Latest World News on Fox News

Israel strikes site in Iran in retaliation for weekend assault: source Israel carried out limited strikes in Iran early Friday in retaliation for Tehran firing a barrage of missiles and drones at Israel last Saturday.Fox News Digital confirmed there have been explosions in Iran's Isfahan province, which is where Natanz, one of Iran's nuclear facilities, is located. Though it was initially unclear if the facility was hit, state television described all sites in the area as "fully safe" and the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed on X Friday morning that there is no damage.A well-placed military source has told Fox News that the strike was "limited." Sources familiar said the U.S. was not involved and there was pre-notification to the U.S. from the Israelis.Pentagon officials have not confirmed the strike. The White House and the National Security Council (NSC) have declined to comment on the unfolding situation. REPORTS OF ISRAEL'S RETALIATORY STRIKES AGAINST IRAN PROMPT REACTIONS FROM LAWMAKERS: 'RIGHT TO DEFEND ITSELF' The semiofficial Fars news agency reported on the sound of explosions over Isfahan near its international airport. It offered no explanation for the blast. However, Isfahan is home to a major airbase for the Iranian military, as well as sites associated with its nuclear program.Iran temporarily grounded commercial flights in Tehran and across areas of its western and central regions in response to the attack. Restrictions have since been lifted on flights to and from Khomeini and Mehrabad international airports in Tehran, according to Iranian news agency Tasnim.Dubai-based carriers Emirates and FlyDubai began diverting around western Iran at 4:30 a.m. local time.In a statement to Fox News Digital, FlyDubai said flight FZ 1929 from Dubai to Tehran on Friday morning returned to Dubai because the Imam Khomeini International Airport was closed. The airline also said all of its flights to Iran on Friday have been canceled."The safety of our passengers and crew is our priority. We are monitoring the situation closely and will make changes to our flight paths in consultation with the relevant authorities," a FlyDubai spokesperson said. "We will share any further updates once more information becomes available." ISRAEL'S ADVANCED MILITARY TECHNOLOGY ON FULL DISPLAY DURING IRAN'S ATTACK In response to Israel's reported strike on Iran, the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem issued a security notice Friday morning "out of an abundance of caution" restricting U.S. government employees and their family members from personal travel outside the greater Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Be'er Sheva areas until further notice.Iran attacked Israel over the weekend in retaliation for l's deadly strike on Iran's consulate in Syria earlier this month that killed a dozen people, including a top general. The weekend attack by Iran marked a major escalation of violence. Despite decades of hostilities between the two nations, Iran has never directly attacked Israel, instead relying on proxy forces in Iraq, Lebanon and elsewhere.  This is a developing story. Check back for updates.  India's Modi poised for victory as 6-week general election begins in world's largest democracy CHENNAI - Close to 970 million Indians start voting today as India holds its general election with polls suggesting that incumbent Prime Minister, Narendra Modi will win a third term in the world's largest democracy."Many Indians view Modi as a 'strongman figure'. None of the opposition parties can field a candidate with equal charisma. Also, they have no coherent strategy or platform except that they are 'anti-Modi,'" 25-year-old Anandh Nair from Thiruvananthapuram in the state of Kerala recently told Fox News Digital.Modi first became prime minister in 2014. He was then re-elected for a second term in 2019.  Nair, a student, said that "During Modi's two terms, we actually saw the standard of living rise, especially for the middle class. Another thing was, previous leaders had been 'wishy-washy' about supporting our Hindu identity, almost as if they were ashamed of it. But for the BJP, there was no doubt that they showed pride. For most Indians, religion is an important part of everyday life."  INDIAN PRIME MINISTER NARENDRA MODI VISITS KASHMIR'S MAIN CITY TO DISCUSS DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS While Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has not yet succeeded in making inroads in some parts of the country, the main opposition Indian National Congress Party has dwindled in terms of the number of states it now holds, despite its previous dominance in Indian politics. Regardless, Modi has campaigned in the southern states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala recently in what many viewed as a daring step, given that the party has not fared well there. Gurdas Rao, a tour guide from Mumbai, told Fox News Digital that, "Modi is popular among both the rich and poor. All of us have seen the quality-of-life skyrocket, so why won't we vote for him again?". India's economic success in the face of the economic crisis following the COVID-19 pandemic was most notable when regional neighbors, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, faced major challenges as they ran out of foreign reserves. In contrast, India stayed relatively unscathed. This culminated when India came to Sri Lanka's rescue, providing much needed fuel resources during its economic crisis in 2022. Both the IMF and the World Bank also estimated that India was the fastest growing economy in 2023.A significant event was when the 73-year-old Modi attended the groundbreaking opening of the Ram Mandhir, a new temple in Ayodhya and described this as fulfilling "dreams that many generations have cherished for years". This was at the holy site believed by Hindus to be the birthplace of the legendary King Rama.  MILLIONS IN INDIA CELEBRATE AS TEMPLE BUILT ON RUINS OF HISTORIC MOSQUE  It opened, despite much controversy surrounding the temple being built on top of a razed mosque, leaving the nation divided along religious lines. Many among the Hindu majority showed positive responses, while religious minorities seemed less satisfied. Prince Samuels, a Christian from Goa, told Fox News Digital that "India is a very diverse country: we have churches, mosques and temples; all on the same street. The BJP is catering to the Hindu majority and not incorporating our religious and culture diversity into their vision of a 'united India'. They blatantly favor one community over the others."Siddhartha Dubey, a professor of journalism based in Evanston, Illinois, said "I think the Indian diaspora, which is largely Hindu, is keen to see India growing economically and strengthening ties with their adopted countries. Both of these are currently happening. However, generally speaking, they do not seem too bothered in the whittling down of democracy and institutions within India, and it seems that many are happy to support Mr. Modi." He cautioned that a third Modi term will see the "doubling down against the rights of minorities and civil society". However, in terms of foreign relations, he said that "U.S.-India relations are agnostic of whoever gets elected as U.S. president this year." Dubey added, "India's economy will grow and if you see the projections from big American companies, India is a key place for investment."Former University of Delhi, Indian history professor Preeti Singh told Fox News Digital that, "Modi's support in India transcends the differences in income levels, social categories and caste divisions. His background as a chai walla (tea vendor) has been likened to a common man much like a majority of Indians, and his rise to the top position in India personifies the aspirations of the working classes and all other Indians." "His promise and delivery of clean politics, corruption-free government and improved infrastructure have increased his popularity cutting across all classes and categories of society." PUTIN SUGGESTS ADDING INDIA OTHER COUNTRIES TO UN SECURITY COUNCIL Strong foreign relations have been a cornerstone of Modi's tenure as prime minister. He has undertaken many foreign visits across the globe. Modi has also notably maintained ties with major world powers that rival one another. Singh explained, "Modi is clearly sticking to 'neutrality'. He wants to make it clear that India is trying to break the shackles by conveying that major players such as the U.S. and Russia have their independent value in terms of Indian foreign policy." Likewise, Modi has also maintained relationships with Israel and Iran. In contrast, India's biggest political rivals historically continue to be Pakistan and China. Singh also noted how India's role during the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict was "rooted in strategic neutrality, while also condemning civilian killings that had taken place."Rumela Sen, political science lecturer at Columbia University, expressed concern as to the BJP government's "rewriting Indian history" to fit a Hindu nationalist narrative as "a battle for the soul of India". She cited "textbook revisionism on caste" and the "'sanitization' of independence hero Gandhi's killer"(Nathuram Godse) as examples. She said that the BJP's actions "undermine several institutions and rights that were hallmarks of Indian democracy." "We almost do not notice the centralization of power in the hands of the executive, midnight arrests and legal harassment of opposition and critics and erosion of free press." When asked about concerns of eroding democracy and a crackdown on the opposition in India, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told journalists on Monday that, "India is the world's largest democracy, it is an important strategic partner of the United States, and I expect that to remain true."Despite criticism, Narendra Modi has so far proven that his support-base is solidly rooted in both the domestic and foreign fronts. Also, coupled with a weak opposition and poll results, all indicators suggest that Modi will most probably be re-elected for a third term.  Results of the 44-day-long process will be known on June 4. The Associated Press contributed to this report.  