Rescue operations at Colombia coal mine explosion end; 21 workers dead
Rescue operations at a coal mine in central Colombia that collapsed earlier this week ended Thursday and officials said the accident had left 21 workers dead.
The mine near the town of Sutatausa collapsed late Tuesday following an explosion that blocked several of its entrances. Rescue teams worked nonstop for more than 30 hours to find survivors and retrieve bodies.
HONDURAS SEEKS DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH CHINA, SWITCHING ALLEGIANCE FROM TAIWAN
Nicolás García, the governor of Cundinamarca province, said nine workers survived the accident and had been released from hospital, while the relatives of miners who were killed were receiving psychological support. Officials said all of the workers who were at the mine at the time of the accident had been accounted for.
Mining accidents are common in Colombia, particularly in coal and gold mines. Last year 117 accidents were registered at mines throughout the country by the National Mining Agency, which says that 146 workers were killed in those incidents.
2 police officers killed in Canadian city of Edmonton
Edmonton police said Thursday that two patrol officers were killed while responding to a call.
Police did not immediately release any details about what happened. Police chief Dale McFee was expected to make a statement later Thursday.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted his condolences and support to the officers' loved ones and colleagues.
TRUDEAU TAPS FORMER GOVERNOR GENERAL TO INVESTIGATE CHINESE ELECTION INTERFERENCE CLAIMS
"Every day, police officers put themselves in harm’s way to keep people safe. The news that two Edmonton police officers have been killed in the line of duty reminds us of that reality" Trudeau wrote.
In response to the deaths, the Edmonton Police Commission canceled a public meeting that had been planned for Thursday.
Police services in Calgary, Vancouver the Greater Toronto Area and Halifax expressed condolences on Twitter.
Israeli army raid kills 4, including teenager, in West Bank
An Israeli army raid killed four Palestinians, including a teenage boy, near the occupied West Bank city of Jenin on Thursday, Palestinian officials said.
It was the latest bloodshed in a year-long wave of violence in the region.
The Israeli military confirmed its troops were operating in the Jenin refugee camp, but provided no further details. The area is known as a stronghold of Palestinian militants, and Israel frequently conducts military raids in the area.
The Palestinian health ministry identified three of the dead as Youssef Shreem, 29, Nidal Khazim, 28, and Omar Awadin, 16. The identity of the fourth was not immediately known.
Amateur video taken by people in Jenin appeared to show a crowd of Palestinians surrounding a car that people suspected carried undercover Israeli troops. Another clip appeared to show Israeli military vehicles towing the car away.
UN NUCELAR WATCHDOG: 2.5 TONS OF URANIUM ARE MISSING IN LIBYA
Thursday’s deaths bring the number of Palestinians killed since the start of the year to 83 as Israel has stepped up arrest raids in the West Bank in response to a series of attacks last spring. Palestinian attacks against Israelis have killed 14 people in 2023.
According to an Associated Press tally, about half of the Palestinians killed this year were affiliated with militant groups. Israel says most of the dead were militants. But stone-throwing youths protesting the incursions, some in their early teens, and others not involved in confrontations, including three men over 60, have also been killed.
The current round of violence is one of the worst between Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank in years. It began a year ago after a series of Palestinian attacks against Israelis that triggered near-nightly Israeli raids in the West Bank.
Nearly 150 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank and east Jerusalem in 2022, making it the deadliest year in those areas since 2004, according to the leading Israeli rights group B’Tselem. Palestinian attacks against Israelis during that same time killed 30 people.
Israel captured the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians seek those territories for their future independent state.
Strikes, protests, and clashes over deadly Greek rail crash
Clashes broke out in Athens Thursday during a general strike in Greece that was called in response to a rail disaster last month.
Protesters hurled gasoline bombs at a police cordon near parliament. Riot police responded with tear gas and sound grenades, during the brief flare-up of violence that disrupted large, peaceful demonstrations. There were no immediate reports of injuries or arrests.
The strike grounded flights and extensively disrupted services, while large protests were also held in other cities across the country. Clashes between youths and police also erupted in the southern port city of Patras.
The strike also kept ferries to the Greek islands at port, left public hospitals running with emergency staff, halted public transport services and led to class cancelations at state-run schools.
Unions have rallied behind railway workers’ associations that have staged rolling walkouts since the head-on train collision in northern Greece on Feb. 28 that left 57 people dead and dozens injured.
"This government has had four years to fix problems with the rail network, but instead of owning up to that responsibility, they are blaming everyone else," Popi Tsapanidou, a spokeswoman for main leftist opposition party Syriza, told private Skai television.
‘MAFIA-STYLE ATTACK’ ON ARCHAEOLOGIST TRIGGERS PROTESTS IN GREECE
The main protests were held in Thessaloniki, Greece's second-largest city, and in the capital Athens, where thousands chanted "this crime will not be forgotten" as they reached a police cordon outside a private rail operator.
Stores and banks lowered their shutters when the protesters filed past as the capital was brought to a standstill. A wide variety of labor associations — from those representing lawyers to delivery drivers — joined the strike.
The government, which faces a parliamentary election before the summer, says rail services will restart on March 22 and be restored gradually through April 11, with additional staff to monitor safety and mandatory speed reduction rules along sections of the track.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ center-right government has seen a strong lead in opinion polls reduced in recent weeks over its main rival, Syriza, with the two sides also locked in an ideological debate over how to reform Greece’s antiquated rail network.
Mitsotakis has promised clearer boundaries between privatized services and the authorities overseeing them, seeking assistance from European Union experts in drawing up the changes. His political opponents argue that the poorly managed dismantling of agencies under state control has ultimately compromised rail safety.
Tourists visiting Rome’s Pantheon, Italy’s most-visited cultural site, to be charged a higher entrance fee
Tourists in Rome checking out the Pantheon, Italy's most-visited cultural site, will soon be charged a $5.28 entrance fee under an agreement signed Thursday by Italian culture and church officials.
Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano said the move was a matter of "good sense." The introduction of an entrance fee comes five years after a previous government shelved plans to start charging visitors 2 euros.
Proceeds will be split, with the culture ministry receiving 70% and the Rome diocese 30%, officials said.
HOW SHOULD TRAVELERS PREPARE AHEAD FOR WINTER FLIGHT DELAYS?
The monumental domed structure, originally an ancient temple, last year attracted 60,803 visitors, topping the Colosseum's 38,360. The Pantheon was transformed into a church in 609, called the Basilica of St. Mary and the Martyrs, and Mass is regularly celebrated there.
Under the new plan, visitors under 25 years of age will be charged $2.12. Entrance will be free to Rome residents, minors, people attending Mass and personnel of the basilica, among others.
No date was given for the introduction of the fee, as officials work out technical details. Currently, entrance is free and reservations are required on weekends and public holidays.
Canadian pastor arrested second time for protesting children's drag queen events: 'Sick, twisted perversion'
A Canadian pastor was arrested for the second time in weeks after protesting drag queen story time for children at public libraries.
Pastor Derek Reimer, 36, was arrested and charged Wednesday with one count of breaching a release order that prohibited him from being within 200 meters of events involving the LGBTQ community, a spokesperson for Calgary Police Service told Fox News Digital.
Reimer had been previously arrested on March 2 following a Feb. 25 incident during which three men physically tossed him out of Seton Library for protesting a Reading with Royalty event that was put on by the Calgary Public Library and featured local drag performers reading to children.
Reimer was charged with one count of causing a disturbance and one count of mischief, and also faces six counts of harassment under the city’s bylaw governing public behavior. Each charge carries a penalty of up to $10,000 and up to six months imprisonment if payment cannot be made, according to Livewire Calgary.
CANADIAN PASTOR REPEATEDLY JAILED OVER COVID PROTOCOLS TO FACE FINAL TRIAL: ‘CRAZY STUFF’
Footage of Reimer's most recent arrest in a parking lot outside the Signal Hill Library in Calgary shows police cuffing him and dragging him across the asphalt before hauling him away in a police vehicle. Bystanders protested his treatment and questioned whether he had gotten within 200 meters of the event. He remains in prison and awaits a court appearance Friday.
The Calgary City Council on Tuesday revised a bylaw and introduced a new one in response to increased protests at drag events, according to the CBC.
The modifications included adding the term "intimidation" to the current public behavior bylaw, and the new Safe and Inclusive Access Bylaw prohibits protests within 100 meters of a recreation facility or library entrance. Some councilors reportedly raised concerns about the speed with which the new bylaw was passed.
