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U.S. envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff is heading to Russia later this week, a source familiar with the matter told Fox News. 

The confirmation comes after media reports said Witkoff is planning to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin for a second time. 

Witkoff previously met Putin for three hours in mid-February during a trip to Moscow to secure the release of detained American Marc Fogel, according to Axios. 

The Kremlin then suggested around that time that another U.S.-Russia prisoner swap could be coming. 

UKRAINE LAUNCHES BIGGEST DRONE ATTACK ON MOSCOW, KILLING 2, AS US TALKS BEGIN 

Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz are currently in Saudi Arabia meeting a senior Ukrainian delegation for talks about ending the Ukraine-Russia war. 

The Ukrainian delegation in Saudi Arabia was expected to include Andriy Yermak, head of the presidential office, Andrii Sybiha, minister of foreign affairs, Pavlo Palisa, colonel of armed forces of Ukraine and an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as well as Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who was not only involved in initial talks with Russia following its February 2022 invasion, but who also survived a poisoning attack after a peace meeting in March that year.  

HAMAS’ TREATMENT OF HOSTAGES ‘INTOLERABLE,’ TRUMP ENVOY SAYS 

Rubio told reporters Monday that "The important point in this meeting is to establish clearly their intentions, their desire, as they've said publicly now, numerous times, to reach a point where peace is possible," adding that he will need to be assured that Kyiv is prepared to make some hard decisions, like giving up territory seized by Russia, in order to end the three-year war.  

"I wouldn't prejudge tomorrow about whether or not we have a minerals deal," Rubio also said on board a flight to Saudi Arabia. "It's an important topic, but it's not the main topic on the agenda. 

Fox News’ Caitlin McFall contributed to this report. 

JERUSALEM—The former al Qaeda terrorist and current Interim President of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, failed to stop a massacre of over 1,000 Syrians, including Christians, that unfolded last Thursday and continued over a period of days.

Al-Sharaa and his organization, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a U.S.-designated Sunni terrorist organization, toppled former Syrian President Bashar Assad in December.

Christian leaders and human rights activists have cast strong doubts on the capability of al-Sharra’s Islamist regime to build a democracy that can protect vulnerable religious minority groups.

"This is a warning that the Syrian government is not ready for prime time if it can’t protect a handful of vulnerable Christians who had absolutely nothing to do with this violence except being its victims," Rev. Johnnie Moore, the president of The Congress of Christian Leaders, told Fox News Digital.

TULSI GABBARD'S WARNING TO SENATE ON SYRIA PROVES PROPHETIC AS AL QAEDA-LINKED REGIME SLAUGHTERS MINORITIES

After shocking online video footage showed Islamists engaging in massacres of Syrian Alawites—a minority religious population—al-Sharra claimed he would "hold accountable, firmly and without leniency, anyone who was involved in the bloodshed of civilians". He added, "There will be no one above the law and anyone whose hands have been stained with the blood of Syrians will face justice sooner or later."

Moore said, "It is a clear demonstration that this new government has failed at the first task of any government, which is to protect its citizens."

He said that foreign fighters acting either at the direction of the Syrian government or embedded within it or behaving in an out-of-control way "indiscriminately and grotesquely killed countless civilians, including a number of Christians, that we personally verified were killed. And the numbers are rising."

Moore said, "The new government in Syria may not be ISIS, but they are ‘Islamists.’" Al-Sharaa was also once a member of the Islamist State terrorist movement.

UNCOVERING THE ATROCITIES OF THE ASSAD REGIME AT ITS 'DEATH FACTORY' ON THE HILL

Moore lambasted the posture of the Europeans toward the hardcore Syrian Islamist regime by noting the European governments seem to be rewarding the regime in Damascus.

"And for this to happen within 24 hours of the United Kingdom announcing that they are waiving sanctions on the Syrian national bank and over 20 other entities is a warning sign to the entire Western world and the EU commission is continuing with its plans do a funding conference in the near future to help the new Syrian government."

Moore continued, "The response from the U.S. should be the exact opposite. The United States should send a very, very clear message to the new Syrian government that there will be zero sanctions relief and there will be zero normalization of its treatment to the new Syrian government until it proves that it's going to be able to protect all the citizens of Syria, including its vulnerable Christians." 

Moore noted that during the Syrian civil war, Christians were killed and displaced. In December, the Center for Religious Freedom's Nina Shea and Moore discussed on Fox and Friends the threat to Christianity in Syria after rebels took over the capital and the U.S. role in protecting Christians.

The Christian population in Syria has shrunk considerably since the start of the 2011 Syrian civil war. There are an estimated 300,000 Christians in the war-torn nation. Prior to the Syrian civil war, the Syrian Christian community numbered 1.5 million.

Ukraine launched its largest-ever drone attack on Moscow on Tuesday as a senior delegation met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz in Saudi Arabia for talks about ending the war with Russia. 

A total of 337 drones were shot down Tuesday over Russia, including 91 in the Moscow area and 126 in the Kursk region bordering Ukraine, Reuters reported, citing Russia’s defense ministry. 

Moscow-based meat producer Miratorg said two of its employees were killed by falling debris, while 18 other people – including three children – were injured after residential buildings were struck, officials told Reuters. 

Images taken in Russia showed damage to cars and apartment buildings in the wake of the attack, which temporarily shut down Moscow’s four airports. Russia reportedly launched a ballistic missile and 126 drones at Ukraine in response. 

RUBIO SAYS MINERAL DEAL ‘NOT MAIN TOPIC ON AGENDA’ IN UKRAINE MEETING 

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Ukraine’s drone attack was the biggest yet to target his city, according to Reuters. 

In Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the U.S. and Ukrainian officials did not immediately comment on the drone attack. 

Ukrainian officials told the Associated Press on Tuesday that their country is ready to sign the mineral deal sought by President Donald Trump and will propose a ceasefire covering the Black Sea. 

LITHUANIAN DEFENSE MINISTER: ONLY WAY TO NEGOTIATE WITH RUSSIA IS WITH A ‘GUN ON THE TABLE’ 

The Ukrainian delegation in Saudi Arabia was expected to include Andriy Yermak, head of the presidential office, Andrii Sybiha, minister of foreign affairs, Pavlo Palisa, colonel of armed forces of Ukraine and an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as well as Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who was not only involved in initial talks with Russia following its February 2022 invasion, but who also survived a poisoning attack after a peace meeting in March that year.  

Rubio told reporters Monday that "The important point in this meeting is to establish clearly their intentions, their desire, as they've said publicly now, numerous times, to reach a point where peace is possible," adding that he will need to be assured that Kyiv is prepared to make some hard decisions, like giving up territory seized by Russia, in order to end the three-year war. 

"I wouldn't prejudge tomorrow about whether or not we have a minerals deal," Rubio also said on board a flight to Saudi Arabia. "It's an important topic, but it's not the main topic on the agenda. 

Fox News’ Caitlin McFall contributed to this report. 

Greenlanders will head to the polls to vote in their country’s parliamentary election on Tuesday, in what will likely prove to be a historic vote not because of any seismic shifts within the nation but because of the geopolitical message it will send.

Independence from Denmark is not on the ballot itself, but who is elected to Greenland’s parliament will signal how the country could move forward in not only divorcing itself from Copenhagen, but in handling what some critics have perceived as threats issued by President Donald Trump.

Parliamentary elections on the world’s largest island, a nation of less than 60,000 people, have previously picked up scant coverage due to their relatively low impact on world affairs.

TRUMP SAYS AMERICA WOULD WELCOME GREENLAND DURING JOINT ADDRESS TO CONGRESS

But all that changed in January when, ahead of his inauguration, Trump refused to rule out the possibility of "acquiring" Greenland through economic or military means and has since repeated his interest in the strategically important island.

While the majority of Greenlanders support independence from Denmark, they also align in their opposition to Trump’s ambitions for the island nation.

There is not a single lawmaker in Greenland that ran for election in this cycle on becoming a part of the U.S., but the leading opposition party known as Naleraq, which currently holds just five of the 31 seats in Greenland’s parliament, may have a solution to achieve independence while also appealing to Trump’s interests. 