Zimbabwe grants clemency to over 4,000 prisoners, some of whom were sentenced to death Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa granted clemency to more than 4,000 prisoners, including some who were on death row, in an independence day amnesty on Thursday.Zimbabwe marked 44 years of independence from white minority rule, which ended in 1980 after a bloody bush war. The country's name was changed from Rhodesia to Zimbabwe.The presidential amnesty, the second in less than a year, benefits female, older and juvenile inmates, the terminally ill and some who were originally sentenced to death. KENYA'S MILITARY CHIEF DIES IN A HELICOPTER CRASH Those once on death row but who had their sentences commuted to life terms in previous clemency orders or through court appeals are to be freed provided they have been in prison for at least 20 years, according to the clemency order, which was announced Wednesday and due to take effect on Thursday.All female prisoners who had served at least a third of their sentence by independence day are being freed, as are juvenile inmates who have served the same period.Prisoners age 60 and older who have served one tenth of their sentences will also be released. Mnangagwa also pardoned the blind and others with disabilities who have served a third of their sentence.The prisoners are being released in batches across the country.However, those jailed for "specified" offences that include sexual offences, robbery, public violence, unlawful possession of firearms, human trafficking and theft or vandalism of electricity and telecommunications infrastructure won't benefit from the amnesty.All death row prisoners who have been in jail for at least 10 years had their sentences commuted to life in prison under the amnesty.Zimbabwe has more than 60 inmates on death row. It wasn't immediately clear how many of those had their sentences commuted to life under the amnesty.Zimbabwe is one of more than a dozen countries in Africa and more than 50 across the world that have the death penalty, although the country's last hanging was in 2005. Mnangagwa says he supports abolishing the death penalty, a move which was backed by the Cabinet in February and is now awaiting approval from Parliament.Mnangagwa freed more than 4,000 prisoners in another clemency order last May aimed at decongesting the southern African nation's overcrowded prisons, where conditions are usually harsh. At the time, Zimbabwe had about 22,000 prisoners crammed into prisons with a capacity of 17,000. How South Africa's former leader Zuma turned on his allies and became a surprise election foe JOHANNESBURG (AP) - South Africa faces an unusual national election this year, its seventh vote since transitioning from white minority rule to a democracy 30 years ago. Polls and analysts warn that for the first time, the ruling African National Congress party that has comfortably held power since Nelson Mandela became the country's first Black president in 1994 might receive less than 50% of votes.One big reason is Jacob Zuma , the former president and ANC leader who stepped down in disgrace in 2018 amid a swirl of corruption allegations but has emerged in recent months with a new political party. It intends to be a major election player as the former president seeks revenge against former longtime allies. A SOUTH AFRICAN COURT OVERTURNS BAN, RULES THAT FORMER LEADER JACOB ZUMA CAN RUN IN THE ELECTION Here is what you need to know about the 82-year-old Zuma's return to the political ring and how it might play a significant election role.WHO IS JACOB ZUMA?Zuma has long been one of South Africa's most recognizable politicians. He was a senior leader in the ANC during the liberation struggle against apartheid. A former ANC intelligence chief, he has repeatedly threatened to reveal some of the party's secrets. While Zuma was not one of Mandela's preferred choices to succeed him, Mandela trusted Zuma to play an influential role in ending deadly political violence that engulfed KwaZulu-Natal province before the historic 1994 elections. The province has remained a vocal base of support for Zuma ever since, and members of Zuma's Zulu ethnic group make up its majority. Zuma became deputy leader of the ANC in 1997 and was appointed South Africa's deputy president in 1999.HOW DID HE BECOME PRESIDENT?Zuma's path to power included legal challenges. In 2006, he was found not guilty of raping the daughter of a comrade at Zuma's home in Johannesburg. A year earlier, he was fired as South Africa's deputy president after his financial advisor was convicted for corruption for soliciting bribes for Zuma during an infamous arms deal. Alleging a political witch hunt, Zuma launched an aggressive political campaign that saw him elected ANC president in 2007. His campaign appealed to widespread discontent with then-President Thabo Mbeki, who was often described as autocratic and aloof. The corruption charges against Zuma were later dropped, amid controversy, and he was elected South Africa's president in 2009.HOW DID HE LOSE POWER?Zuma's presidency was often under fire. His close friends and allies, the Gupta family, were accused of influencing appointments to key cabinet positions in exchange for lucrative business deals. The allegations of corruption in government and state-owned companies eventually led the ANC force Zuma to resign in 2018. A judicial commission of inquiry uncovered wide-ranging evidence, and Zuma in 2021 was convicted and sentenced to 15 months in jail for refusing to testify. Zuma remains aggrieved with the ANC and his successor, President Cyril Ramaphosa. But few South Africans expected the break to go so far.HOW HAS HE REEMERGED?Zuma shocked the country in December by denouncing the ANC and campaigning against a party that had been at the heart of his political career. His new political party, UMkhonto WeSizwe, was named after the ANC's military wing, which was disbanded at the end of the struggle against white minority rule. The ANC has launched a legal case seeking to stop the new party from using a name and logo that are similar to those of the military wing. The charismatic Zuma continues to crisscross the country, delivering lively speeches, and an image of his face will represent the party on ballots.WHAT ARE ZUMA'S ELECTION CHANCES?The ANC already had been facing pressure from other opposition parties. But Zuma's new party threatens to draw support from within the often divided ANC. South Africa's electoral body has cleared him to run for a parliament seat, despite his past conviction. Polls suggest the new party may emerge as one of the country's biggest opposition parties and could play a significant role if the weakening ANC must form coalitions to run the country. Addressing his supporters at a recent rally, Zuma declared that "I need to return so that I can fix things." Thousands of Bosnian Serbs attend rally denying genocide was committed in Srebrenica in 1995 BANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) - Thousands of Bosnian Serbs rallied on Thursday denying that genocide was committed in Srebrenica in 1995 despite rulings to the contrary by two United Nations courts.More than 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys were executed by Bosnian Serb troops in the eastern Bosnian enclave in July 1995. The victims' remains were dumped in mass graves and later reburied to hide evidence of atrocities. US WARNS BOSNIAN SERBS AGAINST CELEBRATION OF CONTROVERSIAL SELF-PROCLAIMED HOLIDAY International courts in The Hague, Netherlands, have branded the crime in Srebrenica a genocide, Europe's first since World War II. Bosnian Serb top army officers and political leaders also have been convicted of genocide by U.N. judges.Srebrenica was a "mistake" and a "huge crime," Bosnian Serb separatist leader Milorad Dodik told the crowd at the rally in the northwestern town of Banja Luka that is the Bosnian Serb main administrative center. "But it wasn't genocide."The rally was organized in protest of a draft U.N. resolution commemorating the genocide in Srebrenica that is supported by the Bosniak politicians in Bosnia along with a number of European countries and the United States.The resolution is yet to be passed in the U.N. but the Bosnian Serbs and neighboring Serbia have been strongly opposed, saying it would brand the Serbs as a "genocidal nation." The Serbs are supported by Russia and China.Genocide denial is punishable by Bosnia's own laws. Bosnian Serb parliament, however, earlier on Thursday approved a report denying the Srebrenica genocide.Dodik reiterated his threats that Bosnian Serbs, who control about a half of Bosnia, would split from the rest of the country if the Srebrenica resolution is passed in the U.N General Assembly.The other half of Bosnia is run by the country's Bosniaks, who are mostly Muslim, and Croats."We do not want to live in the same state with you (Bosniaks) and we will not live in the same state with you," said Dodik. "We will do it (split) when the conditions are right."Serbia's parliament speaker and outgoing Prime minister Ana Brnabic also attended the gathering in Banja Luka.Dodik is staunchly pro-Russian and has faced U.S. and British sanctions for his separatism. He has traveled to Russia and met with Russia's President Vladimir Putin despite the invasion of Ukraine and in defiance of the West.In his speech, Dodik said he hoped a potential victory at the upcoming U.S. election by former President Donald Trump would create "different conditions in which we will play." He did not elaborate. Dodik ended his speech by exclaiming "Long live Russia!"Bosnia remains ethnically divided and politically tense long after the end of the 1992-95 war. The troubled Balkan nation is seeking European Union membership but internal divisions have hampered the effort amid fears of instability as the war rages in Ukraine. Kenya's military chief dies in a helicopter crash NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - Kenya's military chief Gen. Francis Ogolla died in a helicopter crash west of the country, President William Ruto announced Thursday and declared three days of national mourning.The helicopter was carrying 11 people, including Gen. Ogolla, when it crashed Thursday and caught fire in a remote area near the border with Uganda, killing nine people onboard, the president said. KENYAN HOSPITAL LAYS OFF 100 STRIKING DOCTORS AS NATIONWIDE STRIKE NEARS A MONTH It is unclear what caused the crash.Gen. Ogolla, 61, was on a tour of the country's troubled western region that has seen frequent attacks by local bandits.He was appointed Kenya's Chief of Defense Forces in April last year after Gen. Robert Kibochi retired.Political controversy surrounded Ogolla even before his appointment, when he was accused by the country's electoral commission chairperson as being part of a national security council delegation that tried to influence the outcome of the 2022 general election against President Ruto.Ruto later explained that he called Gen. Ogolla before his appointment and said that, despite the election controversy, he was the most qualified for the job.Gen Ogolla joined Kenya's military force 40 years ago.He was a graduate of École Militaire de Paris, the National Defence College of Kenya, Egerton University and the University of Nairobi.Gen. Ogolla is survived by his wife Aileen, two children and a grandson. Husband of former Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon charged with embezzlement in party finance probe LONDON (AP) - The husband of former Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon was charged Thursday with embezzlement