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Greece’s conservative government survives a no-confidence motion called over deadly rail disaster

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ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s center-right government survived a motion of no-confidence late Thursday that was brought by opposition parties over its handling of the country’s deadliest rail disaster a year ago.

Four left-wing opposition parties accused the government of hindering an investigation into the rail crash that left 57 people dead, many of them university students returning from a spring break.

BODIES FROM GREECE TRAIN COLLISION THAT KILLED 57 RETURNED TO FAMILIES IN CLOSED CASKETS

Parliament voted 159-141 against the motion following an acrimonious three-day debate. The government also rejected opposition calls to hold a snap election.

Greece Confidence Vote

Greece Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, center, is applauded by his party’s lawmakers during a parliament session in Athens, Greece, Thursday, March 28, 2024. Greece’s center-right government survived a motion of no-confidence late Thursday brought by opposition parties over its handling of the country’s deadliest rail disaster. Parliament voted 159-141 against the motion following an acrimonious three-day debate.  (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

The Feb. 28, 2023 crash occurred when a passenger train smashed into an oncoming freight train which had been mistakenly placed on the same track.

Conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis vowed to respect the results of an ongoing judicial investigation into the crash, and denied any wrongdoing.

“There was no cover up,” he told lawmakers ahead of the vote. “What exactly has all this debate (in parliament) contributed to the investigation?”

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Opinion polls suggest that a majority of the public believe the government had not honestly addressed its responsibilities regarding the crash.

Despite its defeat, the no-confidence motion was the result of a rare collaboration between Greece’s center-left and left-wing parties ahead of European Parliament elections in June.

Six Russian journalists have been detained by authorities. They include one who covered Navalny

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Authorities in Russia have detained six journalists across the country this month, including a journalist who covered the trials of Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny for several years, media freedom organization Reporters Without Borders said Thursday.

Antonina Favorskaya was detained and accused by Russian authorities of taking part in an “extremist organization” by posting on the social media platforms of Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, the Russian human rights group OVD-Info said. Navalny died in an Arctic penal colony in February.

RUSSIAN JOURNALIST WHO CRITICIZED PUTIN’S ADMIN OF ‘GIGANTIC CORRUPTION’ FOUND DEAD

Favorskaya covered Navalny’s court hearings for years and filmed the last video of Navalny before he died in the penal colony. She is one of several Russian journalists targeted by authorities as part of a sweeping crackdown against dissent in Russia that is aimed at opposition figures, journalists, activists and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

A map with a Russian flag stuck in it

Russian authorities detained six journalists this month, including one who covered the trials of opposition politician Alexei Navalny. (iStock)

Two other journalists, Alexandra Astakhova and Anastasia Musatova, were also temporarily detained after they came to meet Favorskaya in the detention center where she was being held, Reporters Without Borders said, adding that their homes were searched and equipment seized.

Ekaterina Anikievich, of the Russian news site SOTAvision, and Konstantin Yarov from RusNews, were also detained by police while covering the search of Favorskaya’s home. Yarov was beaten by police, threatened with sexual violence and taken to a hospital, Reporters Without Borders said. Yarov is accused of “disobedience” towards police and risks 15 days of detention, the group said.

In Ufa, 1,300 kilometers (around 800 miles) east of Moscow, Russian authorities detained Olga Komleva, a reporter for RusNews, on Wednesday. They also accused her of extremism and involvement with Navalny and his organization, Reporters Without Borders said.

OVD-Info said that Favorskaya was initially detained on March 17 after laying flowers on Navalny’s grave. She spent 10 days in jail after being accused of disobedience towards the police, but when that period of detention ended, authorities charged her again and ordered her to appear Friday in Moscow’s Basmanny District Court, OVD-Info said.

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Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation has been designated an extremist organization by Russian authorities, which means that people associated with it potentially face prison sentences if they continue to be involved in its work.

Kira Yarmysh, Navalny’s spokeswoman, said that Favorskaya didn’t publish anything on the Foundation’s platforms and suggested that Russian authorities targeted her because she was doing her job as a journalist.

“What darkness,” Yarmysh wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Central and Eastern European countries mark 20 years in NATO with focus on war in Ukraine

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VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Several central and Eastern European countries began marking on Thursday the 20th anniversary of the largest expansion of the NATO military alliance when formerly socialist countries became members of the bloc.

