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A long-awaited report from the United Nations alleges that the Chinese government has committed "serious human rights violations" in its detention of Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim ethnic groups in the western region of Xinjiang. The 48-page report, which Western diplomats and U.N. officials said had been all but ready for months, was published with just minutes to go in U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet's four-year term. Drawn from interviews with former detainees at eight separate detention centers in the region, its authors suggest "serious" human rights violations have been committed in Xinjiang under China's policies to fight terrorism and extremism, which singled out Uyghurs and other Muslim communities, between 2017 and 2019. The report cites "patterns of torture" inside what Beijing called vocational centers, which were part of its reputed plan to boost economic development in the region, and it points to "credible"...

German General Eberhard Zorn said Wednesday the Bundeswehr will send warships to the Indo-Pacific and join allies in drills as China ramps up operations around Taiwan.  "We do not want to provoke anyone with our presence but rather send a strong sign of solidarity with our allies," Zorn told Reuters. "We stand for the freedom of navigation and the safeguarding of international norms." Germany, which has been frugal on military spending in the second half of the 20th century, pledged to hike defense spending above 2% of its total GDP in February after Russia invaded Ukraine.  Chancellor Olaf Scholz said last week that Germany's own stock of arms is depleted due to sending weapons to Ukraine, but pledged Monday to support Kyiv for "as long as it takes."  SEN. BLACKBURN IN TAIWAN: CHINA'S 'BULLYING' TACTICS MUST STOP, US MUST CURB CCP'S 'AGGRESSION' Now, the country is also turning its attention to China, which has sent war...

Over 5,000 Israeli defense officers signed on to a letter to President Biden urging him not to sign a rekindled nuclear deal with Iran, arguing that the deal currently being negotiated gives Iran a clear path to nuclear weapons. "Despite your administration’s repeated declared commitment to prevent Iran from attaining nuclear weapons, this agreement creates a clear legal pathway for Iran to obtain nuclear weapons by 2031, while denying the signatories of any tools to prevent that eventuality," reads the letter from Israel's Defense and Security Forum to Biden, which was obtained by Fox News Digital. The letter comes after reports last week indicated that a renewed deal with Iran could be nearing a reality in part because Iran had dropped some demands on which the U.S. was unwilling to compromise. However, the potential for a new deal raised the concerns of many Israeli security officials, who argue that the deal would pave the way for nuclear proliferation in the Mid...

A Saudi Arabian court has sentenced a woman to almost half a century in prison for allegedly harming the country through her social media activity. Nourah bint Saeed al-Qahtani, who hails from one of the biggest tribes in Saudi Arabia and has no apparent history of activism, was sentenced to 45 years in prison after being accused by a judge of "disrupting the cohesion of society" and "destabilizing the social fabric" via social media. The judge also ruled that al-Qahtani "offended the public order through the information network." It remains unclear what al-Qahtani posted online or where her hearing was held. She was taken into custody on July 4, 2021, according to the Washington-based human rights watchdog Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), which is critical of the kingdom. STATE DEPARTMENT APPROVES POTENTIAL SALE OF 300 PATRIOT MISSILES TO SAUDI ARABIA "This seems like the beginning of a new wave of sentences and convictions by new judg...

EXCLUSIVE: Ukrainian staff operating the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) knew Russian forces were responsible for attacks on the plant after Moscow's Rosatom technicians were evacuated ahead of time, one former worker told Fox News Digital. Russia has occupied the plant since March along with a "limited number" of experts from Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy agency Rosatom, according to a March 12 update by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).  Speaking under the condition of anonymity, a Ukrainian worker formally employed at the nuclear power station for more than 15 years said that on Aug. 11, he witnessed what he described as proof Russian forces were behind the attacks on the power station.  UN WATCHDOG HEADS TO UKRAINE'S ZAPORIZHZHIA NUCLEAR POWER PLANT WITH 'EXPLICIT GUARANTEES' FOR ITS SAFETY "During this shelling, nobody from the Russian military went to a safer place or were even concerned with what was happening. All...

A severe drought in Europe has caused water levels to drop to the point where a previously submerged complex of Roman ruins is now visible. The ancient Roman complex that began as a military camp when it was first constructed in 75 AD along the Lima River in the Galicia region of Spain is visible after being abandoned centuries ago and fully submerged after the construction of a dam in 1949, The Charlotte-Observer reported . The complex, known as Aquis Querquennis, housed up to 600 Roman soldiers in its heyday and consisted of multiple barracks, two granaries, a hospital, a temple, and thermal baths.  The full complex became visible, along with the ruins of other abandoned towns, once water levels at the As Conchas reservoir fell to 49% capacity as the continent continues to struggle with a historic drought. WEATHER WHIPLASH: FROM DROUGHTS TO FLOODS ACROSS THE GLOBE Drone footage posted on Friday by Faro de Vigo showed large swaths of the complex that are now visible due to t...

