls in our country," she added. 

Categories: World News

Biden revamps US nuclear deterrence posture in face of China, Russia, North Korea aggression

Fox World News - Aug 21, 2024 12:07 PM EDT

President Biden in March reportedly approved in secret a change to the highly classified U.S. nuclear posture in the wake of growing aggression from nations like Russia and China, but the White House on Tuesday said this step was just business as usual. 

In response to a report by the New York Times that suggested Washington’s nuclear posture had been altered to address Beijing’s expanding nuclear arsenal, a White House spokesperson told reporters the "guidance issued earlier this year is not a response to any single entity, country, nor threat."

"This administration, like the four administrations before it, issued a Nuclear Posture Review and Nuclear Weapons Employment Planning Guidance," White House spokesperson Sean Savett said.

"While the specific text of the Guidance is classified, its existence is in no way secret," he added. 

US MUST EXPAND NUCLEAR ARSENAL IN FACE OF RUSSIA AND CHINA THREAT, WARNS TOP OBAMA DEFENSE ADVISER

Questions have mounted regarding any potential changes to the U.S. nuclear strategy of deterrence after The New York Times reported on Tuesday that Biden shifted Washington’s strategy for the "first time" to focus on China.

But in 2022, the Department of Defense released its "National Defense Strategy, Nuclear Posture Review, and Missile Defense Review" in which it said the U.S. would take an "integrated" approach to U.S. security threats, detailing China first and Russia second.

Last year the Pentagon confirmed that Beijing had some 400 nuclear warheads in its stockpiles, a level the U.S. previously estimated it would not reach until the end of this decade. China is now expected to more than triple its nuclear stockpile by 2035, according to the Arms Control Association (ACA).

Despite concerns surrounding China’s growing nuclear capabilities, Russia and the U.S. individually still possess more than 11 times the number of nuclear warheads than China – accounting for 90% of the world’s nuclear stockpiles, according to a review released by the ACA in July. 

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In response to Fox News Digital’s questions on Wednesday, the White House pointed to comments made by Savett, who said, "We have repeatedly voiced concerns about the advancing nuclear arsenals of Russia, PRC [the People’s Republic of China], and the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea]."

"As we have always done, we review our policies and update when necessary to account for emerging geopolitical conditions," he added. "We will continue to focus our efforts on reducing nuclear risk by enhancing deterrence and our preference for resolving differences through arms control diplomacy."

The guidance remains classified, but Congress is expected to receive an unclassified revision of the document before Biden leaves office next year, reported Reuters. 

"There is far more continuity than change," Savett said in reference to the March updates. 

China on Wednesday responded to the report by The New York Times and said it was "gravely concerned."

"We have no intention to engage in any form of arms race with other countries," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said, further criticizing the U.S. strategy of deterrence and accusing Washington of "shirking" its commitment to disarmament. 

Categories: World News

Police raid Andrew Tate's home in Romania as new allegations involving minors surface

Fox World News - Aug 21, 2024 11:48 AM EDT

Masked police officers in Romania carried out fresh raids early Wednesday at the home of divisive internet influencer Andrew Tate, who is awaiting trial on charges of human trafficking, rape and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women.

Romania’s anti-organized crime agency, DIICOT, said it was searching four homes in Bucharest and nearby Ilfov county, investigating allegations of human trafficking, the trafficking of minors, sexual intercourse with a minor, influencing statements and money laundering. The agency added that hearings will later be held at its headquarters.

Tate’s spokesperson, Mateea Petrescu, said in response to the raids that "although the charges in the search warrant are not yet fully clarified, they include suspicions of human trafficking and money laundering" and added that his legal team is present. Petrescu did not address the allegations involving minors.

ROMANIAN COURT RULES THAT ANDREW TATE'S TRIAL ON CHARGES OF RAPE AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING CAN START

Dozens of police officers and forensic personnel were scouring Tate’s large property on the edge of the capital Bucharest. "During the entire criminal process, the investigated persons benefit from the procedural rights and guarantees provided by the Code of Criminal Procedure, as well as the presumption of innocence," DIICOT noted in its statement.

