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95 Libyan nationals arrested in South Africa at suspected secret military training camp South African police arrested 95 Libyan nationals in a raid on a suspected secret military training camp on Friday and authorities said they were investigating whether there were more illegal bases in other parts of the country.The camp was discovered at a farm in White River in the Mpumalanga province, about 360 kilometers (220 miles) northeast of Johannesburg, police said. ELEPHANTS KILL TOURIST IN SOUTH AFRICA AFTER HE TRIED TO GET CLOSE TO TAKE PICTURES National police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said in a post on the social media site X that the Libyans stated they had entered the country on study visas to train as security guards, but police investigations suggest they have received military training.The Newzroom Afrika TV news channel broadcast pictures of the site of the arrests, showing a military-style camp with large green and khaki tents set up in a row. Dozens of men were seen lining up as they were arrested. They were wearing civilian clothing.Local government official Jackie Macie said investigations were ongoing and the owner of the farm would be questioned. He said authorities received information that there were similar secret camps near two other towns in Mpumalanga province.The province borders neighboring countries Mozambique and Swaziland and is an area of concern for South African authorities with regards to illegal immigration.Police and authorities have not said whether the camps are suspected of being connected to a particular group or conflict.Macie said investigations would establish if there was a network of camps in South Africa and show "why they are here doing military training in our country."Police said the men may be linked to crimes reported in communities close to the farm in recent months."We have serious cases which have been opened with the police, including cases of rape and armed robberies, which complainants claim were committed by unknown foreigners who seem to be of Asian descent," said police spokesman Donald Mdhluli."We take what we have found here today very seriously because we don't know who was training them, what were they being trained for and why that training is happening here in South Africa. It may be a threat not only to South Africa but also to the entire southern Africa region."Police said the operation to arrest the Libyans and close down the camp began two days ago. Macie said the Libyan nationals had been in the country since at least April."The 95 individuals taken into custody are all Libyan nationals and are currently being questioned by the relevant authorities," Mpumalanga acting provincial police commissioner Maj. Gen. Zeph Mkhwanazi said in a statement.Mdhluli, the police spokesman, said the country's security regulator had confirmed that the kind of training that appears to have been taking place at the camp was well beyond the scope of training for security guards."The kind of equipment we found here shows that there was intense military training taking place here. This was basically a military base." Gang kills at least 26 villagers in remote Papua New Guinea, officials say At least 26 people were killed by a gang in three remote villages in Papua New Guinea's north and eight villagers remained missing Friday in the latest violence in the South Pacific island nation relating to contested land ownership and sorcery allegations, officials said."It was a very terrible thing ... when I approached the area, I saw that there were children, men, women. They were killed by a group of 30 young men," the acting police commander in East Sepik province, James Baugen, told Australian Broadcasting Corp. on Friday. PAPUA NEW GUINEA SAYS LANDSLIDE BURIES OVER 2,000 PEOPLE ALIVE Baugen said all the houses in the villages had been burned and the remaining villagers had taken shelter at a police station, too scared to name the perpetrators."Some of the bodies left in the night were taken by crocodiles into the swamp. We only saw the place where they were killed. There were heads chopped off," Baugen said. He said the attackers were hiding and there were no arrests yet.Chris Jensen, country director for the aid group World Vision, said 26 people were confirmed dead, eight were missing and 51 families were displaced from their homes in Angoram district on the crocodile-infested Sepik River, the longest river on New Guinea island."The trigger seems to be, as it is in most cases in PNG, a combination of a couple of things. But sorcery seems to be one of the triggers along with land ownership," Jensen told The Associated Press."An individual will get accused of sorcery and they may be the people who perhaps have some control over some assets or land," Jensen said.U.N. Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said in a statement Wednesday that the attacks happened on July 16 and July 18."I am horrified by the shocking eruption of deadly violence in Papua New Guinea, seemingly as the result of a dispute over land and lake ownership and user rights," Turk said.Turk said the dead included 16 children."This number could rise to over 50, as local authorities search for missing people. In addition, more than 200 villagers fled as their homes were torched," Turk said.The Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary in the capital, Port Moresby, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.East Sepik Gov. Allan Bird said violence across the diverse nation of more than 10 million people, who are mostly subsistence farmers, has escalated in the past decade. Police are under-resourced and rarely intervene, Bird said.Papua New Guinea has more than 800 Indigenous languages and has been riven by tribal conflicts over land for centuries. Most of the country's land belongs to tribes rather than individuals, with no clear borders.The conflicts have become increasingly lethal in recent decades as combatants move from bows and arrows to assault rifles. Mercenaries are increasingly becoming involved.Blake Johnson, an analyst at the Australian Security Policy Institute think tank, said while the East Sepik slayings appeared to be a particularly gruesome event, "it is not the first instance of mass murder this year" in Papua New Guinea."Escalation of violence between groups, often leading to retaliatory murder is, at best, culturally accepted and at worst encouraged," Johnson said.Law enforcement officers lack the resources and training to police most of the country, he said."The country is too big, too harsh and too difficult to navigate, and we don't even know how many people live in these places," Johnson said.Papua New Guinea's tribal fighting attracted international attention in February, when at least 26 combatants and an unconfirmed number of bystanders were killed in a gun battle in Enga province.Ongoing conflict complicated the emergency response in May when a landslide in the same province devastated at least one village. The government said more than 2,000 people were killed, while the United Nations estimated the death toll at 670.Internal security problems in Papua New Guinea, the South Pacific's most populous country after Australia , have become a battle line for China's struggle against the U.S. and its allies for influence in the region.Australia, Papua New Guinea's former colonial master and its biggest provider of aid, signed a bilateral security pact last year that targets its nearest neighbor's growing security concerns, while Beijing also reportedly wants to ink a policing agreement with it.In 2022, China struck a secretive security pact with Papua New Guinea's near-neighbor Solomon Islands which included police aid and has raised concerns that a Chinese naval base could be established in the South Pacific. Thousands of rubber duckies float to the finish in London charity race Thousands of rubber ducks raced to the finish line in central London on Thursday, July 25, in an event supporting Cosmic Charity, who look after babies and children in intensive care.After being launched off a nearby bridge and into the canal, staff on paddle boards helped propel the rubber ducks down a 100-meter stretch to the finish line. NEW YORK TEEN STARTS NONPROFIT FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION THROUGH BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTS: 'WANTED TO HELP' "It's a lovely community event...everybody just loves this event because it's such a good, fun family event," Acting Chief Executive of Cosmic Charity, Lynsey Carrington, said about the event.Revelers could sponsor a duck to take part in the race, with funds going to Cosmic Charity . North Korean military hacker charged in cyberattacks on US hospitals, NASA, military bases A North Korean military intelligence operative has been indicted in a conspiracy to hack into American health care providers, NASA, U.S. military bases and international entities, stealing sensitive information and installing ransomware to fund more attacks, federal prosecutors announced Thursday.The indictment of Rim Jong Hyok by a grand jury in Kansas City, Kansas, accuses him of laundering the money through a Chinese bank and then using it to buy computer servers and fund more cyberattacks on defense, technology and government entities around the world.The hacks on American hospitals and other health care providers disrupted the treatment of patients, officials said. He's accused of targeting 17 entities across 11 U.S. states, including NASA and U.S. military bases, as well as defense and energy companies in China, Taiwan and South Korea. SOUTH KOREA PREPARING 'STARWARS' LASER DEFENSE SYSTEM TO TAKE OUT NORTH KOREAN DRONES For more than three months, Rim and other members of the Andariel Unit of North Korea's Reconnaissance General Bureau had access to NASA's computer system, extracting over 17 gigabytes of unclassified data, the indictment says. They also reached inside computer systems for defense companies in Michigan and California, as well as Randolph Air Force base in Texas and Robins Air Force base in Georgia, authorities say.The malware enabled the state-sponsored Andariel group to send stolen information to North Korean military intelligence, furthering the country's military and nuclear aspirations, federal prosecutors said. They've gone after details of fighter aircraft, missile defense systems, satellite communications and radar systems, a senior FBI official said."While North Korea uses these types of cyber crimes to circumvent international sanctions and fund its political and military ambitions, the impact of these wanton acts have a direct impact on the citizens of Kansas," said Stephen A. Cyrus, an FBI agent based in Kansas City.Online court records do not list an attorney for Rim, who has lived in North Korea and worked at the military intelligence agency's offices in both Pyongyang and Sinuiju, according to court records. A reward of up to $10 million has been offered for information that could lead to him or other foreign government operatives who target critical U.S. infrastructure.The Justice Department has prosecuted multiple cases related to North Korean hacking, often alleging a profit-driven motive that sets the nation's cybercriminals apart from hackers in Russia and China . In 2021, for instance, the department charged three North Korean computer programmers in a broad range of hacks including a destructive attack targeting an American movie studio and the attempted theft and extortion of more than $1.3 billion from banks and companies around the world.In this case, the FBI was alerted by a Kansas medical center that was hit in May 2021. Hackers had encrypted its files and servers, blocking access to patient files, laboratory test results and computers needed to operate hospital equipment. A Colorado health care provider was affected by the same Maui ransomware variant.A ransom note sent to the Kansas hospital demanded Bitcoin payments valued then at about $100,000, to be sent to a cryptocurrency address."Otherwise all of your files will be posted in the Internet which may lead you to loss of reputation and cause the troubles for your business," the note reads. "Please do not waste your time! You have 48 hours only! After that the Main server will double your price."Federal investigators said they traced blockchains to follow the money: An unnamed co-conspirator transferred the Bitcoin to a virtual currency address belonging to two Hong Kong residents before it was converted into Chinese currency and transferred to a Chinese bank. The money was then accessed from an ATM in China next to the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge connecting China and North Korea, according to court records.In 2022, the Justice Department said the FBI seized approximately $500,000 in ransom payments from the money laundering accounts, including the entire ransom payment from the hospital.An arrest of Rim is unlikely, so the biggest outcome of the indictment is that it may lead to sanctions that could cripple the ability of North Korea to collect ransoms this way, which could in turn remove the motivation to conduct cyber attacks on entities like hospitals in the future, according to Allan Liska, an analyst with the cybersecurity firm Recorded Future."Now, unfortunately, that will force them to do more cryptocurrency theft. So it's not going to stop their activity. But the hope is that we won't have hospitals disrupted by ransomware attacks because they'll know that they can't get paid," Liska said.He also noted that a Chinese entity was among the victims and questioned what the country, which is an ally of North Korea , thinks of being targeted."China can't be too thrilled about that," he said. Paris rail system disrupted just hours before Olympics opening ceremony Friday A major rail system in France has been massively disrupted ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics Opening Ceremonies later today.Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français (SNCF) tweeted Friday morning that "Following this massive attack aimed at paralyzing the high-speed line network, a large number of trains were diverted or canceled."Jean-Pierre Farandou, the CEO of SNCF, told reporters Friday the attacks on the rail system included "arson" and intentionally damaging cables. The state-run rail line said it doesn't know who's behind the attacks. 2024 PARIS OLYMPICS: EVERYTHING TO KNOW ABOUT OPENING CEREMONY Trains to and from Paris will ultimately be affected, and SNCF said approximately 800,000 travelers could feel the effect."Affected travelers will be contacted by email or SMS. We ask all travelers who can to postpone their trip and not to go to the station," the rail line continued.SNCF called the attacks on the three railway lines - the Atlantic, North and East - "an attack on France."Farandou said rail cables, which are there for safety, became damaged and will need repair."Therefore we have to pull them back together one by one, reconnect all these cables and test them. It's a question of security. We have to make sure we test them so when trains are back up and running, they are safe," Farandou said. FOX NEWS SPORTS HUDDLE NEWSLETTER: PROUD ATHLETES REPRESENTING US HEAD TO PARIS FOR OLYMPICS Farandou said that for one of the fires, two destinations were hit, adding that it was "a premeditated, calculated, coordinated attack" that indicates "a desire to seriously harm" the French people.In addition to the French population, this will be a busier-than-normal weekend and two weeks with spectators from around the world flocking to France for the Games, the first in Paris in 100 years since the city hosted the 1924 Games. Paris also hosted the 1900 Games.French sports minister Amélie Oudéa-Castera said Olympic organizers would "ensure the proper transport of all delegations to the competition sites."The Opening Ceremony will be on the Seine River beginning at 1:30 p.m. ET, the first kickoff to a Summer Olympics that won't be held in a stadium setting.There have been no reports of injuries. Netanyahu to meet Trump as Israeli leader looks to rekindle relationship JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is slated to meet former President Trump on Friday at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida in an effort to repair a fractured relationship.After President Biden defeated Trump in the 2020 presidential election, Netanyahu congratulated President-elect Biden , prompting Trump to call out the Israeli leader and was quoted as saying "I haven't spoken to him since," according to comments released from an interview with Israeli journalist Barak Ravid. "F--k him," Trump added.In his tweet, Netanyahu said, "Congratulations Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Joe, we've had a long and warm personal relationship for nearly 40 years, and I know you as a great friend of Israel," Netanyahu wrote on Twitter. "I look forward to working with both of you to further strengthen the special alliance between the US and Israel." NETANYAHU SEEMS TO CONTRADICT BIDEN CEASE-FIRE OFFER: 'NONSTARTER' IF ALL CONDITIONS NOT MET Netanyahu is now working to repair his relationship with Trump. During his  Thursday speech to Congress , the prime minister paid tribute to Trump's accomplishments in the Middle East."I want to thank President Trump for his leadership in brokering the historic Abraham Accords. Like Americans, Israelis were relieved that President Trump emerged safe and sound from that dastardly attack on him, dastardly attack on American democracy. There is no room for political violence in democracies," said the Israeli leader.Trump and his Mideast team brokered the Abraham Accords, a series of diplomatic normalization agreements between Israel and the Sunni Arab countries of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.Netanyahu continued in his speech "I also want to thank President Trump for all the things he did for Israel, from recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, to confronting Iran's aggression, to recognizing Jerusalem as our capital and moving the American Embassy there. That's Jerusalem, our eternal capital never to be divided again."Michael Makovsky, president and CEO of the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, told Fox News Digital, "It's very important for both men and both the U.S. and Israel that Netanyahu and Trump have a very positive meeting tomorrow, and I'm sure that will be the case. They had a close relationship when Trump was president, but then Trump expressed dissatisfaction with Netanyahu a couple of times. Still, Trump knows the Republican base is very pro-Israel, with the latest example being all the Republican-led standing ovations yesterday during Netanyahu's speech to Congress.""Trump can also pick up some independent or Democratic voters upset about Biden's shift on Israel this year and the concern over [Vice President] Kamala Harris' views toward Israel," Makovsky said. "Anyway, Trump is fundamentally pro-Israel. And Netanyahu keenly understands that strong U.S. backing, both in public and private, is pivotal to Israel addressing its many post-10/7 threats in Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, Yemen, etc., and the chances of normalization with Saudi Arabia; and if Trump is re-elected, they need to have close personal ties, which is critical for Trump. In any case, it's critical for U.S. national security interests for the U.S. to have close ties with Israel." BIDEN'S $230 MILLION GAZA PIER QUIETLY SHUTS DOWN, US SENATOR LABELS PROJECT 'NATIONAL EMBARRASSMENT' The new chapter in Trump-Netanyahu relations looks to already be unfolding, with Trump welcoming the Israeli leader's recognition of his Mideast diplomatic breakthroughs.Trump told "Fox & Friends" on Thursday that Netanyahu was "very nice to me yesterday. He mentioned me in the speech very nicely, and I appreciated that he's coming to see me."The former president, however, warned the Israeli leader that he needs to put the prosecution of the war against the U.S.-designated terrorist movement Hamas on the fast track: "I want him to finish up and get it done quickly. You got to get it done quickly because they are getting decimated with this publicity. And, you know, Israel is not very good at public relations."Trump also said that Hamas' mass slaughter of nearly 1,200 people, including more than 30 Americans, on Oct. 7 in southern Israel would not have happened if he had been re-elected in 2020: "Oct. 7th would have never happened if I was president. There was no chance. Iran was broke, they had no money for Hamas or Hezbollah. It just wouldn't have happened, zero chance."Trump said the nine-month war in Gaza to root out Hamas terrorists has lasted too long: "I'd make sure that it gets over with fast. You have to end this fast. It can't continue to go on like this. It's too long, it's too much. You got to get your hostages back."Hamas continues to hold  more than 100 hostages in Gaza , including eight Americans."This is a very tricky moment for a foreign leader to come to the United States. Asking for meetings with Biden, Harris and Trump was the appropriate way to handle it," Richard Goldberg, who served on the National Security Council during the Trump administration, told Fox News Digital.Goldberg, who is now a senior adviser for the Washington, D.C.-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies, continued, "I think you'd probably see a return to a formula that best promotes security, stability and peace: maximum pressure on Iran and maximum support to Israel." Fox News' Caitlin McFall contributed to this article. Security concerns around Olympic games lead to arrests with French authorities on high alert France will provide elite police officers to safeguard Israeli athletes throughout the Olympic Games due to security concerns as the opening ceremony gets underway Friday. "There are those who seek to undermine the celebratory nature of this joyous event," Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz wrote in a letter to his French counterpart. "We currently have assessments regarding the potential threat posed by Iranian terrorist proxies and other terrorist organizations who aim to carry out attacks against members of the Israeli delegation and Israeli tourists during the Olympics," Katz added. European authorities have remained on high alert as the Olympics bring an influx of threats and security concerns , especially with the presence of Israel. Some terrorist and radical groups want to see the country punished for its actions in the Gaza Strip.  2024 PARIS OLYMPICS: EVERYTHING TO KNOW ABOUT THIS YEAR'S SUMMER GAMES Tensions remain so high that a video of a fake Palestinian threat of attacks on France made the rounds on social media before a security source could tell the AFP that the video likely originated from "a Russian operation under a 'false flag,'" pointing to "several clues" that betray the authenticity of the video. French authorities have designated roughly 1,000 elite anti-terrorist officers to provide a "ring of steel" for the Israeli team amid anti-Israel protests, Reuters reported. Officials happily reported that the first competition involving Israeli athletes, a soccer match between Israel and Mali Wednesday, passed a security test. Israel's Shin Bet security agency will work with the French police to keep the area and Games safe for their athletes, but other criminal threats remain major concerns as the games get underway.  ISRAEL NATIONAL ANTHEM JEERED, PLAYERS BOOED DURING OPENING PARIS OLYMPICS SOCCER MATCH Belgian police on Thursday detained seven people suspected of planning a terrorist attack , with authorities reporting that the individuals may have participated in "the activities of a terrorist group," including financing and preparing for an attack. The police explained that "the specific targets of the attack had not yet been determined," but the threat had risen to the level of requiring police raids on 14 homes across Belgium, according to German outlet DW. The timing of the raids - just one day before the Games begin - prompted questions of links between the attack and the competition, but Belgian and French authorities did not comment on whether there were any such links.  TEAM USA'S STEPH CURRY, STEVE KERR BACK HARRIS FOR PRESIDENT AT OLYMPICS The preparation and focus on more international tensions has also allowed other crimes to occur before the Games get underway. French prosecutors earlier this week opened an inquiry after an Australian woman reported that five men allegedly attacked and gang-raped her . An investigative source told The Telegraph the woman was wandering around the northern Pigalle district in Paris over the weekend in an apparent state of distress and disarray. She then reportedly confronted one of her alleged attackers in a kebab shop, but he fled before police could arrive. CCTV footage captured the latter confrontation, but Paris prosecutors would not comment on the video while confirming a gang-rape investigation. No arrests have been made, nor have police released any descriptions of the alleged attackers.  