Earlier this week, Reimer was also issued a 30-day trespass notice following silent prayer session in the Municipal Building in protest of the new bylaw.
"Mr. Reimer was warned on a previous occasion that he could not hold a religious event inside the Municipal Building unless he has a permit," a city spokesperson told the CBC.
Pastor Artur Pawlowski, who knows Reimer and made international headlines himself when he was repeatedly arrested for keeping his Calgary church open during the pandemic, said Reimer's arrests indicate the government's "open hatred toward Christianity."
"Everyone who is visible, everyone in Canada who is boldly proclaiming Christianity, has become an open target," he said.
TUCKER CARLSON: ALL GOVERNMENTS HATE RELIGIOUS PEOPLE
"Calgary was immune for a little bit from the drag queen perversion — because that's what it is: it's a sick, twisted perversion, and you can quote me on that," he said. "An adult person who dresses as a woman in a sexual manner and has the urge to do that in front of little children is a pervert, end of story."
Since drag events involving children have begun proliferating in Calgary, Pawlowski said that Reimer "decided he felt that God is calling him to expose that, to stand against that." He noted that Reimer has communicated with him from prison, and that he is calling on Christians to rise up and vocally oppose what he described as perversion while they still can.
"I've warned Canadians for a very long time — and I'm warning Americans, as well — that you will be ruled by what you tolerate," Pawlowski said, noting how the way authorities enforced COVID-19 protocols in Canada is now being used to enforce ideology.
"If you tolerate corruption, you will be ruled by corruption. If you tolerate perversion, you will eventually be ruled by perversion," he added.
DerekReimer
Missing 2.5 tons of Uranium has been recovered, Libyan army claims
The 2.5 tons of uranium that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) declared missing in Libya on Wednesday has been recovered, the Libyan National Army (LNA) claims.
Libyan forces announced the recovery of the natural uranium on Thursday, saying they found the 10 drums of ore near the border with Chad. An IAEA spokesman told Fox News Digital that the organization has yet to verify the claim.
"We are aware of media reports that the material has been found, the Agency is actively working to verify them," the spokesman said.
The U.N. nuclear watchdog inspectors made discovered that the uranium was missing while carrying out an inspection that had been postponed last year due to the country’s deteriorating security situation.
RUSSIA ACCUSED OF KIDNAPPING HEAD OF UKRAINE NUCLEAR PLANT
The agency says it is still investigating how the 10 barrels were moved from where the Libyan government said they would be.
HOPES FOR LIBYAN UNITY DASHED BY ELECTORAL DISPUTES
The agency acknowledged that the missing nuclear material presents a "radiological risk, as well as nuclear security concerns."
Libya’s security deteriorated following the NATO-backed uprising that ousted the country’s leader, Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Since 2014, rival political factions have competed for control, with the last bout of conflict ending in 2021.
The division of the oil-rich nation has fueled violence between armed groups and driven many refugees to attempt the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean Sea. Many of these journeys end in drownings.
Gen Khaled al-Mahjoub of the LNA says the 10 barrels of uranium were found "barely 5 kilometers" from where they were supposed to be stored.
Fox News' Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
AUSTRIA-NUCLEAR-UN-IAEA
Ukrainian Commander Tells The Washington Post That All 500 Soldiers In His Battalion Were Either Killed Or Wounded
Ukrainian service members are seen next to armoured vehicles near the frontline town of Bakhmut, in Donetsk region, Ukraine, February 25. REUTERS/Yan Dobronosov
* Ukraine's defense is being hindered by the loss of experienced soldiers, The Washington Post reported.
* One commander said all 500 original members of his battalion had been killed or injured.
* Soldiers with significant combat experience "are all already dead or wounded," the commander said.
The war in Ukraine is bleeding both sides, with each suffering more than 100,000 military casualties (killed and wounded) since Russia launched its full-scale invasion last year.
But with Moscow able to draft fighters from a population that dwarfs that of Ukraine, there is growing concern that Kyiv is less capable of suffering sustained losses — and that this will jeopardize its ability to strike back this spring, The Washington Post reported on Monday.
The gravity of the situation is illustrated by the experience of Ukraine's 46th Air Assault Brigade.
A commander of a battalion within the brigade told the Post that he'd lost every one of the 500 people he commanded back in February 2022, leading them to be replaced with fresh recruits far less capable on the battlefield.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: The key part of the Washington Post article is here ....
.... After a year of war, Kupol, a lieutenant colonel, said his battalion is unrecognizable. Of about 500 soldiers, roughly 100 were killed in action and another 400 wounded, leading to complete turnover. Kupol said he was the sole military professional in the battalion, and he described the struggle of leading a unit composed entirely of inexperienced troops.
The Washington Post article is here .... Ukraine short of skilled troops and munitions as losses, pessimism grow.
Thai police to be subjected to random physical, mental health checks after standoff with officer
Police in Thailand will be subject to random checks of their physical and mental health, officials said Thursday, after a 27-hour standoff in which a senior officer holed up and fired a gun into the air until he was subdued by fellow officers.
Police Lt. Col. Kitikarn Sangbun died in a hospital Wednesday night of multiple gunshot wounds sustained during the standoff at his home on the fringes of the capital Bangkok, said police Col. Rangsan Sornsing, superintendent of the police station in the Sai Mai neighborhood where the standoff took place.
Kitikarn had been suffering from mental health issues and stress in his work and personal life, police said, without elaborating.
Thai media reported that the police Inspector General's Office has ordered random health checks be carried out on officers nationwide to help avoid similar situations. Members of the public are also encouraged to report cases where they are concerned about officers' mental health.
THAI POLICE DETAIN SENIOR OFFICER WHO FIRED MULTIPLE GUNSHOTS FROM HIS HOME IN BANGKOK
Kitikarn had holed himself up in his home Tuesday when fellow officers came to take him for psychiatric treatment, said deputy national police chief Gen. Torsak Sukvimol and other officials. He fired into the air and in the direction of police who arrived at the scene.
Police evacuated and cordoned off the surrounding area as they tried several methods to apprehend him. In addition to initially using tear gas and stun guns in an effort to evacuate him, a junior officer sang for Kitikarn in an attempt to calm him down, intermittently asking him to turn himself in.
But as the confrontation escalated, shots were exchanged between Kitikarn and the officers besieging him.
THAI MAN SENTENCED TO 2 YEARS FOR SELLING CALENDARS THAT ALLEGEDLY MOCKED THE COUNTRY'S MONARCH\
Video of the end of the confrontation released by the police showed Kitikarn, clad in shorts and a T-shirt and clutching a carving knife in his left hand, smashing through a second-story window and leaping down into a small, cluttered backyard. He lay dazed for several seconds until police in full tactical gear rushed out from the house’s back door, seizing him roughly.
Torsak said an autopsy performed Thursday showed that Kitikarn had suffered six gunshot wounds and died from blood loss.
Torsak and other senior police officers expressed regret that the situation turned deadly, saying that police used real bullets only after exhausting other means to get the situation under control.
Thailand’s deadliest massacre took place in October when a former police officer shot and slashed to death 36 people at a daycare center. The country’s previous worst mass killing involved a disgruntled soldier who opened fire in and around a mall in the northeastern city of Nakhon Ratchasima in 2020, killing 29 people and holding off security forces for some 16 hours before eventually being killed by them.
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'Never return': El Salvador locks up gang-bangers in new mega-prison with promise of no release
El Salvador continues to fill up its mega-prison, adding another 2,000 inmates as the government vows they will "never return" to the streets.
"They are never going to return to the communities, the neighborhoods, the barrios, the cities of our beloved El Salvador," Gustavo Villatoro, minister for justice and peace, said of the transport plans.
The government has swept up roughly 65,000 suspected gang members since approving Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele's emergency powers in March 2022, which also allowed it to approve and build the mega-prison.
The country’s "Terrorism Confinement Center" has a 40,000-person capacity and has already taken in over 4,000 prisoners as the government continues to crack down on an extensive gang problem. It is already at 10% of its maximum capacity just one month after opening.
HONDURAS SEEKS DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH CHINA, SWITCHING ALLEGIANCE FROM TAIWAN
Another 3,500 of those arrested have gone free, while the remaining roughly 57,000 suspects await trial.
The government has widely publicized the prison, posting videos of prisoner transfers and providing an impressive inside look at the facilities. The prison is one of Latin America’s largest, with 37 guard towers and eight cellblocks that will be "impossible to escape."