The 37-year-old Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan, 36, both former kickboxers and dual British-U.S. citizens who have amassed millions of social media followers, were arrested in 2022 near Bucharest along with two Romanian women. Romanian prosecutors formally indicted all four last year. They have denied the allegations.

In April, the Bucharest Tribunal ruled that the prosecutors’ case file against the four met the legal criteria and that a trial could start but did not set a date for it to begin. That ruling came after the legal case had been discussed for months in the preliminary chamber stages, a process in which the defendants can challenge prosecutors’ evidence and case file.

After the Tate brothers’ arrest in 2022, they were held for three months in police detention before being moved to house arrest. They were later restricted to the Bucharest and Ilfov counties, and later to all of Romania.

Last month, a court overturned an earlier decision that allowed the Tate brothers to leave Romania as they await trial. The earlier court ruled on July 5 that they could leave the country as long as they remained within the 27-member European Union. The decision was final.

Andrew Tate, who is known for expressing misogynistic views online and has amassed 9.9 million followers on the social media platform X, has repeatedly claimed that prosecutors have no evidence against him and that there is a political conspiracy to silence him. He was previously banned from various social media platforms for misogynistic views and hate speech.

In March, the Tate brothers also appeared at the Bucharest Court of Appeal in a separate case, after British authorities issued arrest warrants over allegations of sexual aggression in a U.K. case dating back to 2012-2015. The appeals court granted the British request to extradite the the Tates to the U.K., but only after legal proceedings in Romania have concluded.

Categories: World News

Yacht sinks: Missing tech billionaire's co-defendant died in car crash days before Italy disaster

Fox World News - Aug 21, 2024 10:24 AM EDT

A co-defendant of British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch was killed in England after being struck by a car just days before Lynch and five others went missing when a luxury superyacht sank off the coast of Italy on Monday, authorities confirmed Tuesday.

Stephen Chamberlain, 52, was a former Autonomy Corp. executive who was acquitted alongside Lynch in June of charges in a multibillion-dollar fraud case related to Hewlett Packard’s $11 billion takeover of Lynch’s company.

Chamberlain "was fatally struck by a car on Saturday while out running" in Cambridgeshire, his lawyer Gary Lincenberg said in a statement.

"He was a courageous man with unparalleled integrity. We deeply miss him," Lincenberg said. "Steve fought successfully to clear his good name at trial earlier this year, and his good name now lives on through his wonderful family."

MOMENT LUXURY YACHT SINKS OFF COAST OF ITALY CAUGHT ON CAMERA, WITH 6 PRESUMED DEAD

Chamberlain, formerly a vice president of finance at the company, was accused of artificially inflating Autonomy’s revenues and making false and misleading statements to auditors, analysts and regulators.

Chamberlain’s family released a statement through Cambridgeshire Police, saying he "was a much-loved husband, father, son, brother and friend."

"He was an amazing individual whose only goal in life was to help others in any way possible," the statement said.

Police said the driver, a 49-year-old woman, remained at the scene in the village of Stretham, England, and was assisting with the investigation.

WHO IS MIKE LYNCH, THE BRITISH TECH ENTREPRENEUR MISSING AFTER YACHT SANK?

The strange coincidence of Chamberlain’s death occurred just days before Lynch and five others, including Christopher Morvillo, one of Lynch’s lawyers who defended him in the fraud case, and Morgan Stanley International chairman Jonathan Bloomer, who testified in Lynch’s defense, went missing when the Bayesian superyacht sank off the coast of Sicily early Monday.

The other three people still missing are believed to be Lynch’s 18-year-old daughter Hannah, Bloomer’s wife Neda, and Morvillo’s wife Judy.

On Wednesday, divers found two bodies inside the superyacht, sources familiar with rescue operations told NBC News. It was unclear whose bodies were found.

