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Category: World News

30 dead in Maha Kumbh festival stampede in India, police say
- At least 30 people were killed and another 60 injured in a stampede at the Maha Kumbh festival, a six-week Hindu festival and the world’s largest religious gathering.
- The stampede happened when pilgrims tried to jump barricades to engage in a ritual bath in sacred waters at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers.
- Authorities said 90 million to 100 million pilgrims were at the site and expect more than 400 million people to visit over the course of the festival.
At least 30 people were killed and many more injured in a stampede at the world’s largest religious gathering early Wednesday, police said, as millions of pilgrims rushed to dip in sacred waters during the Maha Kumbh festival in northern India.

Police officer Vaibhav Krishna in Prayagraj city said another 60 injured were rushed to hospitals.

Wednesday was a sacred day in the six-week Hindu festival, and authorities expected a record 100 million devotees to engage in a ritual bath at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers. Hindus believe that a dip at the holy site can cleanse them of past sins and end the process of reincarnation.

AT LEAST 12 TRAIN PASSENGERS KILLED IN INDIA AFTER JUMPING ONTO TRACKS TO FLEE ALLEGED FIRE

The stampede happened when pilgrims tried to jump barricades erected for a procession of holy men, Uttar Pradesh state’s top elected official, Yogi Adityanath, said in a televised statement.

The event’s main draw is the thousands of ash-smeared Hindu ascetics who make massive processions toward the confluence to bathe.

Indian authorities took more than 16 hours to release casualty figures, even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi acknowledged the loss of lives, calling the incident “extremely sad” and extending his condolences.

A woman injured in a stampede at the Maha Kumbh festival is carried out by security officers at the Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers, on “Mauni Amavasya” or new moon day, in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India, on Jan. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

“Suddenly there was pushing in the crowd, and we got trapped. A lot of us fell down and the crowd went uncontrolled,” the Press Trust of India news agency quoted pilgrim Sarojini as saying. “There was no chance for escape, there was pushing from all sides,” she said.

Distressed families lined up outside a makeshift hospital, desperate for news of missing loved ones. Clothes, blankets and backpacks were strewn around the site of the stampede.

Millions continued to throng the 15-square mile pilgrimage site despite the stampede, even as police urged them over megaphones to avoid the confluence. Adityanath urged people to take baths at other riverbanks instead.

A Hindu devotee takes a holy dip in sacred waters during the Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India, on Jan. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Deepak Sharma)

“The situation is now under control, but there is a massive crowd of pilgrims,” Adityanath said, adding that 90 million to 100 million pilgrims were at the site.

About 30 million people had taken the holy bath by 8 a.m. Wednesday, he said.

The Maha Kumbh festival, held every 12 years, started on Jan. 13. Authorities expect more than 400 million people to throng the pilgrimage site in total. Nearly 150 million people have already attended, including Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah and celebrities like Coldplay’s Chris Martin.

A sprawling tent city has been built on the riverbanks to accommodate the millions of visitors, with roads, electricity and water, 3,000 kitchens and 11 hospitals.

Hindu devotees gather at a holy site where a stampede occurred during the Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, India, on Jan. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)

About 50,000 security personnel are stationed in the city to maintain law and order and manage crowds, and more than 2,500 cameras monitor crowd movement and density so officials can try to prevent such crushes.

Several opposition leaders criticized the federal and the state government, both led by Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata party, and blamed the stampede on “mismanagement” and “VIP culture” — the latter referring to what they say is preferential treatment for politicians and celebrities.

“The government should make better arrangements to meet the needs of common devotees,” Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi wrote on social platform X.

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The 45-day festival is a significant cultural event for India’s Hindus, who make up nearly 80% of the country’s more than 1.4 billion people. It’s also a prestige event for Modi, whose ruling party boasts of promoting Hindu cultural symbols.

The Maha Kumbh festival has had stampedes in the past. In 2013, at least 40 pilgrims who were taking part in the festival were killed in a stampede at a train station in Prayagraj.

Deadly stampedes are relatively common around Indian religious festivals, where large crowds gather in small areas. In July at least 116 people died, most of them women and children, when thousands at a religious gathering in northern India stampeded at a tent camp in Hathras town.
January 29, 2025
India’s Modi speaks with ‘dear friend’ President Trump amid hopes of furthering ties

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President Donald Trump’s return to the White House has sent ripples across the globe, but India remains largely optimistic about his second term. Just over a week into Trump’s presidency, India is signaling its readiness to adapt to his transactional style of diplomacy.

Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a “productive call” Monday, focused on “expanding and deepening cooperation.”

According to a White House readout, the leaders discussed geopolitical issues and bilateral trade. Trump emphasized the importance of India increasing its purchases of American-made security equipment to help balance the trade relationship between the two countries. The call is believed to be among the first Trump has taken from foreign leaders since his return to office.

TRUMP’S TARIFF THREATS GO BEYOND ‘TRADE AGREEMENT’ TO ADVANCE AMERICAN INTERESTS: EXPERT

“Expectations are high for U.S.-India relations with Trump having taken office. He and Modi have a strong chemistry, given their similar worldviews and governance styles,” Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center told Fox News Digital.