UN WARNS HAITIAN GANGS TAKING OVER COUNTRY, EXTRA POLICE SUPPORT NOT ENOUGH
Bukele has asked for an extension of the emergency powers – known as the State of Exception – that has allowed him to take such sweeping actions over the past year. He pushed through the new measure following three days of violence left 87 people dead, which he blamed on the infamous MS-13 gang.
Congress must still approve the extension of the anti-gang measures, but legislators are expected to do that, as they have done a dozen times before.
MISSING MAN WAS LURED INTO BATHROOM FOR SEX, ENDED UP IN SHALLOW BACKYARD GRAVE: POLICE
Under the special powers, the right to association is suspended, and police don’t have to tell someone being arrested the reason, or inform them of their rights. Someone who has been arrested does not have a right to a lawyer and can be held for 15 days without seeing a judge, rather than the previous 72 hours.
Around 2% of the country’s adult population has ended up behind bars as a result of El Salvador’s operations.
Non-governmental organizations have tallied several thousand human rights violations and at least 80 in-custody deaths of people arrested during the state of exception. Rights activists say young men are frequently arrested just based on their age or appearance or whether they live in a gang-dominated slum.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
El Salvador's government transfer gang members to new mega-prison, in Tecoluca
Pentagon Worried About Ukraine's Shortages In Soldiers, Equipment, And Ammo. U.S. Officials Pushing Ukraine For An Offensive In May
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley DoD
Politico: ‘Ukraine doesn’t have any time to waste’: U.S. races to prepare Kyiv for spring offensive
Washington is increasingly concerned about Ukraine’s dwindling supply of ammo and air defenses.
The U.S. military is rushing equipment to the battlefield and training Ukrainian forces at a rapid pace, ahead of a major offensive against Russia expected by late spring.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin projected a sense of urgency on Wednesday after a virtual meeting of the multinational Ukraine Defense Contact Group, saying that “Ukraine doesn’t have any time to waste.”
“We have to deliver swiftly and fully on our promised commitments,” Austin said. “That includes delivering our armored capabilities to the battlefield and ensuring that Ukrainian soldiers get the training, spare parts and maintenance support that they need to use these new systems, as soon as possible.”
Read more ....
WNU Editor: There has been a number of US main stream news publications in the past week painting a more realistic (albeit gloomy) assessment of the war. The above Politico is another article that is shifting the media narrative on what are the prospects in this war.
As to the above Politico article quoting US officials that Ukraine will be launching a counter-offensive in May. My own sources in Ukraine doubt it. They are all telling me the same thing. Ukraine does not have enough experienced soldiers to conduct such an operation, let alone not enough artillery, equipment, and ammo to push forward.
One more note. The Politico article quotes US officials that 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in this war. My sources in Ukraine say the number killed are 125,000+. But what is more shocking is that there are 50,000+ reported as missing, and because they are listed as missing they are not categorized as dead.
Senior Iranian official visit UAE days after Tehran agrees to restore diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia
A senior Iranian official visited the United Arab Emirates on Thursday, just days after Tehran agreed to restore diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia in a Chinese-brokered deal that raised hopes of a broader rapprochement across Middle East.
Ali Shamkhani, the head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said his visit was a "meaningful beginning for the two countries to enter a new stage of political, economic and security relations," Iran's state-run IRNA news agency reported. It said he was accompanied by the head of Iran's central bank and other senior officials.
He met with the president of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and other senior officials to discuss "opportunities for enhancing cooperation between the two countries," the UAE's official WAM news agency reported.
IRANIAN TEEN GIRLS HUNTED BY POLICE FOR POSTING VIRAL TIKTOK DANCE TO SELENA GOMEZ SONG
Sunni Arab rulers in the Persian Gulf have viewed Iran with suspicion since the 1979 Islamic Revolution toppled a U.S.-allied monarch in Tehran. Relations have worsened since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, as Shiite-majority Iran has spread its influence across the region and supported powerful armed proxies in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and the Palestinian territories.
In the Chinese-brokered agreement, which built on talks held in Iraq in recent years, Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to restore diplomatic ties which were severed in 2016, when Saudi Arabia executed a prominent Shiite cleric and Iranian protesters stormed its embassy in Tehran.
The deal raised hopes for a lasting peace in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia has been at war with the Iran-aligned Houthi militia since 2015. That conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and pushed the Arab world's poorest country to the brink of famine.
22,000 ARRESTED DURING IRANIAN PROTESTS GETS PARDONED, GOVERNMENT SAYS
The UAE, a close Saudi ally that also intervened in Yemen, returned its ambassador to Iran last August for the first time since 2016, as did the Gulf Arab nation of Kuwait. Dubai, a major international business hub in the UAE, is home to a large Iranian community.
Suspicions still run deep, however, especially following a series of attacks on oil tankers off the coast of the UAE, as well as Saudi oil facilities, in 2019, which were widely blamed on Iran. Last year, a drone strike launched by the Iran-backed Houthis hit Abu Dhabi, hurting the UAE's reputation as a safe harbor in the volatile Middle East.
The UAE was the first of four Arab nations to normalize relations with Israel in the so-called Abraham Accords in 2020. The two countries were drawn together in large part because of their shared suspicions of Iran. Israel views Iran as its greatest threat, and the two countries have waged a shadow war for several years.
The Saudi-Iran deal raised concerns in Israel, which has long hoped to forge an alliance with Arab Gulf states against Tehran.
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United States plans to defend Indo-Pacific region against coercion, bullying by authoritarian regimes
United States Indo-Pacific Command chief Adm. John Aquilino said Thursday that Washington does not seek to contain China, nor seek conflicts in the region, but it would take action to support the region against coercion and bullying by authoritarian regimes.
Speaking at a lecture in Singapore, Aquilino said the era of globalization has evolved into one of "renewed great power competition" where the security environment influences economics, trade and investment.
"My concern is that this foundation of this rules-based international order … is under direct assault by authoritarian regimes," he said, without naming any nations, though he noted recent actions by China to "grab a foothold" in the Solomon Islands.
A security alliance between China and the Solomon Islands a year ago sent shudders throughout the South Pacific, with many worried it could set off a large-scale military buildup.
Aquilino also addressed China's protests over U.S. vessels and aircraft in the Taiwan Strait, where Beijing has renewed its threats against Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory to be brought under its control by force if necessary.
While the U.S. is not seeking conflicts nor supporting Taiwan’s independence, he said the military will continue to "fly, sail and operate" in the region to uphold the navigational rights and freedom of all nations.
"Revisionist powers seek to disrupt and displace the current system in ways that benefit themselves, and at the expense of all others. They use coercion, intimidation to achieve their objectives and they justify their action under a theory of 'might equals right,'" he said.
DEFENSE SECRETARY AUSTIN SAYS US 'WILL NOT LET' CHINA RESHAPE INDO-PACIFIC REGION
"They make illegal excessive territorial claims not based on anything other than revisionist history. They empower law enforcement entities to harass nations operating legally within their own exclusive economic zones. They break formal commitments. They ignore international legal rulings. They avoid requirements delivered under the U.N. Charter," he said, in a reference to aggressive Chinese actions in the South China Sea and rising Chinese incursions into Taiwanese air defense zones.
Aquilino said China has a role to play in the world if it adheres to the rules-based order, especially in regards to North Korea.
In 2022 alone, Pyongyang launched 70 missiles, which Aquilino called the most provocative action in history. He noted that earlier Thursday, North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile hours before the leaders of South Korea and Japan were to meet at a Tokyo summit.
Pyongyang's actions have threatened South Korea and Japan and it has "developed the capabilities to threaten the United States as well," he said.
"It is destabilizing, it's unpredictable, it's continuing, it's not slowing down. The potential for the People's Republic of China to help to dissuade the DPRK from executing these events would be helpful," Aquilino added, using the official names of China and North Korea.
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Poland breaks up Russian spy ring suspected of planning attack on military supply routes to Ukraine
Polish authorities on Thursday said they had broken up an alleged Russian spy ring that was planning to attack railroad routes used to supply Ukraine with goods and weapons.
Nine people were arrested by Poland’s Internal Security Agency on suspicion of spying for Moscow, Warsaw’s Interior Minister Mariusz Kamiński announced during a new conference.
Three people were first detained on Wednesday.