Ten crew members and 12 passengers, including British, American and Canadian nationals were onboard when the vessel capsized. One man's body was recovered, identified as onboard chef Recaldo Thomas, an Antiguan citizen. Fifteen people were rescued, including a 1-year-old girl, authorities said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Categories: World News

Gustav Klimt masterpiece ‘Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer,’ dating back over a century, took 4 years to complete

Fox World News - Aug 21, 2024 8:49 AM EDT

The "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I" is a famous piece of art by Gustav Klimt. The subject of the painting is Adele Bloch-Bauer, wife of Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer. Klimt was commissioned by the Jewish industrialist to paint the portrait in 1903. The distinguished piece of artwork was finally unveiled four years later. A second painting of Adele, the "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II," was created by Klimt in 1912.

The well-known portrait is considered a masterpiece from Klimt's "golden style" of artwork, according to Neue Galerie, the New York City museum that has the portrait on permanent display today. 

The year Klimt was commissioned for the artwork, he visited the Church of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy, according to the source, where he became deeply inspired by the sixth century mosaics. The "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I" was made in a style he had great admiration for. 

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After many sketches were drawn out and four years of work, the "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I" was completed in 1907. The portrait displays Adele in golden tones in an ambiguous position, leaving the viewer unsure if the Jewish socialite is sitting or standing. 

She is covered in expensive jewelry, including bracelets on her wrists and a diamond choker around her neck, a wedding present from her husband, according to Neue Galerie. 

In January 1925, Adele died suddenly after contracting meningitis at the age of 43. After her death, the portrait was displayed in the Bloch-Bauer home in Vienna until the Nazis invaded Austria in 1938.  Ferdinand fled from his home, leaving his valuable art collection, including the "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I" behind. The collection was seized by the Nazis, according to Christie's. 

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In November 1945, Ferdinand died and was never able to retrieve his art collection. The "Portrait of Adele Bach-Bauer I" spent many years being displayed in Vienna, renamed "Woman in Gold," according to Neue Galerie. 

The family heirs, specifically Maria Altmann, who escaped from Vienna and settled in California, fought for the return of the art collection. In 1998, the Federal Art Restitution Act was passed in Austria, which declared stolen works of art and cultural objects be returned to their rightful owners or heirs. 

Altmann and her lawyer, Eric Randol Schoenberg, began a legal battle to reclaim her family's art collection in a case that garnered a lot of attention from the public. 

In January 2006, the United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of Altmann, and she took possession of the paintings. 

The 2015 movie "Woman in Gold" depicts this legal battle with Helen Mirren as Altmann and Ryan Reynolds as her lawyer. 

In June 2006, the portrait was purchased for $135 million by Ronald Lauder, according to Christie's. 

The "Portrait of Adele Bach-Bauer I" is permanently displayed at Neue Galerie in New York City. 

Categories: World News

Moscow targeted with largest drone attack of war with Ukraine: Russian officials

Fox World News - Aug 21, 2024 7:40 AM EDT

Ukraine targeted Moscow on Wednesday in what Russian officials called one of largest drone strikes on the capital since the war began in 2022.

All 11 drones heading toward the capital in the Moscow region were destroyed, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said. In total, Russia said its air defenses downed 45 Ukrainian drones, including 23 over the Bryansk region, six over Belgorod, three over Kaluga and two over Kursk.

"This was one of the biggest attempts of all time to attack Moscow using drones," Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said on his Telegram channel, adding that strong air defenses around the capital prevented the drones from striking their intended targets.

Some Russian social media channels shared videos of drones apparently being destroyed by air defense systems, which then set off car alarms.

BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT CLAIMS UKRAINE IS 'PUSHING' RUSSIA TO STRIKE WITH NUCLEAR WEAPONS

In Russia's Kursk region, one person was killed and two were wounded after a Ukrainian drone dropped an explosive device on their car, Acting Regional Governor Alexei Smirnov said on Telegram, according to Reuters.

UKRAINE TARGETS RUSSIAN BRIDGES IN MOVE AGAINST MOSCOW COUNTEROFFENSIVE IN KURSK

Ukraine has been attacking Russia with drones, targeting oil refineries and airfields, in an attempt to weaken Russia's fighting potential and also has targeted the capital several times. 

Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces continue to push into Russia’s western Kursk region while the Russians drive forward slowly in a land conflict in eastern Ukraine.

Kyiv’s incursion into Russia appears to have raised morale in Ukraine and changed the dynamic of the fighting with the Russians, though it is uncertain how long the Ukrainians can hold what territory they have seized in Kursk.

Categories: World News

Kamala Harris' choice of Jewish liaison director draws criticism over Israel, Iran stance: 'Red flag'

Fox World News - Aug 21, 2024 4:00 AM EDT

JERUSALEM — Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign has stirred up a hornet’s nest with the selection of a liaison for the American Jewish community who has been criticized for holding views that undermine Israel’s security and for being soft on Iran, according to some prominent American Jews and Israelis.

Harris appointed Jerusalem-born Ilan Goldenberg — he renounced his Israeli citizenship to work for former President Obama’s first administration — last week, sparking intense criticism from sectors of the American Jewish community and among Israeli Americans.

In 2021, Goldenberg worked for the Biden administration’s Department of Defense. In 2023, he became Harris’ Middle East adviser. The 46-year-old Goldenberg, who was raised in New Jersey, is seen as a lightning rod selection, according to his critics, because he has pushed policies that hurt Israel.

A senior Republican Congressional staffer who has engaged with him told Fox News Digital, "Goldenberg's job in the Biden-Harris administration has been to undermine Israel. He played a key role inside and outside the Vice President's Office dragging the entire administration in a direction hostile to Israel and in favor of the Palestinians, and interfered with efforts to make peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia."

NETANYAHU REPORTEDLY UPSET WITH HARRIS OVER VP'S ISRAEL REMARKS AS WHITE HOUSE PUSHES BACK

In February, Fox News Digital reported on the Biden administration reportedly ignoring Palestinian terrorism in the biblical heartland of Judea and Samaria of Israel, known as the West Bank outside of Israel, while imposing sanctions on some extremist Jewish residents of the disputed area during Israel’s existential war against the Iran-backed Hamas terrorist movement. 

Israel’s government argues its advanced legal system is capable of meting out punishment against Israeli Jews who commit crimes against Palestinians in the settlements. 

On Monday, Goldenberg delivered his first speech as Harris’ director of outreach to the Jewish community at a side event at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. 

According to Jewish Insider, speaking about Harris, he told the audience, "From the very beginning, she was completely adamant that Israel has a right to defend itself. Israel was attacked on Oct. 7, and Hamas is a terrorist organization, and we’re going to be behind Israel supporting its response. And, two, this is just part of a much longer record of hers that she has an unwavering commitment to Israel’s security that goes back long before Oct. 7."

American-Israeli law professor Eugene Kontorovich, told Fox News Digital, "The Jewish community has been united in its opposition to Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions [targeting Israel]; Goldenberg is one of those in the Biden-Harris administration who has made sanctions on Israelis official government policy."

Kontorovich, who teaches at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School claimed, "The celebration of his selection by the most extreme far-left Jewish groups shows that when it comes to the Jewish vote, Harris feels no need to run to the center. She thinks she has it in her pocket regardless of how hostile she is to Israel."

Fox News Digital asked Halie Soifer, the CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, about the criticism leveled against Goldenberg. 

"I have publicly commented on the appointment of Ilan Goldenberg," she said, referring to her comments on X.

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"Goldenberg is a national security and Middle East expert who brings a wealth of experience to this critically important role," she wrote of him. "His appointment says a lot about how much @KamalaHarris prioritizes outreach with the Jewish American community."

She also said Goldenberg is "not just a political or campaign hire. He’s an experienced foreign policy expert who has worked directly with the @VP on Middle East policy, which says a lot about how they view the scope & importance of this role." 

Fox News Digital reached out numerous times to members of the Harris campaign and separately to Goldenberg but did not receive a response.