Qupanuk Olsen, a 39-year-old running under the Naleraq party who has garnered a massive social media presence with over a million followers spread over Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, shared a video in January where she addressed questions regarding her opinion on the matter.

Without directly noting her position on Trump’s ambitions, as she said she wants to keep her social media presence as "A-political as possible," she emphasized her support for expanding Greenland’s partnerships.

"I strongly believe in Greenland’s independence," she went on to say, "To achieve this we must expand our collaborations and establish business relationships with countries beyond Denmark. 

"We Greenlanders, Kalaallit, deserve to be independent," she continued in reference to the Greenlandic Inuit ethnic group. "And I hope we will strengthen our connections with our fellow Inuit in Canada and Alaska significantly more in the near future."

GREENLAND, PANAMA FIERCELY REJECT TRUMP'S AMBITIONS IN ADDRESS TO CONGRESS

Though Greenland won self-rule in 1979, with Denmark continuing to oversee issues relating to defense and foreign policy, the Naleraq party has pushed for a swift transition to complete independence.

The leading opposition party has argued this could be achieved by bolstering existing business opportunities like its fishing industry, as well as by establishing defensive agreements with nations like the U.S., in which it would allow Washington to continue to operate its military interests from the island in exchange for security assurances without becoming a U.S. territory. 

Though it remains unclear if such a deal would win over Trump, who could be viewing the Artic nation as an untapped opportunity for its rare earth minerals and oil and gas reserves – which Greenland has blocked even the EU from accessing. 

The White House did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions over whether expanding ties with Greenland would appease Trump’s ambitions, though on Sunday Trump reiterated his position on the island nation.

"As I made clear during my Joint Address to Congress, the United States strongly supports the people of Greenland’s right to determine their own future," he said on his social media platform Truth Social.  "We will continue to keep you safe, as we have since World War II." 

THE HISTORIC IMPORTANCE OF GREENLAND FOR US NATIONAL SECURITY AS DEBATE OVER ISLAND'S FUTURE ROARS ON

"We are ready to invest billions of dollars to create new jobs and make you rich  – And, if you so choose, we welcome you to be a part of the Greatest Nation anywhere in the World, the United States of America," he added. 

Trump drew rebuke in some quarters following his address to Congress, where his tone on Greenland was softer than previous remarks, but he concluded by saying, "One way or the other, we're going to get it."

According to a January poll, some 85% of Greenlanders oppose Trump’s push to make Greenland a part of the U.S., including Prime Minister Mute Egede, who has been not only a huge proponent of independence from Denmark, but who has also been staunchly opposed to Trump’s interest in Greenland.

Egede’s Inuit Ataqatigiit party, which currently holds 11 seats, is expected to pick up an even greater majority following the Tuesday election. 

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Egede, who has repeatedly told the U.S. president that Greenland is "not for sale," on Monday said Trump’s unpredictability was sowing international chaos.

"The things that are happening in the world right now worry me quite a lot," Egede told Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR). "There is a world order that is faltering on many fronts, and perhaps a president in the United States who is very unpredictable in a way that makes people feel insecure."

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested at Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Tuesday following an order from the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is investigating a crime against humanity case filed against the former leader.

Duterte, 79, was taken into custody at the airport in the Philippines following his trip to Hong Kong, The Associated Press reports.

The ICC has been investigating "massive killings that happened under the former president's deadly crackdown against illegal drugs," The AP said via President Ferdinand Marcos' office.

EX-PHILIPPINE PRESIDENT DUTERTE SHRUGS OFF POSSIBLE ARREST BY ICC FOR DRUG WAR DURING TRIP TO HONG KONG

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Monday that the mineral deal, sought by President Donald Trump, is "not the main topic on the agenda" for the meeting set with the Ukrainian delegation in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. 

"I wouldn't prejudge tomorrow about whether or not we have a minerals deal," he told reporters on board a flight to Saudi Arabia. "It's an important topic, but it's not the main topic on the agenda.

"The minerals deal is on the table that's continuing to be worked on – it's not part of this conversation, per se," he said, noting that Tuesday's meeting in Jeddah can be considered successful even without securing such an agreement.

LITHUANIAN DEFENSE MINISTER: ONLY WAY TO NEGOTIATE WITH RUSSIA IS WITH A 'GUN ON THE TABLE'

"It's certainly a deal the president wants to see done, but it doesn't necessarily have to happen tomorrow," Rubio added. 

The Ukrainian delegation is set to include Andriy Yermak, head of the presidential office, Andrii Sybiha, minister of foreign affairs, Pavlo Palisa, colonel of armed forces of Ukraine and an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as well as Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who was not only involved in initial talks with Russia following its February 2022 invasion, but who also survived a poisoning attack after a peace meeting in March that year. 

Rubio will meet with the delegation in the city of Jeddah around noon local time on Tuesday.

"The important point in this meeting is to establish clearly their intentions, their desire, as they've said publicly now, numerous times, to reach a point where peace is possible," Rubio said, adding that he will need to be assured that Kyiv is prepared to make some hard decisions, like giving up territory seized by Russia, in order to end the three-year war. 

"Both sides need to come to an understanding," he said. "The Russians can't conquer all of Ukraine, and obviously it will be very difficult for Ukraine, in any reasonable time period, to sort of force the Russians back all the way to where they were in 2014. So the only solution to this war is diplomacy and getting them to a table where that's possible.

 "Then we'll have to determine how far they are from the Russian position, which we don't know yet either. And then once you understand where both sides truly are, it gives you a sense of how big the divide is and how hard it's going to be," Rubio explained. "I'm hoping it'll be a positive interaction along those lines."

EU CHIEF DIPLOMAT WARNS TRUMP PUTIN 'DOESN'T WANT PEACE'

Steve Witkoff, special envoy to the Middle East who has increasingly been involved with the talks regarding Ukraine and Russia, told Fox News’ Dana Perino on "America’s Newsroom" Monday morning, that the Trump administration has "gone a long way" to "narrow the differences" when dealing with Moscow and to get it to the negotiating table – though he did not go into detail. 

Witkoff suggested relations with Ukraine began to once again improve after Zelenskyy sent Trump a letter in which he apologized for the Oval Office exchange that went sour late last month after he refused to sign a mineral deal and angered the Trump administration – resulting in a series of explosive outbursts on live TV. 

While a mineral deal is unlikely to be achieved this week, according to Rubio, he said he hopes that with a successful meeting in Jeddah, he can secure the resumption of aid to Ukraine, though he did not detail if this would include the defensive aid the Trump administration halted, despite Russia’s continued bombardment against Ukrainian targets, or the intelligence sharing which the U.S. also stopped following the Oval Office showdown. 

"The pause in aid broadly is something I hope we can resolve," Rubio said. "I think what happens tomorrow will be key to that."

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Rubio also said that Russia will see its own consequences if it doesn’t agree to negotiate on ending the war in Ukraine, including additional sanctions. 

"It should be clear to everyone that the United States has tools available to also impose costs on the Russian side of this equation," Rubio said. "But we hope it doesn't come to that. 

"What we're hoping is that both sides realize that this is not a conflict that can end by military means," he added. 

On Friday, in a posting on the Truth Social platform, Trump threatened Russia with "large scale Banking Sanctions, Sanctions and Tariffs," until a ceasefire and peace settlement are reached.  

Pope Francis is "out of danger from death" as of Monday evening, marking a significant improvement after weeks of hospitalization involving the head of the Roman Catholic Church.

In a statement obtained by Fox News, the Vatican said that the "clinical conditions of the Holy Father continue to be stable."

"The improvements recorded in the previous days have been further consolidated, as confirmed by both blood tests and clinical objectivity and good response to drug therapy," the release read.

The Vatican also said that Pope Francis, 88, "is out of danger from death from the infections that he arrived at the hospital with."