in a probe into the finances of Scotland's pro-independence governing party, a shocking setback for the country's most powerful political couple.Police in Scotland said a 59-year-old man was charged Thursday evening after being arrested and taken into custody earlier in the day for questioning by "detectives investigating the funding and finances of the party." SCOTTISH LEADER NICOLA STURGEON TO RESIGN AFTER 8 YEARS He was released after being charged, the force said. While police did not name the suspect, the details provided matched up with Peter Murrell, the party's former chief executive who was arrested just over a year ago.Scottish police have been investigating how 600,000 pounds ($750,000) earmarked for a Scottish independence campaign were spent. Murrell, Sturgeon and Colin Beattie, the Scottish National Party's former treasurer, were arrested and questioned last year in the probe but released without being charged with a crime.Murrell's first arrest came shortly after Sturgeon's surprise announcement in February 2023 that she was resigning her post after eight years as party leader and first minister of Scotland's semi-autonomous government.Murrell stepped down the following month amid controversy about the party's declining membership and a bitter fight to replace Sturgeon. He held the position for more than 20 years.At the time of Murrell's first arrest, police searched the couple's Glasgow home over two days.It is highly unusual for a leader or former leader of a U.K. political party to be arrested. Sturgeon said after being released from custody in June that her arrest had been "both a shock and deeply distressing." She insisted she had done nothing wrong."I do wish to say this, and to do so in the strongest possible terms," she said in a statement on social media at the time. "Innocence is not just a presumption I am entitled to in law. I know beyond doubt that I am in fact innocent of any wrongdoing."In announcing her resignation, Sturgeon said she knew "in my head and in my heart" that it was the right time for her, her party and her country to make way for someone else.Sturgeon and Murrell have been married since 2010 and helped steer the SNP to a dominant position in Scottish politics. It heads the semi-autonomous Scottish government in Edinburgh and holds a large majority of Scotland's seats in the U.K. Parliament in London.But Sturgeon resigned with her biggest political goal - taking Scotland out of the United Kingdom to become an independent country - unrealized.She had led the party and led Scotland since 2014, when Scots rejected independence in a referendum. While the referendum was billed as a once-in-a-generation decision on independence, Sturgeon and her party had pushed for a new vote, arguing that Britain's departure from the European Union had changed the ground rules.Those efforts reached a stalemate when the U.K. government refused to authorize a new referendum.Sturgeon's departure unleashed a tussle for the future of the SNP amid recriminations over the party's declining membership and divisions over the best path towards independence. Opinion polls suggest support for the party has sagged. Here's why experts don't think cloud seeding played a role in Dubai's downpour With cloud seeding, it may rain, but it doesn't really pour or flood - at least nothing like what drenched the United Arab Emirates and paralyzed Dubai , meteorologists said. Cloud seeding , although decades old, is still controversial in the weather community, mostly because it has been hard to prove that it does very much. No one reports the type of flooding that on Tuesday doused the UAE, which often deploys the technology in an attempt to squeeze every drop of moisture from a sky that usually gives less than 4 or 5 inches (10 to 13 centimeters) of rain a year. A STORM DUMPS RECORD RAIN ACROSS THE DESERT NATION OF UAE AND FLOODS DUBAI'S AIRPORT "It's most certainly not cloud seeding," said private meteorologist Ryan Maue, former chief scientist at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "If that occurred with cloud seeding, they'd have water all the time. You can't create rain out of thin air per se and get 6 inches of water. That's akin to perpetual motion technology."Meteorologists and climate scientists said the extreme rainfall is akin to what the world expects with human-caused climate change, and one way to know for certain that it was not caused by tinkering with clouds is that it was forecast days in advance. Atmospheric science researcher Tomer Burg pointed to computer models that six days earlier forecast several inches of rain - the typical amount for an entire year in the UAE.Three low-pressure systems formed a train of storms slowly moving along the jet stream - the river of air that moves weather systems - toward the Persian Gulf, said University of Pennsylvania climate scientist Michael Mann. Blaming cloud seeding ignores the forecasts and the cause, he said.Many of the people pointing to cloud seeding are also climate change deniers who are trying to divert attention from what's really happening, Mann and other scientists said."When we talk about heavy rainfall, we need to talk about climate change. Focusing on cloud seeding is misleading," said Imperial College of London climate scientist Friederike Otto, who heads a team that does rapid attribution of weather extremes to see if they were caused by global warming or not. "Rainfall is becoming much heavier around the world as the climate warms because a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture."WHAT IS CLOUD SEEDING?Clouds need tiny water or ice droplets called nuclei to make rain. The weather modification method uses planes and ground-based cannons to shoot particles into clouds making more nucleai, attracting moisture that falls as snow and rain. Usually silver iodide is used, but it can also be dry ice and other materials. The method, first pioneered in the 1940s, became popular in the U.S. West starting in the 1960s, mostly for snow.It can't create water from a clear sky - particles must be shot into a storm cloud that already holds moisture to get it to fall, or to fall more than it otherwise would naturally.HOW EFFECTIVE IS IT?A recent study of aerial seeding found a clear precipitation pattern on a radar that mirrored the seeding and offers evidence the method works. But exactly how effective it is remains unclear, scientists say.The physics makes sense, but the results have been so small that scientists just can't agree on whether it is fair to say it really works, said Maue and Mann.Atmospheric forces are so huge and so chaotic that technically cloud seeding "is way too small a scale to create what happened," Maue said. Extra rainfall from cloud seeding would have been minimal, both said.WHO USES IT?Despite not knowing its efficacy, governments in drought-stricken regions like the U.S. West and the UAE are often willing to invest in technology like seeding in the hopes of getting even a small amount of water.Utah estimates cloud seeding helped increase its water supply by 12% in 2018, according to an analysis by the state's Division of Water Resources. The analysis used estimates provided to them by the contractors paid to do the seeding.Dozens of countries in Asia and the Middle East also use cloud seeding.The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation spent $2.4 million last year on cloud seeding along the overtapped Colorado River. Utah recently increased its seeding budget by tenfold.SO WHAT CAUSED THE DELUGE?That part of the Middle East doesn't get many storms, but when it does, they are whoppers that dwarf what people in the United States are used to, Maue said.Huge tropical storms like this "are not rare events for the Middle East," said University of Reading meteorology professor Suzanne Gray. She cited a recent study analyzing nearly 100 such events over the southern Arabian Peninsula from 2000 to 2020, with most in March and April, including a March 2016 storm that dropped 9.4 inches (almost 24 centimeters) on Dubai in just a few hours.The 2021 study said "a statistically significant increase in the (whopper storms) duration over southeast Arabian Peninsula has been found, suggesting that such extreme events may be even more impactful in a warming world."While cloud seeding can work around the margins, it doesn't do big things, scientists say."It's maybe a little bit of a human conceit that, yeah, we can control the weather in like a Star Trek sense," Maue, who was appointed to NOAA by then-President Donald Trump, said. "Maybe on long time scales, climate time scales, we're affecting the atmosphere on long time scales. But when it comes to controlling individual rain storms, we are not anywhere close to that. And if we were capable of doing that, I think we would be capable of solving many more difficult problems than creating a rain shower over Dubai." NATO and the EU urge G7 nations to step up air defense for Ukraine and expand Iran sanctions CAPRI, Italy (AP) - Top NATO and European Union officials urged foreign ministers from leading industrialized nations on Thursday to take quick, concrete steps to provide more air defense systems and artillery to Ukraine, warning that continued delays could tilt the war in Moscow's favor. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell addressed a meeting of foreign ministers of G7 nations meeting on the Italian resort island of Capri. Russia's war on Ukraine and surging tensions in the Middle East over Iran's unprecedented attack on Israel over the weekend have topped the agenda of the gathering. TRUMP SAYS US WILL '100%' STAY IN NATO IF ALLIANCE TREATS AMERICA 'FAIRLY' Without more Patriot air defense missile systems to protect against Russian strikes, "the electricity system of Ukraine will be destroyed. And no country can fight without having electricity at home, in the factories, in the front line," Borrell told reporters on the sidelines of the event.Stoltenberg welcomed signs that the U.S. Congress might soon vote on a $61 billion aid package for Ukraine, the bulk of which would go to purchasing weapons and ammunitions from U.S. defense manufacturers. And he welcomed other recent financial pledges from the Netherlands and Denmark as well as Germany's recent announced delivery of a new Patriot missile battery.But he said more long-term and sustainable aid was necessary to better coordinate Ukraine's response over the long term."There is an urgent, critical need for more air defense," Stoltenberg said, adding that artillery rounds were also needed. "We cannot continue to be in a situation where Russia is outgunning Ukraine, in the way they do now. The Russians are shooting and shooting, and the Ukrainians have limited resources to shoot back. So the Ukrainians need more, and that's the urgent and important message from me to all allies."Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani opened the first working session by calling for new sanctions against Iran for its weekend attack and concrete help for Ukraine. "If Ukraine loses, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin will never sit at the peace table," Tajani warned.The Capri meeting of the top diplomats from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States dovetailed with other regional diplomatic efforts sending the same messages. On Wednesday, EU leaders meeting in Brussels vowed to ramp up sanctions on Iran to target its drone and missile deliveries to proxies in Gaza, Yemen and Lebanon.The U.S. and Britain, meanwhile, announced Thursday they were imposing a new round of sanctions on Iran, with the U.S. targeting individuals and entities that produce engines that power drones and are involved in steel production. The latest British measures target several Iranian military organizations, individuals and entities involved in Iran's drone and ballistic missile industries.Borrell said the existing EU sanctions regime would be strengthened and expanded to punish Tehran and help prevent future attacks on Israel. At the same time, he said, Israel needed to exercise restraint."I don't want to exaggerate but we are on the edge of a war, a regional war in the Middle East, which will be sending shockwaves to the rest of the world, and in particular to Europe," he warned. "So stop it."German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Iran must be isolated "because,of course, there must be a reaction to this unprecedented incident, but there must be no further escalation in the region," German news agency dpa reported.On Ukraine, its Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, who was invited to Capri as a guest, underlined his country's need for essential military support, including artillery, ammunition, and air defense systems as Russia pushes along the front line.He thanked Germany for providing Ukraine with a new Patriot battery, which was announced over the weekend, but urged the U.S. Congress to quickly approve the funding package."So we will work here at the ministerial level to make other allies deliver air defense systems to Ukraine. Because it's of fundamental importance," Kuleba said.President Joe Biden said Wednesday he supported a proposal from the House speaker, Mike Johnson, to provide about $61 billion in aid for Ukraine, signaling bipartisan support for the precarious funding bill.U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he hoped the U.S. funding would come through but said other allies needed to step up."In this moment, it is urgent that all of the friends and supporters of Ukraine maximize their efforts to provide Ukraine with what it needs to continue to effectively defend itself against this Russian aggression," Blinken said after meeting with Kuleba."If Putin is allowed to proceed with impunity, we know he won't stop at Ukraine and we can safely predict that his aggression will continue," Blinken said. "Other would-be aggressors around the world will take note and unleash their own aggressions. And we will have a world of conflict, not a world of peace and security."Borrell said Europe can't rely solely on Washington to help Ukraine defend itself."Concrete decisions have to be taken in order to send to Ukraine more air defense," he said. "We do have Patriots, we have anti-missile systems. We have to take them from the our barracks where they are just in case, and to send to Ukraine where the war is raging. And I'm sure we will be doing that, but it has to be done quickly." Armenian victims group asks International Criminal Court to investigate genocide claim THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) - A human rights organization representing ethnic Armenians submitted evidence to the International Criminal Court on Thursday, arguing that Azerbaijan is committing an ongoing genocide against them.Azerbaijan's government didn't immediately comment on the accusations. The neighboring countries have been at odds for decades over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, and are already facing off in a separate legal case stemming from that conflict. AZERBAIJAN, ARMENIA EXCHANGE BLAME AFTER DEADLY BORDER SKIRMISH Lawyers for the California-based Center for Truth and Justice, or CFTJ, say there is sufficient evidence to open a formal investigation into Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and other top leaders for genocide. They have submitted a so-called Article 15 communication urging the court's chief prosecutor Karim Khan to look into alleged atrocities.Khan's office will now consider the evidence submitted and determine if the court will open an investigation, a decision expected to take months."My goal here is to get the highest bodies that protect human rights to take some action, not just mere words," Lala Abgaryan, whose sister Gayane was killed by Azerbaijani soldiers in 2022, told The Associated Press.Her sister's body was badly mutilated and images of the abuse were spread online. Abgaryan says the pictures were so heinous that she suffered psychological damage after looking at them.Long-standing tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan erupted in 2020 into a war over Nagorno-Karabakh that left more than 6,600 people dead. The region is within Azerbaijan but had been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces since the end of a separatist war in 1994.Last year, following a lightning military campaign, Azerbaijan retook the disputed territory. After Azerbaijan regained full control of Karabakh, which had a population of around 120,000, more than 100,000 of the region's ethnic Armenians fled, although Azerbaijan said they were welcome to stay and promised their human rights would be ensured.Prior to Azerbaijan's offensive, Armenia and former International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo accused Azerbaijan of committing genocide by creating conditions aimed at destroying Karabakh Armenians as a group.A group of around 30 people gathered in the rain in front of The Hague-based court Thursday to hand over more than 100 pages of documents.The rights organization said it has submitted a dossier of evidence containing the testimony of more than 500 victims and witnesses."These atrocities are captured on social media, by Azerbaijani soldiers themselves, where you hear them laughing, making comments, and taking the dead bodies that they've just slaughtered and beheaded," CFTJ leader Gassia Apkaria told the AP.Legal experts say that genocide may be out of reach for the court. Armenia is a member of the ICC, but Azerbaijan isn't, leaving prosecutors with jurisdiction only over crimes committed on Armenian territory. Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.Forcing nearly the entire population to relocate to Armenia, however, could fall within the court's remit. Deportation is considered a crime against humanity."There is no way this was an exodus by chance," says Mel O'Brien, an associate professor of international law at the University of Western Australia and genocide expert.The court has moved forward with an investigation under similar circumstances into possible crimes committed by Myanmar against the Rohingya minority group. While Myanmar isn't a member state, neighboring Bangladesh is and around 750,000 people have fled across the border after being forced from their homes.The CFTJ's request came amid two weeks of proceedings between Armenia and Azerbaijan at another global court in The Hague. The United Nations' top court, the International Court of Justice, is hearing arguments related to a pair of cases stemming from the conflict. Each country has accused the other of violating a racial discrimination treaty. Burkina Faso's military government expels 3 French diplomats from country The military Junta ruling Burkina Faso have expelled three French diplomats for alleged subversive activities, according to a government document posted on social media Thursday.The Junta named the three diplomats, two of whom are political advisors, and declared they were persona non grata in Burkina Faso, according to the document signed by the ministry of foreign affairs Tuesday. They have 48 hours to leave Burkina Faso.The document did not give details about the alleged subversive activities. ALGERIAN JOURNALIST CLAIMS COUNTRY EXPELLED HIM WITHOUT EXPLANATION The French foreign ministry said in a statement Thursday that it regretted the decision to expel its diplomats and rejected the accusations, stating its activities in Burkina Faso were within the United Nations framework for diplomatic and consular relations."The decision of the Burkinabè authorities is not based on any legitimate basis," said the statement. "We can only deplore it."The expulsion comes amid deteriorating relations between Burkina Faso and its former colonial ruler, France. The military junta severed military ties with France in 2023, ordering hundreds of French troops to depart the West African country within a month, following in the path of neighboring Mali, also headed by a coup leader.More than 60 years after Burkina Faso's independence, French remains an official language and France has maintained strong economic and humanitarian aid ties with its former colony. As the Islamic extremist insurgency has deepened, however, anti-French sentiment has spiked due in part to the unabating violence.After a second coup last year, anti-French protesters began urging the junta to strengthen ties with Russia instead.The prevailing anti-western sentiment and increasing ties with Russia and China are ongoing trends across Burkina Faso and neighbouring Mali, said Rida Lyammouri, senior fellow at the Policy Centre for the New South, a Moroccan-based thinktank."This is a continuation of a measure adopted by Burkina Faso and Mali that has seen the expulsion of French diplomats and journalists and suspended some international media," said Lyammouri.The junta is also distancing itself from regional and Western nations that don't agree with its approach. This year, it left the West African regional economic bloc known as ECOWAS and created an alliance with Mali and Niger, also led by military juntas. An earthquake measuring 5.6 hits central Turkey. No immediate reports of casualties or damage ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - A moderately strong earthquake struck central Turkey on Thursday, the country's disaster management agency said, causing damage to some buildings. There were no immediate reports of any deaths or serious injuries.The 5.6 magnitude quake hit in the town of Sulusaray, in Tokat province, some 450 kilometers (280 miles) east of the capital, Ankara , according to the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency. TURKEY AND ISRAEL ANNOUNCE TRADE BARRIERS ON EACH OTHER AS RELATIONS DETERIORATE OVER GAZA It was felt in neighboring provinces, including in Yozgat, where a two-story building collapsed, the disaster agency said.Several mudbrick