A 7-year-old Italian girl was crushed to death by a 440-pound marble statue while playing in a hotel courtyard in Munich last week.  Lavinia Trematerra, from Naples , was on holiday with her parents when the accident occurred Friday evening.  According to local reports, Trematerra was playing with an 8-year-old boy when the unfixed statue toppled on top of her.  Bystanders – including her father, Michele Trematerra – rushed to her aid and lifted the statue off of her, according to Italian media . US SERVICEMEMBERS REPORTEDLY UNDER HOUSE ARREST AFTER ALLEGEDLY KILLING BOY WHILE DRIVING DRUNK IN ITALY Paramedics arrived on the scene and attempted to resuscitate her before taking her to the hospital where she died a couple of hours later.  "You are and will always be our angel. Rest in peace, love of our lives," wrote her lawyer mother, Valentina Poggi on social media, just hours after her daughter’s death.  The girl’s father, also a lawyer, wrote: "Our lif...

The head of Ukraine’s military administration in the southern region of Mykolaiv, just northwest of Kherson, called for civilian volunteers Tuesday as Ukrainian forces launch a long-awaited counter-offensive in the south. Ukraine’s military announced Monday that it had launched several offensive operations on the front lines in areas surrounding the strategically important port city of Kherson, where Russia made advances early on in the war but which Kyiv has vowed to take back. RUSSIA TRANSFERS HEAVY MILITARY EQUIPMENT TO CRIMEA AS FIGHTING INTENSIFIES IN DONETSK "I appeal to volunteers," Vitalii Kim said in a video translated by Pravda. "Contact the military, [find out] what they need. "Get involved in the work again, because we will soon reclaim Kherson," he said. Heavy fighting is ongoing in the south and Fox News Digital could not independently verify if Ukrainian advances have yet been made. The U.K. defense ministry said that as of Monday "s...

An unknown amount of people are reportedly trapped in the rubble of a building that collapsed in Kano, Nigeria.  The two-story building is reportedly a Beirut Road mobile phone market. "Rescue operations have begun by officials of the Kano State Fire Service, Federal Road Safety Corps, and the police," TVC News reports.  Witnesses on scene say people trapped inside cannot be rescued because there is no available equipment to do so.  ETHIOPIAN AIRSTRIKE HITS KINDERGARTEN IN TIGRAY REGION LEAVING SEVERAL DEAD, INCLUDING CHILDREN An excavator is reportedly headed to the scene. So far three people have been pulled from the rubble and taken to the hospital, Daily Trust reports.  Women and children are believed to be inside the building still.  One of the volunteers involved in the rescue operation told the Daily Trust that concerns about cracks in the building were previously brought up to the builders.  from Fox News https://ift.tt/RfoXYEV via IFTTT ...

Russia has reportedly picked up its first batch of Iranian-made combat drones that it intends to use on the battlefield during its ongoing invasion of Ukraine. U.S. officials say that Russian cargo planes departed Iran on Aug. 19 carrying at least two types of combat capable drones, the Washington Post reported Monday . The Mohajer-6 and Shahed-series drones are believed to be the first of many shipments from Iran to Russia as part of the Kremlin’s plan to increase its attack drone capability in the war with Ukraine. The deal between the two nations was reportedly negotiated over several months and included Iranian technical experts traveling to Russia to help set up systems as well as Russian military operatives traveling to Iran for training.  FORMER HEAD OF MOSSAD SAYS GROUP CARRIED OUT OPS IN 'HEART OF IRAN' TO CRIPPLE NUCLEAR PROGRAM While the drones could provide Russia with a boost on the battlefield, U.S. officials reportedly said that Iranian drones have been th...

The U.S. Navy stopped an Iranian ship from taking an American sea drone in the Arabian Gulf Monday night. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy was in the process of towing the drone, which belongs to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet at 11 p.m. local time when the American Navy immediately sent out the nearby Navy coastal ship USS Thunderbolt. The 5th Fleet also repeatedly called Iranian officials, who then let the drone go. "IRGCN’s actions were flagrant, unwarranted and inconsistent with the behavior of a professional maritime force," Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, U.S. 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces, said in a statement. "U.S. naval forces remain vigilant and will continue to fly, sail and operate anywhere international law allows while promoting rules-based international order throughout the region." In addition to sending the USS Thunderbolt, the U.S. Navy also sent an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter from Sea Co...