According to an article by Commentary magazine editor Seth Mandel, Goldenberg has been frequently wrong about Middle East policy. Goldenberg predicted that former President Trump’s relocation of the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Israel’s capital, Jerusalem, would unleash regional upheaval. There was no Mideast violence after the U.S. established its embassy in Jerusalem. 

The article titled, "Harris’s Ominous Message to Jewish Voters", Mandel took Goldenberg to task for arguing Obama’s controversial Iran nuclear deal "will create a situation in which Iran will be deterred from ever pursuing a bomb." Mandel bluntly wrote again, "It didn’t." Fox News Digital reported Aug. 4 that Iran’s regime has moved dangerously close to securing a nuclear weapon device during the Biden administration.

David Milstein, who served as special assistant to the U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman under President Trump, told Fox News Digital, "Ilan Goldenberg’s appointment should raise another red flag to Americans who strongly support Israel as another reason not to vote for Harris-Walz, who have already demonstrated to embrace and support the antisemitic, pro-Hamas wing of their own party."

IRAN'S SUPREME LEADER THANKS US COLLEGE STUDENTS FOR 'STANDING ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF HISTORY'

"Ilan has a long record of anti-Israel views outside the bipartisan mainstream in the pro-Israel community and has held senior positions advising some of the most anti-Israel political leaders in recent times including Secretary John Kerry during the Obama Administration, Elizabeth Warren's presidential campaign and Vice President Kamala Harris during the Biden administration," Milstein added. 

"There is a reason radical, left-wing, anti-Israel groups such as J Street are excited about his appointment."

The public spat over Goldenberg’s fitness to be the campaign’s liaison impacted Israel’s intense news cycle. The Jerusalem Post, a centrist English language newspaper read by many American Jews, published an article by the paper’s editor-in-chief, Zvika Klein, warning, "Why Harris’s golden boy should alarm every friend of Israel."

The charged debate over Goldenberg’s appointment prompted David Makovsky, director of the Program on Arab-Israel Relations at the Washington Institute of Near East Policy on Sunday to write on X, "I am concerned about personal attacks on a colleague @ilangoldenberg Of course, one can agree or disagree with specific policy prescriptions. To be sure Ilan and I have had our share of spirited debates, but completely wrong to insist Ilan does not care about Israel's security.

"If one doubts, ask Israel Maj.-Gen. (Res.) Gadi Shamni. Gadi has served in many senior positions, including top military advisor to Israel's PM and top military general for the West Bank (Pikud Mercaz). Gadi  co-authored a @CNASdc 2017 study with Ilan on security arrangements when it comes to final status deal between Israel and the Palestinians."

Israeli-American academic Richard Landes told Fox News Digital, "On one level, if this is her liaison to the Jewish community (and not her foreign policy adviser), it is a slap in the face to the vast majority who care about Israel. On another, it's a clear signal to the rest of the country that her administration (and Walz's) will be playing the Muslim-hard ‘left’ constituency. If Britain's current dilemmas are a sign of the democratic future, then putting Kamala in the White House is giving wings to our participation in the Olympic race to self-destruction."

Categories: World News

Alleged Kenyan 'vampire' killer, who confessed to 42 murders, escapes custody: police

Fox World News - Aug 20, 2024 8:09 PM EDT

A suspect who police said confessed to killing 42 women and was being detained over the discovery of dismembered bodies in Kenya’s capital has escaped from police custody, officials said Tuesday.

Mohamed Amin, the head of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, said Collins Jumaisi Khalusha escaped along with 12 other inmates of Eritrean nationality who had been arrested for being in the country illegally.

Acting police inspector general Gilbert Masengeli said disciplinary measures have been taken against eight officers, including the area and station commanders and officers who were on duty.

"Our preliminary investigations indicate that the escape was aided by insiders considering that officers were deployed accordingly to guard the station," he said.

SUSPECT ARRESTED AFTER DISMEMBERED BODIES OF 9 WOMEN FOUND IN QUARRY IN KENYA'S CAPITAL

A police report said the inmates escaped early Tuesday morning after they cut through wire mesh in the cell and scaled the perimeter wall. The escape was discovered as breakfast was being taken into the cell.