and wooden homes and barns were damaged in the village of Bugdayli, near Sulusaray, according to Tokat's governor Numan Hatipoglu. Earlier in the day, Sulusaray was hit by two other earthquakes, measuring magnitude 4.7 and magnitude 4.1.Turkey lies on active fault lines and earthquakes are frequent.A devastating magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck parts of southern Turkey and neighboring Syria last year, killing more than 59,000 people. EU proposes youth mobility agreement with UK to help youngsters travel, work and live in both areas BRUSSELS (AP) - The European Commission proposed Thursday to start negotiations with the United Kingdom to allow young people to move freely, work and study in both regions after Brexit - the U.K.'s departure from the EU four years ago.According to the EU, the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU following a referendum in 2016 has damaged mobility between the two areas. EU, BRITAIN AND SPAIN SAY SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS MADE IN TALKS ON POST-BREXIT STATUS OF GIBRALTAR "This situation has particularly affected the opportunities for young people to experience life on the other side of the Channel and to benefit from youth, cultural, educational, research and training exchanges," the Commission said.When the U.K. was still a member of the economic and political bloc, its nationals had the right to live and work freely in the EU, with reciprocity for EU nationals in the U.K. Under the agreement proposed by the EU's executive arm, EU and UK citizens between 18 and 30 years old would be eligible to stay up to four years in the destination country.The deal would also allow equal treatment of EU and UK students in the field of university tuition fees. Most EU students must now pay international tuition fees if they want to study in the U.K. The Commission says these vary between 11,400 and 38,000 pounds ($14,200-$47,300) per year and are a strong deterrent for EU students who generally don't have to pay as much within the bloc.The Commission's recommendation will be discussed by EU member countries who must give the green light before the executive arm can start negotiations with the UK."We have successful Youth Mobility Schemes with 13 countries, including Australia and New Zealand, and remain open to agreeing them with our international partners, including EU member states," the British government said in a statement.The U.K. has its own Youth Mobility Scheme, which it has offered to some EU member states. The Commission believes the British plan is less ambitious than its own proposal."Our agreements provide a valuable route for cultural exchanges providing partner countries are also willing to offer the same opportunities for young British people," the British government added. Cyber fraud network stole personal data from thousands, UK police say A website that allowed international cyber fraudsters to trick up to 70,000 British victims into revealing personal information such as bank account details and passwords has been infiltrated and disrupted, London police said Thursday. Metropolitan Police said they seized the LabHost site, which enabled more than 2,000 criminals to create phishing sites that got victims to reveal 480,000 bank card numbers and 64,000 PIN numbers.Law enforcement in the U.K. and abroad arrested 37 people since Sunday, and another 800 were warned that police know their identity. Many of them remain under investigation. UK POLICE INVESTIGATE ALLEGEDLY RACIST REMARKS BY TOP CONSERVATIVE PARTY DONOR The site set up in 2021 allowed criminals to pay a monthly fee to create fraudulent websites that appeared to be those of legitimate banks, healthcare agencies or postal services but were designed to steal users' personal information.The site provided templates and a how-to lesson for less tech-savvy users to use profiles of 170 companies to set up some 40,000 scam sites.The tutorial ended with a robotic voice saying: "Stay safe and good spamming."Police have notified as many as 25,000 U.K. victims that their data was compromised. G7 leaders talk Ukraine defense support as Russia targets key infrastructure Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) major powers warned on Thursday that Ukraine risked being defeated by Russia unless it received more air defenses, as Kyiv urged a change in Western strategy towards the war.More than two years into Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine is facing a shortage of ammunition, with vital funding from the U.S. blocked by Republicans in Congress for months and the EU failing to deliver sufficient munitions on time.G7 ministers kicked off a second day of talks on the Italian island of Capri by discussing the Middle East crisis and will turn their attention to Ukraine in the afternoon, when they will be joined by the head of NATO and Ukraine's foreign minister. TRUMP'S LOAN PROPOSAL FOR UKRAINE AID MAY BE COMMON GROUND FOR COMPREHENSIVE FOREIGN AID PACKAGE The European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who attends G7 gatherings alongside U.S., Italian, German, French, British, Japanese and Canadian counterparts, urged EU nations to hand over air defense systems to help Ukraine protect its cities from Russia, which is targeting key infrastructure."Otherwise the electricity system of Ukraine will be destroyed. And no country can fight without having electricity at home, in the factories, online, for everything," he told reporters as Thursday's session got underway.Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the West had a different attitude towards Israel than his own country, noting that when Iran launched missiles and drones towards Israel on Saturday, U.S., British and French forces helped down them."The strategy of our partners in Israel seems to be in preventing damage and death. ... In the last months, the strategy of our partners in Ukraine seems to be in helping (us) to recover from damage," he said ahead of the Capri talks."So our job today is to find a way where our partners will design a mechanism, a way that will allow us also to avoid death and destruction in Ukraine ."Domestic political wrangling has delayed the delivery of desperately needed aid for Ukraine worth $60.84 billion, but the U.S. House of Representatives might finally get to vote on the package this weekend, bringing some hope to G7 ministers."In these turbulent times, it is a hopeful sign that there are now signals from the Republicans in the U.S. that support for Ukraine can be continued intensively," German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told a news conference in Capri.Kuleba said he hoped to get immediate pledges this week on the delivery of more Patriot and SAMP/T air defense systems and also new Western sanctions targeting Iran's production of armed drones, which are being exported to Russia.Opening Thursday's talks, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the question of sanctions on Iran would be addressed as the West looked for ways to penalize Tehran for its missile attack on Israel, but also reiterated Western calls for Israel to show restraint."Any form of retaliation would compromise already fragile and delicate equilibriums," Tajani said.It appears that such appeals will fall on deaf ears with Israel saying on Wednesday it would make its own decisions about how to defend itself, and British Foreign Secretary David Cameron saying it was apparent Israel planned to strike back.Although the Middle East and Ukraine will dominate the G7 gathering, which finishes on Friday, the ministers will also look at ways of strengthening ties with Africa, discuss stability in the Indo-Pacific region and hold debates on issues including cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence. Nigerian army rescues woman who was abducted a decade ago and her 3 children Nigerian soldiers rescued a woman who was abducted by extremists a decade ago while she was a schoolgirl in the village of Chibok, the army said Thursday. Her three children were also rescued.Lydia Simon, who is five months pregnant, was rescued by Nigerian troops in the Gwoza council area of Borno state, where the 15-year insurgency by Islamic extremists is concentrated, according to a statement from the army. Her age wasn't immediately released by authorities, but she is most likely in her 20s.The statement was accompanied by a picture of Simon and her children, who appear to be between the ages of 2 and 4. She has yet to be reunited with her family. NIGERIAN EXTREMISTS ABDUCT AT LEAST 200 PEOPLE, MOSTLY WOMEN AND CHILDREN Simon was among 276 girls seized from their school in Chibok in April 2014 at the height of the extremist violence in the region. About 82 of them are still in captivity.The first of a series of mass school kidnappings in the West African nation, the Chibok abduction shocked the world and triggered a global social media campaign tagged #BringBackOurGirls.The Nigerian army didn't say how she was freed other than that she was rescued in a hot spot known as Ngoshe, 74 miles north of the Borno state capital of Maiduguri.Some Chibok parents and security analysts have said there is little evidence to show there is a special military operation to free the women. Those who returned in recent years were mostly found abandoned in the forests.Some of the recently freed women were either raped by the insurgents or forced into marriages, according to Chioma Agwuegbo, an activist who was part of the #BringBackOurGirls campaign."We have heard their stories about the amount of trauma and violence they have faced. Somebody who was kidnapped 10 years ago is not returning as the same person," Agwuegbo said.Villagers in Chibok joined Simon's family as they waited for when they would be allowed to see her."The government has not told us anything (and) we are waiting for an official call," said Yakubu Nkeki, chairman of the Chibok girls' parents' association. Tunisian journalist gets 6 months in prison for insulting official as government cracks down on critical media A judge in Tunisia sentenced a journalist and political commentator to six months in prison in the country's latest assault on members of the media who criticize the government.Mohamed Boughalleb, who had been charged with insulting a public official , was sentenced Wednesday and will remain behind bars, where he has been since his arrest last month after an official lodged a complaint against him.The official alleged he was harmed by Boughalleb's commentary linking him to corruption and misuse of public funds. IMPRISONED TUNISIAN OPPOSITION LEADER BEGINS HUNGER STRIKE The complaint from a member of Tunisia's Ministry of Religious Affairs came after Boughalleb on Facebook questioned trips abroad that the civil servant made with the minister and called them a "waste of public funds."He was subsequently charged with violating defamation laws in Tunisia's penal and telecommunications code.Lawyers