Military aircraft roared over the Lithuanian capital Vilnius. At the main airbase hosting Spanish and Portuguese fighter jets tasked with NATO air policing missions in the Baltic region, officials gathered to commemorate the event.

NATO WELCOMES 32ND MEMBER, EXPERT WARNS BIGGER BLOC ‘EXACERBATES’ PUTIN’S FEARS

Russia’s new bloody terror in Europe is contributing to the growth of instability and threats around the world. However, we in Lithuania are calm because we know that we will never be alone again,” said President Gitanas Nauseda, standing near the runway where the first NATO jets landed back in 2004. “We will always have a strong, supportive Alliance family by our side, and we will face any challenges together.”

Lithuania NATO Anniversary

In this photo provided by Lithuanian Ministry of National Defense, Lithuania’s army soldiers attend the celebration for Lithuania’s NATO membership 20th anniversary at the Siauliai airbase, some 230 km (144 miles) east of the capital Vilnius, Lithuania, Thursday, March 28, 2024.  (Alfredas Pliadis/Lithuanian Ministry of National Defense via AP)

Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia joined NATO on March 29 in 2004, bringing the total membership of the Alliance to 26. The seven nations started accession negotiations soon after the collapse of the Soviet Union and eventually were invited to join at the Prague Summit in November 2002. Another group of former Soviet satellites including Poland and the Czech Republic had been admitted several years earlier.

Since joining the alliance, these countries often warned about the threat of Russia, using their national trauma of Soviet occupation as proof of credibility. While Western nations often dismissed their sometimes hawkish attitude, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is seen as a vindication of those fears. They have given some of the most robust responses, helping Ukraine with equipment and money, and pushing for even greater sanctions on Russia.

Most of the former Soviet Republics that joined NATO at the turn of the millennium spend more than the required 2% of gross domestic product on defense. When Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis announced his bid earlier this month to become the next leader of the alliance, he emphasized the threat from Russia and said the alliance needs a “renewal of perspectives” that Eastern Europe could provide.

“Russia is proving to be a serious and long-term threat to our continent, to our Euro-Atlantic security,” the 65-year-old said when he announced his bid. “NATO’s borders become of paramount importance, and the strengthening of the eastern flank … will remain a long-term priority.”

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The seven countries are marking the anniversary with solemn events and shows of force, but also some levity, with open-air concerts and exhibitions.

“Twenty years ago the Bulgarian people made the right choice for our country to join NATO,” the country’s defense chief Adm. Emil Eftimov said. “Given today’s security situation, this is the most appropriate decision we have made in our recent history.”

NATO was established in the aftermath of World War II.

UK could force oil, gas platform companies to convert rigs to green energy or face shut down: reports

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Oil and gas rigs in United Kingdom waters of the North Sea could be forced to convert over to green energy or low-carbon fuels, or either face closure or getting banned from opening new platforms, in an effort to reduce emissions, according to reports.

The Telegraph reported there are currently over 280 oil and gas platforms in UK waters, which produce about 3% of the total CO2 emitted by the country per year.

The same rigs, though, produce nearly half of the UK’s energy.

The North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) has regulatory authority over the waters off the UK, and reportedly gave oil producers an ultimatum to either convert platforms to operate on low-carbon fuels or green electricity, or face closure.

OXFORD, CAMBRIDGE ROWING TEAMS WARNED ABOUT POLLUTED WATERS AHEAD OF BOAT RACE: IT’S A ‘NATIONAL DISGRACE’

North Sea Gas Platform

A worker looks out onto the weather deck of the Armada gas condensate platform, operated by BG Group Plc, in the North Sea, off the coast of Aberdeen, U.K., on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2015.  (Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The requirement is for all new rigs after 2030 to be electrified completely from the start, while new development ahead of that must be designed to run on electricity.

Older platforms dating back to the 1970s and 1980s could cost a heap for electric conversion. Some platforms may have to connect with land power or build wind farms near each platform for an electricity connection.

Documents posted to the NSTA’s website point towards the end of flaring or burning off methane by offshore platform operators.

BIG OIL COMPANIES ASK SUPREME COURT TO INTERVENE IN HIGH-STAKES CLIMATE CASE

Wind turbines in the North Sea

Wind turbines are seen in the North Sea near Scheveningen, Netherlands, on Aug. 25, 2022. (Reuters/Piroschka van de Wouw)

Methane, which is a greenhouse gas like CO2, is nearly 80 times more harmful than CO2. Flaring releases both unburned methane and CO2 into the atmosphere.