Rockets launched at US forces stationed at Ain al-Asad airbase in Iraq Four rockets struck Thursday near Ain al-Asad airbase in Iraq, which houses U.S. troops, but there were no reported injuries, and there was no damage to the base, Fox News has learned. A U.S. defense official told Fox News none of the rockets landed inside the base. The attack comes just days after U.S. and Iraqi officials met at a Pentagon summit to discuss when the coalition against ISIS in Iraq could end and transition to a bilateral security relationship with some U.S. troops likely remaining.  ISIS REMAINS GLOBAL THREAT A DECADE AFTER DECLARING CALIPHATE, US MILITARY OFFICIAL SAYS Iraqi factions aligned with Iran have called on all 2,500 U.S. troops that remain in the country to withdraw. The attack on the airbase also comes just one day after  fighter jets intercepted two Russian Tu-95 "Bear" bombers and two Chinese H-6 bombers off the coast of Alaska. IRAQ ASKS UN TO ABANDON POLITICAL MISSION IN BAGHDAD NORAD fighter jets from the United States and Canada conducted the interception. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Iran-backed factions in Iraq have targeted U.S. troops at bases in the country dozens of times since the start of the Israel-Gaza War in October with a slowdown since February.   Fox News' Stephany Prince and Reuters contributed to this report.  The world's 1st 'test tube baby' turns 46 years old, over 6 million babies born through IVF since 1978 On July 25, 1978, Louise Joy Brown was born in the United Kingdom and her birth quickly caught the media's attention, as she was the world's first "test tube baby."In other words, Brown was the first baby born through in vitro fertilization (IVF). Her mother Leslie and father Peter suffered from infertility due to Leslie's blocked fallopian tubes, according to History.com. In November 1977, Leslie underwent an experimental IVF procedure. A mature egg was taken from one of her ovaries and combined in a laboratory dish with one of Peter's sperm to form an embryo, per the source.   MOM OF 5 CHOOSES PREGNANCY ONE MORE TIME AFTER FERTILITY CLINIC ASKS ABOUT HER LEFTOVER EMBRYOS A few days later, the embryo was implanted into Leslie's uterus, and nine months later, their daughter was brought into the world through Cesarean section. This successful IVF treatment was made possible by Robert Edwards, a British scientist, and Patrick Steptoe, a gynecologist. Steptoe was the one who delivered Brown at Olham and District General Hospital in Manchester, England, and gave her the middle name Joy, according to Brown's website. At the time, Brown's birth was made very public, a decision many criticized. However, Brown herself has defended her parents and the publicity that came from her scientific birth.  FDA APPROVES FIRST AT-HOME STERILE INSEMINATION KIT TO HELP WITH INFERTILITY: 'GIVES ME GOOSEBUMPS'  "My parents didn't have a choice about making it public," Louise previously told Time. "If they didn't, they would have had people asking 'Why can't we see her? What's wrong with her?'" She shared that Steptoe and Edwards needed the success of her birth to be made public. "Had there been anything at all wrong with me, it would have been the end of IVF," she said.  ALABAMA GOVERNOR SIGNS BILL PROTECTING IVF INTO LAW: 'PROUD WE ARE A PRO-LIFE, PRO-FAMILY STATE'  Following the birth of Louise, the Browns had a second daughter named Natalie by means of IVF. When they grew older, Louise and Natalie both gave birth to children of their own by natural means. After the success of Brown's birth, IVF slowly started to grow. In the United States, the first IVF baby was born in 1981, according to Time. Today, there have been over 6 million babies born through IVF, according to the Science Museum.In the United States, the average cycle costs around $15,000 to $30,000 per cycle, according to Forbes.The success rate varies greatly dependent on the age of the woman undergoing the procedure. For women younger than 35 and younger, the success rate on the first try is 55.1%, according to a 2020 CDC report. As a woman gets older, the rate of success begins to drop. Brown is still very vocal about being born through IVF today. She makes many public speeches telling her story, and penned an autobiography called "Louise Brown: My Life as the World's First Test-Tube Baby."  Rivals watching 'tenuous situation' in Biden White House following president's address: expert President Biden's Oval Office address on Wednesday night prompted little reaction from foreign leaders, but China and Russia provoked an Air Force incident in a preview of what the coming months may hold, an expert says."Russia and China will almost certainly take advantage of the tenuous situation in the White House," Rebekah Koffler, a strategic military intelligence analyst and author of "Putin's Playbook," told Fox News Digital. "I expect provocations the closer we get to November."Biden spoke from the Oval Office in a relatively brief primetime address during which he explained his reasons for deciding not to seek a second term after running for several months and debating former President Trump.The lack of response on Thursday cut a sharp contrast to the outpouring of support Biden found from allies or even the backhanded comments from rival foreign leaders on Sunday following his initial announcement. BIDEN SAYS 'THE CHOICE IS UP TO YOU, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE' WHILE SAYING HE WON'T SEEK RE-ELECTION Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov earlier this week explained that Russia viewed Biden as a "predictable" candidate and cryptically warned that "the election is still four months away, and that is a long time during which much can change." Ahead of Biden's address, Russia and China deployed jets and bombers that skirted the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), forcing the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) to scramble jets and intercept the foreign aircraft. The brief incident occurred less than an hour before Biden addressed the nation, which Koffler said would essentially serve as Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping's response to Biden's speech.  HARRIS WON'T SAY WHEN SHE FIRST LEARNED BIDEN WAS DROPPING OUT OF PRESIDENTIAL RACE "While there hasn't been an official verbal reaction from the Kremlin, the joint patrol that the Russian and Chinese warplanes conducted in international airspace near Alaska was almost certainly a reaction by Moscow and Beijing to President Biden's withdrawal from the presidential race," Koffler argued. "Putin and Xi are likely strategic messaging to Washington that Russia and China that they will escalate their geopolitical confrontation with the United States during what they perceive as a vulnerable period for America," she added. Trump, during a "FOX & Friends" interview, ridiculed Biden's speech and blasted media outlets for not treating him more rigorously after what he deemed to be a "terrible" speech.  DOCTORS REACT AFTER BIDEN'S LIVE ADDRESS TO THE NATION: A CONCERNING 'LACK OF EMOTION' "It was terrible, it was a terrible speech," Trump said. "Terrible delivery, he was having problems, and yet you watch the other networks, and you'd think he was Ronald Reagan in his prime, he was Winston Churchill in his prime, and he wasn't." "It was not good. It was not a good speech," Trump reiterated, insisting that it was clear Biden was having "problems." Trump went on to address the global impact of Biden's decision and speech, saying that the protests during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to Congress on Wednesday would draw notice from rival leaders in China, Russia and elsewhere. "All over the world, Putin and President Xi of China, all over the world, they're watching this," Trump claimed. "Kim Jong Un, he looks at us like we're a bunch of babies.""They see that that wouldn't happen in their countries," Trump insisted. "It's impossible for that to happen in their country... we look so bad to the world."  Fox News Digital's Stepheny Price contributed to this report.  Thousands flee Canada's Jasper National Park as wildfire spreads to town One of two raging wildfires menacing the town of Jasper in the Canadian Rockies' largest national park roared into town Wednesday and began burning buildings.Jasper National Park officials said the fire entered the southern edge of the community Wednesday evening and crews were battling multiple structural fires and working to protect key infrastructure. There were significant losses in some areas, they said.Forest firefighters and others without self-contained breathing apparatuses were told to evacuate to the nearby town of Hinton, with structural firefighters staying behind. FBI OFFERING $10,000 REWARD FOR INFO LEADING TO ARREST OF SUSPECTS IN DEADLY NEW MEXICO WILDFIRES Parks Canada spokesperson James Eastham told reporters outside Jasper that the town is filled with smoke and there "has been structural loss.""At this point I can't confirm how many, locations or specific structures. The fire continues to burn," he said.Parks Canada said firefighters are working to save "as many structures as possible and to protect critical infrastructure, including the wastewater treatment plant, communications facilities, the Trans Mountain Pipeline and others."A few hours earlier, many first responders were ordered out of Jasper National Park for their safety.Jasper is being menaced by fires from the north and south, and the town's 5,000 residents -- along with 20,000 more park visitors -- fled on short notice late Monday night when the fires flared up.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said they are "mobilizing every necessary resource available." Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she was "heartbroken."A record number of wildfires in 2023 forced more than 235,000 people across Canada to evacuate and sent thick smoke into parts of the U.S., leading to hazy skies and health advisories in multiple U.S. cities.The northern fire was spotted about 3 miles from Jasper earlier in the day. The southern fire had been reported about 5 miles away from the town, but Katie Ellsworth of Parks Canada said strong wind gusts swooping in behind it sent it racing.Everything that could go wrong did go wrong as fire perimeters changed minute by minute.Ellsworth said bucketing efforts by helicopter failed. Crews using heavy equipment to build fireguards couldn't complete the work before having to pull back for safety. Water bombers couldn't help due to dangerous flying conditions.A last-ditch effort to use controlled burns to reroute the fire to natural barriers like Highway 16 and the Athabasca River failed due to "unfavorable conditions."The hope was that rain forecast overnight would bring some relief.Ellsworth said the decision to relocate all first responders to Hinton, just outside the eastern edge of the park, "has not been made lightly."She said, "Given the intensity of fire behavior being observed the decision has been made to limit the number of responders exposed to this risk."Jasper National Park is considered a national treasure. The United Nations designated the parks that make up the Canadian Rockies, including Jasper, a World Heritage Site in 1984 for its striking mountain landscape.In 1953, Hollywood star Marilyn Monroe visited to make the movie "River of No Return." More recently, the TV show "The Bachelorette" was filmed there.Park rangers in helicopters scoured the park earlier Wednesday, looking for stragglers still there despite a mass evacuation aimed at moving visitors and residents away. Searchers looking through the backcountry trails of Jasper National Park already had picked up 245 people, and they continued the search Wednesday in two helicopters, Ellsworth said.Residents and visitors streamed out by the thousands late Monday and Tuesday, and officials said Wednesday the evacuation of the town of Jasper was complete.Ellsworth said park officials expected the evacuation of the park's backcountry areas to be completed later Wednesday. Reservations are required for the park, so authorities have an idea of where people are, though Ellsworth said she wasn't immediately sure how many people were left.Alberta has been baking under scorching temperatures that have already forced another 7,500 people out of remote communities. About 177 wildfires were burning across the province.Jasper resident Leanne Maeva Joyeuse was relieved but exhausted after reaching the Grand Prairie evacuation center following 20 hours on