for Boughalleb, 60, denounced the sentence as "an assault on freedom of expression" and raised questions about its political nature. He joined a chorus of Tunisians who have called into question the government's pursuit of its critics as President Kais Saied prepares to compete for a second term leading the North African country.Authorities have increasingly targeted and arrested journalists this year and about 20 are now facing similar charges, Ziad Dabbar, the president of the National Syndicate of Tunisian Journalists, said.To sentence a well-known radio and television commentator like Boughalleb constitutes "another attempt to silence free voices and prevent journalists from doing their job," Dabbar said.Journalists critical of the government are one of many groups that have seen their civil liberties restricted in Tunisia. More than 20 activists and politicians critical of Saied have been behind bars for more than a year, charged with plotting against state security in cases their advocates have denounced as politicized.The pursuit of journalists, cartoonists and political opponents comes almost five years after Saied won the presidency on an anti-corruption platform and months before he's expected to seek a second term in a yet-to-be-scheduled election.After taking office, Saied suspended Tunisia's parliament, rewrote the constitution to consolidate his own power and curtailed the independence of a judiciary that has since ramped up its pursuit of his critics and opponents. British parliament votes to ban smoking for all people born after 2009 The British parliament has voted to outlaw smoking for future generations.The Tobacco and Vapes Bill, introduced and championed by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak , is set to ban smoking for anyone born after 2009.It overwhelmingly passed a vote in the House of Commons with 383 votes to 67 on  CONSERVATIVES' ATTEMPT TO REPEAL HATE SPEECH LAW THAT MADE SCOTLAND AN 'INTERNATIONAL MOCKERY' FAILS Government officials have boasted that the bill will produce the U.K.'s first-ever "smoke-free generation."There is still several steps to officially passing the bill into law, including a debate and vote in the upper chamber of the U.K. parliament, the House of Lords. The Conservative Party has seen internal tensions over the smoking ban , which many Tory leaders have claimed is a misstep. UK LAWMAKER 'MANIPULATED' INTO GIVING PERSONAL NUMBERS OF COLLEAGUES IN SEXTING BLACKMAIL SCAM 178 Conservative members of parliament voted for the bill with 57 voting against and 106 not recording a vote."When the party of Winston Churchill wants to ban cigars, donnez-moi un break [give me a break] as they say in Quebec, it's just mad," former Prime Minister Boris Johnson said last week at a conference in Canada.Fellow ex-prime minister Liz Truess echoed Johnson's concerns, saying the goal of legislating the personal decisions of grown men and women was misguided."It is very important that until people have decision-making capability while they are growing up that we protect them," Truess said. "But I think the whole idea that we can protect adults from themselves is hugely problematic."Supporters of the ban claim that the addictive nature of nicotine products takes away an individual's freedom to make a free decision about consuming them. Brazil faces Indigenous resistance over plans to drill for oil in Amazon rainforest State-run energy firm Petrobras has hit growing resistance from Indigenous groups and government agencies to its premier exploration project, which would open the most promising part of Brazil's northern coast to oil drilling.Environmental agency Ibama denied Petrobras a license for exploratory drilling offshore in the Foz do Amazonas area last year, citing possible impacts on Indigenous groups and the sensitive coastal biome. But a Petrobras appeal for Ibama to reverse its decision has drawn powerful political backing.President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said in September that Brazil should be able to "research" the region's potential resources, given the national interest. Energy Minister Alexandre Silveira last week told journalists that it is "Brazil's right to know the potential" of the offshore fields. BRAZIL'S AMAZON RAINFOREST FACES SEVERE DROUGHT, AFFECTING FOOD AND WATER SUPPLIES FOR THOUSANDS That has bolstered bullish rhetoric from Petrobras about its chances of getting a license to drill in the blocks off the coast of Amapa state."Get ready Amapa, because we are arriving," Petrobras CEO Jean Paul Prates told local politicians and oil executives at an event last month promoting offshore exploration along the northern coast in an area known as Equatorial Margin. He called it "perhaps the last frontier of the oil era for Brazil."He has said he expects to start drilling in the second half of this year or sooner in the most promising part of the Equatorial Margin, named the Foz do Amazonas basin, for the mouth of the Amazon River several hundred kilometers away. Foz de Amazonas shares geology with the coast of nearby Guyana, where Exxon is developing huge fields.Ibama chief Rodrigo Agostinho said in November that a decision would be made in early 2024, although labor disputes at the agency have since slowed the pace of environmental licensing. BRAZIL, OTHER AMAZON RAINFOREST COUNTRIES TO MEET FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 14 YEARS OVER ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS Visits to four Indigenous villages, interviews with over a dozen local leaders, and previously unreported documents show organized opposition mounting to Petrobras' attempt to reverse the halt on exploratory drilling.    Petrobras has drawn fresh government scrutiny. Indigenous affairs agency Funai asked Ibama regulators in December to run several more studies to assess impacts, according to a Dec. 11 government memo from Funai to Ibama obtained in a freedom of information request. The proposed studies would have to be done before Ibama can decide whether to accept the Petrobras appeal.In July 2022, the Council of Chieftains of the Indigenous People of Oiapoque (CCPIO), an umbrella group representing more than 60 Indigenous villages in the area, asked federal prosecutors to get involved, denouncing an alleged violation of their rights.Brazilian prosecutors have a mandate to protect Indigenous peoples, often taking their side in disputes with firms or federal and state governments. In September 2022 they recommended that Ibama not issue the license before a formal consultation of the local communities.     Records from the prosecutors' preliminary investigation, seen by Reuters, show that in December 2023, CCPIO asked them to broker a 13-month formal consultation with Petrobras about Indigenous views on the project.The consultation process, along with studies proposed by Funai, would push a decision into 2025 when Brazil will host the COP30 climate change summit in the Amazon city of Belem, which could make it more politically difficult to approve drilling, a person close to CCPIO told Reuters.Minutes from a June 2023 meeting between Petrobras, CCPIO leaders and prosecutors show the company offered to consult local communities about eventual commercial oil production in the area, if Ibama requests it, but did not commit to a consultation before drilling exploratory wells.Asked about Indigenous leaders' calls for immediate consultations, Petrobras told Reuters in a statement that the time for such requests has passed."The definition of whether or not it is necessary to consult indigenous peoples and/or traditional communities takes place at the initial stage of the environmental licensing process," Petrobras said.Ibama has not yet replied to the recommendation by Indigenous affairs agency Funai late last year for more assessments of the effects of Petrobras' exploration plans, according to an April 3 Funai document seen by Reuters.Both agencies did not reply to requests for comment by Reuters. CCPIO and prosecutors said a consultation must be made before Ibama issues a license to drill.The drilling standoff has created a fault line in Lula's government, which is balancing his vows to protect the Amazon and its Indigenous people with the interests of Petrobras and political allies that stand to reap the benefits of a new oil-producing region.Silveira, the energy minister, has said that a single Foz de Amazonas block off the coast of Amapa state could yield more than 5.6 billion barrels of oil, which would be the company's biggest discovery in over a decade.In its appeal to Ibama, the company said that exploration will have no negative impact on local communities."We ratify the understanding that there is no direct impact of the temporary activity of drilling a well 175 km from the coast on Indigenous communities," Petrobras said.Local people and some environmentalists warn that drilling could threaten coastal mangroves and vast wetlands rich with fish and plant life, while disrupting the lives of the 8,000 Indigenous people in Oiapoque, on Brazil's far northern coast.    The CCPIO, the highest Indigenous authority in Oiapoque, is composed of more than 60 caciques, or chieftains, representing over 8,000 people. They do not oppose the search for oil per se, but invoke what they say is a right to prior consultation by Petrobras, with supervision from the federal prosecutors' office and Funai.The International Labor Organization convention 169, which Brazil signed, says that governments must consult Indigenous and tribal peoples through their representative institutions, whenever considering legislative measures that may affect them directly.The plans to drill are already changing Oiapoque. Waves of migrant workers have arrived looking for jobs in an oil industry that does not yet exist, state lawmaker Inacio Monteiro said.Monteiro said he meets often with Indigenous constituents, talking to them about the benefits that Petrobras could bring to Oiapoque, including jobs, tax revenue and social programs.Yet CCPIO and its allies have become increasingly vocal with their resistance as Petrobras garners support for its appeal, including at the COP28 climate summit in December, where Luene Karipuna told a panel that Petrobras and local politicians had tried to silence her people."Strategically, this prior consultation is our only safety net," 25-year-old Karipuna, who is studying to be a teacher, said near her home in the Santa Izabel village, where marshes fill with seawater at certain times of the year.When the rivers run low, tides bring in saltwater fish the villagers eat, but some interviewed by Reuters fear it could just as easily bring oil spills.Indigenous leaders said a full-court press from local politicians in support of Petrobras was on display at a May 2023 public hearing that Monteiro, the state lawmaker, called just days after Petrobras' license was denied.Amapa's political powerbrokers, including key Lula allies, rallied within days at Oiapoque's town hall for the hearing to promote Petrobras' plans to drill.At the event, one man in a white polo shirt and a feathered headdress, Ramon Karipuna told the crowd that Indigenous people were in favor of drilling, according to minutes of the meeting seen by Reuters.Karipuna said he spoke for the coordinator of the CCPIO council of chieftains, who was absent for "health reasons."Petrobras later cited Karipuna's endorsement in its appeal of the denied drilling license and described him as a "CCPIO representative.".However, CCPIO coordinator Cacique Edmilson Oliveira told Reuters he was not sick that day. CCPIO had refused to take part in the hastily summoned event, according to a May 18 letter sent in response to Monteiro's invitation to the hearing and seen by Reuters."This is very concerning. That's why we are saying that we already feel threatened," Oliveira said, accusing Petrobras of distorting the views of Indigenous leaders. "We never sat down and reached an agreement for approval."In a telephone interview, Karipuna confirmed he worked at the town hall and that he is not a member of CCPIO - even though Petrobras used his words as its main argument to Ibama that Indigenous representatives supported drilling. He also backed away from his comments in favor of drilling.      "To this day many people have doubts about this Petrobras business," he said.Asked about its mischaracterization of Karipuna, Petrobras cited the minutes of the May 2023 meeting, without elaborating. 2 arrested in Germany for alleged plot to sabotage US military facilities on behalf of Russia Two German-Russian nationals have been arrested in Germany on suspicion of plotting sabotage attacks, including on U.S. military facilities, in an effort to undermine military support for Ukraine, officials said on Thursday.Authorities have searched the homes and workplaces of the two suspects accused of working for a foreign secret service. One of them, identified as Dieter S., had since October 2023 discussed possible plots with a person linked to the Russian secret service, prosecutors said.Germany has become one of Kyiv's biggest suppliers of military aid since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and is a major target for Russian spying operations, authorities have said. GERMANY'S DEFENSE MINISTER TO OVERHAUL MILITARY COMMAND TO ENHANCE WAR CAPABILITIES "Our security authorities have prevented possible explosive attacks that were intended to target and undermine our military assistance to Ukraine," Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said."It is a particularly serious case of alleged spy activity for (President Vladimir) Putin's criminal regime."Dieter S. had been prepared to carry out bomb and arson attacks on military facilities, including those operated by U.S. forces, prosecutors said, adding that he took photos and videos of military transport and equipment.According to Spiegel magazine, the facilities included the Grafenwoehr army base in the southern state of Bavaria where Ukrainian soldiers receive training to use U.S. Abrams tanks.The Kremlin said it had no information about the arrests and the Russian embassy in Berlin said it had not been officially notified. The U.S. embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The prosecutors suspect Dieter S., whose last name has not been disclosed due to German privacy laws, was a fighter for Russian-backed forces in eastern Ukraine from Dec. 2014 to Sept. 2016 in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic.He is in possession of a firearm, prosecutors said.In a separate case, prosecutors last month charged an officer in Germany's military procurement agency with attempting to pass secret information to Russian intelligence.News of Thursday's arrests coincided with a surprise trip by German Economy Minister Robert Habeck to Ukraine.Germany also issued an urgent appeal for countries to help shore up Ukraine's air defenses as Russian forces continue to pound Ukrainian cities and infrastructure."We will continue to provide massive support to Ukraine and will not allow ourselves to be intimidated," Faeser said. US, Italy agree to coordinate efforts to counter spread of misinformation by foreign governments The United States and Italy agreed on Wednesday to coordinate efforts to counter the spread of misinformation and fake news articles by foreign governments. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani agreed on the new pact during a meeting on the sidelines of a three-day meeting of Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers on the island of Capri.The U.S. last year released an intelligence assessment sent to more than 100 countries that accused Moscow of using spies, social media and Russian state-run media to erode public faith in the integrity of democratic elections. BLINKEN ASSURES US SUPPORT OF BLACK SEA ALLIES AS UKRAINE URGES MILITARY AID DURING CONFERENCE Last week, Belgium said its prosecutors were probing alleged Russian attempts to influence an upcoming European Parliamentary election.Russia has repeatedly denied that it has ever intervened in foreign elections and said last month that it would not meddle in the November 2024 U.S. vote.An eight-page document outlining the Italy-U.S. agreement said the two nations would "establish and implement strategies and practices to counter information manipulation by foreign states" and promote "transparency in media financing and ownership," including the role of governments.The memorandum also included a commitment to assist other countries against foreign attempts to interfere in their elections. It did not specifically name any country behind such attempts.The two countries also pledged to invest in artificial intelligence (AI) tools to tackle the spread of fake news and to create a shared database on detected manipulation activities. Solomon Islands national election count begins, closely watched by US, China Counting was underway on Thursday in the Solomon Islands after a national election a day earlier, although electoral officials said they were searching for a larger venue in the Pacific Island capital Honiara to count votes.The parliamentary election is the first since Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare struck a security pact with China in 2022 and drew the Pacific Islands nation closer to Beijing.The election outcome will be closely watched by the United States , China and Australia for its potential impact on regional security. VIOLENCE IN SOLOMON ISLANDS RECEDES DESPITE THE GOVERNMENT SHOWING NO SIGNS IT WILL ADDRESS THE PROBLEMS Electoral chief Jasper Highwood Anisi said in a livestreamed press conference on Thursday that results would start to be announced on Friday, with most results known by Sunday evening or Monday morning.Counting in Honiara had been delayed as electoral officials sought a larger venue with appropriate security for a counting center, he said.There was a heavy police presence outside counting centers nationwide, he added.Counting in Sogavare's electorate of East Choiseul would start on Friday, national broadcaster SIBC reported.The Royal Solomon Islands Police Force said it had banned victory parades by winning candidates or their supporters because of the risk of unrest.The Solomons has had a volatile history, with anti-government riots in 2021 and earlier inter-tribal violence.Sogavare, running as leader of the Ownership, Unity and Responsibility Party, has said he would seek closer ties to China . Opposition parties have criticized the security pact with China, and say voters are focused on struggling health services, education and roads.The 50 members of the national parliament are elected for a four-year term, and the seat results will indicate if any party has achieved a majority, or negotiations to form a coalition are needed before a prime minister is selected.Police and defense forces from Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Fiji are assisting with election security and observer groups from Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific, Japan, Europe and the U.S. are monitoring the election.The Solomon Islands archipelago is home to just 700,000 people but occupies a strategic position 990 miles northeast of Australia. Sydney church bishop stabbed in 'terrorist incident' says he forgives attacker An Assyrian church bishop who was stabbed during a livestreamed mass outside of Sydney gave an update on his condition Thursday and said he had forgiven his attacker.A 16-year-old male suspect, who has not been publicly identified, was taken into custody following the attack Monday night at the Assyrian Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley. Authorities described the assault as a "terrorist incident." "I am doing fine, recovering very quickly ... there is no need to be worried or concerned," Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel said in an audio message posted on social media, his first public comments since the attack. "I forgive whoever has done this act ... I will always pray for you and whoever sent you to do this, I forgive them as well."Bishop Emmanuel, who was injured in the attack, is the leader of a conservative sect of the Assyrian Orthodox faith. He has a strong social media following and is outspoken on a range of issues, including the war in Gaza and COVID-19 restrictions, according to Reuters.   AUSTRALIA SAYS BISHOP, PRIEST'S CHURCH STABBING WAS A 'TERRORIST INCIDENT' The church's livestream showed a man, later identified as Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, behind the altar in the church when a man walked toward him holding an unknown object. The man lunged at him and began to stab him in the chest.  Churchgoers screamed and rushed to help the bishop, who could be seen falling to the ground as the suspect continued to attack . The male suspect remains in custody and is in the hospital under police guard, Reuters reported.On the night of the attack, an angry crowd fought emergency crews outside the church and demanded that the suspected attacker be handed over to them, Reuters reported.  