Khalusha, 33, was being detained at the police station after a court allowed detectives seven more days to investigate his alleged crimes before charging him.

Khalusha was arrested in July after 10 bodies and several body parts were found wrapped in plastic sacks in the Kware area of Nairobi.

Police said Khalusha confessed to killing 42 women, including his wife.

"This was a high-value suspect who was to face serious charges. We are investigating the incident and will take action accordingly," Amin said.

Khalusha’s lawyer, John Maina Ndegwa, told journalists his client was tortured and forced to confess and maintained he was not guilty.

Ndegwa told the AP that he last spoke to Khalusha on Friday when he was presented in court.

"I’m also confounded by the news," he said.

The police station from which the suspects escaped was cordoned off with crime scene tape and senior police officers visited it on Tuesday afternoon.

Two other suspects who were arrested after being found with cellphones belonging to some of the deceased women are to return to court next Monday.

Police in July said the bodies were discovered after relatives of one missing woman said they had a dream in which she told them to search in a quarry.

The relatives asked a local diver to help and he discovered the bodies wrapped in sacks. Six bodies were identified after DNA tests, but several body parts remain unidentified.

Categories: World News

Jewish locals implore Israeli activist to flee Chicago before DNC; safety probed ahead of political gathering

Fox World News - Aug 20, 2024 7:59 PM EDT

An Israeli activist and spokesperson is catching people's attention as she tells the heartbreaking story of twin Israeli brothers who were kidnapped from their apartments Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists invaded their homes.

The terror group executed a barbaric assault on innocent civilians in Israel in the early morning, and residents in one apartment building fell victim to the violence when the building was set on fire and twin brothers Ziv and Gali Berman were kidnapped.

"We have this unwritten protocol where, whenever there is sirens at his place, or my place or both of ours, we will text each other, and he will ask me if I’m OK. I will ask him if he’s OK," Noa Reuveni, 25, of Tel Aviv, told Fox News Digital during a phone conversation.

Near the Gaza-Israel border, Hamas terrorists committed war crimes, slaying Israeli men, women and children on day 1 of what would become the Israel-Hamas war and the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust.

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At the time of the invasion, Reuveni was visiting California when she received a phone notification of missiles. Upon receipt, she texted Ziv, her best friend, to make certain he was safe.

Reuveni said she did not hear back for over 40 minutes.

"The first thing he said to me was, ‘I’m scared to death,’" she said.

Reuveni said sirens, missiles and rockets were a normal occurrence for the Middle East country.

"We’re not afraid of it anymore," she said.

Shortly after 7 a.m., Reuveni said, Ziv communicated that he’d heard Arabic being spoken outside. He barricaded himself and remained still and quiet until 9:45 a.m. In the meantime, Reuveni said he sent over 20 text messages relaying his fear and inability to remain calm.

"I tried to tell him that I’m taking care of it. I'm getting help for him," she said.

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Unable to get through to the Israeli police, Reuveni assured Ziv the IDF and Special Forces would be on their way.

"I couldn't get a hold of anybody," she said. "I was very, very helpless. He was basically begging for help."

Unaware of the magnitude of the surprise attack by Iran-backed terrorists, she said kidnapping was an unimaginable thought that she hadn’t considered.

"At 9:45, I received my last message from him, which was ‘I’m scared,'" Reuveni said. "That was the last time that I’d heard from him."

Reuveni’s final message of warmth said, "I’m with you," before Ziv’s phone was shut off indefinitely.

IRANIAN-AMERICAN LAWYER WHOSE RESPONSE TO ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTS WENT VIRAL PREDICTS NEW WORLD WAR

Amid a temporary truce between Israel and Hamas, from Nov. 24, 2023, through Nov. 30, 2023, over 100 hostages were released by Hamas. Though neither brother was released, Reuveni said the first and last signal of life she and the twin's family received was from released hostages who advised that the siblings were seen in Gaza tunnels "separately, unfortunately."