Nearly 200 cardinals of the Catholic Church have gathered in Rome for the first extraordinary consistory in more than seven years. Praedicate Evangelism ("Preach the Gospel" in English) is Pope Francis's latest apostolic constitution seeking to reform the Roman Curia, open Vatican politics to qualified laity and re-emphasize Catholic evangelism in the modern day. The document, which went into full effect on June 5 of this year, is the center of discussion. The 197 cardinals, considered "princes of the church," are gathered with the pontiff at the Vatican and are set to discuss the documents' ramifications for church leadership inside and outside Rome.  This extraordinary consistory is only the second of Pope Francis's reign. CHRISTIAN SCHOOL REFUSES TO CHANGE LONG-HELD POLICY EXCLUDING SEXUAL BEHAVIOR DESPITE ALLEGED DEATH THREATS The Roman Curia, also known as the Roman Court, is the highest administrative level of the Catholic Church and overse...

An unusual experiment allowed French tax officials to discover thousands of undeclared swimming pools by using artificial intelligence .  More than 20,000 hidden pools generated nearly €10m (£8.5m) in new revenue, according to The BBC . According to French law, a pool addition to a house leads to a higher property tax because it can boost its overall value.  In October 2021, a trial experiment analyzed nine regions in France via aerial perspectives using software created by Google and the French company Capgemini. After their recent success, French authorities now say they plan on implementing this new software across the country.  "We are particularly targeting house extensions like verandas," said Antoine Magnant, the deputy director general of public finances, to a French outlet. "But we have to be sure that the software can find buildings with a large footprint and not the dog kennel or the children's playhouse." VANDERBILT RESEARCHERS USING ARTIFICIAL ...

There is a lot of unfinished business following last year’s messy U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan as the Taliban were taking over, including the fallout from a drone strike there that went horribly wrong. Three days after the Islamic State suicide bomb attack at Kabul Airport, which left 13 U.S. service members and many more Afghan civilians killed, the military thought they were on to another ISIS terrorist. All day on Aug. 29, 2021, they tracked a car making what appeared to be suspicious stops across Kabul. Late in the day, they let loose a Hellfire missile from a Reaper drone, obliterating the car, its surroundings and those at scene. Three days later, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley announced: "The procedures were correctly followed, and it was a righteous strike." GENERAL SAYS IT IS UNLIKELY ISIS-K MEMBERS KILLED IN AUGUST KABUL DRONE STRIKE: 'A TRAGIC MISTAKE' Except that the U.S. was wrong. It turned out, instead of a terrorist, 1...

Chinese authorities said Monday that 28 people have been charged and 15 officials including police are being investigated for corruption two months after a brutal attack on several women in the northern city of Tangshan that sparked outrage and safety concerns. The investigation has gone beyond the actual attack to encompass broader allegations of criminal activity and police corruption in the area. In June, a group of men attacked four women in a barbecue restaurant, after one of the men had his advances rebuffed. In graphic video footage circulated online, the men threw a chair at the women, and later dragged one of them out before hitting and kicking her and the others who tried to help her, authorities said. CHINA: KNIFE ATTACK AT SHANGHAI HOSPITAL LEAVES FOUR INJURED The assault and the public outcry renewed a conversation about misogyny and mistreatment of women in China . The attackers were suspected to be part of a gang, and local media reported at the time of the attack ...

Clashes between security forces and hundreds of protesters who stormed the government palace in Baghdad Monday have resulted in multiple deaths and dozens more injured, according to reports.  The Associated Press and Reuters reported that at least 10 people had been killed, while local outlets put the figure at 12. Injuries, meanwhile, ranged from a few dozen to a few hundred.  The UN Assistance Mission for Iraq called on protesters to leave Baghdad’s International Zone and vacate all governmental buildings.  The chaos unfolded after Muqtada al-Sadr, an influential Shiite cleric announced he was resigning. Protesters loyal to al-Sadr pulled down the cement barriers outside the government palace with ropes and breached the palace gates. Many rushed into the lavish salons and marbled halls of the palace, a key meeting place for Iraqi heads of state and foreign dignitaries. Iraq's military announced a nationwide curfew and the caretaker premier suspended Cabinet sessio...