POPE FRANCIS SUFFERING FROM 'MILD RENAL INSUFFICIENCY,' THOUGH CONDITION REMAINS 'UNDER CONTROL,' VATICAN SAYS

The pope was first admitted to Gemelli Hospital on Feb. 14 after fighting a week-long bout of bronchitis that gradually worsened. There, he was first diagnosed with a complex viral, bacterial and fungal respiratory tract infection. 

Doctors then detected the onset of pneumonia in both of Pope Francis's lungs – a significant health threat to the octogenarian, who has chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed when he was younger.

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

As of Monday, Pope Francis will continue to recover in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital "for further days," Holy See officials said, citing the "complexity of the clinical picture and the important infectious picture presented at hospitalization." 

Pope Francis had solid food introduced into his diet on Sunday after days of gradual improvement. On Monday, he "alternated prayer with rest" and worshipped throughout the day. 

"This morning the Holy Father was able to follow the Spiritual Exercises in connection with the Paul VI Room, then received the Eucharist and went to the Chapel of the private apartment for a moment of prayer," the Holy See said on Monday. "In the afternoon he joined the Spiritual Exercises of the Curia again."

North Korea fired several ballistic missiles into the sea on Monday, just hours after South Korea and the United States kicked off their first major joint military exercise of President Donald Trump’s second term. 

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile firings were detected from the North’s southwestern Hwanghae Province. The weapons were described as close-range, and in response, South Korea's military said it has bolstered its surveillance posture and is closely coordinating with the U.S. 

"We are aware of the DPRK’s multiple ballistic missile launches and are consulting closely with the Republic of Korea and Japan, as well as other regional allies and partners. The United States condemns these actions and calls on the DPRK to refrain from further unlawful and destabilizing acts," the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement. "While we have assessed that this event does not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel, or territory, or to our allies, we continue to monitor the situation. The U.S. commitments to the defense of the ROK and Japan remain ironclad."

The launches come after South Korean and U.S. forces began their annual Freedom Shield exercise Monday.  

NORTH KOREA UNVEILS ITS FIRST NUCLEAR-POWERED SUBMARINE 

"Freedom Shield is an 11-day exercise conducted by the Republic of Korea and the United States consisting of training to reflect the Korea Theater of Operations – a combined, joint, multi-domain, and interagency operating environment," according to the U.S. Army.  

"Field training events throughout FS25 include urban combat operations, field hospital operations, mass casualty treatment and evacuation, field artillery exercises, air assault training, wet gap crossing, air defense artillery asset deployment and validation, and a joint assault exercise with the U.S. Marine Corps," the Army added. 

However, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry is calling the exercises an "aggressive and confrontational war rehearsal." 

"Despite of the DPRK's repeated warning, the US and the Republic of Korea are dead set on staging the large-scale joint military exercises. This is a dangerous provocative act of driving the acute situation on the Korean peninsula, where a single accidental gun report may spark off a physical conflict between the two sides, beyond the extreme limit," read a statement published in North Korean state media. 

TRAVELER GOES VIRAL FOR TRIP TO ONE OF THE MOST SECRETIVE PLACES ON EARTH 

This year's training comes after South Korean KF-16 fighter jets accidentally dropped bombs on a civilian area during a live-fire training exercise with the U.S. on Thursday, injuring multiple people and damaging multiple buildings, including three houses and a Catholic church. 

South Korean media reported that the accident happened in Pocheon, a city near the heavily armed border with North Korea. About 30 people were wounded, two of them seriously. 

The initial assessment from the South Korean air force was that one of the KF-16 pilots entered the wrong coordinates and failed to visually verify the target before proceeding with the bombing. The second pilot had the correct coordinates but focused only on maintaining flight formation and dropped the bombs on the first pilot’s instructions without recognizing the target was wrong, according to the content of the latest briefing provided to The Associated Press. 

Gen. Lee Youngsu, chief of staff of the South Korean air force, bowed and apologized Monday over the injuries and property damage caused by the bombing, which he said "should have never happened and must never happen again." 

Fox News’ Bradford Betz and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

A cargo ship hit a tanker carrying jet fuel off the coast of eastern England Monday, setting both vessels on fire and triggering a major rescue operation, emergency services said.

At least 32 people were brought ashore, but their condition was not immediately clear. The operator of the tanker said all of its crew members were safe.

The U.S.-flagged chemical and oil products tanker MV Stena Immaculate was at anchor near the port of Grimsby Monday morning after sailing from Greece, according to ship-tracking site VesselFinder. The cargo vessel, Portugal-flagged container ship Solong, was sailing from Grangemouth in Scotland to Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

U.S.-based Crowley Ship Management, which operates the Stena Immaculate, said the tanker "sustained a ruptured cargo tank containing Jet-A1 fuel," when the container ship struck it, triggering a fire and "multiple explosions onboard," with fuel released into the sea.

TRUMP'S SCOTTISH GOLF RESORT VANDALIZED BY PRO-PALESTINE GROUP OVER GAZA STANCE

It said all the mariners on the tanker were safe and accounted for.

Martyn Boyers, chief executive of the Port of Grimsby East, said 13 casualties were brought in on a Windcat 33 high-speed vessel, followed by another 19 on a harbor pilot boat.

Britain's Maritime and Coastguard Agency said several lifeboats and a coast guard rescue helicopter were dispatched to the scene in the North Sea, along with a coast guard plane.

The site of the collision is off the coast of Hull, about 155 miles north of London.

Coast guards said the alarm was raised at 9:48 a.m. (0948 GMT). Humber Coast Guard made a radio broadcast asking vessels with firefighting equipment and those who could help with search and rescue to head to the scene.

HUGE UNEXPLODED WORLD WAR II-ERA BOMB FOUND IN CROWDED PARIS RESIDENTIAL AREA

The RNLI lifeboat agency said "there were reports that a number of people had abandoned the vessels following a collision and there were fires on both ships." It said three lifeboats were working on search and rescue at the scene alongside the coast guard.

Video footage aired by the BBC and apparently filmed from a nearby vessel showed thick black smoke pouring from both ships.

Boyers, the port chief, said he had been told there was "a massive fireball."

"It’s too far out for us to see – about 10 miles – but we have seen the vessels bringing them in," he said. "They must have sent a mayday out. Luckily there was a crew transfer vessel out there already. Since then, there has been a flotilla of ambulances to pick up anyone they can find."

UK PRIME MINISTER LAYS OUT UKRAINE PEACE DEAL FRAMEWORK AS ZELENSKYY RESPONDS TO RESIGNATION CALLS

U.K. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said she was being kept up to date on the developing situation.

"I want to thank all emergency service workers involved for their continued efforts in responding to the incident," she said.

EXCLUSIVE: Growing up under Soviet rule, Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė was not allowed to celebrate Christmas. Her mother was born in a Siberian prison camp. 

The crime?

Her teenage brother was caught handing out leaflets that said, "Lithuania is free." After 50 years of Soviet occupation during the Cold War, many Lithuanians today are wary of any negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and are watching the Kremlin’s next moves closely.

"In my opinion, the only efficient diplomacy with Russia was what Al Capone said, the only good negotiation is when you have a gun on the table. So that's probably the kind of diplomacy that would work with Russia," Šakalienė warned during an interview at the Lithuanian Embassy in Washington Friday.

When asked if Putin could be trusted, the 46-year-old defense minister, who once lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico, as an exchange student, replied, "Are you kidding me? After what was done to my family and by Russia for generations, I don't think you would find any Lithuanian who could trust Vladimir Putin."

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is now more than three years old. Since returning to office, President Donald Trump has engaged in direct talks with Russia to end the war.

TRUMP SAYS INTEL PAUSE ON UKRAINE HAS BEEN 'JUST ABOUT' LIFTED; SAYS TARIFFS WILL MAKE AMERICA RICH

"Historically, Russia has never ever kept an agreement," Šakalienė said." Our only hope is that the tough and harsh approach by President Donald Trump may be the only safeguard keeping Putin in check. So let's hope that happens."

Located in Eastern Europe, Lithuania's population of 2.8 million in an area roughly the size of West Virginia, the small country cannot afford to ignore Russia. It shares a 184-mile border with Russia (Kaliningrad) as well as a 420-mile border with Belarus, which she says is "now just a platform for the Russian army."