POLAND REVAMPING MILITARY, MORE THAN DOUBLING ITS ARMY TO COUNTER RUSSIAN THREAT: REPORT
Kaminski said the group was planning "sabotage actions aimed at paralyzing the supply of equipment, weapons and aid to Ukraine."
Cameras, electronic equipment and GPS transmitters – which were reportedly meant to be placed on shipments set for Ukraine – were also seized by Polish security officials.
"The threat was real," Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak said while also detailing how the group entered Poland.
The officials did not clarify if the individuals were Russian nationals, but said they were believed to have entered Poland through Belarus, a chief ally nation to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The planned sabotage mimics tactics already carried out by Belarusian rebels who oppose the war in Ukraine and who have attacked Russian equipment, planes and rail systems in Belarus used to transport arms to Russian troops.
A local radio station that first broke the news said the ring was discovered to be operating out of southeastern Poland around the military airport in Jasionka – which has been used to transport military equipment from NATO allies to Ukraine.
Poland has been a top supporter of Ukraine in its fight against Russia and has led the charge in pushing NATO allies to send more military aid, including more advanced defensive aid like tanks, to the war-torn nation.
Polish President Andrzej Duda also said Thursday that he will send four Mig-29s to Ukraine after Kyiv has been asking for such air defenses for more than a year.
The move would make Poland the first NATO nation to supply Ukraine with fighter jets.
Poland’s interior minister told reporters Thursday that more details will emerge regarding the spy ring, but that the investigation remains ongoing.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Ukrainian PM Shmyhal shakes hands with Polish service members next to the first Leopard 2 tanks delivered from Poland, in an undisclosed location in Ukraine
British authorities ban TikTok from government devices following similar moves by US, European Union
British authorities said Thursday that they are banning the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok from government mobile phones on security grounds, following similar moves by the U.S. and European Union.
Cabinet Office minister Oliver Dowden told Parliament that the ban applies with immediate effect to work phones and other devices used by government ministers and civil servants. He described the ban as a "precautionary move," and said it does not apply to personal phones and devices.
"Given the particular risk around government devices, which may contain sensitive information, it is both prudent and proportionate to restrict the use of certain apps, particularly when it comes to apps where a large amount of data can be stored and accessed," Dowden told British lawmakers.
TIKTOK, OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA CONTROLLED BY OUR ENEMIES MUST BE BANNED NOW. WE CAN'T WAIT ANY LONGER
The U.S. government mandated last month that employees of federal agencies have to delete TikTok from all government-issued mobile devices. Congress, the White House, U.S. armed forces and more than half of U.S. states already had banned the app.
The European Union, Belgium and others have also temporarily banned the app from employee phones.
The moves were prompted by growing concerns that TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, would give user data such as browsing history and location to the Chinese government, or push propaganda and misinformation on its behalf.
BELGIUM LATEST TO BAN TIKTOK ON GOVERNMENT DEVICES
The company has insisted that such concerns are based on "misinformation" and said it was taking steps to boost protection of user data from the U.K. and Europe.
"We believe these bans have been based on fundamental misconceptions and driven by wider geopolitics, in which TikTok and our millions of users in the U.K, play no part," the company said. "We remain committed to working with the government to address any concerns but should be judged on facts and treated equally to our competitors."
China accused the United States on Thursday of spreading disinformation and suppressing TikTok following reports that the Biden administration was calling for the short-form video service's Chinese owners to sell their stakes in the popular app.
Last year, Britain’s Parliament shut down its TikTok account, which was intended to reach younger audiences, just days after its launch after lawmakers raised concerns.
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Mozambique records increase in cholera cases, Malawi sees decline as countries recover from Cyclone Freddy
Mozambique recorded an increase in the number of cholera cases in the last few weeks, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday, even as many other African countries reported a decline.
The country has received approval for an additional 1.3 million cholera vaccine doses to help control the spread, the agency said, but the shortage of vaccines still remains to be addressed.
Mozambique's neighbor Malawi, which has been battling the deadliest cholera outbreak in its history, was now seeing a sustained decline in cases and deaths, WHO official and epidemiologist Dr Otim Ramadan said.
ISLAMIC EXTREMISTS IN MOZAMBIQUE KILL INTERNATIONAL AID WORKER
Zambia, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia are also responding to cholera outbreaks.
The progress to bring down the transmission of the disease in Malawi in the last four weeks may reverse quickly due to severe devastation caused by the Tropical Storm Freddy, Ramadan warned.
CYCLONE FREDDY DISSIPATES AFTER KILLING HUNDREDS IN MALAWI, MOZAMBIQUE
Overall, cholera cases and deaths in Africa have been declining over recent weeks.
So far this year, more than 40,000 cases have been reported in Africa, with Malawi accounting for more than half and Mozambique recording about 15%, WHO reported.
The agency's officials warned that there could be a high number of cases by the end of the second quarter, if comprehensive response is not taken to stop further spread of the disease.
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Polish President Says Poland Plans To Give Ukraine Four MiG-29 Fighter Jets In The Coming Days And More Later
FILE PHOTO: A Polish Air Force MiG-29 aircraft fires flares during a performance at the Radom Air Show at an airport in Radom August 24, 2013. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel
Reuters: Poland to Send Ukraine 4 MiG-29 Jets in Coming Days
WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland will send Ukraine four MiG-29 fighter jets in coming days, the president said on Thursday, making it the first of Kyiv's allies to provide such aircraft.
One of Ukraine's staunchest supporters, Warsaw has taken a leading role in persuading sometimes hesitant allies to provide Kyiv with heavy weaponry.
It has said that any transfer of jets would be as part of a coalition.
"Firstly, literally within the next few days, we will hand over, as far as I remember, four aircraft to Ukraine in full working order," Andrzej Duda told a news conference.
"The rest are being prepared, serviced." On Tuesday, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that deliveries could be made in four to six weeks.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: This makes Poland the first NATO country to give Ukraine fighter jets. I expect more countries will follow.
Update: US senators still want to send F-16s to Ukraine .... Senate Hawks Make New Push To Give Ukraine F-16 Jets (Zero Hedge).
Polish President Says Poland Plans To Give Ukraine Four MiG-29 Fighter Jets In The Coming Days And More Later
Poland becomes first NATO member to grant Ukraine’s request for fighter jets -- AP
Poland to transfer MiG-29 jets to Ukraine within days -- DW
Poland to Send Four Soviet-Era Jets to Kyiv in Coming Days -- Bloomberg
Poland to transfer four MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine in coming days, president says -- CNN
Polish president says Ukraine to receive 4 MiG-29 jets in coming days -- Kyiv Independent
U.S. Official Says Russia Wasted 'No Time' To Send Ships To the US Drone Crash Site
FOX News: Russian ships at US drone crash site in Black Sea, US official says: 'They wasted no time'
Officials have speculated that US drone debris has already sunk too far for recovery, after collision with Russian fighter jet
Russian vessels have already arrived at the drone crash site in the Black Sea, a U.S. defense official tells Fox News.
Almost immediately after the MQ-9 drone was clipped by a Su-27 fighter jet and downed into the water, Russia sent ships to search the debris field. "They wasted no time," the defense official told Fox News.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: Russian media is saying that the US MQ-9 drone crashed not far from major Russian naval bases. If true, I can then understand why Russian ships quickly arrived to the crash site. This region is also regarded as a war zone, so I would not be surprised if Russian military vessels were already in the region when the crash occurred.
European farmers fed up with climate policies shock political establishment
A young Dutch political party seeking to push back on the government's climate agenda achieved a stunning victory Wednesday as it won the most seats for a single party in the Dutch Senate.
"This isn't normal, but actually it is! It's all normal citizens who voted," party leader Caroline van der Plas said. "But today people have shown they can't stay at home any longer. We won't be ignored anymore."
The Farmer-Citizen Movement Party, known as BoerBurgerBeweging (BBB) in Dutch, built its victory on the back of protests against the government’s environmental policies, which aim to slash nitrogen emissions by dramatically cutting back on livestock numbers and buying out thousands of farms. Nitrate and ammonia pollution significantly impacts biodiversity, particularly air and water quality.
The party appears on course to take 15 of the 75 Senate seats – more seats than Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s conservative VVD party – with almost 20% of the vote, according to the BBC. Rutte built his victory on the back of a four-party coalition, which will now control 24 seats overall.
"Now is the time to take citizens seriously. I am open to talks with everybody. We are ready," she added.