the road with her grandmother, parents and younger brother."We're just waiting to go back home and see how many days we're going to be stuck here," Joyeuse said. Death toll reaches 6 in Mexican tequila distillery blast Rescue teams on Wednesday found another body at a tequila distillery in Mexico a day after an explosion and fire , bringing the death toll to six. Two workers were injured.The factory belongs to the Jose Cuervo company, one of Mexico's most famous tequila brands. POSEIDON VS. CHAAC: MEXICO 'CANCELS' STATUE OF GREEK GOD AFTER COMPLAINT FROM MAYA INDIGENOUS GROUPS The local civil defense posted on X that the latest body was found in a waste area where large containers had collapsed.The company on Tuesday said the explosion occurred as employees were carrying out maintenance work. Authorities on Tuesday night said the situation was under control, but on Wednesday morning a fire broke out in a storage area with cardboard and other materials.The town of Tequila is about 375 miles northwest of Mexico City . Overlooked by a volcano and surrounded by plantations of agave, the plant from which the liquor is produced, life in the municipality of 40,000 residents revolves around tequila production and the tourism it generates. Britain's new Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces his first House of Commons grilling from lawmakers Newly elected British leader Keir Starmer faced a House of Commons milestone on Wednesday, fielding lawmakers' queries at the boisterous weekly Prime Minister's Questions session.It was the first such session since Starmer's Labour Party won a landslide election victory on July 4, returning to power after 14 years. The center-left party won 412 of the 650 seats in the House of Commons. KEIR STARMER ELECTED NEW UK PRIME MINISTER AFTER BIG LABOUR PARTY WIN Starmer is more accustomed to asking the questions after spending four years as leader of the opposition to a Conservative government. Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak now fills that role as leader of the defeated Conservative Party.Starmer was greeted with a loud cheer by Labour lawmakers packed onto the green benches in the Commons. The often rambunctious spectacle of PMQs struck an unusually cordial note, as Sunak and Starmer stressed their mutual commitment to supporting Ukraine in its defense against Russia's invasion.The prime minister told the opposition leader he "wholeheartedly agree" on the need to arm Ukraine and set it on the path to NATO membership - words not often heard between them.The two politicians also sent best wishes to British athletes at the Paris Olympics, although, Sunak added, "I'm probably not the first person they want to hear advice from on how to win."Labour won a landslide election victory over the Conservatives on July 4 on a promise to get the U.K.'s sluggish economy growing, unleash a wave of housebuilding and green energy projects and patch the country's frayed public services.Labour's large majority means Starmer should easily be able to pass legislation. But he has already had to quell a rebellion, suspending seven Labour lawmakers for voting against the party over social welfare.The government is under pressure from anti-poverty groups and many Labour lawmakers to scrap a policy introduced by the Conservatives that limits a widely paid welfare benefit and tax credit to a family's first two children. The new government says it can't afford to immediately abolish the two-child cap.On Tuesday night, seven Labour lawmakers on the left of the party sided with an opposition call to scrap the limit. The party said the seven, who include former deputy leader John McDonnell, had been suspended from Labour's parliamentary caucus for at least six months. They will remain lawmakers, but will sit as independents.Zarah Sultana, one of the suspended legislators, said she had "slept well knowing that I took a stand against child poverty that is affecting 4.3 million people in this country.""It is the right thing to do and I am glad I did it," she told broadcaster ITV. Man charged over attempted murder of Salman Rushdie accused of ties to Hezbollah A court filing made last week in New York alleged that the man charged with trying to murder Salman Rushdie may have had ties to Hezbollah and provided them with "material support." "Between in and about September 2020... the defendant, HADI MATAR, a citizen of the United States, knowingly did attempt to provide material support and resources ... to a designated foreign terrorist organization, namely, Hizballah," the indictment, filed on July 17, claimed. Matar, 26, was charged with repeatedly stabbing Rushdie on Aug. 12, 2022 on stage at the Chautauqua Institution just as the award-winning author was about to give a lecture. Emergency responders airlifted him to a hospital in northwestern Pennsylvania, where he underwent life-saving surgery. Matar will finally stand trial for the attack, having refused a plea deal, and following a minor delay after the publication of Rushdie's memoir, "Knife," that detailed his experience of the attack. He already faced charges of attempted murder and assault, and the plea deal required him to plead guilty to a federal terrorism-related charge, which had yet to be filed at the time. TOP DEM WHO VISITED BUTLER SAYS LOCAL OFFICIALS TOLD HIM 'WE NEED TO TALK' MORE ABOUT SECRET SERVICE FAILURES Now, unsealed in U.S. District Court in Buffalo on Wednesday, Matar faces charges of attempting to support Hezbollah , the terrorist group based in Lebanon and backed by Iran. The charge includes a requirement to turn over all electronic devices should he be convicted on any of the charges alleged in the indictment. Authorities would have to confiscate several hard drives, a PlayStation 4, two cellphones and a laptop in addition to several knives.  BRYAN KOHBERGER SEEKS TO MOVE MURDER TRIAL OUT OF SMALL COMMUNITY LEANING TOWARD CONVICTION Both cases will now proceed to trial separately, with jury selection for the state charges set for Oct. 15. Matar has remained in custody without bail since the attack occurred. The attack on Rushdie left him blind in one eye, and he suffered damage to his liver and the nerves in one of his arms. Matar claimed he had attacked Rushdie due to the fatwa put out against the author in 1989 by Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini calling for Rushdie's death due to the publication of the novel "The Satanic Verses." MISSOURI WOMAN SANDRA HEMME WHO SPENT 43 YEARS IN PRISON FREED AFTER MURDER CONVICTION OVERTURNED The novel prompted worldwide protests following its publication in 1988. The book's publication led to the murder of its Japanese translator, and "others associated with it were attacked," according to "60 Minutes." The fatwa drove Rushdie to flee to the United Kingdom, where he lived for years before diplomatic negotiations led the Iranian state to declare the affair "completely finished" and insist that the country would not encourage anyone else to threaten Rushdie's life.However, Iranian clerics and religious groups continued to urge followers to kill Rushdie, periodically raising the bounty on his head, which amounts to just shy of $4 million, according to Reuters.   Despite admitting that he had read little of "The Satanic Verses,"  Matar stabbed Rushdie because the author had "attacked Islam" and, on top of that, he did not like Rushdie very much.  The Associated Press contributed to this report. New Zealand inquiry reveals 'unimaginable' abuse in care institutions over 5 decades New Zealand's wide-ranging independent inquiry into the abuse of children and vulnerable adults in care over the span of five decades released a blistering final report Wednesday that found the country's state agencies and churches failed to prevent, stop or admit to the abuse of those they were supposed to look after - even when they knew about it.The scale of the abuse was "unimaginable" with an estimated 200,000 people abused in seven decades, the report said. Scrutiny of state and faith-run institutions was lax and predators rarely faced repercussions.In response to the findings, New Zealand's government agreed for the first time that historical treatment of some children in a notorious state-run hospital amounted to torture, and pledged an apology to all those abused in state, foster and religious care since 1950. But Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said it was too soon to divulge how much the government expected to pay in compensation - a bill the inquiry said would run to the billions of dollars - or to promise that officials involved in denying and covering up the abuse would lose their jobs. LAWSUIT ALLEGES DECADES OF CHILD SEX ABUSE AT ILLINOIS JUVENILE DETENTION CENTERS STATEWIDE The publication of findings by the Royal Commission - the highest level of inquiry that can be undertaken in New Zealand - capped a six-year investigation that followed two decades of similar probes around the world, echoing other nations' struggles to reckon with authorities' transgressions against children removed from their families and placed in state and religious care.The results were a "national disgrace," the inquiry's report said. Of 650,000 children and vulnerable adults in state, foster, and church care between 1950 and 2019 - in a country that today has a population of just 5 million - nearly a third endured physical, sexual, verbal or psychological abuse. Many more were exploited or neglected, the report said. The figures were likely higher, though precise numbers would never be known because complaints were disregarded and records were lost or destroyed."These gross violations occurred at the same time as Aotearoa New Zealand was promoting itself, internationally and domestically, as a bastion of human rights and as a safe, fair country in which to grow up as a child in a loving family," the inquiry heads wrote, using both the Māori and English names for the country."If this injustice is not addressed, it will remain as a stain on our national character forever," read the 3,000-page report. DOZENS OF CHILDREN WERE ABUSED IN PENNSYLVANIA'S JUVENILE FACILITIES, LAWSUITS ALLEGE Hundreds of survivors and their supporters filled the public gallery Wednesday in New Zealand's Parliament, where lawmakers responded to the findings.The report lambasted some senior figures in government and faith institutions, who it said continued to cover up and excuse abuse throughout public hearings into the matter. Many of the worst episodes had long been common knowledge, it said, and officials at the time of the abuse were "either oblivious or indifferent" about protecting children, instead shoring up the reputations of their institutions and of abusers.The inquiry made 138 recommendations across all areas of New Zealand law, society and government. It adds to dozens of interim recommendations in 2021 that urged swift redress for those abused, some of whom were sick or dying - of which little has been enacted.The government pledged Wednesday to supply answers by the end of the year about plans for redress, although the inquiry decried the scant progress made by successive governments to date.The fresh recommendations include seeking apologies from state and church leaders, including Pope Francis, for the abuse of children and vulnerable adults and for disbelieving decades of accounts. The inquiry also endorsed creating dedicated offices to prosecute abusers and enact redress, renaming the streets and monuments that are currently dedicated to abusers, reforming civil and criminal law, rewriting the child welfare system, and searching for unmarked graves at psychiatric facilities.Among investigations worldwide, New Zealand's inquiry was notable for its scale - the widest-ranging such probe ever undertaken, according to those leading it. It examined abuse in state institutions, foster care, faith-based care, and medical and educational settings, interviewing nearly 2,500 survivors of abuse.Children were removed arbitrarily and unfairly from their families, the report said, and the majority of New Zealand's criminal gang members and prisoners are believed to have spent time in care.As in Australia and Canada, Indigenous children were targeted for placement in harsher facilities and subject to worse abuse. The majority of children in care were Māori, despite the group comprising less than 20% of New Zealand's population during the period examined.The average cost of abuse in a survivor's lifetime is $508,000, the inquiry found. Health care and other government-funded measures account for less than a