She said, "They are trying to frighten us. They are trying to make us feel insecure," about the Russian forces next door.

Lithuania is ramping up defense spending as a result of Russia launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and plans to exceed Trump’s demand that NATO allies spend 5% of GDP on defense. Šakalienė said her country hopes to reach 6% by next year. The U.S. currently spends 3.4%.

Last month, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also urged NATO allies to ramp up defense spending. "The United States will no longer tolerate an imbalanced relationship which encourages dependency," he warned at NATO headquarters in Brussels on his first overseas trip.

As a NATO defense minister, Šakalienė was there in Brussels. She applauded Hegseth’s remarks, calling them an "ice-cold bucket of water."

"I saw the faces of my colleagues. A lot of shock, a lot of stress," she said. "Nobody in the room mentioned 2% [of GDP] which is so redundant, irrelevant, inadequate. It's gone. It's old news."

When asked why Western Europe has been lagging on defense spending years after Russia seized 20% of Ukraine, Šakalienė replied, "I think that a very large part of the democratic world got caught up in this illusion of an idealistic world, which has never existed."

She said part of the illusion was believing wars are over. Russia never thought this way, she explained.

"The non-democratic part of the world has not changed. They are actually playing by their rules. So if they are not playing by our rules, our blindness is what put us in this dangerous position."

TRUMP THREATENS SANCTIONS ON RUSSIA, DEMANDS PEACE AFTER MAJOR HITS IN UKRAINE

Šakalienė is the only NATO defense minister sanctioned by China. When asked about Beijing’s motives in supporting Russia, her answer might surprise some people.

"Russia is able to boost its military production so efficiently because China is feeding it," she said.  "It is useful for China to have this war of exhaustion, and also it is useful for China, even though it supplies Russia, to see Russia also lose a lot of its soldiers – a lot of its weapons and equipment – because a weaker Russia is more convenient to China."

Despite heavy battlefield losses in Ukraine over the past three years, Russia is building an army of 1.5 million soldiers, according to Šakalienė, who warned Putin has "more imperial expansion plans in his hand."

When Fox News sat down at the Lithuanian Embassy on Friday, Trump was trying to secure a mineral rights agreement with Ukraine and eventually hopes to seek a ceasefire agreement with Russia.

"If Russia violates the ceasefire, the response must be immediate and violent," Šakalienė urged.

When asked for her reaction to a report that Trump is considering not defending NATO allies who do not spend enough on defense, Šakalienė applauded the harsh rhetoric from Trump, calling it "painful" but justified. "Everyone needs to contribute, burden sharing is the main rule if you really want to have a strong alliance."

She pointed to the Baltic States and Poland as leading NATO members in defense spending as a percentage of GDP.

Last year, the European Union, which Lithuania is a member, spent more on Russian oil and gas than aid to Ukraine. Šakalienė said her country was "the first one to cut off" Russian oil and gas. "We were even supporting our neighbors, Latvians and Polish with energy supplies. So for us, being independent of Russian energy is a matter of life and death."

Lithuania’s first LNG terminal was aptly named "Independence," according to Frank Fannon, who served in Trump’s first term as assistant secretary of state for energy resources.

When Fox News sat down at the embassy, Lithuania had just announced it would be withdrawing from the convention on cluster munitions, an international agreement by more than 100 nations prohibiting cluster bombs. Šakalienė explained why Lithuania is pulling out.

"We want to be ready to use anything and everything necessary to protect our borders. We don't want Russians to come to our homes again. We want to send a strategic message, a very clear message, that we will do anything to protect ourselves."  

RUSSIAN MISSILE EXPERTS VISITED IRAN AMID GROWING MILITARY TIES

Lithuania, along with other European nations, also wants to withdraw from another treaty soon known as the Ottawa Convention, which bans anti-personnel land mines.

"This is a terrible weapon, just like cluster munitions, but the Russians are using the weapons, including forbidden weapons. So we want to send the message back," she said.

In addition to Russia, China and the United States are also not parties to the agreement. In 2014, the United States announced it would abide by the Ottawa Convention, except for the landmines already deployed on the Korean Peninsula.

Šakalienė, a deeply devout Christian, said Russia is not only attacking Ukraine, but the Christian faith as well.

"It was Soviet Russia that tried to annihilate the church in Ukraine, in Lithuania, in Poland. They have now sort of revived their Christianity and are using it for KGB infiltration, for FSB infiltration, she said. "This is a betrayal."

She continued, "When we see how churches in Ukraine are being bombed, being robbed…the Christian community in Ukraine is being murdered and their beautiful heritage is being destroyed."

The Lithuanian defense minister ended the interview with a final warning.

"We tend to try to diminish our enemies. This is a mistake. You have to see them for what they are."

A newly released study is challenging the International Criminal Court's (ICC) investigation of starvation claims against Israel and exposes the Hamas terror organization's role in controlling aid distribution. 

Just last week, as a result of Hamas terrorists' refusal to extend the ceasefire deal and start releasing the 59 hostages still held in Gaza, the Israeli government decided to halt all goods and supplies going into Gaza. 

Yet despite howls of criticism from U.N. relief chief Tom Fletcher, who called the decision "alarming," the Trump administration has given its blessing to the move. 

Retired Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a former IDF international spokesperson and now a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, dismissed claims of starvation, telling Fox News Digital that Hamas hoards supplies while Israel ensures aid enters. "Over 25,200 trucks arrived during the ceasefire – enough for four months. If there’s hunger, it’s because of Hamas corruption, not a lack of food," he said.

The study published by Israeli public health experts, based on data from Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), challenges these claims, showing no evidence of famine or intentional deprivation.

MORE AID IS SUPPOSED TO BE ENTERING THE GAZA STRIP. WHY ISN’T IT HELPING?

The study, named "Food supplied to Gaza during seven months of the Hamas-Israel war," was led by nutrition and public health experts Aron Troen and Ronit Endevelt, along with researchers from multiple Israeli universities and the Ministry of Health. The study analyzed food shipments into Gaza from January to July 2024. 

Using international food composition databases and the Sphere humanitarian standards, they tracked calorie intake, nutritional value, and humanitarian aid efforts, providing an objective, data-driven analysis of food supplies delivered to Gaza during the first seven months of the war.

The research assessed food shipments from international donors processed through COGAT. Each item was categorized based on its energy content, protein, fat and micronutrient composition. The total nutritional supply per capita was then measured against international benchmarks to ensure accuracy.

"We didn't enter politics," said professor Ronit Endevelt. "We just wanted to know if, from a nutritional perspective, the food entering Gaza was sufficient. We double-checked our data multiple times to avoid exaggeration."

Between January and April 2024, 14,916 trucks carrying 227,854 tons of food entered Gaza, averaging 124 food trucks per day. The study found that the daily per capita caloric supply averaged 3,374 kcal, with 101 grams of protein and 80.6 grams of fat – meeting or exceeding international humanitarian food aid standards.

ICC REJECTS ISRAELI APPEALS, ISSUES ARREST WARRANTS FOR BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, YOAV GALLANT

"In March 2024, the United Nations Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) warned of imminent famine in Gaza. Within days, cautious technical language gave way to media headlines and political statements claiming mass starvation was already underway," professor Troen told Fox News Digital. 

"One of the most persistent falsehoods has been the claim that before the war, 500 or more humanitarian trucks entered Gaza daily, and that this number was necessary to meet the population’s needs. In reality, the number of food trucks was around or fewer than 100 per day before the war, and has since increased substantially," he continued. "Our study aimed to address that gap by analyzing verified food shipments. The numbers show that while there were variations, at no point did the food supply drop to starvation levels."

When asked specifically about testimonies obtained by Fox News Digital from Gazans who reported struggling to find food on certain days, Endevelt acknowledged the study did not track final distribution within Gaza. "We can’t say there was no hunger, but we can confirm enough food entered," she said. "Most of the time, in most months, there was enough food available."