"Ever since Oct. 7, I left my life. I left college. I left my job," Reuveni said. "I left everything I had in my life out of the realization that now my friends need me and my loved ones need me, and I can't do anything else. Nothing else matters more than this."

Reuveni moved from a village in Israel, Shahar, to Tel Aviv to be close to Hostages Square, where she implores Israeli citizens to talk about the hostages and tell their stories.

MAN WAVING HAMAS FLAG OUTSIDE DNC SAYS ‘EVERY PALESTINIAN SUPPORTS HAMAS,’ PRAISES TERROR GROUP FOR OCTOBER 7

"Sometimes I speak seven days a week, sometimes six times back-to-back," she said. "I don't regret it for a single second."

Today, Reuveni is speaking in Cleveland, Ohio, on the heels of her speaking arrangements in Chicago, which she left due to the 2024 Democratic National Convention.

"All Jews actually told me to leave," she said of Chicago. "They all told me that I shouldn't be there during that time because it will get hectic and crazy. I thought that was just crazy for me to hear that Jews are leaving town. They're leaving the city because of the DNC."

Buses of anti-Israel protesters swarmed the streets outside the four-day 2024 DNC and breached police barricades to oppose Democrats’ support for the Israeli military and their fight against Hamas.

"I think that the best thing that people around the world, Jews around the world, can do right now is get together, is not give the bully what they want, is not go into hiding and not surrender to that fear and the violence that they’re projecting but instead be proud of who they are," Reuveni said.

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New York City and Long Island are next on Reuveni’s list of cities before she travels back to Israel. In October, as the one-year anniversary of the devastating attacks approaches, Reuveni will return to the states and remain for four weeks to continue her mission.

"We need to continuously raise awareness and make sure we never stop talking about them because the day we stop talking about them is the day that we’re giving up on them," she said.

Reuveni described Ziv and Gali as "loyal" and "best friends." She added that friendship and family mean everything to them.

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"They have so much respect and admiration for their mother," she said. "I always say I have never heard a man in my life speak about their mother with so much respect like I've heard them speak about theirs."

In the over 300 days since the unprovoked attacks, Reuveni hopes the brothers have found their way back to one another.

"They have never been apart," she said. "They have this twin power."

Today, over 100 hostages are still believed to be held captive in Gaza, according to Reuters.

Categories: World News

Spanish woman believed to be the oldest person in the world has died at age 117

Fox World News - Aug 20, 2024 7:45 PM EDT

Maria Branyas, an American-born Spaniard considered the world’s oldest person at 117 years old, has died, her family said on Tuesday.

In a post on Branyas' X account, her family wrote in Catalan: "Maria Branyas has left us. She has gone the way she wanted: in her sleep, at peace, and without pain."

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The Gerontology Research Group, which validates details of people thought to be 110 or older, listed Branyas as the oldest known person in the world after the death of French nun Lucile Randon last year.

The next oldest person listed by the Gerontology Research Group is now Japan’s Tomiko Itooka, who is 116 years old.

Branyas was born in San Francisco on March 4, 1907. After living for some years in New Orleans, where her father founded a magazine, her family returned to Spain when she was young. Branyas said that she had memories of crossing the Atlantic Ocean during World War I.

Her X account is called "Super Catalan Grandma" and bears the description: "I am old, very old, but not an idiot."

At age 113, Branyas tested positive for COVID-19 during the global pandemic, but avoided developing severe symptoms that claimed tens of thousands of older Spaniards.

At the time of her death she was living in a nursing home in Catalan town of Olot.

Her family wrote that Branyas told them days before her death: "I don’t know when, but very soon this long journey will come to an end. Death will find me worn down from having lived so much, but I want to meet it with a smile, feeling free and satisfied."

Categories: World News

Ancient treasure dating back thousands of years unearthed in burial mound

Fox World News - Aug 20, 2024 5:14 PM EDT

In the Turkish region of Kazakhstan, archaeologists discovered ancient treasures in a burial mound dating back approximately 2,000 years.  

Researchers point to the Kangyu Era as the time period that these ancient objects belong to. Kangyu state was located along Silk Road, which refers to a network of routes that traders used, connecting the East and West, according to National Geographic. 