SYDNEY CHURCH STABBING SUSPECT IN CUSTODY   New South Wales state Police Commissioner Karen Webb said a 19-year-old man, who was not a member of the church, was charged in connection with his role in the riot."People just came along to participate in a riot. That is disgraceful and disgusting," Webb said at a news conference. AUSTRALIAN KILLER'S FATHER REVEALS WHY SON TARGETED WOMEN DURING DEADLY STABBING AT SYDNEY MALL   Nearly 50 officers were injured, and 20 police cars were damaged in the riot, which is currently under investigation. In his message, Bishop Emmanuel urged members of his church to remain calm and respect the law.The attack happened just days after a stabbing spree at a mall in Sydney left six dead. Westfield Bondi Junction, the six-level shopping mall in Sydney, reopened Thursday to allow people inside to pay their respects to the victims, while stores remain closed. A white floral tribute was laid out on the second floor and businesses are expected to reopen on Friday, Reuters reported. Fox News Digital's Greg Norman and Reuters contributed to this report. Israel's advanced military technology on full display during Iran's attack JERUSALEM - Some of Israel's most advanced military technology was on display over the weekend when its multi-level aerial defense array led the way in striking down an estimated 99% of the more than 350 drones, rockets and missiles that were fired by Iran in an unprecedented attack on the Jewish state.From the Iron Dome, which in its latest format uses  artificial intelligence (AI)  to improve accuracy when shooting short-range surface-to-surface rockets, to David's Sling, which intercepts short- to medium-range and medium- to long-range surface-to-surface missiles, to the Arrow 2 and 3 systems, which is used for longer-range ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as AI-driven aircraft and other technology, Israel's defensive operation proved it was far superior to the offensive capabilities of the Islamic Republic. In a press briefing following the attack, Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari hailed Israel's defensive operation, which was carried out together with partners from U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), as a "very significant strategic achievement." He said it demonstrated the "exceptional professionalism" of Israel's Aerial Defense Array and the "defensive abilities of the air force as well as the army's military and technological superiority." BATTLEFIELD DEMANDS SPARK AI RACE IN UKRAINE AS WAR WITH RUSSIA RAGES ON Tal Mimran, of the Cyber Security Research Center in the Faculty of Law at Hebrew University, told Fox News Digital that broader cyber methods and even AI technology were also likely used in the successful defense operation."AI-powered algorithms analyze radar and other sensor data to track incoming missiles and calculate the best time to intercept these more effectively and prioritize targets," he said. "AI makes the system more effective against a wider range of threats, like drones and other small, low-flying objects."Mimran said the Iron Dome , which Israel has been using for more than a decade to thwart rocket attacks from Gaza and Lebanon, now uses a "significant application of AI to improve system accuracy.""Using AI increases the Iron Dome's success rate to over 90% and reduces operating costs," he said. "This is important because these threats are becoming increasingly common and pose a challenge to traditional air defense systems, as is evident in the Russia-Ukraine war."Mimran also noted that over the past few months "IDF officials have acknowledged using AI-based tools for several purposes, including targeting support, intelligence analysis, proactive forecasting and streamlined command and control." According to Mimran, Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza has spotlighted the IDF's Habsora, or "the Gospel," an AI-based system that is used to generate possible military targets for attack. However, he said, accusations that the IDF has been using AI systems to commit mass assassinations give too much credit to the AI-powered tools currently in use. Jonathan Conricus, a senior fellow at the Washington, D.C.-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies, played down the role of AI in the weekend operation, telling Fox News Digital that while the technology is incorporated in some air force systems, "a live event with 300 incoming projectiles cannot be left to AI; there needs to be responsible human in the loop making real-time decisions." ISRAEL'S USE OF AI IN HAMAS WAR CAN HELP LIMIT COLLATERAL DAMAGE 'IF EXECUTED PROPERLY,' EXPERT SAYS "I know that senior air force personnel were involved in controlling every aspect of this," said Conricus, a former IDF spokesperson for the international media. "I find it hard to believe that any significant part of the targeting done [over the weekend] was done with AI."He said that over the past six months - since Oct. 7 when the Palestinian terror group Hamas carried out a brutal attack in southern Israel, sparking a full-blown war in Gaza and daily rocket fire by the militant Shiite terror group Hezbollah across Israel's northern border, too - Israel has been forced to utilize its innovative missile defense technology."All of the systems have been fully operational since Oct. 7 and all have confirmed real-world hits," Conricus said, adding that Israel's newest layer of aerial defense, the Arrow 3 system, debuted just a few months ago by intercepting ballistic missiles fired by the Yemen-based Houthis, an extremist Islamist group that is supported and funded by the fundamentalist Islamist regime in Tehran. Both Hamas and Hezbollah are also Iranian proxies."I think that today what we have is a pretty solid and well-rounded air defense that deals with a very wide array and broad spectrum of incoming threats, from very small and fast projectiles like UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) to extremely large and lethal ballistic missiles, which are also very fast, tremendously big and carry a ton of explosives," he said.Iran's attack on Sunday - the first ever directly from its soil - brought together all the different tiers of Israel's defensive system, Conricus said. "They are all interlinked and communicate with each other," he said, describing how a central command office provided an overall picture of the attack as it unfolded, giving a threat assessment in real time and coordinating the entire operation with the U.S. and other CENTCOM partners. WHAT IS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)? Conricus said that while many of the innovative defense systems were created by Israel, "a large part of the development was also carried out with the Americans," allowing "the radar systems and the digital intercepting systems" to communicate with U.S. defense systems.""They were developed together with congressional funding and support," he said, explaining that there were "a lot of plug-and-play capabilities" and, if needed, the U.S. systems can easily connect with the Israeli system.According to Israeli army estimates, Iran fired some 30 cruise missiles, 120 ballistic missiles and 170 suicide drones that carried about 60 tons of warheads and explosives combined. While most of the projectiles were shot down before reaching Israel's borders, two air force bases were lightly hit and a 7-year-old Israeli girl was seriously injured. Forces from the U.S., British and French militaries , as well as from several countries in the region, including Saudi Arabia and Jordan, participated in the operation."To coordinate such an attack is not an easy task because all three weapon systems have [different] velocities and performances," said Tal Inbar, a senior research fellow at Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance. He said that the UAVs, mostly Iranian-produced Shahed 136s, would have been fired first because they move at the slowest pace; followed by the cruise missiles and finally the ballistic missiles, which have a relatively short flight time from Iran to Israel, depending on the launch site.Inbar noted that Iran's decision to use drones gave Israel several hours to "prepare itself to the maximum."In addition to deploying advanced missile defense systems and scrambling fighter planes, he said Israel also put in place some levels of cyberprotection, including disrupting satellite navigation, which is effective in stopping some of the projectiles from reaching their targets."Ballistic missiles cannot be jammed because they use an internal navigation system, but this is not the case with drones," Inbar said, noting that Israelis have become used to GPS disturbances over the past six months.Recent media reports also suggest that Israel deployed its new $1 billion spy plane, the Oron, which provided vital information that was used to track and destroy the drones and missiles in flight. The high-tech jet, which Israel unveiled at last year's Paris Air Show, is equipped with thousands of advanced sensors. The Oron has the ability to scan vast terrain and gather an unprecedented amount of information at a considerable distance from the targets being tracked. When asked about the Oron spy plane, the IDF did not comment. Belarus votes to suspend Conventional Forces participation The Belarusian parliament on Wednesday voted to suspend the country's participation in the Conventional Forces in Europe treaty that once was a key security doctrine for the continent, a 1990 agreement that was abandoned last year by Russia.The bill, introduced by authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko earlier this month, could pave the way for Belarus - Russia's ally in the war in Ukraine - to expand its military. Belarus lawmakers unanimously approved the bill calling for the treaty's suspension; Lukashenko now needs to sign the bill for it to become law.The treaty, signed in 1990, places limits on tanks, combat vehicles, warplanes and heavy artillery that can be deployed in Europe. It aimed at keeping a military balance between the West and the countries that were part of the Cold War-era Warsaw Pact. BELARUS CONVICTS A FAMOUS DISSIDENT ROCK BAND AND SENTENCES ITS MEMBERS TO CORRECTIONAL LABOR However, Russia withdrew entirely from the treaty in November 2023 and NATO countries that were parties to it responded by suspending their participation just hours later.Belarus hosts Russian tactical nuclear weapons, along with missiles and troops. The country has been used by Russia as a staging point for sending troops into Ukraine, but Belarusian forces have not taken part in the war that is now in its third year.According to the Belarusian Defense Ministry, the treaty mandated that Belarus' armed forces do not exceed 100,000 of troops and personnel. There are currently 63,000 troops and personnel in the Belarusian army, and some 300,000 men are in the reserve.Military experts say that after suspending its participation in the treaty, Belarus - which shares a border with Ukraine and NATO members Latvia, Lithuania and Poland - will be able to expand its army and amass more weapons, although it doesn't mean it would definitely happen.Alexander Alesin, a military analyst based in the Belarusian capital Minsk, told The Associated Press that the country's pullout from the treaty had to do with Russia's discontent over Belarus still officially being in the agreement."Russia was very unhappy," Alesin said. The withdrawal "unties Belarus' hands, but this does not automatically mean that the number of conventional weapons in the country will increase.""Russia has deployed tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, which is much more frightening to neighboring NATO countries," he added.

Distributed by aarss.com.