Modi has enjoyed a strong rapport and personal bond with Trump. “We have a very good relationship with India,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One after his call with Modi.

In 2020, Modi threw a massive rally for Trump in his home state of Gujarat, where both leaders spoke admiringly of each other in front of a crowd exceeding 110,000 people. The previous year, Trump likened Modi to Elvis Presley for his ability to draw large crowds at a joint rally in Texas. However, Trump’s sweeping immigration crackdown is raising some concerns for Indians.

According to the Pew Research Center, India is one of the top sources of illegal immigration to the United States. An estimated 725,000 Indians were residing in the U.S. illegally as of 2022. Furthermore, Customs and Border Patrol encountered nearly 90,500 Indian citizens in fiscal year 2024 alone. The immigration unease also comes as H-1B visas, one of the most common legal pathways of entry for Indians, have been a hotly contested topic by Trump’s supporters. On Monday, however, Trump dismissed immigration concerns, expressing confidence India will “do what is right.”

TRUMP SAYS HE’S NOT CHANGED HIS MIND ON H-1B VISAS AS DEBATE RAGES WITHIN MAGA COALITION

President Donald Trump, center, with first lady Melania Trump, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, tour Gandhi Ashram, Monday, Feb. 24, 2020, in Ahmedabad, India. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Trade is another possible point of contention that could affect U.S.-India relations.

Just a day after Trump held his call with Modi, he denounced India, China and Brazil as “tremendous tariff maker(s).” Speaking to House Republicans in Florida, Trump emphasized that the nations harm the U.S. with high tariffs. He highlighted plans to target the countries, asserting, “we’re not going to let that happen any longer because we’re going to put America first.”

Trump threatened high tariffs on imported goods throughout his presidential campaign and slammed India as a “very big abuser.” During his first term, Trump dubbed India the “tariff king” amid trade disagreements. In 2019, he revoked India’s special trade privileges. In retaliation, India slapped tariffs on more than two dozen U.S. goods.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS CLEAR PATH FOR TRUMP TO ACT ON TARIFF PLANS

Modi is casting India as a rising global player and seeks to enhance trade ties with the U.S., especially in the face of Trump’s international tariff threats. Trump has proposed a “universal” tax of 10% or 20% on all international imports, and India would be no exception. India, the world’s fifth-largest economy, aims to boost bilateral trade with the U.S. while reducing dependence on China. The two countries are India’s top trading partners.

Recent legal allegations have also tested the burgeoning relationship between India and the U.S. Last year, American prosecutors charged Indian government agents with what they said was a plot to assassinate an American citizen on U.S. soil. Months later, the Justice Department indicted Indian tycoon Gautam Adani on fraud and bribery charges. Despite these challenges, the bilateral relationship has endured.

INDIAN INTELLIGENCE OFFICIAL CHARGED IN MURDER-FOR-HIRE PLOT ON SIKH SEPARATIST LEADER IN NEW YORK CITY

“There will be challenges to navigate, for sure, both those inherited from the Biden administration – like the Justice Department investigation of an alleged Indian government involvement in a murder-for-hire plot in New York, and new ones like trade,” Kugelman explains. “But we can see from New Delhi’s recent signaling that it’s prepared to act preemptively to lower the risk of tensions.”

In the days since Trump took office, India has said it would explore lowering tariffs, taking back some of the illegal Indian migrants and importing more U.S. oil to reduce imports from Russia.

President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, pictured here, held a joint press conference in the Rose Garden of the White House, on Monday, June 26, 2017. (Sipa USA via AP)

As India works to bolster defense, technology and trade ties with the United States, the nation is expressing confidence that it is better positioned than others to weather Trump’s “America First” administration. “I know today a lot of countries are nervous about the U.S., let’s be honest about that. We are not one of them,” Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar said days after the November election.

Washington views India, the world’s largest democracy, as a counterbalance to China’s growing assertiveness. Additionally, Trump is largely unconcerned with Modi’s policies, which have been deemed problematic by many global leaders. The two align in style and rhetoric, particularly when it comes to national pride.

Kugelman told Fox News Digital, “the U.S. and India will continue to share a number of strong policy and strategic convergences, chief among them countering China.”

FORMER TRUMP OFFICIALS REJECT WHISTLEBLOWER CLAIM THAT FBI DIRECTOR NOMINEE KASH PATEL BROKE HOSTAGE PROTOCOL

Trump’s administration also features prominent Indian-Americans. His pick for FBI director, Kash Patel, faces a high-stake Senate confirmation hearing this week. If confirmed, he will be the FBI’s first Indian American leader, as well as its youngest director. Trump has also picked Dr. Jay Bhattacharya for director, National Institutes of Health and Harmeet K. Dhillon as assistant attorney general for Civil Rights. Others, like former 2024 presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and senior policy adviser for AI, Sriram Krishnan, already hold significant advisory roles in the administration. While they brought hope to many Indian immigrants, Krishnan, a first-generation Indian, has become a MAGA lightning rod. Additionally, while not a member of the cabinet, Vice President JD Vance’s wife, Usha, is the first woman of Indian origin to be second lady.