quarter of that cost, while the remainder quantifies the toll on the survivor of their pain, suffering, lost opportunities and early death.Those abused have had little recourse under New Zealand law to sue or seek compensation, with some accepting small out-of-court settlements. As recently as 2015, New Zealand governments rejected the need for such an inquiry and government agencies argued that abuse had not been endemic.Tu Chapman, a survivor and advocate, attended Parliament on Wednesday, where she told The Associated Press that immediate action was needed on redress to prove that the government took the findings seriously."Announce the redress system as soon as possible," she said. "Further delay is just impacting survivors even more who have waited 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 years."In comments to reporters Wednesday ahead of the report's release, Luxon said the government now heard and believed survivors, and that he had been shocked by the findings."New Zealanders just don't think this thing would happen, that abuse on this scale would ever happen in New Zealand," the prime minister said. "We always thought that we were exceptional and different, and the reality is we're not."Luxon said that when survivors tried to speak up with "horrific and harrowing" stories of abuse, the people charged with protecting them "turned a blind eye." The findings marked "a dark and sorrowful day" for the country, Luxon added.While he could not yet say which recommendations he would commit to enacting, he said the government would formally apologize to survivors on Nov. 12.Following Luxon's speech, hundreds of survivors stood and sang a Māori song in an emotional scene.Karen Chhour, a lawmaker for the libertarian ACT party who grew up in state care, told Parliament that New Zealand had "tolerated rape and abuse of vulnerable people and the abuse of power" for too long."It's time we faced this poison that is rotting our nation from the inside," said Chhour, whose party is a member of the governing bloc.Children and vulnerable adults were "devalued and dehumanized," said Chris Hipkins, leader of Labour - New Zealand's main opposition party, which commissioned the inquiry while in power. The episode was "a nationwide intergenerational shame" that was far from over, he added.Debbie Ngarewa-Packer, an opposition lawmaker and co-leader of the Māori Party, said she did not accept the government needed time to digest the report."What the hell has changed for us?" Ngarewa-Packer asked Parliament on Wednesday, referring to what the inquiry said was continuing abuse of people in care - and current government crackdowns on gangs and youth offenders, many of whom spent time in care.The report singled out churches - particularly the Catholic Church - as failing to address or prevent abuse. As many as 42% of those in faith-based care by all denominations were abused, according to a report produced for the inquiry. The Catholic Church said in a 2020 briefing to the commission that accusations had been made against 14% of its New Zealand clergy during the time covered by the inquiry.In one recommendation, the inquiry's authors exhorted an investigation into priests from one Catholic order who had been sent to Papua New Guinea to evade accusations of abuse in Australia and New Zealand, adding that little was known about "the nature and extent of abuse and neglect there or the needs of potential survivors."Senior Catholic figures in New Zealand said in a written statement Wednesday that they had received the report and "will now read and review it carefully." 1 dead, 3 injured after storm blows down tree at Cambodian Angkor temple complex, damaging statues One person was killed and three others injured at Cambodia's famed centuries-old Angkor temple complex after a large tree was blown down onto their vehicle during a fierce rainstorm, a government statement said Wednesday.The accident occurred late Tuesday afternoon at the southern gate to Angkor Thom, which is near the more famous Angkor Wat temple and part of the same archaeological complex in the northwestern province of Siem Reap, about 200 miles northwest of the capital, Phnom Penh.The site is Cambodia's most popular tourist attraction and in the first half of this year attracted more than half a million international tourists, according to Cambodia's Tourism Ministry. CAMBODIA ARMY BASE EXPLOSION THAT KILLED 20 WAS LIKELY CAUSED BY MISHANDLING MUNITIONS, MILITARY OFFICIAL SAYS The tree fell on a tuk-tuk - a kind of motorized three-wheeled vehicle popular in South and Southeast Asia - killing the driver instantly and injuring its three passengers, one critically, according to a statement issued by the Siem Reap Provincial Administration on Wednesday.Several statues on the balustrade of what is called Tonle Oum Gate were also damaged by the fallen tree , the statement said.The Apsara National Authority, the government agency that oversees the archaeological park , posted photos late Tuesday on its official Facebook page showing the fallen tree in front of the temple entrance. The agency later announced that the fallen tree had been removed so that the entrance was again accessible for visitors.The Angkor site sprawls across some 155 square miles, containing the ruins of capitals of various Cambodian empires from the 9th to the 15th centuries. Scholars consider it to be one of the most important archaeological sites in Southeast Asia. North Korean trash balloon drops garbage on South Korea's presidential compound Trash carried by at least one North Korean balloon fell on the South Korean presidential compound on Wednesday, raising worries about the security of key South Korean facilities during North Korean provocations.The rubbish that landed on the presidential compound in central Seoul contained no dangerous material and no one was hurt, South Korea's presidential security service said. While North Korea likely lacks sophisticated technology to drop balloons on specific targets, some experts say South Korea should shoot down incoming North Korean balloons next time to protect major facilities because they might contain hazardous substances in the future.North Korea's latest balloon launches came days after South Korea boosted its broadcasts of K-pop songs and propaganda messages across the two countries' heavily armed border. Their tit-for-tat Cold War-style campaigns are inflaming tensions, with the rivals threatening stronger steps and warning of grave consequences. SOUTH KOREA PREPARING 'STARWARS' LASER DEFENSE SYSTEM TO TAKE OUT NORTH KOREAN DRONES Seoul officials earlier said North Korea used the direction of winds to fly balloons toward South Korea, but some of the past balloons had timers that were likely meant to pop the bags of trash in midair.The security service gave no further details about the rubbish found at the presidential compound. It refused to disclose whether President Yoon Suk Yeol was at the compound when the balloons were flying over his office, a no-fly zone in South Korea.If North Korea is found to have used timers or any other device to deliberately dump trash on the presidential office, it would invite a strong response by South Korea. But experts say dropping balloons on selected ground targets requires advanced technology and that North Korea would certainly lack such an ability."Some of (the hundreds of balloons) launched by North Korea landed on the presidential compound by coincidence. North Korea has no technology to precisely drop balloons at certain targets," said Jung Chang Wook, head of the Korea Defense Study Forum think tank in Seoul.Jung said that a GPS navigation device and a power system would need to be attached to a balloon to make it fall on certain sites and that North Korea doesn't possess such balloons. He said North Korea likely wanted the balloons to fall on Seoul, about an hour's drive from the border, after calculating factors like the weight of the trash bags tied to the balloons, the volume of air in the balloons and the weather conditions.Lee Illwoo, an expert with the Korea Defense Network in South Korea, said strong winds in Seoul would also make it impossible for North Korea to target certain places with balloons.South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said earlier Wednesday that North Korea had resumed floating balloons across the border, the 10th such launch since late May.The more than 2,000 North Korean balloons discovered in South Korea in the past weeks carried wastepaper, scraps of cloth, cigarette butts and even manure. North Korea has said it was responding to South Korean activists who have scattered political leaflets across the border via their own balloons.North Korea's balloons haven't caused any major damage but have raised security jitters among people worried it could use such balloons to drop chemical and biological agents.South Korea has avoided shooting at the balloons because of possible damage caused by falling bullets and the chance that the balloons might contain hazardous substances.Lee said South Korea should still shoot down North Korean balloons in border areas because attacking them over the populous Seoul area would be too risky if they contain dangerous items like biological agents. But there are worries that doing so could cause skirmishes with North Korea. Jung said South Korea could use recently developed laser weapons to intercept North Korean balloons.Experts say North Korea considers leafleting activities by South Korean civilian groups a major threat to its efforts to stop the inflow of foreign news and maintain its authoritarian rule. In furious responses to past South Korean leafleting, North Korea destroyed an empty South Korean-built liaison office in its territory in 2020 and fired at incoming balloons in 2014. South Korea said Sunday it was ramping up its anti-North Korean propaganda broadcasts from loudspeakers at all major sites along the land border because the North was continuing its launches of trash-carrying balloons. South Korea restarted its loudspeaker broadcasts last Thursday for the first time in about 40 days in retaliation for North Korea's previous balloon activities.Observers say the propaganda broadcasts can demoralize front-line North Korean troops and residents. In 2015, North Korea fired artillery rounds across the border in anger over South Korea's restart of propaganda broadcasts, prompting the South to return fire.South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesperson Lee Sung Joon said the current South Korean broadcasts include K-pop songs and news on South Korean economic development. South Korean media reported the broadcasts also contained news on the recent defection of a senior North Korean diplomat and called the planting of land mines by North Korean soldiers at the border "hellish, slave-like lives."South Korea has an estimated 40 loudspeakers - 24 stationary and 16 mobile ones. South Korea's military said Monday it was operating all of the fixed loudspeakers and plans to use the mobile loudspeakers as well.North Korea hasn't officially responded to the South Korean propaganda broadcasts. But last week, Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un , threatened new countermeasures against South Korean civilian leafleting, warning that South Korean "scum" must be ready to pay "a gruesome and dear price" for their actions. Families of US citizens held by Hamas pin hopes on Netanyahu's address to Congress JERUSALEM - With Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu set to address both houses of Congress on Wednesday, families of U.S. citizens held hostage by the Hamas terror group in Gaza for some 292 days expressed hope that he will use the high-profile platform to finally announce a cease-fire deal that will release them. Ahead of his flight to Washington, D.C., Netanyahu's office released a statement saying that Israel would return to the negotiating table this week in the hopes of securing a deal with the U.S.-designated terror group to release hostages in exchange for a cease-fire of the nine-month-old war that has killed thousands on both sides. Eight U.S. citizens have been held by Hamas since Oct. 7, when hundreds of its elite Nukhba terrorists infiltrated southern Israel, brutally attacking army bases, civilian communities and a massive music festival taking place near the border. Some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were murdered in the attack, with an estimated 250 individuals taken captive by the Palestinian terror group.  