A key finding of the study is the distinction between food supply and distribution. "Hamas systematically weaponized food distribution, using it as a tool of control," said Endevelt. "Aid often didn’t reach those in need because Hamas seized supplies, sold them on the black market, or prioritized its own fighters. Reports of famine are not due to a lack of aid but Hamas’ deliberate strategy of restricting access to maintain power and profit."

Despite these findings, the ICC investigation and global criticism continued. "IPC reports, widely cited as evidence against Israel, failed to mention Hamas’ role in manipulating aid," Troen said.

When asked by Fox News Digital whether the new findings would be considered in its investigation, the ICC Office of the Prosecutor responded: "The ICC Office of the Prosecutor has a current and ongoing investigation in relation to the Situation in the State of Palestine. The Office’s investigations are built from a wide range of sources. They can encompass Article 15 communications, information from states, international partners, and civil society, publicly available sources of information, and the direct collection of evidence by the Office, including interviews with witnesses.

"The Office is unable to provide further information with respect to details of its investigative activities in response to your request at this stage. Confidentiality is a crucial part of our work and is essential to protect the integrity of the investigations and to ensure the safety and security of victims, witnesses, and all those with whom the Office interacts."

The U.N. spokesman referred Fox News Digital to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), which requested more time to respond. However, even after the extension was granted, no response was provided.

UN SILENT AS GUTERRES CALLS FOR HOSTAGE RELEASE, RECEIVES 'THUNDEROUS' APPLAUSE ON GAZA

Publishing the study posed challenges. "Given the anti-Israel bias in parts of the scientific community, we opted to submit to the Israeli Journal of Health Policy Research, a peer-reviewed journal under Springer Nature," Troen said. "We wanted the data available quickly to improve humanitarian efforts. However, the political climate made the review process unusually intense."

"This was one of the most rigorously reviewed studies I’ve ever worked on," Endevelt added. "We had five reviewers, far more than usual, and months of back-and-forth revisions to ensure absolute accuracy."

The research team, including experts from Hebrew University, Ben-Gurion University, Tel Aviv University and Haifa University, conducted the study with a commitment to scientific rigor. The paper, now widely cited, underscores the importance of transparent data in evaluating humanitarian crises.

"One thing is clear: given the amount of food entering Gaza and ongoing reports of hunger, distribution must be improved," Troen concluded. "Effective cooperation between U.N. agencies, COGAT, and Palestinian civil society, without Hamas’ interference, is crucial to ensuring aid reaches those who need it most."

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte made an unannounced visit to Hong Kong on Sunday, leading to questions about whether he is attempting to evade a possible arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court over his extrajudicial killings amid his war on drugs during his time in office.

Duterte, 79, and his daughter — incumbent Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte — were the main speakers at a campaign rally at the Southorn Stadium in the busy Wan Chai commercial district in Hong Kong for the senatorial candidates of his political party, Partido Demokratiko Pilipino, ahead of the May 12 midterm elections in the Philippines.

In his speech, Duterte addressed reports about the ICC possibly issuing a warrant for his arrest, reiterating previous comments that he was prepared to be jailed if his arrest is ordered.

"If that’s my fate, that’s fine. I will accept it. We can’t do anything if I’m arrested or imprisoned," he said in front of a crowd of Filipino supporters.

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The ICC has been investigating the large number of killings by police and gunmen under Duterte's crackdown against illegal drugs during his tenure as president from 2016-2022. Thousands of people, most of whom were poor, were left dead as he sought to carry out his war on drugs.

Duterte, while in office, also prosecuted a journalist for coverage that scrutinized the government's killings.

The former populist president has denied he authorized extrajudicial killings. However, he openly and repeatedly threatened to kill suspected drug dealers during his time in office.

"What was my sin?" Duterte asked in his speech in Hong Kong. "I did everything in my time, so Filipinos can have a little peace and tranquility."

He jokingly told the crowd to make small contributions for the construction of his monument, which he said should show him holding a gun.

CHINESE NAVY HELICOPTER FLIES WITHIN 10 FEET OF PHILIPPINE PATROL PLANE OVER DISPUTED SHOAL

A senior Philippine official said the former president was scheduled to fly back on Tuesday to Manila, the capital of the Philippines, but another senior official said he could extend his stay in Hong Kong.

Current President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s administration is prepared to handle any situation stemming from an ICC arrest warrant, the president's communications secretary, Jay Ruiz, said.

"We've heard that an arrest warrant has been issued by the International Criminal Court against former President Rodrigo Duterte for crimes against humanity," Ruiz said in a statement. "The government is prepared for any eventuality."

In the southern city of Davao, Duterte's home region, police bolstered security at the international airport and will monitor new checkpoints. Philippine police told reporters the move was part of an effort to ensure law enforcement would be able to handle any contingencies.

Duterte had held office in Davao, previously serving as mayor, vice mayor and member of the House of Representatives. He was also chair of the Davao City Liberal Party from 2009-2015.

Marcos Jr. has said that Philippine law enforcement agencies would be required to fully cooperate if the ICC seeks Duterte's arrest.

The ICC was created in 2002 to serve as a court of last resort for the most serious international crimes, including genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and aggression. The ICC becomes involved when countries are unable or unwilling to prosecute crimes within their borders.

About 125 countries have signed the court’s foundational treaty, the Rome Statute. But China, which controls Hong Kong, has not signed on.

Duterte withdrew the Philippines from the ICC in 2019, which activists argued was an attempt to evade accountability and prevent an international investigation into the government-authorized killings. However, the ICC still maintains jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed when the country was a member, so Duterte could still be held accountable for possible crimes committed in the first half of his presidency.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Romania's central election authority has banned Calin Georgescu, a populist candidate and frontrunner, from running in May's presidential election re-run.

"Europe is now a dictatorship, Romania is under tyranny!" Georgescu said in a post on X, following the decision. "I have one message left! If democracy in Romania falls, the entire democratic world will fall!"

Trump’s administration has taken an interest in Romania’s presidential election since it was canceled in May because of Russian collusion allegations in Georgescu's favor. 

SpaceX CEO and DOGE leader Elon Musk chimed in and shared his reaction to the decision.

ROMANIAN FAR-RIGHT PRESIDENTIAL FRONTRUNNER TAKEN INTO CUSTODY AFTER JD VANCE'S REBUKE OF EUROPEAN ELECTIONS

"This is crazy," Musk wrote on X.

Kari Lake, Trump administration senior advisor for the US agency for global media, also reacted and compared what is happening in Romania to what "they tried with Trump here in America."

"Do you love your country & want to put it first?" Lake posted on X. "Then, the Globalists want you removed from the ballot & silenced. They tried it with Trump here in America. They did it to Bolsanaro in Brazil. Now, they're doing it to Georgescu in Romania. The people should dictate their country's future. Not the international order & their captured court."

Georgescu, who won the first round of Romania's canceled presidential election last year, was taken into custody for questioning by the country's top prosecutors back in February.

ROMANIA ANNULS FIRST ROUND OF PRESIDENTIAL VOTE WON BY FAR-RIGHT CANDIDATE

Romania's Constitutional Court made the unprecedented move to annul the election two days ahead of the Dec. 8 runoff after Georgescu's first-round win. He had polled in single digits and declared zero campaign spending, according to The Associated Press. Allegations of Russian interference and electoral violations quickly emerged. After the election cancelation, prosecutors launched an investigation into alleged campaign funding fraud, as well as alleged antisemitism and hate speech. 

The Trump administration has criticized Romania for canceling last year's presidential election, with Vice President JD Vance alleging that the court's ruling was based on "flimsy suspicions" and "enormous pressure" from Romania’s neighbors.

Vance said in December, "Romania straight up canceled the results of a presidential election based on the flimsy suspicions of an intelligence agency and enormous pressure from its continental neighbors." 

He also warned European leaders that they cannot win a "democratic mandate" by "censoring your opponents or putting them in jail," nor by "disregarding your basic electorate on questions like who gets to be a part of our shared society." 