Around 57.5% of voters turned out for the election, marking the greatest turnout in years.
Voters argue that the government’s approach does not support the farmers, and the government’s plan is "not good" for them as it stands.
AUSTRIAN POLICE ISSUE TERROR THREAT WARNING FOR SYRIAN INSTITUTIONS IN VIENNA
However, the other big winner on the night was the Greens and center-left Labor Party coalition, an environmentally-focused group that argued that climate problems will not just go away. The left-leaning coalition also won 15 seats, tying BBB.
The results mainly indicate that Rutte’s remaining time in office may prove difficult as he faces a challenge to push through any legislation that needs Senate support.
Rutte congratulated BBB, saying party leader van der Plas "looks like a big winner tonight," but he stressed that his coalition remains the majority power in the Senate.
THOUSANDS OF HUNGARIAN STUDENTS, TEACHERS MARCH TO DEMAND EDUCATIONAL REFORMS
In a comment to the Associated Press, Rutte downplayed the impact BBB’s victory might have on immediate proceedings in government.
"I really think it’s elections for the provinces and water authorities," Rutte said. "And of course also for the Senate, so in that sense, there is also something of national policy in it, but I would be careful about drawing very big conclusions from such a result."
Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
NETHERLANDS-POLITICS-VOTE
Poland plans to send MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine following urgent requests from the war torn country
Poland’s president said Thursday that his country plans to give Ukraine around a dozen MiG-29 fighter jets, which would make it the first NATO member to fulfill the Ukrainian government's increasingly urgent requests for warplanes.
President Andrzej Duda said Poland would hand over four of the Soviet-made warplanes "within the next few days" and that the rest needed servicing and would be supplied later. The Polish word he used to describe their number can mean between 11 and 19.
"They are in the last years of their functioning but they are in good working condition," Duda said of the aircraft.
POLAND LAWMAKERS BACK EU-SOUGHT LIBERALIZED WIND ENERGY LAW
Duda did not say whether other countries would be making the same move, although Slovakia has said it would send its disused MiGs to Ukraine.
On Wednesday, Polish government spokesman Piotr Mueller said some other countries with MiGs also had pledged them to Kyiv, but he did not name them.
While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pleaded for Western supporters to share fighter jets, NATO allies have expressed hesitancy.
Before Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine had several dozen MiG-29s it inherited in the collapse of the Soviet Union, but it’s unclear how many of them remain in service after more than a year of fighting.
POLAND LAWMAKERS BACK EU-SOUGHT LIBERALIZED WIND ENERGY LAW
The debate over whether to provide non-NATO country Ukraine with fighter jets was initiated over a year ago, but NATO has been wary of making the war escalate.
Duda made the announcement during a joint news conference in Warsaw with the visiting Czech president, Petr Pavel.
Duda said Poland’s air force would replace the planes it gives to Ukraine with South Korea-made FA-50 fighters and American-made F-35s.
Poland was also the first NATO nation to hand German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, last month.
Poland is a crucial ally in the Ukraine crisis. It is hosting thousands of American troops and is taking in more people fleeing the war in Ukraine than any other nation, in the midst of the largest European refugee crisis in decades.
It has suffered invasions and occupations by Russia for centuries and still fears Russia despite being a member of NATO.
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Austrian police issue terror threat warning for Syrian institutions in Vienna
Austrian police issued a terror threat warning Thursday for Vienna, saying there was an "abstract" danger for Syrian institutions in the city.
The alert came a day after police in Austria's capital warned of " a possible "Islamist-motivated attack" on churches and other houses of worship, citing undisclosed information received by the country’s intelligence service.
In an update, the police department said "a recent threat assessment" by the intelligence service indicated the warning was "particularly related to the anniversary of the civil war in Syria -- it primarily concerns Syrian facilities."
AUSTRALIA TODDLER CHASING DEADLY SNAKE LEADS TO NEST DISCOVERY WITH 110 EGGS
"The potential threat is still on an increased level," the department tweeted Thursday. "The preventive security measures ordered remain in place. We are in contact with representatives of the corresponding facilities."
Despite Wednesday's initial warning, churches and houses of worship in Vienna remained open to visitors and worshipers. Police patrols were increased across the city, but no unusual incidents were reported.
Police said Thursday that "as soon as the respective assessments indicate an easing of the situation, we will be able to reduce our safeguarding measures."
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An Analysis From The Military Summary Channel On Why Russia Had To Down This US Drone
WNU Editor: In the above video the Military Summary Channel breaks down the history of US drones always being in the area when Ukraine launched major strikes on targets in Crimea. It is a long list, and you have to wonder why Russia has done nothing until now to stop it.
As to what is my take on this incident. It is hard to say because there is a lot of information that is still unknown.
But what is known is that a US military drone, with its transponder turned off, was flying towards Crimea and had entered Russia's Air Identification Zone with no warning. Besides entering a region that Russia has designated as a war zone that all civilian aircraft are prohibited from flying in, it also ignored all air traffic control calls. Russian jets were then scrambled to intercept it, and the rest is history.
Another Russian SU27 vs Reaper Black Sea Footage Released
WNU editor: Cannot independently verify if this video is authentic.
There is one big difference between this video and the one that the Pentagon released early this morning (link here). The skies are cloudy in the above video, but in the Pentagon video the skies are mostly clear. But this could be because the Russian jets followed the drone from a cloudy section of the Black Sea, to one where the clouds were dissipating. We just do not know.
I am sure both sides have more footage of this encounter, and we can hope that these videos will be made public soon.
Pentagon Releases Video Of Russian Jet Dumping Fuel On US Drone And Hitting It
WNU Editor: That is one hell of a maneuver.
The Pentagon says the propeller was damaged, but in the edited video above it OK. Not surprising. TV commentators have been talking about this video non-stop for most of the morning (see videos below).
Russian media is also commenting on this story .... Pentagon releases video of doomed drone chased by Russian jet (RT).
Polish court sentences man who fatally stabbed Gdansk mayor to life in prison
The man who fatally stabbed Gdansk Mayor Paweł Adamowicz in 2019 was sentenced to life in prison by a Polish court on Thursday.
Stefan Wilmont stabbed the 53-year-old Adamowicz on stage during a life charity event on Jan. 13, 2019. Adamowicz died from his wounds the next day despite a blood transfusion and other efforts by doctors to save him. The killing shocked Poles and plunged the nation into grief.
Judge Aleksandra Kaczmarek said in her ruling that Wilmont had committed an "unprecedented murder" in Poland’s history, but didn't say it was a political crime, despite Wilmont's criticism of the party that Adamowicz belonged to, which is now in the opposition.
POLAND REVAMPING MILITARY, MORE THAN DOUBLING ITS ARMY TO COUNTER RUSSIAN THREAT: REPORT
Kaczmarek stressed that Wilmont's crime was "terrifying" as he had planned it in a way for the public to see and later showed no remorse during the trial.
The sentencing came after a three-year long investigation and a year-long trial and was in line with the prosecution's motion. Wilmont’s lawyers said they would appeal the sentence.
POLAND, SLOVAKIA MAKE PLEA FOR FIGHTER JET SHIPMENTS TO UKRAINE
Adamowicz's brother, lawmaker Piotr Adamowicz, said the verdict closed one stage in the case, but that an appeal trial could be expected later this year.
"No one can give my brother his life back," Adamowicz said.
The situation is not "not easy" for the family who went through a "huge tragedy in 2019" that is brought back to them at every court session.
The conservative ruling Law and Justice party has faced accusations that a hostile atmosphere created against Adamowicz and other socially liberal politicians spread by state media created fertile ground for the violence against him.
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North Korea Launches ICBM Hours Ahead Of South Korea-Japan Summit
BBC: North Korea fires long range missile ahead of Japan-South Korea talks
North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) just hours before the leaders of South Korea and Japan were due to meet for landmark talks.
Both Japanese and South Korean officials confirmed the long-range missile's launch on Thursday morning.
It flew about 1,000km (620 miles) landing in waters west of Japan. It is Pyongyang's fourth missile launch in a week and comes as the US and South Korea hold joint navy drills.
The other missiles launched - last Thursday, on Saturday and on Monday - had been short-range ballistic missiles.
Read more ....
WNU editor: The South Korean - Japan summit has just started .... Japan and South Korea Open 'New Chapter' in Ties During Rare Summit (VOA).