Israel's Mossad carried out operations "in the heart of Iran" to cripple the country's nuclear program, according to former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen. Cohen made the statement in during a speech at a World Zionist Organization event in Basel, Switzerland, on Monday. He stated that Iran had repeatedly lied to the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency about its nuclear program, and Mossad operations played a key role in unmasking the regime. "The Iranian regime is lying to the whole world, and we proved it when we brought thousands of documents from the Iranian archives, documents that proved that the Iranians lied to the IAEA," Cohen said. Cohen is referring to a dramatic 2018 operation that saw Israeli operatives remove a trove of nuclear documents from Iran's capital of Tehran, including draft designs for a nuclear warhead. NETANYAHU SAYS IRAN 'BRAZENLY LYING' AFTER SIGNING NUCLEAR DEAL, MOVED DOCUMENTS TO A SECRET LOCATION Israel ...

Several European countries are rolling back plans to shut down their nuclear power plants as Russia severely limits the supply of oil and natural gas to the continent, according to a new report. Russia has cut off supply as a countermeasure against Western economic sanctions over Russian President Vladimir Putin's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Germany was scheduled to close all of its reactors by the end of the year but is now debating whether to keep them open into next year or even longer. Belgium, meanwhile, was planning to close two reactors by 2025, but will now keep them open through 2036, according to The Wall Street Journal. France is looking to build an additional 14 reactors over the next several decades. The U.K., Czech Republic, Poland and others are also planning for new reactors, according to the report. Beyond the throttling from Moscow, the reactors are also proving to be critical in meeting the U.N.'s climate goals. Nuclear energy is the cleanest and most ef...

This article is part of a Fox News Digital series examining the consequences of the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan one year ago this week. The daughter of the first American to be killed in combat in Afghanistan tells Fox News Digital she wants people to remember him not as a "headline on the news," but as a trailblazer who was among the earliest to volunteer and "do what he thought he needed to do" there following 9/11. Alison Spann made the remark about her father, Johnny "Mike" Spann, as military families across America are preparing to mark the 1-year anniversary of the turbulent U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.  Mike Spann, a CIA officer, died in a November 2001 Afghanistan prison revolt shortly after interrogating John Walker Lindh , a captured Islamic militant dubbed the "American Taliban" for joining and supporting the terrorist organization in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks.  "I think my dad has received a lot of...

Christians who remain in Afghanistan in the wake of the Taliban's takeover face routine torture and persecution from both the government and their own friends, families and communities, according to humanitarian and watchdog groups. "There are still Christians in Afghanistan," said Todd Nettleton, an author and radio host who works for the international humanitarian nonprofit Voice of the Martyrs. "I think during the time of the Taliban takeover a year ago, there was a lot of coverage that kind of suggested that all the Christians had fled the country." Nettleton explained to Fox News Digital that as the Afghan government crumbled last year, many Christians did flee because they knew the Taliban's hard-line theology and intolerance toward Christians, especially those who had converted from Islam. Many who were widely known to have renounced Islam for Christianity escaped to other countries, he said, but the potentially thousands of Christians who remain f...

The United Nations' nuclear agency said a team of experts will visit Ukraine's besieged Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) in the "next few days" to assess damage and try to stave off a potential nuclear disaster.  The plant, located in southern Ukraine, has been hit by a barrage of shelling in recent days, with Moscow and Kyiv trading blame for the attacks.  Russian forces took the plant over in March, but have allowed the Ukrainian staff to continue operating the plant.  The United States and dozens of other countries have urged Russia to allow the experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect the plant.  "The planned mission would assess the physical damage to the ZNPP’s facilities , determine whether the main and back-up safety and security systems were functional and evaluate the staff’s working conditions, in addition to performing urgent safeguards activities on the site," the IAEA said Sunday.  WHERE THE WAR IN UKR...

The Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales, a NATO flagship, reportedly broke down after setting sail for a four-month deployment to the United States. As of Sunday, the $3.5 billion vessel remains anchored near the Isle of Wight while officials address a mechanical issue.  The HMS Prince of Wales, which was first launched in 2017, broke down shortly after setting sail from Portsmouth Saturday afternoon.  "HMS Prince of Wales remains in the South Coast Exercise Area while conducting investigations into an emerging mechanical issue," a Royal Navy spokesperson told UK Defense Journal , which was the first to report the breakdown. BRITISH RAF RECRUITING HEAD RESIGNS TO PROTEST PAUSE ON HIRING WHITE MEN TO APPEASE DIVERSITY GOALS: REPORT Sources told the outlet that divers were sent down to examine the issue and reported damage to the propellor shaft.  The aircraft is expected to stay anchored for a few days while it undergoes repairs. It will then resume trav...