The NSTA regulates flaring and venting under the Energy Act of 1976, which was amended in 2016, and the Petroleum Act of 1998. The NSTA also aims to ultimately phase out flaring and venting by 2030.

“While progress has been made, with industry flaring volumes having decreased by around 50pc since 2018, and some flaring is unavoidable for safety and operational reasons, the NSTA has been clear that more must be done to prevent the wasteful flaring of gas and expects the reductions to continue,” the NSTA wrote, adding that the new plan will aid those efforts. “This plan places electrification and low carbon power at the heart of emissions reductions.

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“It makes it clear that where the NSTA considers electrification reasonable, but it has not been done, there should be no expectation that the NSTA will approve field development plans that give access to future hydrocarbon resources in that asset,” it added.

Still, the agency plans to avoid unintended consequences while also applying the plan reasonably.

Hezbollah fires heavy rockets at northern Israel after deadliest day of Israeli strikes on Lebanon

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BEIRUT (AP) — The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah fired rockets with heavy warheads at towns in northern Israel, saying it used the weapons against civilian targets for the first time Thursday in retaliation for Israeli airstrikes the night before that killed nine, including what the group said were several paramedics.

There were no reports of Israelis hurt in the rocket attack, local media said. The Israeli military did not immediately offer comment on the rocket attack.

ODDS OF ISRAEL-HEZBOLLAH WAR ‘INEVITABLE,’ EXPERTS FEAR: ‘TOTALLY PESSIMISTIC’

Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza on Oct. 7, concerns have grown that near-daily clashes along the border between Israel and Lebanon could escalate into a full-scale war. Airstrikes and rocket fire Wednesday killed 16 Lebanese and one Israeli, making it the deadliest day of the current conflict.

Lebanon Hezbollah Prayer Controversy

Spanish U.N. peacekeepers stand on a hill overlooking the Lebanese border villages with Israel in Marjayoun town on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024. A war of words that has unfolded in Lebanon show longstanding schisms in the small country over Hezbollah, now amplified by the militant groups role in the Lebanon-Israel border clashes and by fears that an already crisis-hit Lebanon could be dragged into an all-out war.  (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Israel’s chief military spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said Israel had killed 30 Hezbollah militants in the past week and had destroyed dozens of Hezbollah military sites in an effort to push the Iran-backed group away from the border.

The recent increase in violence has raised alarm in Washington and at the United Nations.

“Restoring calm along that border remains a top priority for President Biden and for the administration,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters, saying the U.S. is closely monitoring developments. “We’ve also been very, very clear: We do not support a war in Lebanon.”

Kirby said the U.S. is working to halt the fighting through diplomatic efforts. This needs to be a top priority for Israel and Lebanon, he said, and would allow displaced civilians to return home. Tens of thousands of people on both sides have fled the fighting.

At around sunset Thursday, a barrage of Katyusha and Burkan rockets was fired toward the Israeli village of Goren and Shlomi, a statement from Hezbollah said. Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV said the group had not previously fired Burkan rockets at civilian targets, but was now responding to the recent spate of Israeli airstrikes.

Lebanon’s state media reported that 10 paramedics were among those killed Wednesday. The Israeli military said it struck targets for Hezbollah and an allied Sunni Muslim group.

Hezbollah has frequently used Russian-made portable anti-tank Kornet missiles in recent months. More rarely, it has launched Burkan rockets which, according to the group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah, can carry a warhead that weighs between 300 kilograms (660 pounds) and 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds).

Hezbollah says its attacks aim to keep some Israeli divisions busy and away from Gaza, and Nasrallah says attacks on the border will only stop when Israel halts its offensive in Gaza.

The U.N. peacekeeping force in south Lebanon known as UNIFIL said it was imperative that “this escalation cease immediately.”

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“We urge all sides to put down their weapons and begin the process toward a sustainable political and diplomatic solution,” UNIFIL said. It added that the peacekeeping force remains ready to support that process in any way it can.

The fighting has killed nine civilians and 11 soldiers in Israel. More than 240 Hezbollah fighters and about 50 civilians have died in Lebanon.

UN top court orders Israel to open more land crossings for aid into Gaza

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THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The top United Nations court on Thursday ordered Israel to take measures to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, including opening more land crossings to allow food, water, fuel and other supplies into the war-ravaged enclave.