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India remains optimistic about strengthening its relationship with the United States under Trump’s leadership, viewing it as an opportunity to further its strategic interests on the global stage. Modi is expected to meet with Trump as soon as next month. Meanwhile, Trump is expected to visit India later this year to attend a Quad Leaders’ Summit hosted by New Delhi.

“The fact that India, with its nationalist government and strong confidence as a rising power, would so quickly and publicly acknowledge a willingness to consider making concessions to the U.S. says a lot about just how much it wants its partnership with Washington to work in the second Trump administration,” Kugelman said.

January 29, 2025
Incoming UK ambassador walks back prior comments on ‘danger’ of Trump: ‘ill-judged and wrong’

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EXCLUSIVE – Newly appointed U.K. ambassador to the U.S., Lord Peter Mandelson, is readying himself to take up the top job of preserving the “special relationship” long championed by London and Washington, but first he’s looking to set the record straight.

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Mandelson, when asked about previous comments he made regarding the recently re-elected president, including in 2019 when he said President Donald Trump was “a danger to the world,” said his opinion of the president had changed.

“I consider my remarks about President Trump as ill-judged and wrong,” he said. “I think that times and attitudes toward the president have changed.”

Peter Mandelson, former Labour MP and European commissioner, speaks to the media following the result of the EU referendum, in London, June 24, 2016. (Reuters/Stefan Wermuth)

TRUMP’S WORLD LEADERS CLUB: WHO’S IN AND WHO’S LOOKING TO SALVAGE TIES

“I think that he has won fresh respect,” he added in reference to Trump’s second election as president. “He certainly has from me, and that is going to be the basis of all the work I do as His Majesty’s ambassador in the United States.”

The incoming ambassador’s comments come amid reports that the U.K.-U.S.’s “special relationship” could be put to the test, and Mandelson’s appointment may be blocked by the White House.

Mandelson rejected these claims and said, “I’ve heard nothing from the president or the White House or anyone working for him that suggests that there’s going to be any difficulty about my appointment.”

But speculation on the reliability of the U.S. in that trans-Atlantic relationship remains high following comments made by officials from Trump’s campaign, as well as by close ally and tech titan Elon Musk.

Musk, who engaged in a social media spat leveled at British Prime Minster Keir Starmer earlier this month, is not in Trump’s Cabinet, but he has been charged with overseeing the new Department of Government Efficiency.

Despite the negative social media banter by those who have Trump’s ear, the president and Starmer engaged in an apparently friendly phone call over the weekend – suggesting Trump may look to prioritize the U.S.-U.K. partnership.

Elon Musk speaks with former President Donald Trump during a campaign event, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

AS UK REPRESENTATIVE, I WANT TO MAKE OUR ALLIANCE WITH THE US GREAT AGAIN

“They’re not Siamese twins, President Trump and Prime Minister Starmer, but they’re both pragmatic people. They know where each is coming from, they want to find common ground,” Mandelson said. “I feel very optimistic. I feel very upbeat about the relationship that they’re both going to have.”

Mandelson is the first non-career diplomat to take up the job as chief U.K.-U.S. liaison in over half a century. That could prove beneficial for Mandelson when up against Trump, who has long strayed from engaging in traditional diplomacy.

“The president isn’t a career diplomat, and I’m not a career diplomat,” Mandelson said. “I came into politics to change things for the better for people, and so did he.

“We share a similar, if not identical, outlook on the world and motivation in politics. But I think above all, we believe in something which is really special between our countries,” he added, pointing to the enduring relationship between the U.S. and U.K.

Mandelson said his chief priorities will be to work with the U.S. on trade, technological developments and defense partnerships – particularly in the face of adversarial powers like China.

“I think that the United States and Britain, working together, can outsmart and keep ahead of the curve as far as China is concerned,” the incoming ambassador said. “[Trump] wants a dialogue with China, he wants to do deals with China. But he’s also not going to be naive about China.

Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer addresses members at the Labour Party in Liverpool, England, on Tuesday. (AP)

“We face a challenge together from China, and we’ve got to make sure that we are able to deter that challenge or that threat when they’re having aggressive intents toward us,” he added.

Mandelson championed the trilateral alliance shared by the U.S., the U.K. and Australia, established with the intent of countering China’s aggression in the Indo-Pacific.

“Security in the Euro-Atlantic area depends on making sure that China is kept at bay in its own region,” he said. “China has the right to prosper, to generate higher standards of living for its own people, but not at the expense of others.”

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Mandelson argued that despite international apprehensions over certain security uncertainties under the Trump administration, the U.K. does not share in these concerns.

“There are so many threats and challenges the world is facing at the moment. It takes courage, somebody, sometimes, who’s prepared to be argumentative and, indeed, disruptive, not just take business as usual,” he detailed.