North Korea Launches ICBM Hours Ahead Of South Korea-Japan Summit
North Korea launches ICBM before South Korea-Japan summit -- AP
North Korea fires ballistic missile hours before South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol travels to Japan -- ABC News Australia
North Korea Launches Missile Ahead of Japan-South Korea Summit -- VOA
N. Korea fires missile ahead of S. Korea-Japan summit -- DW
North Korea launches ICBM before South Korea-Japan summit -- UPI
North Korea fires another warning shot -- RT
North Korea's military launches ICBM ahead of South Korean-Japanese summit -- Axios
Picture Of The Day
A police officer fires a tear gas shell to disperse the supporters of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, during clashes ahead of Khan's possible arrest outside his home, in Lahore, Pakistan, March 14. REUTERS/Mohsin Raza
WNU Editor: The above picture is from this photo-gallery .... Clashes in Pakistan as former PM Imran Khan faces arrest (Reuters).
China, Japan trade accusations over infringing each other’s maritime territory
China’s dispute with Japan over tiny Japanese-controlled islands in the East China Sea is heating up again, with both sides accusing the other of infringing on their maritime territory.
China says the islands belong to it and refuses to recognize Japan’s claim to the uninhabited chain known as the Senkakus in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese. Taiwan also claims the islands, which it calls Diaoyutai, but has signed access agreements for its fishermen with Japan and does not actively take part in the dispute.
China routinely sends coast guard vessels and planes into waters and airspace surrounding the islands to harass Japanese vessels in the area and force Japan to scramble jets in response.
NORTH KOREA TEST FIRES TWO CRUISE MISSILES FROM A SUBMARINE
On Wednesday, a Chinese coast guard spokesperson said Chinese vessels had "expelled some Japanese vessels which had illegally entered the territorial waters." The unidentified official said its moves were routine measures to safeguard sovereignty and maritime interests.
Japan’s coast guard on Thursday said Chinese coast guard vessels were violating Japanese territorial waters around the islands and have been repeatedly requested to leave and not to approach Japanese fishing boats operating in the area.
Unlike islands in the busy South China Sea, which China claims virtually in its entirety, the Senkaku/Diaoyu chain lying between Okinawa and Taiwan has little strategic importance. However, China has made it a cause celebre in its campaign to rally nationalism based on memories of Japan's brutal invasion and occupation of much of China that ended in 1945.
Meanwhile, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida were meeting in Tokyo Thursday for talks underscoring their shared sense of urgency to form a united front on North Korea and China with their mutual ally, the United States.
Chinese intrusions by China’s military vessels into waters around the Islands featured in wide-ranging January discussions in Washington between President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Those talks came as Japan is increasing defense spending dramatically and looking to build security cooperation with allies in a time of provocative Chinese and North Korean military action.
The U.S. is also bolstering alliances in the Indo-Pacific to meet new threats, including providing Australia with nuclear-powered submarines, gaining increased access to Philippine bases and boosting defense cooperation with Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy China claims as its own territory to be brought under its control by force if necessary.
Indonesian court acquits 2 police officials charged with negligence in connection to fatal stadium disaster
An Indonesian court on Thursday acquitted two police officials charged with negligence leading to the deaths of 135 people in October when police fired tear gas inside a stadium, setting off a panicked run for the exits. A third official was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
The disaster in Kanjuruhan stadium in East Java’s Malang city was among the world’s worst sporting tragedies. Some 43 children were among the deaths and about 580 spectators were injured.
A panel of three judges at Surabaya District Court, which was under heavy police guard, absolved police officers Pranoto and Achmadi of charges because they found no direct causal link between the defendants' actions and the deadly crowd crush. The two were released Thursday.
Presiding judge Abu Achmad Sidqi Amsya said the court found that defendant Wahyu Setyo Pranoto, the Malang police head of operations, never ordered the use of tear gas at the match and knew that international soccer governing body FIFA had advised against its use in stadiums.
INDONESIA’S MOUNT MERAPI VOLCANO CONTINUES TO ERUPT
Amsya said the tear gas ordered by defendant Bambang Sidik Achmadi, head of crowd control, was aimed at the center of the pitch and dissipated in the wind without hitting any spectators.
"The defendant has not been proven legally and convincingly guilty," Amsya said.
He ordered that the two defendants be released from detention immediately after the decision.
However, the tear gas fired into the stands under Hasdarmawan's instruction caused a rush to six exits where many fans were crushed or suffocated and died, Amsya said.
Like many Indonesians, Hasdarmawan uses only one name.
The court convicted Hasdarmawan, who was head of East Java police’s mobile brigade unit at the time of the tragedy, of criminal negligence causing death and bodily harm, concluding a two-month trial in which about 140 witnesses testified. Hasdarmawan was sentenced to 18 months — far below the three years sought by prosecutors. He said he is considering appealing the decision.
Prosecutors said they are considering whether to appeal all three defendants' cases. An appeal must be filed within seven days.
INDONESIA LANDSLIDE KILLS 30, MANY LIKELY TRAPPED IN HOUSES BURIED BENEATH
Authorities in Surabaya, the capital of East Java province, deployed 350 police to secure the court for its ruling Thursday. Arema fans, known widely as "Aremania," were prohibited from coming to Surabaya during the trial to avoid any clashes.
Abdul Haris, who chairs the organizing committee for Arema FC — the team that hosted the match — was sentenced on March 9 to 18 months in prison. The club’s security chief, Suko Sutrisno, got 12 months. Surabaya District Court judges said the two defendants had not verified the safety of the stadium since 2020 and did not prepare an emergency plan to handle special cases per the Football Association of Indonesia’s 2021 security and safety regulations.
The trial for another suspect, Akhmad Hadian Lukita, is still pending. He heads PT Liga Indonesia Baru, which administers the country’s top professional soccer division.
Police had described the pitch invasion as a riot and said two officers were killed, but witnesses accused them of overreacting. Videos showed officers kicking and hitting fans with batons and forcibly pushing spectators back into the stands.
National Police Chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo removed the police chiefs of East Java province and Malang district and suspended 20 other officers after the tragedy over violations of professional ethics.
An investigation set up by Indonesian President Joko Widodo in response to a national outcry over the deaths concluded that the tear gas was the main cause of the crowd surge. It said police on duty had no knowledge that the use of tear gas is prohibited at soccer stadiums and used it "indiscriminately" on the field, in the stands and outside the stadium, causing the more than 42,000 spectators inside the 36,000-seat stadium to rush to the exits — several of which were locked.
Widodo’s fact-finding team also concluded that national soccer association PSSI had been negligent and ignored safety and security regulations. Its chair and executive committee were replaced last month and it is now led by Erick Thohir, the former owner and chairman of Italian soccer giant Inter Milan and U.S. soccer club D.C. United, who has served as Indonesia’s minister of State-Owned Enterprises since 2019.
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Pakistani court extends pause in effort to arrest former premier Imran Khan
A Pakistani court on Thursday extended a pause in the effort to arrest former premier Imran Khan in a graft case, a sign of easing tension in the country's cultural capital after clashes erupted this week when police tried to detain him.
The decision is a reprieve for Khan, who was due to be arrested a few hours earlier. The Lahore High Court ordered police to suspend the plan to arrest the 70-year-old opposition leader until Friday. It also asked Khan's legal team for talks to resolve the issue.
The court also barred Khan's Pakistan Tehree-e-Insaf opposition party from holding a rally that was to be led by Khan on Sunday ahead of the elections for a regional assembly, according to lawyers from the two sides.
Thursday's order sent a wave of relief through Khan's stick-wielding supporters, who were prepared to prevent police from reaching Khan's house in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province. Despite the order, however, police and paramilitary rangers deployed for Khan’s arrest were not immediately withdrawn.
8 INSURGENTS, 2 KIDS DEAD IN PAKISTANI MILITARY RAID NEAR AFGHAN BORDER
Usman Anwar, the police chief in the Punjab province, said the violence in Lahore began Tuesday when officers went to comply with the court order and arrest Khan. But, he said, Khan’s supporters started throwing stones at officers, who were unarmed and only carrying batons.
"We will comply with the court order, and we will do it," he told a local Geo TV station.
Lahore police have registered two new cases against Khan and his supporters on charges of damaging public property and attacking police when they went to his house Tuesday to arrest him.
In Islamabad, Khan's legal team on Thursday asked judge Zafar Iqbal to suspend the arrest warrants he had issued last week for Khan, who is accused of illegally selling state gifts and concealing his assets.