The International Court of Justice issued two new so-called provisional measures in a case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of acts of genocide in its military campaign launched after the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas. Israel denies it is committing genocide. It says its military campaign is self defense and aimed at Hamas, not the Palestinian people.

DOCTORS VISITING GAZA HOSPITAL REVEAL ‘GUT-WRENCHING’ DETAILS OF WAR’S IMPACT ON PALESTINIAN CHILDREN

Thursday’s order came after South Africa sought more provisional measures, including a cease-fire, citing starvation in Gaza. Israel urged the court not to issue new orders.

Israel Palestinians

An aircraft airdrops humanitarian aid over the northern Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, Thursday, March 28, 2024.  (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

In its legally binding order, the court told Israel to take measures “without delay” to ensure “the unhindered provision” of basic services and humanitarian assistance, including food, water, fuel and medical supplies.

It also ordered Israel to immediately ensure that its military does not take action that could harm Palestinians’ rights under the Genocide Convention, including by preventing the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

The court told Israel to report back in a month on its implementation of the orders.

Israel declared war in response to a bloody cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7 in which 1,200 people were killed and 250 others were taken hostage. Israel responded with a campaign of airstrikes and a ground offensive that have left over 32,000 Palestinians dead, according to local health authorities. The fighting also displaced over 80% of Gaza’s population and caused widespread damage.

The U.N. and international aid agencies say virtually the entire Gaza population is struggling to get enough food, with hundreds of thousands of people on the brink of famine, especially in hard-hit northern Gaza.

South Africa welcomed Thursday’s decision, calling it “significant.”

“The fact that Palestinian deaths are not solely caused by bombardment and ground attacks, but also by disease and starvation, indicates a need to protect the group’s right to exist,” the South African president said in a statement.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry had no immediate comment on the order.

In a written response earlier this month to South Africa’s request for more measures, Israel said the claims by South Africa were “wholly unfounded,” “morally repugnant” and “an abuse both of the Genocide Convention and of the Court itself.”

After initially sealing Gaza’s borders in the early days of the war, Israel began to permit entry of humanitarian supplies. It says it places no restrictions on the amount of humanitarian aid allowed into Gaza and accuses the United Nations of failing to properly organize the deliveries.

The U.N. and international aid groups say deliveries have been impeded by Israeli military restrictions, ongoing hostilities and the breakdown of public order.

Israel has been working with international partners on a plan to soon begin deliveries of aid by sea.

Israel has repeatedly feuded with the United Nations, particularly UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees and main provider of aid in Gaza. Israel accuses the agency of tolerating and even cooperating with Hamas — a charge UNRWA denies.

The court said in its order that “Palestinians in Gaza are no longer facing only a risk of famine … but that famine is setting in.” It cited a report from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs that said at least 31 people, including 27 children, have already died of malnutrition and dehydration.

The world court said earlier orders imposed on Israel after landmark hearings in South Africa’s case “do not fully address the consequences arising from the changes in the situation” in Gaza.

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On Tuesday, the army said it inspected 258 aid trucks, but only 116 were distributed within Gaza by the U.N.

COGAT, the Israeli military body in charge of Palestinian civilian affairs, has also run pilot programs to inspect the humanitarian aid at Israel’s main checkpoints in the south and then use land crossings in central Gaza to try to bring aid to the devastated northern part of the Strip. The agency had no immediate comment on the ICJ ruling.

Russian veto brings end to UN panel monitoring enforcement of North Korea nuclear sanctions

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UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia vetoed a U.N. resolution Thursday in a move that effectively abolishes the monitoring by United Nations experts of U.N. sanctions against North Korea aimed at reining in its nuclear program, though the sanctions themselves remain in place.

Russia’s vote sparked Western accusations that Moscow was acting to shield its weapons purchases from North Korea for use in its war against Ukraine, which violate U.N. sanctions.

JAPAN’S PM REQUESTS MEETING WITH KIM JONG UN TO FIX ‘VARIOUS BILATERAL PROBLEMS’ WITH NORTH KOREA

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have heightened with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatening nuclear conflict and escalating tests of nuclear-capable missiles designed to target South Korea, the United States and Japan. The three countries have responded by strengthening their combined military exercises and updating their deterrence plans.

UN Security Council North Korea

A general view shows an empty Security Council chamber, prior to a Security Council meeting to discuss the situation in the North Korea, at United Nations headquarters, Friday, March. 22, 2024.  (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

The vote in the 15-member council was 13 in favor, Russia against, and China abstaining. The Security Council resolution would have extended the mandate of the panel of experts for a year, but Russia’s veto will halt its operation when its current mandate expires at the end of April.

Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the council before the vote that Western nations are trying to “strangle” North Korea and that sanctions are losing their “relevance” and “detached from reality” in preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the country.

He accused the panel of experts of “increasingly being reduced to playing into the hands of Western approaches, reprinting biased information and analyzing newspaper headlines and poor quality photos.” Therefore, he said, it is “essentially conceding its inability to come up with sober assessments of the status of the sanctions regime.”

But U.S. Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood called the panel’s work essential and accused Russia of attempting to silence its “independent objective investigations” because it “began reporting in the last year on Russia’s blatant violations of the U.N. Security Council resolutions.”

He warned that Russia’s veto will embolden North Korea to continue jeopardizing global security through development “of long-range ballistic missiles and sanctions evasion efforts.”

White House national security spokesman John Kirby condemned Russia’s veto as a “reckless action” that undermines sanctions imposed on North Korea, while warning against the deepening cooperation between North Korea and Russia, particularly as North Korea continues to supply Russia with weapons as it wages its war in Ukraine.

“The international community should resolutely uphold the global nonproliferation regime and support the people of Ukraine as they defend their freedom and independence against Russia’s brutal aggression,” Kirby told reporters.

Britain’s U.N. Ambassador Barbara Woodward said Russia’s veto follows arms deals between Russia and North Korea in violation of U.N. sanctions, including “the transfer of ballistic missiles, which Russia has then used in its illegal invasion of Ukraine since the early part of this year.”

“This veto does not demonstrate concern for the North Korean people or the efficacy of sanctions,” she said. “It is about Russia gaining the freedom to evade and breach sanctions in pursuit of weapons to be used against Ukraine.”

“This panel, through its word to expose sanctions non-compliance, was an inconvenience for Russia,” Woodward said.

France’s U.N. Ambassador Nicolas de Riviere added that “North Korea has been providing Russia with military material in support of its aggression against Ukraine, in violation of many resolutions which Russia voted in favor of.”

The Security Council imposed sanctions after North Korea’s first nuclear test explosion in 2006 and tightened them over the years in a total of 10 resolutions seeking — so far unsuccessfully — to cut funds and curb its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

The last sanctions resolution was adopted by the council in December 2017. China and Russia vetoed a U.S.-sponsored resolution in May 2022 that would have imposed new sanctions over a spate of intercontinental ballistic missile launches.

The Security Council established a committee to monitor sanctions and the mandate for its panel of experts to investigate violations had been renewed for 14 years until Thursday.

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In its most recent report circulated last month, the panel of experts said it is investigating 58 suspected North Korean cyberattacks between 2017 and 2023 valued at approximately $3 billion, with the money reportedly being used to help fund its development of weapons of mass destruction.

The experts said North Korea continues to flout sanctions, including by further developing its nuclear weapons, and producing nuclear fissile materials — the weapons’ key ingredients. It also continues to import refined petroleum products in violation of council resolutions.

4 dead in 3 separate incidents off Spanish coast

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Four people have died in three separate incidents on Spain’s Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines after falling into the sea, emergency services said Thursday.

The deaths came amid warnings of strong winds and widespread rain across many parts of the country.

Spanish police said an underage male of Moroccan nationality and a German adult died on the Mediterranean coast near the eastern city of Tarragona. The German man went into the water trying to save the Moroccan youth and both perished, the Civil Guard said.

MARINE GOES MISSING WHILE SWIMMING IN HIGH SURF OFF PUERTO RICO COAST

A man and a woman died after falling into the Atlantic Ocean on Spain’s northern coast, emergency services for the region of Asturias said. Spain’s EFE news agency quoted local authorities as saying that the man was of British nationality.

Emergency services said that rescuers had recovered the bodies in two separate incidents that occurred around six miles apart along a stretch of coast west of the northern city of Gijón.

Spain Fox News graphic

Four people have been reported dead in three separate incidents off the Spanish coast. (Fox News)

The man’s body was pulled from the sea without life after emergency services said they were informed that a person had fallen into the sea. The woman, presumably Spanish, was recovered after she had fallen into the sea and been thrown against the rocks by the waves, authorities said.

Spain’s national weather service issued warnings Thursday for heavy winds in several areas of the peninsula. Those included the Asturias’ coast, where waves reaching 23 feet in height were forecast.