Two men were arrested on Thursday and Friday in connection with the murder of 9-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel this week, who was shot to death at her family's home in northwestern England on Monday evening, police said.  A 33-year-old man and a 36-year-old man were arrested on suspicion of murder, as well as two counts of attempted murder, but were both were released on bail. The 36-year-old, however, was later returned to prison for violating the terms of his license, which is similar to probation.  The incident began around 10:00 p.m. on Monday when a gunman opened fire at two men near the home of the 9-year-old girl's family.  Her mother opened the front door to see what was going on and one of the targets of the attack forced his way into their home. The gunman pursued and fired multiple shots, fatally striking the little girl and wounding her mother and the target.  UK MAN CAUGHT AT WINDSOR CASTLE WITH CROSSBOW CHARGED FOR ALLEGEDLY INTENDING TO ‘INJURE OR...

A United States Coast Guard cutter conducting patrols on an international mission in the Pacific Ocean was denied entry to a port in the Solomon Islands raising concerns about China's growing influence in the area. The cutter Oliver Henry was taking part in Operation Island Chief monitoring fishing activities in the Pacific, which ended Friday, when it sought to make a scheduled stop at Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, to refuel and re-provision, the Coast Guard office in Honolulu said. There was no response from the Solomon Islands’ government for diplomatic clearance for the vessel to stop there, however, so the Oliver Henry diverted to Papua New Guinea, the Coast Guard said. Additionally, it was reported that a British vessel was also denied entry but the British Royal Navy has not commented directly on those reports. COMMUNIST CHINA SURVIVOR ISSUES WARNING TO AMERICANS: SOCIALISM IS ONLY THE FIRST STAGE During Operation Island Chief, the U.S., Australia, Britain and New Zea...

The Biden administration has announced plans to establish a new ambassador-at-large position to represent the Arctic region amid growing geopolitical tensions with two other large players in the area, China and Russia. "To further American interests and cooperation with Allies and partners in the Arctic, and after extensive consultations with Members of Congress, local and federal government officials, and external stakeholders, the President plans to elevate the Arctic Coordinator position by appointing an Ambassador-at-Large for the Arctic Region, subject to the advice and consent of the Senate," the State Department wrote in a press release on Friday. It explained that a "peaceful" and "prosperous" Arctic region is of "critical strategic importance" to the United States as well as a "priority" for Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The State Department said that "combating climate change" was also a contributing factor...

Stinking piles of garbage on the streets of Edinburgh are threatening the health and safety of the public, a health authority warned Saturday as strikes by garbage collectors in the Scottish capital moved into their ninth day. The warning from Public Health Scotland came as garbage collectors in Newham, a borough of London, also walked out for a week over a pay dispute. Images of food waste and diapers rotting on the streets is just adding to scenes of chaos in U.K. as industrial disputes multiply amid soaring food and energy costs. Bathers in the U.K. were warned last week to stay away from dozens of beaches as heavy rain flushed raw sewage into rivers and seas. Public Health Scotland told local authorities that the "decontamination of public areas where bins have overflowed may be required." It warned that "if organic waste builds up, it can become a risk to human health ." Garbage collectors walked out on Aug. 18 and plan to stay off work until Aug. 30. Eve...

Deadly clashes broke out Saturday in Libya's capital between militias backed by its two rival administrations, portending a return to violence amid a long political stalemate. At least 13 civilians were killed and over 95 wounded, the Health Ministry said. It added that 64 families were evacuated from areas around the fighting. The escalation threatens to shatter the relative calm Libya has enjoyed for most of the past two years. The oil-rich nation plunged into chaos following a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed longtime autocrat Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. Among the fatalities was Mustafa Baraka, a comedian known for his social media videos mocking militias and corruption. Baraka died after he was shot in his chest, according to Malek Merset, an emergency services spokesman. Merset said emergency services were still trying to evacuate wounded and civilians trapped in the fighting that erupted overnight and continued into Saturday. The Health Ministry said in a stat...

Pope Francis elevated 20 more churchmen to the rank of cardinal on Saturday, formally expanding those now eligible to vote for his successor in case he dies or resigns — the latter a step he has said he’d consider if the need arises. Of the churchmen being named new cardinals in the consistory ceremony in St. Peter's Basilica, 16 are younger than 80 and thus eligible to participate in a conclave — the ritual-shrouded, locked-door assembly of cardinals who cast paper ballots to elect a new pontiff. The 85-year-old Francis has now named 83 of the 132 cardinals currently young enough to join a conclave. The others were appointed by the previous two popes, St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI, whose unexpected retirement in 2013 paved the way for Francis to be elected. BISHOP BARRON: BIDEN ‘DOES FEEL HIS FAITH' BUT PRO-CHOICE IS ‘REPUGNANT' GROUNDS FOR DENYING EUCHARIST With the eight batches of cardinals Francis has named, prospects are boosted that whoever becomes the next ...