“Frankly, I think President Trump could become one of the most consequential American presidents I have known in my adult life,” Mandelson said.

January 29, 2025
Denmark increasing military spendingamid row with Trump over Greenland

The government of Denmark says it will increase military spending in the North Atlantic amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s bid to have Greenland sold or ceded to the United States.

Late Monday, the Danish government announced an agreement of 14.6 billion-kroner – or nearly $2 billion – with parties including the governments of Greenland and the Faroe Islands to “improve capabilities for surveillance and maintaining sovereignty in the region.”

The Defense Ministry in Copenhagen said those will include three new Arctic naval vessels, two additional long-range surveillance drones and satellite capacity.

On Tuesday, Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, traveled to several major European capitals, including Berlin, Paris and Brussels, where she met NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

DANISH LAWMAKER ADDRESSING EU TELLS TRUMP TO ‘F— OFF’ OVER GREENLAND BID

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen speaks to the media following talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (not seen) at the Chancellery on January 28, 2025 in Berlin, Germany. (Maja Hitij/Getty Images)

Frederiksen warned that Europe faces what she called “a more uncertain reality” and said her country would be strengthening its military presence around Greenland.

The trip comes after Trump has repeatedly made various statements calling Greenland vital to U.S. national and economic security interests and expressed interest in purchasing it from Denmark. Trump has even said he wouldn’t rule out using military force to gain control of the island’s territory.

Greenland Prime Minister Múte Egede (left) and President-elect Donald Trump (right). (Getty Images / Fox News Digital)

Frederiksen didn’t directly mention Trump’s threat in comments at a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, but she said that “we are facing a more uncertain reality, a reality that calls for an even more united Europe and for more cooperation.”

EU MILITARY CHIEF SAYS IT WOULD MAKE SENSE TO PUT EUROPEAN TROOPS IN GREENLAND, WELT REPORTS

She pointed to Russian activities in Ukraine and beyond and said that “it is up to Europe to define the future of our continent, and I think we have to take more responsibility for our own security.”

In its announcement on the Arctic and North Atlantic region, the Danish Defense Ministry said that the parties agreed to negotiate a second agreement in the first half of this year focused on strengthening deterrence and defense.

Qaqortoq, Greenland. (Fox News)

“We must face the fact that there are serious challenges regarding security and defense in the Arctic and North Atlantic,” Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said. “For this reason, we must strengthen our presence in the region.”

His ministry said ensuring that investments provide support for local jobs and businesses in Greenland and the Faroe Islands will be “a focal point.”

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Greenland’s government has insisted that the territory isn’t for sale but that it is open to cooperation. The Defense Ministry statement didn’t mention Trump’s ambitions.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Bradford Betz is a Fox News Digital breaking reporter covering crime, political issues, and much more.

January 29, 2025
‘Mona Lisa’ will get its own room under a major renovation of the Louvre

French President Emmanuel Macron announced Tuesday that the “Mona Lisa” will get its own dedicated room inside the Louvre museum under a major renovation and expansion of the Paris landmark that will take up to a decade.

The renovation project, branded “Louvre New Renaissance,” will include a wide new entrance near the Seine River, to be opened by 2031, Macron said in a speech from the room where Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece is displayed.

PURPORTED EARLIER VERSION OF DA VINCI’S ‘MONA LISA’ WOWS ART LOVERS AFTER GOING ON DISPLAY

Macron didn’t disclose an exact amount budgeted for the project to modernize the world’s most visited museum, which is plagued with overcrowding and outdated facilities. But it’s estimated to reach up to 800 million euros ($834 million).

The Louvre’s last overhaul dates back to the 1980s, when the iconic glass pyramid was unveiled.

A look at what’s at stake:

Move designed to make Louvre experience easier

Macron said the expansion of the museum will allow the “Mona Lisa” to be moved to a new, dedicated room accessible to visitors through a special ticket. That will make the visit simpler for those who want to see the painting and ease the experience of other visitors in the rest of the museum, he said.

French President Emmanuel Macron gives a speech to announce a multi-year overhaul, long-term investments to modernize the Louvre museum, next to Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of the Mona Lisa, at the Louvre Museum, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025 in Paris. (Bertrand Guay, Pool via AP)

“Conditions of display, explanation and presentation will be up to what the ‘Mona Lisa’ deserves,” he said.

Leonardo’s masterpiece is now being shown behind protective glass in the museum’s largest room, overcrowded with long, noisy lines of visitors eager to take a selfie with the groundbreaking portrait of the woman with the enigmatic smile. That makes some other paintings in the room by Venetian painters like Titian and Veronese go unnoticed by many.

The museum’s big renovation in the 1980s was designed to receive 4 million annual visitors.

Last year, the Louvre received 8.7 million visitors, more than 75% being foreigners mostly from the United States, China and neighboring countries Italy, the U.K., Germany and Spain.

Costly and complex overhaul

Macron said that a new entrance for the Louvre will be created near the Seine by 2031, to be financed by ticket sales, patronage and licensing money from the museum’s Abu Dhabi branch.