Spain’s Atlantic coastal area hasn’t been hit by the drought affecting its northeast, including Tarragona, and southern regions.

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The rain caused some cities to cancel Easter Week processions scheduled for Thursday.

Prominent Bahamas politician killed during robbery attempt near Nassau

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A well-known politician in the Bahamas was killed when two gunmen opened fire on a group of people while trying to rob them, police said Thursday.

Don Saunders, a former parliamentarian and the deputy chairman of the Free National Movement Party, died at the scene late Wednesday, according to officials. He was 49.

4 SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR 2013 ASSASSINATION OF TUNISIAN POLITICIAN

“We are still gathering all of the facts as we come to grips with this tragedy,” parliamentarian and FNM party leader Michael C. Pintard wrote on X, formerly called Twitter.

Bahamian flag

Photographed here is the Bahamian flag. (Photo by Nik Wheeler/Corbis via Getty Images)

The Royal Bahamas Police Force said in a statement that the shooting occurred in Gambier Village, just west of the capital, Nassau.

Police said the unidentified gunmen apparently demanded cash and began shooting after the group “reportedly panicked and fled for refuge.”

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There were no immediate arrests.

Biden’s shifting support of Israel in his own words: from ‘unwavering’ to ‘over the top’ criticism

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The Biden administration insists its support for Israel has not changed since Oct. 7, but Israeli officials and critics argue the decision to abstain from voting against a U.N. cease-fire resolution marks a clear shift in policy

“The U.S. did not veto today the new text that calls for a cease-fire without the condition of releasing the abductees,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement. “This is a clear withdrawal from the U.S.’s consistent position in the Security Council since the beginning of the war.”

Following the vote, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters that the resolution is nonbinding, with “no impact at all on Israel and Israel’s ability to continue to go after Hamas,” and a clear insistence that “it does not represent a change at all in our policy.”

HAMAS, IRAN LEADERS DELIGHT IN CEASE-FIRE CALL, US NO-VOTE: ‘FATEFUL TURNING POINT’

Immediately following the Hamas massacre in Southern Israel, President Biden came out with his full-throated backing of Israel and Netanyahu, stating in no uncertain terms, “My administration’s support for Israel’s security is rock solid and unwavering.”

Netanyahu and Biden embrace

President Biden, right, is greeted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after arriving at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv Israel, on Oct. 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Biden continued to trumpet his full and unmoving support for Israel and any decision the country took regarding a response to the attack. Just days afterward, Biden said, “if the United States experienced what Israel is experiencing, our response would be swift, decisive and overwhelming.” 

“As long as the United States stands — and we will stand forever — we will not let you ever be alone… We’ll walk beside you in those dark days, and we’ll walk beside you in the good days to come. And they will come,” Biden promised during his visit to Israel a week after the attack. 

STATE DEPT. REACTS TO STAFFER’S PUBLIC RESIGNATION OVER ISRAEL OFFENSIVE IN GAZA

In the following weeks, Biden argued that “American leadership is what holds the world together. American alliances are what keep us, America, safe. American values are what make us a partner that other nations want to work with.” He added, “To put all that at risk if we walk away from Ukraine, if we turn our backs on Israel, it’s just not worth it.”

As Israel’s assault on Hamas led to a high number of collateral casualties, President Biden remained firm in his support, seemingly dismissing the early reported numbers that the Gaza Health Ministry published (and some outlets around the world echoed without any caveat) and arguing he could not trust the numbers. The Gaza Health Ministry, as of March, has claimed that over 30,000 people have died in Gaza as a result of Israel’s operation. 

USUN Ambassador Linda Thomas Greenfield votes in a Security Council meeting on Gaza.

Permanent U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas Greenfield votes during a U.N. Security Council meeting for a cease-fire vote in Gaza at the U.N. headquarters in New York City on Monday. (John Lamparski/Getty Images)

“I have no notion that the Palestinians are telling the truth about how many people are killed,” Biden said on Oct. 25. “I’m sure innocents have been killed, and it’s the price of waging a war.” 

Biden late in November praised Israel’s cooperation and “commitment” to an extended pause while Hamas agreed to start releasing hostages — one day for every 10 hostages released. 

WHY MIDEAST NEIGHBORS WON’T OFFER REFUGE TO PALESTINIANS STUCK IN GAZA WAR ZONE

“I appreciate the commitment that Prime Minister Netanyahu and his government have made in supporting an extended pause to ensure this deal can be fully carried out and to ensure the provision of additional humanitarian assistance to alleviate the suffering of innocent Palestinian families in Gaza,” Biden said in November. 