Iqbal gave no indication of whether he will suspend the arrest warrants for Khan. Instead, he asked why Khan resisted when officers went to his house to arrest him. The judge said if Khan surrenders to the court now, he will stop police from arresting him.
PAKISTANI POLICE SIEGE OF OPPOSITION LEADER'S HOME POSTPONED OVER SPORTS MATCH
During Thursday's court hearing in Islamabad, Saad Hassan, a lawyer for the election tribunal, opposed Khan's request for the cancellation of his arrest warrants, saying the former premier had been avoiding court hearings since January.
Violence erupted in Lahore on Tuesday when about 1,000 supporters of Khan clashed with police when they tried to arrest the former premier at his house in the upscale area of Zaman Park. Khan's supporters hurled petrol bombs, rocks and bricks at police. Officers responded by swinging batons, firing tear gas and using water cannons. They failed to arrest Khan.
On Wednesday, Khan said in a video message that he was ready to travel to Islamabad on March 18 to appear before the court, if he is not arrested. Khan also posed for cameras seated at a long table, showing off piles of spent tear gas shells he said had been collected from around his home.
"What crime did I commit that my house has been attacked like this," he tweeted the previous day.
Khan, who was ousted in a no-confidence vote in Parliament in April, was ordered to appear before a judge in Islamabad on Saturday to answer charges of illegally selling state gifts he had received during his term as premier and concealing his assets.
He was also disqualified from holding any public office in October on the charges.
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Russian ships at US drone crash site in Black Sea, US official says: 'They wasted no time'
Russian vessels have already arrived at the drone crash site in the Black Sea, a U.S. defense official tells Fox News.
Almost immediately after the MQ-9 drone was clipped by a Su-27 fighter jet and downed into the water, Russia sent ships to search the debris field.
"They wasted no time," the defense official told Fox News.
US VIDEO SHOWS MOMENT RUSSIAN FIGHTER JET COLLIDES WITH US DRONE
However, a separate U.S. official with knowledge of the situation is not confident Russia will be able to obtain any of the drone debris.
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley said Wednesday the area of the Black Sea in which the drone landed is between 4,000 and 5,000 feet deep.
RUSSIA TO TRY RECOVERING DOWNED US DRONE AS US VOWS TO 'PROTECT OUR EQUITIES'
He made the remarks during a Pentagon press briefing alongside Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
Milley speculated that the drone debris has likely sunk to "significant depths" already, making recovery a difficult prospect.
RUSSIA TO TRY RECOVERING DOWNED US DRONE AS US VOWS TO 'PROTECT OUR EQUITIES'
National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications John Kirby told CNN on Wednesday that the U.S. military has already moved to "protect our equities" and that they did not want anyone else "getting their hands on [the drone]."
"Without getting to too much detail, what I can say is that we've taken steps to protect our equities with respect to that particular drone, that particular aircraft and its United States property," Kirby said. "We obviously don't want to see anybody getting their hands on it beyond us."
Later on, Kirby took a distinctly less hopeful tone.
"It has not been recovered, and I'm not sure we're going to be able to recover it. I mean, where it fell into the Black Sea, very, very deep water," Kirby told CNN. "So we're still assessing whether there can be any kind of recovery effort mounted there. There may not be."
The U.S. Navy does not have any ships operating in the Black Sea, a spokesperson for U.S. European Command told Fox News on Wednesday.
US video shows moment Russian fighter jet collides with US drone (1)
Italian court orders retrial for 2 Americans convicted of killing police officer
Italy’s highest court has ordered a retrial for two American citizens who were convicted in the slaying of an Italian police officer during a sting operation gone bad.
The Court of Cassation late Wednesday threw out the guilty verdicts against Finnegan Lee Elder, now 23, and Gabriel Natale-Hjorth, 22, both convicted in the stabbing death of the 35-year-old caribiniere during a plainclothes operation while the Americans, teens at the time, were on vacation in Rome in the summer of 2019.
The court will issue its reasons for the verdict in the coming weeks, and instruct an appeals court on the issues to examine in a new trial.
ITALIAN POLICE OFFICER ALLEGEDLY KILLED BY AMERICAN TEENS REMEMBERED AS HERO
Elder’s lawyer, Roberto Capra, expressed satisfaction at the decision, saying a new trial would open the possibility of recalculating the sentence.
The two men, friends from northern California, were sentenced to life in prison, Italy’s toughest penalty, in the initial trial. An appeals court upheld the verdict, but lowered the sentence to 24 years for Elder and 22 years for Natale-Hjorth.
The defense has argued that plainclothes carabinieri didn't identify themselves as law enforcement during an operation to recover the backpack that the two Americans stole during a failed drug deal.
Carabiniere Vice Brigadier Mario Cerciello Rega, 35, was stabbed 11 times. Elder claimed he pulled out a knife in self-defense to break free as the officer tried to strangle him.
Natale-Hjorth testified that he grappled with Cerciello Rega’s partner and was unaware of the stabbing when he ran back to a hotel.
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Lebanon’s embattled Central Bank chief attends 1st corruption hearing in money-laundering probe
Lebanon's embattled Central Bank chief appeared Thursday for questioning for the first time before a European legal team visiting Beirut in a money-laundering probe linked to the governor.
Several European countries are investigating Riad Salameh, who in recent years has been charged with a handful of corruption-related crimes. Salameh has been Lebanon's central bank governor since 1993.
The questioning was originally scheduled for Wednesday. Salameh did not show up.
GOVERNOR OF LEBANON'S CENTRAL BANK AND 2 OTHERS CHARGED WITH CORRUPTION, EMBEZZLING PUBLIC FUNDS
Judicial officials told The Associated Press that Judge Helena Iskandar, who is representing the Lebanese state at the questioning in the European probe, charged Salameh, his brother Raja and associate Marianne Hoayek with corruption and ordered detained after the Central Bank chief did not show up. Their assets were also frozen. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak to the press.
In addition to the European probe, there are other legal proceedings against Salameh underway in Lebanon. In late February, Beirut’s public prosecutor, Raja Hamoush, charged the three with corruption, including embezzling public funds, forgery, illicit enrichment, money-laundering and violation of tax laws.
The European delegation is investigating the laundering of some $330 million. The questioning was expected to last until Friday, the judicial officials said.
Lebanon is grappling with the worst economic and financial crisis in its modern history. The economic meltdown, which began in October 2019 and is rooted in decades of corruption and mismanagement by the country’s political class, has plunged more than 75% of the tiny nation’s population of 6 million into poverty.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says country needs to clamp down on 'irregular migration'
Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Thursday that Germany will have to do a better job at clamping down on "irregular migration" and deporting those who don't legally reside in the country.
Scholz said that Germany, however, would continue to provide protection for Ukrainians fleeing Russia's war.
"Our responsibility in the face of this terrible war of aggression naturally also includes providing protection for Ukrainian citizens in the European Union," Scholz said in a speech to parliament, adding that "all levels of government have been doing a great job for more than a year — especially the cities, counties and municipalities."
More than 1 million Ukrainians have found shelter in Germany since Russia invaded their country more than a year ago. In addition, more than 200,000 people from countries like Syria, Afghanistan and Turkey have applied for asylum in 2022.
GERMAN INVESTIGATORS TAKE DOWN CRYPTO MONEY LAUNDERING SITE
Local communities have for months said they're struggling to house the many newcomers to Germany and have been calling on the federal government to help them with accommodation, schooling and financial support for all.
While Ukrainians have in general been warmly welcomed by Germans, asylum-seekers from the Middle East or Africa have experienced more hostility with the number of attacks on asylum centers rising again over the last year.
Scholz stressed that "effective answers to the challenges of flight and migration will only be possible by means of a European framework."
Germany has long been one of the most popular destinations for migrants in Europe, and the government has been lobbying for those who come to be distributed across Europe more fairly — but to little avail.
GERMAN POLICE CONDUCT RAID AGAINST GROUP OF SUSPECTED HUMAN SMUGGLERS
Scholz also stressed that Germany has to speed up the deportation of those who have their asylum applications rejected.
"Those who do not have a right of residence in Germany must return to their home country quickly," he said. "That does not work well enough yet."
By the end of last year, about 240,000 people were going through the asylum procedure and around 168,000 people had been rejected as asylum-seekers and were obliged to leave the country, according to the Mediendienst Integration group, which researches migration in Germany. However, only 12,945 people who were required to leave Germany were eventually deported in 2022.