NETANYAHU'S 4 PRINCIPLES ISRAEL AGREES TO FOR HOSTAGE DEAL AS NEGOTIATIONS PICK UP While a weeklong cease-fire last November secured the release of more than 100 of the hostages, around 120 people remain in captivity, including eight U.S. citizens: California-born Hersch Goldberg-Polin, 23, who moved to Israel with his family, was kidnapped from the Nova Music Festival. Sagui Dekel Chen, 35, who grew up in New Jersey, and Keith Siegel, 64, from North Carolina, were both taken from their homes in kibbutz communities near the Gaza border. While Eden Alexander, 19, from Tenafly, New Jersey, and Omer Neutra from Long Island, New York - both serving in the Israel Defense Forces - were taken from their military bases. In April, Hamas released video recordings of both Goldberg-Polin, who is known to have had his arm blown off during the Oct. 7 attack, and from Keith Siegel, giving hope to their families that they are still alive despite the longevity of their captivity. Three other U.S. citizens - Judy Weinstein and her husband, Gad Haggai, and 19-year-old Itay Chen - are believed to have been murdered in captivity by Hamas, who are still holding onto their bodies. An additional 44 hostages have also been declared dead by the Israeli military. Last week, Ronen and Orna Neutra, the parents of Omer Neutra, spoke at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, calling on U.S. and Israeli leaders to strike a deal to release all the hostages. "This was not merely an attack on Israel; this was and remains an attack on Americans," Ronen Neutra said, highlighting that 45 of the 1,200 people murdered by Hamas on Oct. 7 were Americans. 'I WILL BE HAUNTED FOREVER': ISRAEL'S HORRIFIC VIDEO OF HAMAS ATROCITIES LEAVES VIEWERS SHOCKED AND SICKENED On Monday, not long after he touched down in Washington, Netanyahu agreed to meet with representatives of the eight families, according to a readout. The families told the prime minister that their loved ones cannot wait any longer and that he must close the deal now. They also called on him to address the plight of the eight American hostages when he speaks to Congress on Wednesday. "The families told Netanyahu in no uncertain terms that they expect him to announce this week that he has finalized the deal to bring their family members home," a statement from the meeting read. "Anything less, they said, would constitute an abject failure of his trip to Washington." Also on Monday, the families of U.S. hostages met with  National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk, who said there is a solid deal on the table and that it would just take "political determination and cooperation from both sides" to secure it.Netanyahu - who will also meet with President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump during his trip - also expressed hope that a deal could be achieved during a meeting with 13 additional hostage relatives, who traveled with him from Israel. In that meeting, he said that he was "determined to return them all" and that "the conditions for returning them are becoming ripe, for the simple reason that we are putting very strong pressure on Hamas."Netanyahu also said that his visit to the U.S. and the chance to address lawmakers from both sides of the aisle and in both houses would afford him "the opportunity to bring before the representatives of the American people, and the American people themselves the importance of their support for our efforts, with them, to bring about the release of all of the hostages, the living and the deceased." Netanyahu to address Congress, meet Biden as Israelis ponder relationship: 'American people are with us' JERUSALEM - Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Washington, D.C., on Monday evening in preparation for his address to Congress on Wednesday. He will hold his first meeting with President Biden on U.S. soil since the Iran-backed terrorist movement Hamas slaughtered nearly 1,200 people on Oct. 7, including some 30 Americans, and took about 250 hostages.The two leaders have had sharp disagreements over Israel's prosecution of the war in the Gaza Strip, where Hamas is based. A telling example was Israel's  decision to defy Biden and seek military control over the southern Gaza City of Rafah, the last main stronghold of Hamas battalions and hostages held by the U.S.-designated terrorist entity.Caroline Glick, an American-Israeli commentator and former adviser to Netanyahu, told Fox News Digital, "Biden's meeting with Netanyahu finds the two leaders on opposite ends of the spectrum. Like the vast majority of Israelis, Netanyahu remains committed to achieving Israel's war goals of destroying Hamas as a military and political entity, returning all the hostages, preventing Gaza from ever threatening Israel in the future, and changing the strategic balance in northern Israel completely in Israel's favor to permit the 80,000 Israeli residents of the border towns with Lebanon to return to their homes safely after living in hotels since they were evacuated in October." BIDEN'S $230 MILLION GAZA PIER QUIETLY SHUTS DOWN, US SENATOR LABELS PROJECT 'NATIONAL EMBARRASSMENT' According to Glick, who lives in Jerusalem, "Biden seeks a cease-fire that achieves none of these goals. In their meeting, Biden will pressure Netanyahu to abandon Israel's war goals and accept a cease-fire. Netanyahu will seek to secure weapons supplies to ensure Israel has what it requires to win."The incursion into Rafah in May prompted Hamas to soften its negotiating position in talks this month about a cease-fire and the release of the hostages, according to Netanyahu. The Israeli prime minister issued boilerplate diplomatic language about his government's relations with the Biden administration that has at times pandered to anti-Israel elements within its far-left base, according to veteran observers of the relationship.Netanyahu is expected to meet Biden on Thursday to discuss the goals of the war. The Times of Israel reported that the prime minister said upon leaving Israel for D.C. on Monday that the meeting was "an opportunity to discuss with him how to advance in the critical months ahead the goals that are important for both our countries: achieving the release of all our hostages, defeating Hamas, confronting the terror axis of Iran, and ensuring that all of Israel's citizens can return safely to their homes in the north and the south."Biden continues to push for a cease-fire to stop the war and that Netanyahu provide a concrete plan for a post-Hamas Gaza. ISRAEL STRIKES IRAN-BACKED HOUTHIS AFTER TEHRAN PROXY ATTACKED JEWISH STATE: 'SIGNIFICANCE IS CLEAR' Fox News Digital interviewed Israelis across the Jewish state - roughly the size of New Jersey - about the complex dynamics of Israel-American relations and what Netanyahu's trip means for both democracies, especially as Netanyahu gets ready to address Congress on Wednesday."Right now I think it is extremely important for Bibi (the nickname for Netanyahu) to go to Congress to tell those who are pro-Israel that we need help. My fear and my disgust is with the Democrats, especially the current President Biden, who does not like Israel," said Dov Yitzchak Neal, who lives in Gush Etzion, which is located in the Judean mountains. The international community refers to the biblical region of Judea and Samaria as the West Bank. Neal said that because Israel is the sole democracy in the Middle East, "America must support this country because this country has American values."Dalia, who lives in Israel's second-largest city, Tel Aviv, echoed Neal's point."Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East. It is an ally of the United States. And the relationship and the friendship between the two is critical, and I will hope it will remain forever. Biden has been relatively supportive, relatively being the operative word." She also lambasted the hard  left-wing Democrat "Squad" members of Congress because of their anti-Israel views. NETANYAHU SEEMS TO CONTRADICT BIDEN CEASE-FIRE OFFER: 'NON-STARTER' IF ALL CONDITIONS NOT MET David Binet, who also lives in Tel Aviv, said "America needs to acknowledge that Israel is its greatest ally in the region and at the forefront of the fight against militant Islamic terrorism."Tzvia, who was in the heart of the famous Jerusalem market, said, "I don't think Biden does enough for Israel. I think he needs to do more for us. Be united with us against Iran, Lebanon and Gaza because, in the end, Iran will attack the United States as well, not only us. The American people are with us, most of them. ... I don't know about the government."On the eve of Netanyahu's address to Congress, a bipartisan group of former Israeli national security officials, former diplomats and academics sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Speaker Mike Johnson, and Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries stating their "grave concerns" over Netanyahu's visit. The letter noted in part that, "This visit prioritizes his personal political survivability over our shared interests. Netanyahu has lost the support of the Israeli people and is trying to shore up his domestic coalition through a show of force in the United States." The letter went onto claim that "He remains unwilling to conceptualize a post-war plan, and continues destabilizing the national security of both Israel and the U.S."Biden's press conference earlier this month left several pro-Israel voices angered by the president's reaction when asked about Israel's war with Hamas."In his press conference, Biden turned the Israel-Hamas conflict upside down. He didn't have a single word of condemnation for Hamas or its enablers nor did he mention that upwards of 100 hostages, including eight Americans, continue to be held by Hamas in deplorable conditions. Instead, he criticized Israel and pushed a two-state solution which, for Israel, would lead to its destruction," David Friedman, who served as Trump's ambassador to Israel told Fox News Digital.Retired Israeli Brig. Gen. Amir Avivi told Fox News Digital, "When President Biden doesn't make it clear that Hamas has attacked viciously in the massacre in Israel and that Israel has the right to defend itself and destroy Hamas completely, this empowers Hamas. The whole existence of Israel is dependent on a decisive win in Gaza. Without a decisive win, Israel will be under huge danger from all fronts. We expect President Biden to stand completely with Israel. We cannot end the war without ensuring never again there will be a terror army in Gaza." He noted that Israel needs U.S. support to defeat Hamas and secure the release of the hostages.The U.S. State Department referred Fox News Digital to the National Security Council, which did not immediately respond to a press query. India's Modi sets aside billions for jobs, allies in post-election budget India's government assigned billions of dollars for job creation and regions run by key coalition partners in a budget aimed at cementing the coalition and winning back voters after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's election setback. Tax changes unveiled in the budget included a higher levy on equity investments to allay concerns the market might be overheating and lower taxes for foreign companies to attract more investment. INDIAN PM MODI VISITS RUSSIA VISIT FOR FIRST TIME SINCE START OF UKRAINE WAR The $576 billion in total outlays included $32 billion for rural programs, $24 billion to be spent over five years to create jobs, and more than $5 billion for two states ruled by coalition partners."In this budget, we particularly focus on employment, skilling, small businesses, and the middle class," Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Tuesday.The government will also implement reforms across factors of production, including land and labor, she said.Subsequent budgets would continue to focus on those areas, Sitharaman said while presenting her seventh annual budget.Despite the new spending, India cut its fiscal deficit target to 4.9% of gross domestic product in fiscal year ending on March 31, 2025, from 5.1% in February's interim budget, helped by a large surplus of $25 billion from the central bank.The government also marginally reduced gross market borrowing to 14.01 trillion rupees.Economist had blamed the distress in rural areas and a weak job market for a poor poll showing that cost Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) its absolute majority. They say land and labor reforms are essential for India to sustain strong economic growth.Asia's third-largest economy grew 8.2% in the past fiscal year and the government sees