President Biden speaks

President Biden speaks about inflation and supply chain issues in Los Angeles.  (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

The deal only lasted about a week before fighting resumed, with each side claiming the other had broken the terms of the agreement and forced the conflict to resume. Arab nations and some Western allies grew increasingly critical of Israel’s invasion of the Gaza Strip and some nations, such as South Africa and Ireland, started to call Israel’s operation a genocide. 

Israel military in Gaza

Israel’s military says this photo shows its troops operating inside the Gaza Strip on Nov. 5, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces via AP)

South Africa announced its plan to bring a case before the International Court of Justice, outright and legally accusing Israel of genocide as international opposition to Israel’s actions grew stronger and protests spread even in countries that remained supportive. 

In mid-December at a campaign reception, Biden admitted that Israel was “starting to lose that support by the indiscriminate bombing that takes place,” showing the first seeming crack in the previously unconditional support. 

POLL FINDS MOST AMERICANS DON’T SUPPORT ISRAEL’S ACTION IN GAZA AS BIDEN-ISRAEL RELATIONS HIT ‘LOW-POINT’

Reports around the New Year indicated that Biden’s patience with Israel and Netanyahu had started to wear thin, with reports claiming the two leaders hadn’t spoken directly for nearly three weeks in December while Biden’s patience was “running out,” one official told Axios at the time. 

The anti-Israel protests started to chip away at Biden, too, as he saw his approval ratings drop below 40% and he saw sizable “uncommitted” votes in the Democratic Party primaries: Michigan reported 13% uncommitted, topped by Minnesota’s 19% and Hawaii’s 29%. Activists have linked these protests to Biden’s support of Israel and urged voters to keep casting “uncommitted” votes when possible to pressure a cease-fire. 

Mennonite protesters in Capitol

Capitol police make arrests at a Mennonite protest calling for a Gaza cease-fire in the Cannon Rotunda in Washington, D.C., in January. (Fox News)

In the run-up to those primaries, Biden said that Israel’s conduct in the Gaza Strip “has been over the top,” leading him to start drawing a line in the sand over Israel’s desire to carry out a major operation in Rafah, regularly touted as the last major city in Gaza where significant numbers of Palestinian people have gathered. 

“The major military operation in Rafah should not proceed without a credible plan for ensuring the safety and support of more than one million people sheltering there,” Biden said at the White House. “They need to be protected.”

BIDEN CONCEDES TO PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTESTERS AFTER MULTIPLE INTERRUPTIONS: ‘THEY HAVE A POINT’

The dispute over Rafah and lack of U.S. support caused another seeming rift between Biden and Netanyahu, with the two leaders reportedly going an entire month without directly communicating — even though White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and Kirby insisted the president regularly communicated with Israeli officials during that time. 

March for Israel rallygoers stand in front of stage on National Mall

Many demonstrators waved or wore American and Israeli flags at the “March for Israel” in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 14, 2023. (Jon Michael Raasch/Fox News Digital)

Biden started looking to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza, insisting Israel start to do more to help the Palestinians despite arguments from Israeli officials that such aid ends up going to Hamas, who continue to leech off of the people despite the dire conditions of the territory.

“In addition to expanding deliveries by land, as I said, we’re going to insist that Israel facilitate more trucks and more routes to get more and more people the help they need. No excuses,” Biden said on March 1. 

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The latest rift, which started even before the U.S. abstained from voting on the U.N. Security Council cease-fire resolution, occurred after Biden was caught following his State of the Union address saying, “I told Bibi: ‘You and I are going to have a come-to-Jesus meeting.’”

When told he had been caught on a hot-mic moment, Biden said, “Good. That’s good.” 

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report. 

Auburn’s Bruce Pearl rips fans who criticized Chad Baker-Mazara over NCAA tournament ejection: ‘Stop it’

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Longtime Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl is speaking out once again about Chad Baker-Mazara’s early ejection from the Tigers’ first round loss in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

The junior guard was tossed for a flagrant 2 foul as less than four minutes had ticked off the clock in the opening quarterback of Auburn’s game against Yale on March 22.