A translated press release published on Turkistan's regional government website in May 2024 shared the findings of a jug, a bronze mirror and a Roman fibula, among other items, during the excavation of three burial mounds. Two of the burial mounds had been looted, but one contained the ancient relics. 

ART HISTORIAN SPOTS ANCIENT PORTRAIT THOUGHT TO BE LOST IN THE BACKGROUND OF PHOTO SHARED ON SOCIAL MEDIA

The bronze mirror is thought to have originated in China, according to the press release, during the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE). Mirrors similar to the one recently unearthed have been found in Afghanistan and the southern Ural region. 

The bronze mirror was an item of high value, an object used by those rich and influential. The finding of this mirror is a clue that the woman who was buried beside it held high status, according to the press release. 

The gold earrings took the shape of the moon, embellished with turquoise and noble ruby, according to the press release. 

UNDERWATER ARCHAEOLOGISTS DISCOVER ANCIENT OBJECTS DURING DIVE IN BULGARIA BAY

A shoe and belt buckle, as well as an arrowhead specifically designed for bird hunting were also found. 

The discovery was led by a team from Kazakhstan’s Ozbekali Zhanibekov University and local government archaeologists, according to Live Science. 

The ancient artifacts display the powerful empires that Kangyu had diplomatic relationships with, according to the press release, including ancient Rome and China. 

Professor Alexander Podushkin, who led the expedition, explained that these ancient relics will be brought to the National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Astana, according to the press release. 

Categories: World News

SEE IT: Circus performer falls while performing tightrope stunt in England, is 'doing well'

Fox World News - Aug 20, 2024 4:52 PM EDT

A tightrope performer who plunged from the high wire during a circus performance is "doing well," according to Gravity Circus.

A female tightrope artist with the High Wire Troupe fell during an act featuring two other male performers on the high wire. The distance she fell is unknown.

The moment she fell was captured on camera by one anonymous member of the crowd present at Gravity Circus' performance in Hastings, East Sussex, England.

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Audience member Hayley Welsh shared with BBC Radio Sussex that "it looked like her leg gave way. She lost balance and went flying down wrapped around the wire."

"She smashed down onto the metal floor," Welsh added.

In a Facebook comment, Gravity Circus said, "She is doing well and is in safe hands."

According to reporting from the BBC, a more detailed statement from the circus said the performer "had suffered facial and other injuries consistent with a fall."

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"She was treated at the scene and taken by ambulance to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton with serious injuries, although her condition was not thought to be life-threatening", the statement said.

While her name remains unreported, Gravity Circus confirmed she is a member of an act called the High Wire Troupe from Colombia.

A spokesperson for Gravity Circus told the BBC that the show will go on: subsequent performances will continue as-scheduled.

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Gravity Circus UK did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Categories: World News

Panama deports 29 Colombians on first US-funded flight

Fox World News - Aug 20, 2024 3:09 PM EDT

Panama deported 29 Colombians on Tuesday on a flight that the government said was the first paid for by the United States under an agreement the two countries signed in July.

The Colombians had entered Panama illegally through the Darien jungle, a path used by more than 500,000 migrants headed north last year. The vast majority of those were Venezuelans.

PANAMA PRESIDENT DISMISSES THIS KEY ISSUE AS A 'UNITED STATES PROBLEM'

But at least for now, Panama is not able to deport Venezuelans because the relationship between the two countries has turned tense since Panama — like most other countries in the region -– has refused to recognize the results of Venezuela’s election giving President Nicolas Maduro another term. The two countries have suspended their diplomatic relations.

Panama President José Raúl Mulino, who took office July 1, pledged to stop that migration flow, an interest he shares with the U.S. government.

Mulino had originally said the flights would be "voluntary" repatriations, but those deported Tuesday had criminal records, officials said.

Roger Mojico, director of Panama’s National Immigration Service, told reporters Tuesday that Panama is speaking with other countries such as Ecuador and India about coordinating repatriation flights.

Categories: World News

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