"To many of us on the other side of the Atlantic, it looks more and more like old, entrenched interests hiding behind ugly Soviet-era words like misinformation and disinformation, who simply don't like the idea that somebody with an alternative viewpoint might express a different opinion or, God forbid, vote a different way, or even worse, win an election," Vance said. 

Georgescu, a staunch critic of NATO and Western support for Ukraine, has sparked controversy in the past for describing Romanian fascist and nationalist leaders from the 1930s and 1940s as national heroes, according to The AP. 

He has also praised Russian President Vladimir Putin in the past as "a man who loves his country," and has called Ukraine "an invented state."

Fox News Digital's Danielle Wallace, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

OTTAWA, Ontario — Former Central Bank Governor of Canada Mark Carney will become Canada’s next prime minister after winning the Liberal leadership race on Sunday night. Carney told cheering supporters that "Canada will never become part of America in any way, shape or form."

Carney received 86% of the vote, or 131,764 votes of the 151,899 ones cast from the nearly 400,000 party members who registered to participate in the leadership election.

The new Liberal leader told members that they should be prepared to fight "the most important election of our lives" where the "stakes have never been higher."

He said Canada is the "greatest country in the world and now our neighbors want to take us. No way," said the incoming Canadian prime minister, referring to President Donald Trump’s repeated desire for the U.S. to annex Canada as the "51st state."

TRUMP CRITIC MARK CARNEY POISED TO REPLACE TRUDEAU AS CANADA'S PRIME MINISTER

When Trump announced his tariffs against Canada last month, Carney issued a statement that "Canada will not bow down to a bully. We won’t stand by as illegal U.S. tariffs hurt our workers and their families. As Canadians, we need to face this challenge as one united team."

In December, outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reportedly approached Carney to serve as Canadian finance minister, which caused the incumbent, Chrystia Freeland, to leave the Cabinet and publicly release her resignation letter in which she wrote that she and the prime minister had "found [themselves] at odds about the best path forward for Canada."

Less than a month later, Trudeau announced his intention to step down as Liberal leader and prime minister, saying that if he’s "having to fight internal battles, [he] cannot be the best option" in a general election scheduled to be held no later than Oct. 20.

But opposition parties have vowed to force an earlier national vote through a non-confidence motion in the House of Commons against the Liberal minority government when Parliament is recalled on March 24.

On Saturday, Canada’s Globe and Mail newspaper reported that Carney will likely call a snap election the week before the March 24 resumption of Parliament, with voting day on either April 28 or May 5.

The new Liberal leader is expected to meet with Trudeau on Monday to discuss the transition that will find Carney and a slimmed-down Cabinet sworn into office by Friday.

WHO IS PIERRE POILIEVRE? CANADA'S CONSERVATIVE LEADER SEEKING TO BECOME NEXT PRIME MINISTER AFTER TRUDEAU EXIT

But regardless of the Liberals having a new leader with some momentum in the polls, Canada’s Conservatives under their leader, Pierre Poilievre, are ready for a "change election," said Laura Kurkimaki, who served as deputy national campaign manager for the Conservative Party during the last federal election in 2021.

"We’ve had 10 years of a Liberal government, and Canadians are tired of that," said Kurkimaki, who also served as principal secretary to former Conservative official opposition leader Erin O’Toole, whose party won the popular vote but not enough House seats to win the 2021 election.

Furthermore, she said the new Liberal leader would be running on "Trudeau’s record," and while Carney wasn’t a member of the prime minister’s government, he was appointed last September by the Liberal Party to chair a task force on economic growth for Trudeau.

"The next election will be about who is going to make life more affordable for Canadians," said Kurkimaki. "What’s going on in the U.S. impacts that, of course, and creates economic uncertainty in Canada."

She added that the longer Carney waits to call an election, the Conservatives get more time to launch their attack ads against him.

During an election, parties face spending limits. But before the writ is dropped to launch the election period, parties can spend as much as they want on advertising, and the Conservatives raised more than double (about $29 million) last year than the Liberals, at about $11 million.

In an interview with The Spectator, Trump, commenting on the Conservative party leader, said Poilievre’s "biggest problem is he’s not a MAGA guy. … He’s not a Trump guy at all."

The Canadian Conservative leader replied on X, "Mr. President, it is true. I am not MAGA."

"I am for Canada First. Always," Poilievre posted. "Canada has always been America’s best friend & ally. But we will NEVER be the 51st state."

A former British Conservative minister and current MP renewed his push in Parliament last week for legislation that bans first-cousin marriage, prompting opposition from the ruling Labour party, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and a British-Muslim MP.

The Conservative MP Richard Holden said during a parliamentary debate, "A marriage between first cousins carries significant health issues, many of which aren't even knowable until post-birth." He added, "When practiced generation after generation, there is a significant multiplier effect."

Adverse health effects on the children of first cousin marriages have been established in medical research. Holden added that "the real impacts on the openness of our society and women’s rights in our country are significant. After all, there are significant dynamics in sharing the same set of grandparents."

Holden urged Starmer to "think again" about blocking his legislation from moving forward. Starmer responded to Holden, stating "We've taken our position on that Bill, thank you." 

'TRUMP EFFECT' ON DISPLAY AS UK'S STARMER BOOSTS DEFENSE SPENDING ON EVE OF US VISIT

The Daily Mail reported that nearly 46% of females from the Pakistani community in Bradford, England had a "common ancestor," according to a 2024 study. A government study showed that the number was at 62% 10 years earlier.

While the prime minister's office did not say why they are against the bill's codification into law, a spokesman for Starmer told Fox News Digital, "Expert advice risks on first-cousin marriages are clear. In terms of legislation and what the government set up in the King’s Speech after the election, so of course we do not want people to enter in cousin marriages."

He continued, "We are focused on making sure every part of the govt is focused on delivering on issues that matter to the British public. We set out our legislative priorities in the King’s Speech."

Given the large influx of migrants from the Middle East and North Africa to Scandinavian countries, the BBC reported that Norway has banned cousin marriage while a ban is expected to come into effect in Sweden next year.

The failure to codify a ban on interfamily marriage among first cousins has outraged many prominent conservative voices in the United Kingdom.

Ben Habib, chairman of the Great British Political Action Committee, told Fox News Digital, "Liberalism in the U.K. is out of control. In the pursuit of allowing people to do whatever they like, sanity is being set aside. It matters not whether that which you wish to do is deeply damaging. If you’re a minority, you have a protective blanket put around you and encouraged to continue."

BRACE FOR A 'POLITICAL REVOLUTION' IN EUROPE, UK'S NIGEL FARAGE SAYS AFTER VANCE'S SPEECH IN MUNICH

Habib added that "marrying cousins was a practice which exited Western culture over a hundred years ago. It’s now back with a vengeance. Why? Because we’ve had mass immigration from cultures which haven’t kept pace with ours. Instead of requiring them to adopt our approach, the British government allows them to continue this debilitating practice. Liberalism is reversing cultural advancement. And our government is in on the act. This insanity must stop."

During one of the parliamentary debates on the bill, Independent MP Iqbal Mohamed, who rejects a legislative prohibition on first-cousin marriage, admitted "there are documented health risks with first-cousin marriage." He said this is an issue that "needs greater awareness." He, however, said the way to address this "is not to empower the state to ban adults from marrying each other." He does not think a ban would be "effective or enforceable." 

According to medical experts, the children of first-cousin marriages are highly vulnerable to contracting an autosomal recessive genetic disorder, 

Mohamed said, "The matter needs to be approached as a health awareness issue and a cultural issue where women are being forced against their will to undergo marriage."

According to Mohamed, an estimated 35% to 50% of all sub-Saharan populations prefer or accept first-cousin marriage, and it is common in the Middle East and South Asia. In July 2024, British voters pulled the plug on the Conservative Party’s 14-year reign and voted in Starmer’s leftist Labour Party.

OTTAWA – Mark Carney has never held elected office, but for years has been touted as a future leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, and if the polling goes as expected, he is the favorite to win his party's leadership race on Sunday.