“That’s a pretty tough call. He had got hit about five seconds earlier, got tangled up, got a little bit of an elbow, they let it go, maybe nobody saw it, and about five seconds later Chad hit him,” Pearl said after the game. “It was inappropriate. Clearly a flagrant 1. The fact that it was elevated to a flagrant 2 was a decision that the official had to make, but it obviously had tremendous impact on outcome.”

But on Thursday, Pearl turned his attention to the Auburn faithful who he believes have been overly critical of Baker-Mazara.

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Bruce Pearl vs Texas A&M

Head coach Bruce Pearl of the Auburn Tigers during their game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Neville Arena on January 09, 2024 in Auburn, Alabama.  (Michael Chang/Getty Images)

“I’m just going to tell the Auburn family, while I know you’re disappointed, if somebody was messing with your son, you’d stand up for your son a little bit, wouldn’t you?” Pearl said via The Associated Press. “Stop messing with my son. Stop it. He apologized. He made a mistake. And I’m calling you out. I’m not having it. For those on social media that want to continue, unfollow those people. Stop it.”

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While Baker-Mazara is admittedly a key part of Auburn’s rotation, the team’s inability to maintain possession of the basketball throughout the game contributed to the defeat.

“Chad is one of our best players, he’s one of our very best playmakers, and was a huge part of our game plan, so to lose him in that situation was really, really disruptive to our team on both ends of the floor,” Pearl added.

Bruce Pearl vs LSU

Bruce Pearl of the Auburn Tigers walks prior to the game against the LSU Tigers at Neville Arena on January 13, 2024 in Auburn, Alabama. (Michael Chang/Getty Images)

Aside from the 14 turnovers Auburn committed, Yale took advantage of a significant number of trips to the free-throw line.

But, associate head coach Steven Pearl argued the results would likely have been different if Baker-Mazara had been on the court for the duration of the game.

“We beat Yale by 20 points if Chad is in that game,” Pearl said on March 19 on “The Next Round” show. “I don’t want to dance around that. I’m not trying to, obviously, disrespect Yale, but we’re way better than they are and we should’ve beat them without him.”

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Baker-Mazara entered the first round matchup with Yale averaging 10.3 points. But, he did not score prior to the ejection.

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Steelers’ Art Rooney II dismisses poor NFLPA report card results, labels survey as ‘media opportunity’

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The NFL Players Association has released the second edition of its team report cards. The report anonymously asks players across the league to weigh in on their particular team’s working conditions.

Everything from the weight room, locker room, and how a players’ family is treated on game days is included in the survey. It included feedback from 1,706 players throughout the league – which equates to more than a 77% response rate, a significant increase from last year’s 60%. 

In a note posted to the union’s website earlier this month, NFLPA President JC Tretter explained that the goal of the survey is not only to highlight the positives of each club but to also identify areas of improvement and educate its members. Some team owners have chosen to use the report to identify areas that need to be addressed, while others have taken a more dismissive approach. 

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Art Rooney II looks on before a Steelers game

Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II looks on before a game against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium on October 31, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Nick Cammett/Getty Images)

Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II is among the owners who does not appear to be putting much stock in where his team ranks in the survey. The Steelers came in at the 28th spot out of a possible 32 in this year’s report card. 

In fact, Rooney seemed to attempt to undermine the survey by questioning the NFLPA’s motivation for conducting the report.

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“It doesn’t get presented to us, it gets presented to the media, so as far as I’m concerned it’s a media opportunity for the Players Association as opposed to a serious effort of constructive criticism,” Rooney said.

Instead of taking the report card results seriously, Rooney suggested that he prefers to receive feedback directly from the athletes, according to The Athletic.

Art Rooney II looks on before an NFL game

Owner Art Rooney II of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on prior to a game against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium on September 22, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)

The Steelers players’ responses about how their families were treated resulted in an F-, while the team’s nutritionist/dietician” was only slighter better, yielding a D. Players also did not appear satisfied with conditions whenever they are required to travel, with the team’s travel environment earning a D, while the locker room produced an F grade. 

But, longtime head coach Mike Tomlin received high marks, earning an A.

Steelers helmet

A Pittsburgh Steelers football helmet prior to the start of the NFL game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Atlanta Falcons on August 24th, 2023 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.  (Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The locker room earned a C last season, while the family treatment category earned a D-. Respondents were more satisfied with travel conditions last year, with the category receiving a B.

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The Patriots, Chargers, Chiefs, and Commanders trailed the Steelers on the list. The survey was conducted from Aug. 26 to Nov. 16.

Fox News’ Paulina Dedaj contributed to this report.

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