growth of 6.5% to 7% this fiscal year, a report showed on Monday.Sakshi Gupta, principal economist at HDFC Bank, said the budget managed to strike a balance between policies supporting growth and maintaining fiscal discpline.However, implementing more ambitious reforms, will be "challenging" for the coalition, Gene Fang, associate managing director for sovereign risk at Moody's Ratings, told Reuters.Previous attempts to make it easier for companies to acquire land and lay off staff have repeatedly faced pushback from states concerned about protests such measures might provoke.Among measures aimed at boosting employment, the budget included incentives for companies to train staff as well as and cheaper loans for higher education, Sitharaman said.India's reported urban unemployment rate is 6.7%, but private agency the Centre For Monitoring Indian Economy pegs it higher, at 8.4%.The budget also maintains spending on long-term infrastructure projects at 11.11 trillion rupees, with states assigned 1.5 trillion rupees in long-term loans to fund such expenditure. Some will be linked to reform milestones in areas such as land and labor, which Sitharaman said the government intended to push in its third term.In a concession to the government's allies, Sitharaman said it would hasten loans from multilateral agencies for the eastern state of Bihar and the southern state of Andhra Pradesh.TAX CHANGESIndia raised to 20% from 15% its tax rate for equity investments held for less than a year, while the rate for those held longer than 12 months rose to 12.5% from 10%. The taxes will be applicable from Wednesday.The government also increased the tax on equity derivative transactions that have drawn retail investors, which will be implemented from Oct. 1.Shares and the rupee declined after the budget announcement but recovered most of the losses with main stock indexes .NSEI, .BSESN ending the day down about 0.13%.The tax changes were a short-term negative for the market, but could pay off in the longer term, said Vineet Arora, investment manager at Singapore-based NAV Capital Emerging Star Fund."It is expected to help in stabilizing the market and attracting investors with a long-term perspective on the Indian economy," Arora said.Corporate tax for foreign companies was cut to 35% from 40%, with the aim of encouraging more investment, while a lower tax burden for lower income consumers, expected to encourage spending, helped drive consumer stocks to record highs. US-Russian journalist convicted in secret trial gets 6 1/2 years in penal colony, court says A court has convicted Alsu Kurmasheva, a Russian-American journalist for the U.S. government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, of spreading false information about the Russian army and sentenced her to 6 and a half years in prison after a secret trial, court records and officials said Monday.Kurmasheva's family, her employer and the U.S. government have rejected the charges against her and have called for her release.The conviction in Kazan, the capital of Russia's central region of Tatarstan, came on Friday, the same day a court in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg convicted Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich of espionage and sentenced him to 16 years in prison in a case that the U.S. called politically motivated. REPORTER EVAN GERSHKOVICH'S CONVICTION, HARSH SENTENCE IN RUSSIA MET WITH OUTRAGE BY JOURNALISTS WORLDWIDE Kurmasheva, a 47-year-old editor for RFE/RL's Tatar-Bashkir language service, was convicted of "spreading false information" about the military after a trial that lasted just two days, according to the website of the Supreme Court of Tatarstan. Court spokesperson Natalya Loseva confirmed Kurmasheva's conviction and revealed the sentence to The Associated Press by phone in the case classified as secret.Kurmasheva was ordered to serve the sentence in a medium-security penal colony, Loseva said."My daughters and I know Alsu has done nothing wrong. And the world knows it too. We need her home," Kurmasheva's husband, Pavel Butorin, said in a post Monday on X.He had said last year the charges stemmed from a book the Tatar-Bashkir service released in 2022 called "No to War" - "a collection of short stories of Russians who don't want their country to be at war with Ukraine." Butorin had said the book doesn't contain any "false information."Matthew Miller, the U.S. State Department spokesman, said Kurmasheva is being "targeted by Russian authorities for her uncompromising commitment to speaking the truth and her principled reporting.""We continue to make very clear that she should be released," Miller added.Asked about the case, RFE/RL President and CEO Stephen Capus denounced the trial and conviction of Kurmasheva as "a mockery of justice." "The only just outcome is for Alsu to be immediately released from prison by her Russian captors," he said in a statement to the AP."It's beyond time for this American citizen, our dear colleague, to be reunited with her loving family," Capus said.Kurmasheva, who holds U.S. and Russian citizenship and lives in Prague with her husband and two daughters, was taken into custody in October 2023 and charged with failing to register as a foreign agent while collecting information about the Russian military.Later, she was also charged with spreading "false information" about the Russian military under legislation that effectively criminalized any public expression about the war in Ukraine that deviates from the Kremlin line. The legislation was adopted in March 2022, just days after the Kremlin sent troops into Ukraine, and has since been used to target Kremlin critics at home and abroad, implicating scores of people in criminal cases and sending dozens to prison.Kurmasheva was initially stopped in June 2023 at Kazan International Airport after traveling to Russia the previous month to visit her ailing elderly mother. Officials confiscated her U.S. and Russian passports and fined her for failing to register her U.S. passport. She was waiting for her passports to be returned when she was arrested on new charges in October that year. RFE/RL has repeatedly called for her release.RFE/RL was told by Russian authorities in 2017 to register as a foreign agent, but it has challenged Moscow's use of foreign agent laws in the European Court of Human Rights. The organization has been fined millions of dollars by Russia.The organization Reporters Without Borders said Kurmasheva's conviction "illustrates the unprecedented level of despotism permeating a Russian judiciary that takes orders from the Kremlin."It called for Kurmasheva's immediate release and said the purpose of the sentence was to dissuade journalists from traveling to Russia and put pressure on the United States.In February, RFE/RL was outlawed in Russia as an undesirable organization. Its Tatar-Bashkir service is the only major international news provider reporting in those languages, in addition to Russian, to audiences in the multi-ethnic, Muslim-majority Volga-Urals region.The swift and secretive trials of Kurmasheva and Gershkovich in Russia's highly politicized legal system raised hopes for a possible prisoner swap between Moscow and Washington. Russia has previously signaled a possible exchange involving Gershkovich, but said a verdict in his case must come first.Arrests of Americans are increasingly common in Russia, with nine U.S. citizens known to be detained there as tensions between the two countries have escalated over fighting in Ukraine.Gershkovich, 32, was arrested March 29, 2023, while on a reporting trip to the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg. Authorities claimed, without offering any evidence, that he was gathering secret information for the U.S.He has been behind bars since his arrest, time that will be counted as part of his sentence. Most of that was in Moscow's notorious Lefortovo Prison - a czarist-era lockup used during Josef Stalin's purges, when executions were carried out in its basement. He was transferred to Yekaterinburg for the trial.Gershkovich was the first U.S. journalist arrested on espionage charges since Nicholas Daniloff in 1986, at the height of the Cold War. Foreign journalists in Russia were shocked by Gershkovich's arrest, even though the country has enacted increasingly repressive laws on freedom of speech after sending troops into Ukraine.U.S. President Joe Biden said after his conviction that Gershkovich "was targeted by the Russian government because he is a journalist and an American."U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield accused Moscow last week of treating "human beings as bargaining chips." She singled out Gershkovich and ex-Marine Paul Whelan, 53, a corporate security director from Michigan, who is serving a 16-year sentence after being convicted on spying charges that he and the U.S. denied.Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that when it comes to Gershkovich, Whelan and other Americans wrongfully detained in Russia and elsewhere, the U.S. is working on the cases "quite literally every day."Sam Greene of the Center for European Policy Analysis said the conviction and sentencing of Kurmasheva and Gershkovich on the same day "suggests - but does not prove - that the Kremlin is preparing a deal. More likely, they are preparing to offer up a negotiating table that Washington will find it difficult to ignore."In a series of posts on X, Greene stressed that "the availability of a negotiating table shouldn't be confused with the availability of a deal," and that Moscow has no interest in releasing its prisoners - but it is likely to "seek the highest possible price for its bargaining chips, and to seek additional concessions along the way just to keep the talks going."Washington "should obviously do what it can" to get Gershkovich, Kurmasheva, imprisoned opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza and other political prisoners out, he said, adding: "But if Moscow demands what it really wants - the abandonment of Ukraine - what then?" Secret meeting between US, Israel, UAE held to discuss postwar plans for Gaza A secret meeting between the U.S., Israel and the United Arab Emirates has been held to discuss a potential strategy on how the Gaza Strip will be governed once there is an end to the months-long war , Fox News confirmed Tuesday.The meeting, held in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, suggests that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may be looking to establish a plan for Gaza once the war is over, following repeated calls for a cease-fire. But details on the Thursday meeting - first reported by Axios - remain scarce, and it is unclear if options for ending the war were also discussed.  KAMALA HARRIS TO SKIP NETANYAHU'S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS, WHILE TOP DEM SENATOR BOYCOTTS ALTOGETHER The assault by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, 2023, was met with swift retaliation by Jerusalem in the Gaza Strip and eventually drew international condemnation amid high levels of civilian casualties. Despite international pressure for a cease-fire, Netanyahu has previously vowed not to end the offensive until Hamas is eradicated . In December, Netanyahu had suggested that Israel must take full control of Gaza in order to ensure "demilitarization" of Hamas - a move that would reverse Israel's 2005 agreement to withdraw from Gaza. The Abu Dhabi meeting was reportedly hosted by the UAE's Foreign Minister Abdullah Bin Zayed and attended by Brett McGurk, White House coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, and Tom Sullivan, the State Department's senior policy adviser to the secretary of state.Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and two senior Israeli defense officials also attended the meeting. The meeting was held one day after UAE special envoy Lana Nusseibeh laid out a "day-after" proposal in an op-ed for the Financial Times. Netanyahu is expected to meet with President Biden and Congress during his trip to Washington this week, where the war in Gaza is expected to be a chief topic of discussion. Fox News' Bret Baier contributed to this report.  