A design competition will be staged in the coming months, he said. In addition, some new underground rooms will be created to expand the museum.

A French top official said that the cost of the renovation is estimated at 700 to 800 million euros ($730 to 834 million) over the next decade, including half for the creation of the new entrance. The official couldn’t be named in line with the French presidency’s customary practices.

Macron said that ticket prices would be raised for foreign visitors from outside the European Union, up from 22 euros ($23) now. He promised the museum would be safer and more comfortable for both the public and employees.

Comparing the project to Notre Dame’s recent reopening, Macron said that “the redesigned Louvre, restored and expanded, will become the epicenter of art history for our country and beyond.”

Half the Louvre’s budget is being financed by the French government, including the wages of the 2,200 employees.

The other half is provided by private funds including ticket sales, earnings from restaurants, shops and bookings for special events, as well as patrons and other partners.

Water leaks and other damage

The renovation announcement came after Louvre Director Laurence des Cars expressed her concerns in a note to Culture Minister Rachida Dati earlier this month saying that the museum is threatened by “obsolescence.”

According to the document first released by French newspaper Le Parisien, she warned about the gradual degradation of the building because of water leaks, temperature variations and other issues “endangering the preservation of artworks.”

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The pyramid that serves at the museum’s entrance, unveiled in 1989 as part of late President François Mitterrand’s project, now appears outdated. The place isn’t properly insulated from the cold and the heat, and it tends to amplify noise, making the space uncomfortable for both the public and the staff, des Cars said.

In addition, the museum suffers from a lack of food options and restroom facilities, she said.

January 29, 2025
Israeli President Herzog highlights antisemitism in UN speech as new report shows shocking trend

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As the world marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp on Monday, the world’s oldest hatred is again on the rise.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog addressed the United Nations in honor of the solemn anniversary on Monday, saying the “moral beacon” of the U.N. had “been eroded time and again.”

Speaking to a packed General Assembly Hall, he asked, “How is it possible that international institutions, established as an anti-Nazi alliance, allow murderous antisemitic views to flourish unhindered, in the shadow of the greatest massacre of Jews since World War II? How is it possible that those institutions that were established in the wake of the greatest genocide in history – the Holocaust – distort the definition of ‘genocide’ in favor of one and only goal: attacking the State of Israel and the Jewish people; while embracing the despicable phenomenon of ‘reversing the Holocaust.’”

GLOBAL RISE IN ANTISEMITISM LEAVES JEWISH COMMUNITY ISOLATED, RABBI SAYS WORLD AT ‘A TIPPING POINT’

Israeli President Isaac Herzog speaks during the Holocaust memorial ceremony at the United Nations in New York on Jan. 27, 2025. (Lev Radin/Sipa USA/Sipa via AP Images)

Herzog added that “antisemitism, barbarism, cruelty, and racism” thrive at the U.N. because “too many of the nations represented here – do not confront them, do not unanimously condemn them, and do not fight against them.”

A recent report released by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) found in its latest Global 100 survey that 46% of the world’s 2.2 billion adults “harbor deeply entrenched antisemitic attitudes,” a number “more than double” what the ADL recorded through the survey in 2014.

The ADL survey reflects the percentage of adults queried who “answered ‘definitely true’ or ‘probably true’ to six or more of the 11 negative stereotypes about Jews that were tested.” Responses ranged from 5% in Sweden and 8% in Norway, Canada, and the Netherlands, to 97% in Kuwait, the West Bank and Gaza.

Seventy-six percent of respondents in the Middle East and Africa, 51% in Asia, and 49% in Eastern Europe were found to agree with most antisemitic tropes surveyed. Though the respondents living in the Americas (24%), Western Europe (17%) and Oceania (20%) expressed less agreement with antisemitic statements, countries in these regions have seen tremendous incidents of violent antisemitism since Oct. 7, 2023.

AUSCHWITZ 80 YEARS SINCE LIBERATION: RYSZARD HOROWITZ’S STORY OF SURVIVAL AND MAKING THE AMERICAN DREAM

Antisemitic hate on display at an anti-Israel protest in London. (Campaign Against Antisemitism on X)

In response to growing problems in the U.S., some in the American Jewish community have begun looking for safety outside the country. Israel’s Ministry of Immigration and Absorption, according to media reporting, said 3,340 Americans had immigrated to Israel as of September 2024. This represents a more than 30% increase from the 2,479 Americans who immigrated to Israel in 2023.

Nuri Katz, founder of Apex Capital Partners, has helped clients procure citizenship through investment for 32 years. Over the last five years, Katz told Fox News Digital that his Jewish client base expanded due to record levels of antisemitism inside the U.S. “American Jews are scared of being stuck and not being able to leave, just like many of their forefathers were stuck in Europe after the beginning of World War II,” he explained.

Katz said a popular choice among his Jewish clients is citizenship through investment in small Caribbean countries like St. Kitts and Antigua.

Though a long-awaited ceasefire and partial hostage exchange between Israel and Hamas is underway, the state of antisemitism around the world could be difficult to rein in.