In addition to speeding up deportations, Scholz also said that the country would have to improve clamping down on irregular migration, but he didn't go into details on how to do this.
"We want to reduce irregular migration," the chancellor said. "We want fewer people to put themselves in the hands of smugglers and on life-threatening escape routes."
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UN nucelar watchdog: 2.5 tons of uranium are missing in Libya
Some 2.5 tons of natural uranium stored in a site in war-torn Libya have gone missing, the United Nations nuclear watchdog said Thursday, raising safety and proliferation concerns.
Natural uranium can't immediately be used for energy production or bomb fuel, as the enrichment process typically requires the metal to be converted into a gas, then later spun in centrifuges to reach the levels needed.
However, each ton of natural uranium — if obtained by a group with the technological means and resources — can be refined to 12 pounds of weapons-grade material over time, experts say. That makes finding the missing metal important for nonproliferation experts.
FBI RAISES REWARD MONEY FOR UNSOLVED RNC, DNC PIPE BOMB ATTEMPT TO $500K
In a statement, the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency said its director-general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, informed member states Wednesday about the missing uranium.
The IAEA statement remained tightlipped though on much of the details.
On Tuesday, "agency safeguards inspectors found that 10 drums containing approximately 2.5 tons of natural uranium in the form of uranium ore concentrate were not present as previously declared at a location in the state of Libya," the IAEA said. "Further activities will be conducted by the agency to clarify the circumstances of the removal of the nuclear material and its current location."
Reuters first reported on the IAEA warning about the missing Libyan uranium, saying the IAEA told members reaching the site that's not under government control required "complex logistics."
The IAEA declined to offer more details on the missing uranium. However, its acknowledgment the uranium went missing at a "previously declared site" narrows the possibilities.
One such declared site is Sabha, some 410 miles southeast of Libya's capital, Tripoli, in the country's lawless southern reaches of the Sahara Desert. There, Libya under dictator Moammar Qadhafi stored thousands of barrels of so-called yellowcake uranium for a once-planned uranium conversion facility that was never built in his decadeslong secret weapons program.
Estimates put the Libyan stockpile at some 1,000 metric tons of yellowcake uranium under Qadhafi, who declared his nascent nuclear weapons program to the world in 2003 to after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
While inspectors removed the last of the enriched uranium from Libya in 2009, the yellowcake remained behind, with the U.N. in 2013 estimating some 6,400 barrels of it were stored at Sabha. American officials had worried Iran could try to purchase the uranium from Libya, something Qadhafi's top civilian nuclear official tried to reassure the U.S. about, according to a 2009 diplomatic cable published by WikiLeaks.
"Stressing that Libya viewed the question as primarily a commercial one, (the official) noted that prices for uranium yellowcake on the world market had been increasing, and that Libya wanted to maximize its profit by properly timing the sale of its stockpile," then-Ambassador Gene A. Cretz wrote.
But the 2011 Arab Spring saw rebels topple Qadhafi and ultimately kill him. Sabha grew increasingly lawless, with African migrants crossing Libya, saying some had been sold as slaves in the city, the U.N. reported.
In recent years, Sabha largely has been under the control of the self-styled Libyan National Army, headed by Khalifa Hifter. The general, who is widely believed to have worked with the CIA during his time in exile during Qadhafi's era, has been battling for control of Libya against a Tripoli-based government.
A spokesman for Hifter declined to answer questions from The Associated Press. Chadian rebel forces also have had a presence in the southern city over recent years.
Thousands of Hungarian students, teachers march to demand educational reforms
Thousands of students and other opponents of Hungary's government marched in the capital Budapest on Wednesday to demand educational reforms and a change in the Central European country's political culture.
The protest, dubbed a "freedom march" by organizers, was called by teachers unions and student groups who have spent months pressuring Hungary's government to provide salary raises and better working conditions for educators. The groups have also demanded the repeal of legislation that limits teachers' right to strike.
Marchers chanted slogans like "no teachers, no future" and "striking is a basic right" as they moved down one of Budapest's main avenues. Student groups and teachers have engaged in strikes, walkouts and other acts of civil disobedience in recent months after the government didn't fulfill their demands, resulting in several teacher firings.
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Katalin Torley, a teacher that was fired from a Budapest high school after working there for 23 years, said at the demonstration that Hungary had become an "extremely centralized authoritarian system" which has taken away autonomy from those working in the public sphere.
"I think that this movement is not anti-government but against the system," she said. "Those teachers who engaged in civil disobedience showed that a normal system must be restored."
The March 15 demonstration came on a national holiday commemorating the 175th anniversary of Hungary’s failed 1848 revolution against Habsburg rule. One of Hungary's most important national holidays, March 15 often features large patriotic demonstrations as well as protests in the capital.
Hungary's populist prime minister, Viktor Orbán, broke with his tradition of giving an address in Budapest, instead speaking to supporters in the small town of Kiskoros, around two hours from the capital.
The address was given in front of the childhood home of Sandor Petofi, widely regarded as one of Hungary’s greatest poets who was instrumental in fomenting the Hungarian rebellion against the Austrian empire in 1848.
In his speech, Orbán spoke at length about Petofi's contributions to Hungarian political culture, saying the poet had "created the dialect of Hungarian freedom."
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Although Petofi is thought to have been killed in 1849 as he fought in the revolution, Hungarians still feel his presence today when foreign forces attempt to impose their will on Hungary, Orbán said.
"He flashes before our eyes, whenever we hesitate, when we falter. We see him as he rebels when foreigners want to tell the Hungarians how to live. We see him turning against the great powers of the world who want to reintegrate Hungarians into a European superstate," he said.
Hungary's government is a frequent critic of the European Union, which has held up billions in funding to Budapest over concerns that Orbán has overseen widespread official corruption and violated the bloc's rule-of-law standards.
Orbán has often referred to the EU as an "empire" that seeks to dominate Hungary, just as the Austrian Empire and Soviet Union had in the 19th and 20th centuries. He won his fourth-straight term in office in elections in 2022.
"We will never allow the flag of freedom to be wrenched from the hands of the Hungarians," Orbán said Wednesday. "We will not allow it, and it will not succeed."
Southern Africa is warned of flooding, landslides following deadly cyclone that killed over 250
After four days of destructive wind and rain, local communities and relief workers are now confronting the aftermath of Cyclone Freddy which has killed more than 250 people and displaced tens of thousands of others across Malawi and Mozambique and may still cause further damage.
Cyclone Freddy dissipated over land late Wednesday, but weather monitoring centers warned that countries are still vulnerable to flooding and landslides.
At least 225 people have been killed in southern Malawi, including within the financial capital of Blantyre, officials said. Around 88,000 people are still displaced and parts of the region remain inaccessible. Malawi's president, Lazarus Chakwera, has declared a 14-day national mourning period. In Mozambique, authorities said at least 53 were killed since late Saturday, with 50,000 more still displaced.
Death tolls are expected to rise as authorities uncover the extent of the damage.
CYCLONE FREDDY RIPS THROUGH SOUTHERN AFRICA KILLING HUNDREDS, DEATH TOLL EXPECTED TO RISE
In Malawi, where a cholera outbreak was already ongoing when Cyclone Freddy ripped through the country, deaths from the disease and other water-borne illnesses are also expected to rise.
"We’ve been without running water for the past four days and water will become contaminated," said Andrew Mavala, executive director of the Malawi Network for Older Persons. "This is a huge concern."
Hundreds of people have been moved to camps but food and clean water is still scarce, Mavala said, with dozens of older people who don't know how they'll recover.
CYCLONE FREDDY STORMS THROUGH SOUTHERN AFRICA KILLING AT LEAST 44 IN MOZAMBIQUE, MALAWI
"There’s a feeling that they’ve lived their lives and we must prioritize the young. But they must be helped and treated with dignity," he said.
Scientists say human-caused climate change has worsened cyclone activity, making them more intense and more frequent. The recently-ended La Nina that impacts weather worldwide also increased cyclone activity in the region in recent years.
Cyclone Freddy has caused destruction in southern Africa since late February, when it pummeled Mozambique as well as the islands of Madagascar and Réunion.
Freddy first developed near Australia in early February and traveled across the entire southern Indian Ocean before it bounced around the Mozambique Channel. The U.N.'s weather agency has convened an expert panel to determine whether it has broken the record for the longest-ever cyclone in recorded history, which was set by 31-day Hurricane John in 1994.
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