EU turns up pressure on Hungary's Orban over his 'peace mission' to Russia, China Hungary won't be allowed to host a strategic EU meeting next month because of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's self-proclaimed "peace mission" trips to Moscow and Beijing this month aimed at brokering an end to the war in Ukraine, which EU partners overwhelmingly saw as undermining their support for Kyiv."We have to send a signal, even if it is a symbolic signal," EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said Monday in Brussels, explaining why he had decided that the upcoming foreign and defense ministers' meeting would take place in Brussels instead of Budapest.Hungary currently holds the rotating EU presidency, and as such had expected to host the annual late August gathering known as the Gymnich in late August. This gathering should now be held in the EU capital in September, Borrell announced. EUROPEAN LEADERS DOWNPLAY ORBAN'S PRAISE OF TRUMP AS THEY DEFEND BIDEN'S GAFFES: 'SLIPS OF THE TONGUE' Orbán is seen as having the warmest relationship with Russia in the EU and is largely politically isolated in his stance on the Ukraine war. His government has held up sanctions on Moscow and huge tranches of military aid for Kyiv agreed by all other partners.Before the decision was announced, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said that the idea of moving the August meeting from Budapest to Brussels was a case of "fantastic revenge." Szijjártó slammed what he called a "concerted, hysterical, often mocking series of attacks" on Orbán's recent surprise meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and hinese President Xi Jingping.Only Slovakia's deputy foreign minister had vocally offered support to Hungary's "peace mission," he noted. Speaking ahead of Borrell's announcement, Szijjártó nonetheless signaled that he would still attend if the meeting were to be relocated to Brussels.Borrell said Monday that while condemnation of Hungary's recent behavior was widespread, the other EU member states had been divided between those who wanted to attend in Budapest and those who did not. Ultimately he said it was within his power to decide. The nationalist Orbán startled his EU counterparts with the appearance that he was speaking for the 27-member bloc during his meetings with Putin and Xi. Orbán said he was seeking the quickest path to peace in Ukraine and portrayed himself as uniquely positioned to communicate with both warring parties.Other EU leaders insisted that Orbán was not representing them at the meetings, and in response, some EU nations as well as the European Commission said their top officials would boycott informal EU meetings hosted by Hungary and send civil servants instead.Hungary took over the six-month rotating role July 1, and since then Orbán has visited Ukraine, Russia, Azerbaijan, China, and the United States on a world tour he's touted as "peace mission" aimed at brokering an end to Russia's war in Ukraine. Orbán's critics accuse him of acting against the unity and interests of the EU and NATO, of which Hungary is a member, and of pursuing an appeasement strategy toward Russia despite its invasion of Ukraine. Palestinian factions sign 'Beijing Declaration,' agree to form unity government after talks in China Palestinian factions including rivals Hamas and Fatah agreed to end their divisions and form an interim national unity government during negotiations in China that ended on Tuesday, China's foreign ministry said.The Beijing Declaration was signed at the closing ceremony of a reconciliation dialogue among 14 Palestinian factions held in China's capital from July 21-23, according to the readout.Previous efforts by Egypt and other Arab countries to reconcile Hamas and Fatah have failed to end 17 years of power-sharing conflict that have weakened Palestinian political aspirations, and it remains to be seen whether this deal will survive the realities on the ground. NETANYAHU'S MEETING AT WHITE HOUSE MOVED AMID BIDEN'S COVID RECOVERY, HARRIS CAMPAIGNING The meeting was held amid attempts by international mediators to reach a ceasefire deal for Gaza, with one of the sticking points being the "day-after" plan - how the Hamas-run enclave will be governed once the war that began on Oct. 7 ends.Senior Hamas official Hussam Badran said the most important point of the Beijing Declaration was to form a Palestinian national unity government to manage the affairs of Palestinians."This creates a formidable barrier against all regional and international interventions that seek to impose realities against our people's interests in managing Palestinian affairs post-war," Badran said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his goal is to destroy the Iran-backed Hamas group and opposes it having any role in a post-war Gaza administration."Instead of rejecting terrorism, (Fatah leader) Mahmoud Abbas embraces the murderers and rapists of Hamas, revealing his true face. In reality, this won't happen because Hamas' rule will be crushed, and Abbas will be watching Gaza from afar. Israel's security will remain solely in Israel's hands," Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on X.Badran said the national unity government would manage the affairs of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, oversee reconstruction, and prepare conditions for elections.Currently, Hamas runs Gaza and Fatah forms the backbone of the Palestinian Authority, which has limited control in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. There has been no immediate comment from Fatah.Details of the agreement did not set out a timeframe for forming a new government. In March, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who heads Fatah, appointed a new government led by one of his close aides, Mohammad Mustafa.Ashraf Abouelhoul, a specialist on Palestinian affairs, said previous similar declarations had not been implemented and nothing would happen without U.S. approval."Forming a unity government with Hamas is rejected by the United States, Israel, and Britain. There is a consensus among those countries to exclude Hamas from any role in the day after the war," Abouelhoul said."What happened in China was nothing but a meeting, a celebratory event, but it is impossible to resolve the problems between Palestinian factions in just three days," said Abouelhoul, managing editor of the Egyptian state-owned paper Al-Ahram. ISRAEL STRIKES IRAN-BACKED HOUTHIS AFTER TEHRAN PROXY ATTACKED JEWISH STATE: 'SIGNIFICANCE IS CLEAR' Nonetheless, the agreement marks a diplomatic coup for Beijing and its growing influence in the Middle East , after it brokered a breakthrough peace deal between longstanding regional foes Saudi Arabia and Iran last year."The core achievement is to make it clear that the Palestine Liberation Organization is the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people," Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said during the closing ceremony, according to the readout."China sincerely hopes that the Palestinian factions will achieve Palestinian independence at an early date on the basis of internal reconciliation, and is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with relevant parties to jointly work to implement the Beijing Declaration reached today."The most "prominent highlight" was the agreement on forming an interim national reconciliation government around the post-war governance of Gaza, Wang said, adding that the international community should support efforts to form an interim Palestinian government to control Gaza and the West Bank.Hamas and Islamic Jihad are not members of the PLO, the Palestinians' highest decision-making body, but they demand that any unity deal includes holding an election for the PLO parliament to secure their inclusion. The Islamist groups are at odds with the current PLO over peace accords with Israel."This declaration comes at an important time as our people are facing a genocidal war, especially in the Gaza Strip," a statement quoted Badran as saying. Rival factions Hamas and Fatah first met in Beijing in April to discuss reconciliation efforts to end around 17 years of disputes, the first time a Hamas delegation was publicly known to have visited China since the war in Gaza began.The second round of talks, originally planned for last month, were delayed as both factions traded blame.The long-feuding Palestinian factions have previously failed to heal their political disputes after Hamas fighters expelled Fatah from Gaza in a short war in 2007.Chinese officials have ramped up advocacy for the Palestinians in international forums in recent months, calling for a larger-scale Israeli-Palestinian peace conference and a specific timetable to implement a two-state solution. Internet remains down in Bangladesh despite apparent calm following deadly protests Bangladesh remained without internet for a fifth day and the government declared a public holiday Monday, as authorities maintained tight control despite apparent calm following a court order that scaled back a controversial system for allocating government jobs that sparked violent protests .This comes after a curfew with a shoot-on-sight order was installed days earlier and military personnel could be seen patrolling the capital and other areas. The South Asian country witnessed clashes between the police and mainly student protesters demanding an end to a quota that reserved 30% of government jobs for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh's war of independence in 1971. The violence has killed more than a hundred people, according to at least four local newspapers. Authorities have not so far shared official figures for deaths. BANGLADESH URGES UNIVERSITIES TO CLOSE AFTER 6 DIE IN PROTESTS, BOMBS AND WEAPONS FOUND There was no immediate violence reported on Monday morning after the Supreme Court ordered, the day before, the veterans' quota to be cut to 5%. Thus, 93% of civil service jobs will be merit-based while the remaining 2% reserved for members of ethnic minorities as well as transgender and disabled people.On Sunday night, some student protesters urged the government to restore internet services. Hasnat Abdullah, a coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, told the Associated Press that they were withdrawing their calls for a complete shutdown, which they attempted to impose last week."But we are issuing an ultimatum for 48 hours to stop the digital crackdown and restore internet connectivity," he said, adding that security officials deployed at various universities should be withdrawn, student dormitories reopened and steps taken so students can return to their campuses safely. Abdullah also said they wanted the government to end the curfew and ensure the country was back to normal within two days.Students have also demanded some university officials to step down after failing to protect campuses. Sarjis Alam, another coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, said that they would continue with their protests if all their demands weren't met. "We cannot step back from our movement like a coward," he added. BANGLADESH PROTESTS PAUSE AS TOP COURT AGREES TO ABANDON MOST JOB QUOTAS Another key organizer of the student protests, Nahid Islam, told reporters that the internet shutdown had disrupted their ability to communicate and alleged that authorities were trying to create divisions among protesters. "I am mentally traumatized ... our unity is being destroyed," he said.The US Embassy in the capital Dhaka described Sunday the situation as "extremely volatile" and "unpredictable," adding that guns, tear gas and other weapons have been used in the vicinity of the embassy. They said the Bangladeshi army had been deployed and urged Americans to be vigilant, avoid large crowds and reconsider travel plans.The protests have posed the most serious challenge to adesh's government since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina won a fourth consecutive term in January elections that the main opposition groups boycotted. Universities have been closed, the internet has been shut off and the government has ordered people to stay at home.Protesters had argued the quota system was discriminatory and benefited supporters of Hasina, whose Awami League party led the independence movement, and wanted it replaced by a merit-based system. Hasina has defended the quota system, saying that veterans deserve the highest respect regardless of political affiliation.The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party has backed the protests, vowing to organize its own demonstrations as many of its supporters joined the student-led protests.The Awami League and the BNP have often accused each other of fueling political chaos and violence, most recently ahead of the country's national election, which was marred by a crackdown on several opposition figures.

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