A Jewish man was shot in the shoulder in Chicago in an antisemitic hate crime. (Fox 32 Chicago)

Rabbi Moshe Hauer, executive vice president of Orthodox Union, told Fox News Digital, “It will certainly take time for the world to get the distortions of the past year and a half out of their mind.” He emphasized that “the Jewish people, the Israeli government, the soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces, have been waiting for the day when they can stop the fight, when they can start just building everybody’s future in a positive way, and being able to go back to working on providing the world with solutions to problems. And we’re very, very eager to get back to that.”

In the meantime, “elevated security costs are everywhere in the Jewish community,” Hauer said, explaining that some refer to the expense as “the antisemitism tax.” As a congregational rabbi in the 1990s, Hauer said, “Security in the synagogue meant the last person out should turn the button on the lock.” Today, he said, “Security committees are the most active committees in most synagogues.”

JEWISH HIGH SCHOOLERS FIGHT HATE WITH COMMUNITY SUPPORT, FACE NARROWING PROSPECTS FOR COLLEGIATE FUTURE

The United Nations building in New York City, Sept. 19, 2023. (Julia Bonavita for Fox News Digital)

The cost is “way more than the significant dollars” spent on security, Hauer said. “The cost is that the energy and the resources which faith communities should be investing in strengthening family and strengthening community… is being diverted” to turn “communal Jewish homes into fortresses.”

As a note of “good news,” Hauer said the hate emanating from “mass protests has, thank God, improved,” adding, “And that speaks to the better nature of the masses of both leaders and responsible people in this country, as well as the citizens.”

“We are hopeful,” he said, explaining that America has “a sometimes too-silent majority that despises the acts of hate which are being committed against anybody.” Hauer also added that the country “has to correct itself.”

With only some of the remaining hostages slated to be released at present, the time for relief has yet to arrive.

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Hauer called on a dichotomous mixture of hope and dismay in a press release about long-awaited hostage transfers. “We rejoice with the hostages who are being released, and we weep with those remaining in the hands of Hamas,” Hauer said.

“We are grateful that the new administration worked with the old to bring the necessary pressure to bear on Hamas, but we are incensed that the world has allowed this to go on for so long. We are grateful to President Trump for moving quickly to bring freedom to many, but we will not forget for even a moment the many who remain. There should still be hell to pay,” Hauer said.

January 28, 2025
Former Hamas hostage Naama Levy breaks silence in first message since her release

Naama Levy, one of the four female IDF soldiers released from Hamas captivity on Saturday, is speaking out for the first time.

“After 477 days, I’m finally home,” Levy wrote on Instagram. “I’m safe and protected, surrounded by family and friends, and I am feeling better by the day.”

In the post, Levy expressed her gratitude to “Israeli combat soldiers and the Israeli people,” saying she saw how they were fighting for her release. “Thank you all. I love you,” Levy wrote.

Released hostage Naama Levy sees her parents for the first time in 477 days after being violently kidnapped by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023. (IDF Spokesperson’s Unit)

HAMAS RELEASES 4 FEMALE HOSTAGES AS PART OF ISRAEL CEASEFIRE DEAL

On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists kidnapped Levy alongside Liri Albag, Daniella Gilboa, Karina Ariev, and Agam Berger. All the girls, except Berger, were released as part of Israel and Hamas’ ceasefire deal.

Levy revealed that she was alone most of the time for the first 50 days of captivity. However, once she was reunited with the other soldiers taken from her base, they stuck together and “strengthened each other every day until our release and also after it.”

“We are waiting for Agami and the rest of the hostages to return so we can complete the recovery process.”

Berger, who Levy mentioned in the post, is expected to be released on Thursday along with Arbel Yehoud and an unnamed male hostage.

Left to right: Daniella Gilboa, Karina Ariev, Liri Albag, Naama Levy. (Handout/Bring Them Home Now)

ISRAEL, HAMAS REACH DEAL TO RELEASE HOSTAGES AND ALLOW PALESTINIANS TO RETURN TO GAZA STRIP

A video of Levy on the day she was kidnapped went viral. She was seen wearing a black shirt and blood-soaked gray sweatpants as an armed man pulls her from a Jeep. Her ankles slashed, Levy was clearly struggling to walk after her apparently violent abduction. Levy became a symbol for the plight of the female hostages and victims of Hamas’ surprise attacks.

A woman stands next to a poster with an image of Israeli soldier Naama Levy as supporters of hostages kidnapped during the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack stage a performance calling for her release in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Oct. 19, 2024. (REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura)

In a November 2023 essay for The Free Press, Levy’s mother, Ayelet Levy Shachar, emphasized that though the video of her daughter’s kidnapping was seen around the world, it was “totally unrepresentative of the life she had led until October 7.”

“When she is released, I pray that the image of her abduction, and the experience of what that image represents, isn’t how she comes to see the world,” Shachar wrote at the time.

WHAT WAS IN THE BROWN BAGS HANDED TO ISRAELI HOSTAGES RELEASED BY HAMAS?

