Buffalo Bills punter Matt Araiza walks on the sideline during the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts in Orchard Park, N.Y., on Aug. 13, 2022. The Buffalo Bills cut Araiza from the team on Saturday, Aug. 27, two days after a lawsuit was filed alleging the player and two college teammates gang-raped a teenager last fall. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus, File)
TRENTON, Canada
The long-anticipated UN report on the alleged human rights abuses against the Uyghurs should be made public now, Justice for All Canada said Friday.
The Canadian Muslim organization, a long-time champion of the plight of the Muslim minority Uyghurs, agreed with Canada's UN ambassador Bob Rae who said there is "no excuse" for the delay in publishing the report.
"Canada’s UN representative Bob Rae was instrumental in a previous ground-breaking report that set the stage for a global humanitarian response to the Rohingya genocide," Taha Ghayyur, the executive director of Justice For All Canada, told Anadolu Agency in an email interview on Friday.
"Canadian activists are calling for similar swift justice and intervention on behalf of Uyghur Muslims, who are living through one of the worst modern genocides since WWII."
Rae is not buying the line from Michelle Bachelet, UN high commissioner for human rights, who said she is "trying very hard" to issue the report but is under "tremendous pressure."
"There is no excuse for not getting it out," Rae told CBC, Canada's state broadcaster on Thursday. "The only person that controls that is her. It's her report."
"I don't think there's any question at all that the Chinese have been making very strong representations but I don't know under what process a human rights commission would say we're going to allow the perpetrators of this injustice — of this genocide — we're going to allow them to comment and see the report and review it and then get their feedback on it before we publish the report," Rae said.
China has been accused by human rights groups of keeping more than a million Uyghurs in detention camps against their will.
China has denied committing any human rights violation but insists the "re-education camps" were necessary to clamp down on extremism by Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims.
Bachelet earlier promised to make the report public by Aug. 31.
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Turkish President Erdogan and UN chief Guterres meets with Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy in a high-stakes bid to ratchet down the Ukraine conflict that has entered its 176th day.
President Biden to use Presidential Drawdown Authority, which allows the president to authorise the transfer of excess weapons from US stocks
(AP)
Thursday, August 18, 2022
US to release extra $800M security aid for Ukraine
President Joe Biden's administration is readying about $800 million of additional military aid to Ukraine and could announce it as soon as Friday, three sources familiar with the matter said.
Biden would authorise the assistance using his Presidential Drawdown Authority, which allows the president to authorise the transfer of excess weapons from US stocks, the sources told Reuters news agency.
The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that an announcement could slip into next week, cautioning that weapons packages can change in value before they are announced. The White House declined to comment.
Russian munitions depot ablaze near Ukraine border
Two Russian villages have been evacuated after a fire broke out at an ammunition depot near the border with Ukraine, local authorities said.
"An ammunition depot caught fire near the village of Timonovo," less than 50 kilometres from the Ukrainian border in Belgorod province, the region's governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said in a statement.
No casualties were reported, but residents of Timonovo and the nearby village of Soloti were "moved to a safe distance", he said, adding that authorities were investigating the cause of the fire.
A video posted on social media showed a huge fireball billowing a thick column of black smoke. Another video showed several explosions in quick succession in the distance.
Russia says UN proposal to demilitarise nuclear plant 'unacceptable'
Russia's Foreign Ministry has dismissed a proposal by United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres to demilitarise the area around the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine.
During a press briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ivan Nechaev said the proposals were "unacceptable".
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant was captured by Russia in March, shortly after it ordered tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in what it calls a "special military operation".
Türkiye, Ukraine, UN discuss ways to end Ukraine conflict
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan says he has discussed possible ways of ending the conflict between Ukraine and Russia in a trilateral meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy and UN chief Antonio Guterres.
Speaking after the meeting in Ukraine's Lviv, Erdogan said they discussed using the positive atmosphere created by a Türkiye-brokered grain export deal to establish lasting peace.
He also said they discussed the exchange of prisoners of war between Ukraine and Russia and that he would later raise the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Zelenskyy rules out any 'peace' with Russia without troop withdrawal
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has ruled out peace with Russia unless it withdraws its troops from Ukraine, speaking after talks with his Turkish counterpart, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
"First they should leave our territory and then we'll see," Zelenskyy told reporters.