Carney, the former governor of both the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England, and Goldman Sachs executive, is expected to win the race to succeed Justin Trudeau as both the 14th Liberal leader and 24th Canadian prime minister by the party’s nearly 400,000 members.

Carney recently criticized President Donald Trump as a "bully" in a statement he released in response to American tariffs being put on the northern neighbor. "Canada will not bow down to a bully. We won’t stand by as illegal U.S. tariffs hurt our workers and their families. As Canadians, we need to face this challenge as one united team."

Canada's CBC reported Carney compared Trump to Harry Potter's Voldemort in reaction to the president's comments on making Canada the 51st state.

"When you think about what's at stake in these ridiculous, insulting comments of the president, of what we could be, I view this as the sort of Voldemort of comments… Like I will not even repeat it, but you know what I'm talking about."

CANADA PUNCHES BACK AGAINST TRUMP WITH MAJOR TARIFFS OF ITS OWN AS TRADE WAR SET TO BEGIN ON TUESDAY

More than half of the Liberals’ 153-member caucus in the House of Commons has endorsed him for leader over former Cabinet ministers Chrystia Freeland and Karina Gould, as well as past member of Parliament (MP) Frank Baylis – all three of whom served in Trudeau’s government.

On fundraising, Carney has amassed the most campaign contributions with $1.3 million – or more than double what Freeland, a former foreign affairs minister, collected last month.

Polls have also shown that Carney is the frontrunner to become the next Liberal leader. Should he hold that job and automatically become Canadian prime minister as Trudeau’s successor, he would help boost his party’s fortunes at the ballot box.

A survey by the Angus Reid Institute, released on March 5, found that a Carney-led Liberal Party was only three points (37%) behind the official opposition Conservative Party, at 40%. 

The results of a Leger poll, released on March 3, reported a slightly wider margin, with the Conservatives at 41% and the Liberals, with Carney as leader, at 33%.

However, the same recent Angus Reid poll also found that 43% of Canadians believe Carney would be best suited, as prime minister, to deal with Trump, compared to Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, at 34%.

Even Poilievre has acknowledged that he will face the frontrunner in the Liberal race in the next general election, regularly calling him "Carbon Tax Carney," with reference to the Canadian government’s consumer tax on carbon emissions that Carney initially supported. During his leadership run, the former central bank governor said he would replace it with an incentive program that rewards Canadians for "making greener choices," such as purchasing an energy-efficient appliance.

In a Jan. 26 open letter to Carney, Poilievre asked him whether he would be "any different than the man you are trying to replace" and commit to "banning any prior Trudeau minister from serving in your Cabinet" or "pursue the same Trudeau agenda?"

TRUMP EXEMPTS MEXICO FROM TARIFFS FOR USMCA GOODS UNTIL APRIL 2 

Norman Spector, who served as chief of staff to former Progressive Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, views Carney’s political-rookie status as serving him well as prime minister when dealing with the White House.

"He doesn’t start out with any baggage with Trump, and I think that’s very, very important," said Spector. He suggested that Carney meet with the president as soon as possible to address areas where Canada and the U.S. can closely collaborate, such as on continental security.

Carney cannot appear to be "Justin Trudeau in a different set of clothes or with a different resume," John Manley, a former Canadian Liberal deputy prime minister and finance minister, told Fox News Digital.

"He’s got to be a candidate for change and be seen as the serious dude who can take on Donald Trump," while noting that the ballot-box question in Canada has shifted from the unpopularity in Canada of Trudeau to Trump.

No longer a member of Canada's Liberal Party, Manley said Carney has "promised to move the party back toward the center and make the economy his focus, and those would both be welcome."

Last Wednesday, Carney said he would remove domestic trade barriers between the 10 provinces and three territories that would expand the Canadian economy by up to $140 billion.

On the same day, Trudeau and the provincial and territorial premiers agreed to do the very same to reduce reliance on trade with the U.S. in response to the Trump administration’s tariffs on Canada.

Manley said the Liberals "have got to stop focusing on identity politics," which he said is only "important to a small band of people."

"We can’t keep fighting cultural wars. It badly hurt the Democrats in the U.S."

He also said Carney needs to quickly call a general election before Parliament is scheduled to resume on March 24. 

Should he become Liberal leader on Sunday, Carney would also automatically become the prime minister-designate since the Liberals lead the government under Trudeau. 

The formal transition date for Carney to assume office has yet to be determined, but he would be the first Canadian prime minister to have never held elected office and would need to win a seat in the House of Commons. Therefore, the need for a national vote is also personal as it would enable Carney to run in a yet-to-be-determined riding (district) to become a member of Parliament.

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Manley, who ran for the Canadian Liberal leadership in 2003, won by former prime minister Paul Martin, said Carney will need new faces in his Cabinet.

He also sees Carney – a Harvard and Oxford universities graduate with a doctorate in economics – as holding an advantage over Poilievre in the next election.

Born in Canada’s Northwest Territories, 59-year-old Carney was also a longtime Goldman Sachs executive, who additionally served as the United Nations special envoy for climate action and finance.

By contrast, 45-year-old Poilievre has "done nothing but politics for his adult life," said Manley.

The opposition leader was first elected as a Conservative MP for an Ottawa riding in 2004 when he was 24.

But Manley said, "Poilievre is a very effective communicator," and Carney has to "prove that he can relate to the ordinary man on the street."

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"Can he appeal to people who elect governments, many of whom don’t particularly read books – and may not even read newspapers?"

"Being a successful politician today requires a different skill set than it was even in my time," he said.

It is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a woman – or a Christian. Disease is rampant, and children as young as 4 are being forced to work in mines.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is 95% Christian, yet the faithful are being targeted by jihadists. Just last month, Islamist ADF terrorists, who want the eastern part of the country to become a Muslim Caliphate, rounded up 70 Christians and beheaded them – in a church.

Women are under threat too. According to the U.N., 895 cases of rape were reported in the last two weeks of February alone – an average of more than 60 a day.

In the east, "Sexual violence and human rights abuses remain rampant, as is the looting and destruction of civilian homes and businesses," Patrick Eba, deputy director of UNHCR’s Division of International Protection, said this week.

70 CHRISTIANS BEHEADED IN AFRICAN COUNTRY BY ISIS-ALIGNED MILITANTS, GROUPS SAY; WORLD MOSTLY SILENT

Eba added that "hundreds of thousands of people (are) on the move", fleeing the violence, with many crossing into neighboring countries.

Over 150 women inmates were raped, and many of them then burned to death, in Goma in October last year. As M23 rebels advanced on the city, prison guards at the local jail fled. Hundreds of male inmates are said to have jumped over a wall and raped the women, before escaping.

The sick are also at risk. Earlier this week, the U.N. humanitarian affairs coordination office (OCHA) reported that armed men had raided at least two hospitals in North Kivu’s capital Goma, abducting dozens of patients. 

Disease also stalks people – with three mystery "outbreaks" in the past six months in the DRC. In the latest, the World Health Organization stated late last month that 60 have died and a further 1,318 have shown symptoms of suffering from an as yet unidentified serious illness in Equateur Province.

The agency said the disease spreads through the body fast "with a median time from onset of symptoms to death of one day." Tests for Ebola and the Marburg virus have come back negative so far.

In the Eastern Kivu provinces of the DRC, hundreds of thousands have been displaced, as rebel groups, often foreign-backed, push back government troops in a war "playing out in one of the poorest regions of earth," analyst Frans Cronje told Fox News Digital, adding, "Thousands have been killed, disease pandemics are commonplace, (and) women live under the constant fear of rape and abuse." 

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"The conflict in the DRC is essentially about control of critical minerals", Cronje, an advisor for the Yorktown Foundation for Freedom, continued. "Scores of rebel groups and some state actors are engaged in the conflict. The two Kivu provinces contain vast deposits of these minerals that could be used in applications from defense and AI to green energy."

Bill Roggio, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and editor of the Long War Journal, told Fox News Digital, "I would argue that the minerals are only partially, or even tangentially, related. The main violence plaguing Congo runs from regional political issues, like Rwanda/M23 (rebel group), to ethnic like CODECO, (an association of militia groups) to religious, like Islamic State Central Africa Province, aka ADF, (rebel group) to just general localized banditry. And some groups do control and make money from artisanal mines, but not all."