Upon Levy, Albag, Gilboa and Ariev’s release, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters said that “their return today represents a moment of light in the darkness, a moment of hope and triumph of spirit, while serving as a painful reminder of the urgency to bring back the 90 hostages still in Gaza.”

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More than 15 months into the Israel-Hamas war, which started with the brutal surprise attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, dozens of hostages remain in Gaza.

Rachel Wolf is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and FOX Business.

January 28, 2025
US consulate warns of gun battles, IEDs, kidnappings in Mexican border towns near Texas

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American officials in Mexico have issued the highest-level travel warning amid increased gun battles, kidnappings and IEDs in a town that sits on the Texas border. The State Department has put the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico, which sits across the border from McAllen, Texas, under a “Level 4: Do not travel” advisory.

“As a precaution, U.S. government employees have been ordered to avoid all travel in and around Reynosa and Rio Bravo outside of daylight hours and to avoid dirt roads throughout Tamaulipas,” the consulate wrote in a statement.

Authorities are urging Americans to avoid dirt roads, not to touch unknown objects near or on roads and to plan travel during daylight hours. Additionally, Americans are advised to notify family and friends of their whereabouts “for your safety.”

Migrants walk back into Mexico after being deported from the U.S., at El Chaparral pedestrian border bridge in Tijuana, Mexico, Jan. 21, 2025. (Felix Marquez/AP)

The State Department’s Level 4 warning indicates that there is a “greater likelihood of life-threatening risks.” Additionally, the department warns that the U.S. government “may have very limited ability to provide assistance, including during an emergency” to Americans in areas under its highest-level advisory.

“The Department of State advises that U.S. citizens not travel to the country or to leave as soon as it is safe to do so. We advise that you write a will prior to traveling and leave DNA samples in case of worst-case scenarios,” the State Department’s website reads.

Last year, McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos told Fox News Digital that the American people were “exhausted” by lawmakers “just kicking the ball” on immigration.

BORDER ENCOUNTERS DROP SHARPLY AS TRUMP LAUNCHES CRACKDOWN ON ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

Illegal immigration played a major role in the election, with both President Donald Trump and his opponent, then-Vice President Kamala Harris, making trips to the border.

Since taking office, President Trump has made major changes to US immigration policy and leaders in his administration are taking action. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem joined an immigration enforcement raid in New York City on Tuesday.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Baltimore Field Officer director Matt Elliston listens during a briefing, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Silver Spring, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

KRISTI NOEM JOINS IMMIGRATION RAID TO CATCH ‘DIRTBAGS’ IN MAJOR SANCTUARY CITY

Noem posted footage and images of the raid, saying that “Criminal alien with kidnapping, assault & burglary charges is now in custody – thanks to [ICE.] Dirtbags like this will continue to be removed from our streets.”

A DHS spokesperson said the dawn operation targeted “murderers, kidnappers, and individuals charged of assault and burglary.”

Earlier this month, then-incoming border czar Tom Homan reiterated Trump’s pledge to “run the biggest deportation operation this country has ever seen,” adding that it would focus on “public safety threats.”

Migrants stand on the Mexican side of the U.S.-Mexico border, on the banks of the Rio Grande, in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, on March 29, 2023. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano, File)

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While Tamalipas, Mexico, remains under a Level 4 advisory, there are several parts of the country that are under lower-level advisories. The State Department keeps an updated interactive map on its website to help Americans understand risks when planning international travel.

January 28, 2025
South African elephant kills tourist who was trying to save children at Kruger National Park

An elephant in South Africa’s Kruger National Park trampled a tourist to death as he was trying to protect children, officials say.

The incident Sunday involving 59-year-old Shaik Adam Shabir Ammed from the South African town of Mkhondo remains under investigation by law enforcement, according to South African National Parks.

“Initial eyewitness accounts indicate that the family parked close to the Malelane reception area and children ran past the bridge into the bush whereupon an individual elephant from a nearby herd charged them. The deceased rushed to assist the children and that is when he was chased and trampled by one of the animals,” the agency said. “He succumbed to his injuries on the scene.”

“On the day of the incident, the animal responsible for the death could not be identified as there were several of them in the vicinity and they immediately moved away while people were trying to save the life of the deceased,” it added.

COLORADO COURT RULES ELEPHANTS AT ZOO CANNOT PURSUE THEIR RELEASE BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT HUMAN

Elephants are seen at Kruger National Park in South Africa in December 2022. (Murat Ozgur Guvendik/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

South African National Parks also said it offers its “heartfelt condolences to the Ammed family and wishes them strength in this difficult time.”

The agency said on its website that “In most of the national parks there is a possible threat from dangerous animals” and “In such parks guests may only [leave] vehicles in designated areas.

“No part of your body may protrude from a window or sunroof and doors should remain closed at all times,” it warned.

SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT SIGNS CONTROVERSIAL LAND SEIZURE BILL, ERODING PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS

An elephant similar to the one pictured above charged at the tourist as he was trying to bring children to safety inside Kruger National Park, officials say. (Murat Ozgur Guvendik/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Park officials describe elephants as “usually peaceful animals” but note that they “may become aggressive when sick, injured or harassed.”