Türkiye's President Erdogan:
- War will eventually end at negotiating table - Türkiye temporarily hosting nearly 325,000 Ukrainians - Exchange of prisoners of war discussed pic.twitter.com/VV8AQDOqkZ
Russia says nuclear weapons use possible only in emergencies
Russia's foreign ministry has said that Moscow would only use its nuclear arsenal in "emergency circumstances" and that it has no interest in a direct confrontation with NATO and the United States.
Russia's defence minister had said on Tuesday that Moscow had "no need" to use nuclear weapons during its military campaign in Ukraine, describing media speculation that Moscow might deploy nuclear or chemical weapons in the conflict as "absolute lies".
Speaking at a briefing on Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ivan Nechaev said nuclear weapons would be used solely as a "response" measure.
Russian tourists banned from entering Estonia
Estonia's visa ban on Russian tourists has come into force, according to local media.
Russian nationals holding Schengen visas issued by Estonia for tourism, business, sport, or cultural purposes will not be allowed to cross the Baltic country's border, reported public broadcaster ERR.
Russians whose visa was issued by another member of the Schengen area or who were already in the Schengen area will still be able to enter the country, which shares a border with Russia, added the report. Some exceptions to the measure were made.
Russia says 3 MiG warplanes moved to Kaliningrad region
Russia's Defence Ministry has said three MiG-31E warplanes equipped with Kinzhal hypersonic missiles have been relocated to its Kaliningrad region, Interfax has reported.
Russian state-owned news agency RIA cited the ministry as saying that the MiG jets would be on round-the-clock duty.
Kaliningrad, a Russian Baltic coast exclave located between NATO and European Union members Poland and Lithuania, became a flashpoint after Lithuania moved to limit goods transit to the region through its territory, with Russia promising retaliation.
Russian jets suspected of violating Finnish airspace: defence ministry
Two Russian MiG-31 fighter jets have been suspected of violating Finnish airspace near the coastal city of Porvoo on the Gulf of Finland, the Finnish defence ministry has said.
The suspected violation happened at 0640 GMT and the jets were westbound, communications chief Kristian Vakkuri said, adding the aircraft were in Finnish airspace for two minutes.
"The depth of the suspected violation into Finnish airspace was one kilometre," he said, but would not elaborate on whether the planes were escorted out.
Turkish President Erdogan meets with Ukraine's Zelenskyy in Lviv ahead of trilateral talks with UN chief Guterres. Yusuf Erim has more pic.twitter.com/twbgiCZHl3
Over 622,000 tonnes of shipments carried via Ukraine grain corridor
More than 622,000 tonnes of grain have been shipped from Ukrainian ports since August 1 as part of a recent grain export deal signed between Türkiye, the UN, Russia and Ukraine.
A total of 43 vessels have sailed for grain shipments, according to Türkiye’s National Defence Ministry.
The ministry said on Twitter that 25 of them have departed from Ukrainian ports and 18 went to Ukrainian ports for grain shipment.
One dead, over a dozen injured in shelling of Ukraine's Kharkiv
One person died and 18 were wounded in pre-dawn shelling of a residential area in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, Oleh Synehubov, the regional governor has said.
"At the moment, there are 18 wounded, among them two children, one person died," Synehubov wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
A day earlier six people died and another 16 were wounded in a Russian rocket attack on the city.
One more grain ship leaves Ukrainian port: Türkiye
One more ship has left a Ukrainian port under the Istanbul grain export deal, the Turkish National Defense Ministry said.
Belize-flagged ship carrying corn departed from the Ukrainian port of Chornomorsk, the ministry said on Twitter.
It added that four ships will go to Ukraine for grain exports. Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed a deal last month to resume grain exports from the Ukrainian Black Sea ports of Yuzhny, Chornomorsk, and Odessa, which were halted due to the Russia-Ukraine war, now in its sixth month.
For live updates from Wednesday (August 17), click here
The Department of Justice filed a motion on Monday opposing the release of the affidavit that was used to justify the search of former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home.
"If disclosed, the affidavit would serve as a roadmap to the government’s ongoing investigation, providing specific details about its direction and likely course, in a manner that is highly likely to compromise future investigative steps," the 13-page filing says.
"The fact that this investigation implicates highly classified materials further underscores the need to protect the integrity of the investigation and exacerbates the potential for harm if information is disclosed to the public prematurely or improperly."
Donald Trump leaves New York City after the FBI raid on his Mar-a-Lago resort.