And, for more than a decade, children in some DRC areas have faced extreme exploitation and abuse, reportedly from China, forced to mine deep underground in its quest for metals such as cobalt. An estimated 70% of the world’s cobalt is produced in the DRC, according to Michigan State University’s Global Edge Research Organization. China is said to either own, or co-own with the DRC’s government, 80% of the DRC’s cobalt mines.

This modern-day child slavery continues despite outcry. A report to a joint House and Senate Committee in November 2023 stated that the DRC "is a country that has been brutally pillaged throughout history, fueled by corrupt men’s unquenchable thirst for power, riches, land, rubber, copper, palm oil, and now cobalt, all at the expense of innocent women, men, and children." 

"Children as young as 4 are forced to mine cobalt, "Jason Isaac told Fox News Digital last year. Isaac is the founder and CEO of the American Energy Institute. 

The FDD’s Bill Roggio told Fox News Digital there are steps the Trump administration could take, "from counter-terrorism against one of IS' most active global branches (ISCAP) to walking back a potential massive regional war, or even to improving good governance, a more stable, secure and prosperous Congo would do wonders for the global economy and regional security."

The mother of Alon Ohel, a hostage taken from the Nova Music Festival Oct. 7, 2023, who remains in Hamas captivity, is pleading for her son’s release after the first phase of the ceasefire concluded last week, but no new deal for a second phase has yet been reached. 

"I think every mother in this world, if they just stopped for a second, would [they] even be able to breathe, knowing that their son or daughter have eaten dinner, are not getting any food – they're being starved, chained and in bad condition," Idit Ohel  told Fox News Digital. 

"Would they be able to just do anything?  It's unbearable. It's just unbearable." 

AFTER TRUMP THREAT, HAMAS REFUSES TO RELEASE MORE HOSTAGES WITHOUT PHASE 2 CEASEFIRE DEAL

Alon and 58 others, including one individual taken separately from the Oct. 7 attacks, remains a hostage after 518 days since the October 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel.

During the attack, Alon hid in a bomb shelter outside the Nova music festival and was injured when shrapnel hit his right eye. 

Footage shared with Fox News Digital showed the harrowing state he and others were in during the attack and their subsequent abduction. 

TRUMP STICKING TO GAZA RELOCATION PLAN, AS WHITE HOUSE SEEMS TO DISMISS EGYPTIAN PROPOSAL

According to Israelis who were held hostage with Alon, his injury was never properly treated, and he is now at risk of going blind in both eyes, Idit explained.

Alon was confirmed last month to still be alive after the release of three hostages who were held with him. He is now believed to be held on his own.

"I have no idea where Allen is right now, but I do know as a mother that I'm frightened for him, and I know that he needs to be back as soon as possible. It's urgent," Idit explained to Fox News Digital. 

President Donald Trump this week met with hostages released from Gaza who told the president they believed he had "been sent by God" to secure their release.

Idit, who is Israeli, has not heard from either the Trump administration or from Netanyahu’s office.

But she believes Trump will help to return her son.

"I know that Trump can bring my son home. I know this because he has the power to do it. And when he wants something, he does it," Idit said. "I'm rooting for him.

"I came all the way from Israel to D.C. to make sure that I’m heard, that Alon is heard," she added. "I'm advocating for him. Alon is being held. He can't speak."

News this week revealed the Trump administration was directly communicating with Hamas to secure the release of five American hostages still held in Gaza, including the only surviving American, Edan Alexander.

Reports also noted that the administration was directly negotiating with the terrorist organization, an unprecedented move that has reportedly frustrated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to try to secure a 60-day ceasefire in exchange for the release of 10 hostages.

But there are 25 hostages still believed to be alive, including Ohel.

In a direct message to her son, Idit said, "We pray for you, and I am doing everything in my power to make sure that you are not forgotten. 

"You are not forgotten," she added. "People here think about you every day, and they want to save you and want to bring you back home. 

"Your father and I, and your sister and your brother, are with you all the time."

Pope Francis continued his therapy and prescribed diet, which now includes eating solid foods, the Vatican said in an update on Sunday.

The Vatican said he did respiratory and motor physiotherapy and his condition "appears stable, with slight gradual improvements."

"However, the overall situation remains complex, prompting doctors to maintain a guarded prognosis," the Vatican also warned in its update.

Earlier on Sunday, the Vatican said the pope was responding well to treatment and had shown a "gradual, mild improvement" in recent days as he remains in the hospital recovering from double pneumonia.

POPE FRANCIS SHOWS 'SLIGHT IMPROVEMENT' DURING FOURTH WEEK IN HOSPITAL, VATICAN SAYS

The night was quiet; the Pope is resting," the Vatican said in its earlier statement.

Francis, 88, was admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Feb. 14 after a week-long bout of bronchitis worsened. Doctors first diagnosed the complex viral, bacterial and fungal respiratory tract infection and subsequently the onset of pneumonia in both lungs.

This is the fourth Sunday in a row that the pope will not appear for his weekly noon blessing, but the Vatican plans to distribute the message he would have delivered.

The pope's condition has remained stable, as he has had no fever and good oxygen levels in his blood for several days, doctors said. The doctors said that his stability "as a consequence testifies to a good response to therapy."

This marks the first time doctors have reported that Francis, who has chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed when he was younger, was responding well to the prescribed therapies since he was admitted to the hospital more than three weeks ago.

Despite Francis' absence, the Vatican’s daily operations continued alongside celebrations of its Holy Year, the once-every-quarter-century Jubilee that brings pilgrims from around the world to Rome. The Holy Year is celebrating volunteers this weekend, and many are extending their pilgrimage to pray for Francis outside the hospital.

POPE FRANCIS CONTINUES TO REST IN HOSPITAL AS VATICAN'S HOLY YEAR PROCEEDS WITHOUT HIM

Canadian Cardinal Michael Czerny will preside over the Holy Year Mass on Sunday for the volunteers.

The pope has been using high flows of supplemental oxygen to help him breathe during the day and a noninvasive mechanical ventilation mask at night.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Pope Francis is responding well to treatment and has shown a "gradual, mild improvement" in recent days as he remains in the hospital recovering from double pneumonia, the Vatican said Sunday.

"The night was quiet; the Pope is resting," the Vatican said in a statement.

Francis, 88, was admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Feb. 14 after a week-long bout of bronchitis worsened. Doctors first diagnosed the complex viral, bacterial and fungal respiratory tract infection and subsequently the onset of pneumonia in both lungs.

POPE FRANCIS SHOWS 'SLIGHT IMPROVEMENT' DURING FOURTH WEEK IN HOSPITAL, VATICAN SAYS

This is the fourth Sunday in a row that the pope will not appear for his weekly noon blessing, but the Vatican plans to distribute the message he would have delivered.

The pope's condition has remained stable, as he has had no fever and good oxygen levels in his blood for several days, doctors said. The doctors said that his stability "as a consequence testifies to a good response to therapy."

This marks the first time doctors have reported that Francis, who has chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed when he was younger, was responding well to the prescribed therapies since he was admitted to the hospital more than three weeks ago.

But his prognosis remains "guarded," doctors said, meaning he is not yet out of danger.

Despite Francis' absence, the Vatican’s daily operations continued alongside celebrations of its Holy Year, the once-every-quarter-century Jubilee that brings pilgrims from around the world to Rome. The Holy Year is celebrating volunteers this weekend, and many are extending their pilgrimage to pray for Francis outside the hospital.

POPE FRANCIS CONTINUES TO REST IN HOSPITAL AS VATICAN'S HOLY YEAR PROCEEDS WITHOUT HIM

Canadian Cardinal Michael Czerny will preside over the Holy Year Mass on Sunday for the volunteers.

The pope has been using high flows of supplemental oxygen to help him breathe during the day and a noninvasive mechanical ventilation mask at night.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.