“Elephants may run at the threat in a demonstration or real charge. Most charges are mock charges which are broken off before the target is reached,” South African National Parks said.

South Africa National Parks says elephants may become aggressive if they feel harassed. (Frédéric Soltan/Corbis via Getty Images)

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“However, if an attack is followed through, an elephant is quite capable of killing another elephant, other animals (including humans) or wrecking cars,” it added.

Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.

January 28, 2025
A weakened Iran has Iraq looking to curb Tehran-backed extremists in country

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With Iranian influence waning in the Middle East, the Iraqi government wants armed groups, including factions within the Iran-backed Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI), to lay down their arms and join the state security forces or integrate into the state-recognized Popular Mobilization Forces.

Iraq’s foreign minister, Fuad Hussein, recently told Reuters that armed groups operating inside Iraq and outside state control are unacceptable.

“Many political leaders, many political parties started to raise a discussion, and I hope that we can convince the leaders of these groups to lay down their arms, and then to be part of the armed forces under the responsibility of the government,” Hussein told Reuters.

US, IRAQI FORCES UNLEASH AIRSTRIKE ON ISIS TARGETS, KILL TERRORISTS HIDING IN CAVE

There is also fear around the region, with the power vacuum left by the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria and a decimated Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, that Iraq may be next to fall.

Jonathan Schanzer, executive director at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital that the collapse of the Assad regime was the precipitating moment for the Iraqi government to make its move against Iranian militias.

An Iraqi flag is flown at a protest. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil)

“Right now, the Iraqis are wondering if they are next and everyone is fearful of the toxic influence and corrosive nature of Iranian influence in the state,” Schanzer said.

Foreign Minister Hussein told Reuters that he does not think Iraq is the next domino to fall.

The IRI is a group of armed Islamic resistance factions under the umbrella of the Iran-backed “Axis of Resistance.” These groups are the most difficult for the Iraqi government to manage and were responsible for the attack that killed three U.S. service members in Jordan in January 2024. The IRI is aligned with Iran and has been engaging in armed operations against Israel and U.S. coalition forces since Oct. 7.

WHO IS THE IRAN-BACKED COALITION ISLAMIC RESISTANCE IN IRAQ, RESPONSIBLE FOR DEADLY DRONE STRIKE ON US TROOPS?

Also operating in Iraq are the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). The PMF was formed in 2014 after Iraq’s Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, called for Iraqis to rise up and fight against the Islamic State. Tehran sent IRGC advisers, weapons and other military support to the PMF to combat ISIS, according to the Defense Intelligence Agency.

The PMF are formally recognized as an official part of the Iraqi state security forces and report directly to the prime minister.

Mourners chant slogans against the U.S. during the funeral of Iran’s top general, Qassem Soleimani, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy commander of Iran-backed militias in Iraq known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, in the shrine of Imam Hussein in Karbala, Iraq, on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

“Current discussions revolve around how to effectively manage the so-called Islamic Resistance factions, some of which have gained media prominence since Oct. 7 while conducting armed operations under the label of Islamic Resistance in Iraq,” Inna Rudolf, who studied the PMF at King’s College London, told Fox News Digital.

Many of these resistance factions, Rudolf said, have also registered brigades within the state-recognized PMF umbrella.

“The question for decision-makers remains how to neutralize these elements and mitigate the risk of dragging both the PMF and the Iraqi state into a poorly timed geopolitical escalation,” Rudolf said.

NETANYAHU HAILS ‘HISTORIC’ FALL OF BASHAR ASSAD IN SYRIA, CREDITS ISRAELI ATTACKS ON HEZBOLLAH, IRAN

Rudolf pointed out that although Iranian proxies have been significantly weakened since Oct. 7, pressure has intensified in light of reports suggesting Israel could retaliate against Iranian groups inside Iraq.

Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani attends a ceremony in Baghdad, Iraq, on Jan. 9, 2024.

Many observers of the region think Iraq’s attempt to rein in armed factions at this moment is a sign of Iran’s diminished position in the region.

“The fact that major security sector reform in respect to the Popular Mobilization Forces is being conducted at this time is representative of Iran’s weakened role in the country and an imperative amongst more moderate forces, as well as the U.S., to seize on this and create momentum,” Caroline Rose, a senior analyst and head of the Power Vacuums Program at the New Lines Institute, told Fox News Digital.

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Elections in Iraq are scheduled for this fall, and Prime Minister Sudani is attempting to negotiate an acceptable form of bilateral security cooperation with the U.S., including the status of U.S. forces inside the country. The U.S. currently has about 2,500 troops serving in Iraq as part of the anti-ISIS Operation Inherent Resolve effort.

Observers of the region agreed that if Iraq is unable to demonstrate its ability to rein in rogue groups conducting armed operations against the prime minister, sustaining security cooperation with the United States, especially under President Donald Trump, could be impossible.

January 28, 2025