(Felipe Ramales: Fox News Digital)
A judge unsealed the search warrant and property receipt on Friday, which revealed that FBI agents seized approximately 20 boxes of items from Trump's home, including one set of documents marked as "Various classified/TS/SCI documents," which refers to top secret/sensitive compartmented information.
"The government determined that these materials could be released without significant harm to its investigation because the search had already been executed and publicly acknowledged by the former President, and because the materials had previously been provided to the former President through counsel," the Justice Department wrote in Monday's filing.
"Disclosure at this juncture of the affidavit supporting probable cause would, by contrast, cause significant and irreparable damage to this ongoing criminal investigation."
Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach is seen on Jan. 20, 2021.
(Reuters/Carlos Barria)
Trump has called the raid an "assault on a political opponent," saying that FBI agents took three of his passports during the raid.
"There has never been a time like this where law enforcement has been used to break into the house of a former president of the United States, and there is tremendous anger in the country — at a level that has never been seen before, other than during very perilous times," Trump told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview.
The Justice Department said Monday that it does not oppose the release of other documents, such as cover sheets for the warrant and the government's motion to seal.
Other lawmakers have also called for the release of the affidavit and other documents supporting the search warrant from Trump's home.
Democratic and Republican leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines on Sunday, requesting the specific intelligence documents seized from Mar-a-Lago.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., tweeted on Monday afternoon that it is "imperative the Justice Department release the affidavit justifying the raid."
New Zealand Cricket has agreed to release Trent Boult from his central contract after the fast bowler requested to spend more time with his family and to make himself available for T20 leagues with his international career now to be "significantly reduced".
Boult, 33, had held several conversations with NZC prior to Wednesday's announcement. The move will have huge ramifications for New Zealand given the proliferation of T20 leagues that are popping up within the time period of their summer domestic season.
An announcement is expected soon about Boult's involvement in one of the new T20 leagues in either the UAE or South Africa, but NZC chief executive David White told ESPNcricinfo that he was still "highly likely" to be selected for the T20 World Cup in Australia with planning well advanced for that competition. He will also complete the ongoing tour of West Indies.
NZC released a statement explaining that Boult had made it clear to David White that his appetite for touring had diminished and he wished to spend more time with his family.
"This has been a really tough decision for me and I'd like to thank NZC for their support in getting to this point," Boult said. "Playing cricket for my country was a childhood dream and I'm so proud of everything I've been able to achieve with the Black Caps over the past 12 years.
"Ultimately this decision is about my wife Gert and our three young boys. Family has always been the biggest motivator for me and I feel comfortable with putting it first and preparing ourselves for life after cricket."
Boult has not retired from international cricket but he is likely to play a lot less with White confirming that Boult was aware of the ramifications of his decision and that NZC would prioritise contracted players.
"We've had several conversations and I know Trent understands that, in terms of selection, NZC will continue to make a priority of those players with either central or domestic contracts," White said.
Boult understood that his decision would affect his selection for New Zealand.
"I still have a big desire to represent my country and feel I have the skills to deliver at the international level," he said. "However, I respect the fact that not having a national contract will affect my chances of selection.
"Having said that, as a fast bowler I know I have a limited career span, and I feel the time is right to move into this next phase."
White said he was sad to be losing Boult as a centrally contracted player but understood his decision.
"We respect Trent's position," White said. "He's been completely honest and up-front with us about his reasoning and, while we're sad to be losing him as a fully-contracted player, he leaves with our best wishes and our sincere thanks.
"Trent's made a massive contribution to the Black Caps since his Test debut in late 2011 and is now considered one of the best multi-format cricketers in the world. We're very proud of what he's achieved."
Earlier this year, Boult went straight from the IPL into the Test series against England. He played 16 games for Rajasthan Royals, including the final in Ahmedabad on May 29, before playing in the Test match at Lord's just five days later on June 2 where he bowled nearly 38 overs. However, he has since been rested from New Zealand's limited-overs tours around Europe.
Boult has represented New Zealand 215 times across all three formats after debuting against Australia in the famous 2011 Test victory in Hobart. He is one of only four men to have taken 300 Test wickets for New Zealand, having taken 317 scalps at 27.49 with 10 five-wicket hauls and one ten-for. He also has 169 ODI wickets and 62 in T20Is. He is currently the No.1 ranked ODI bowler in the world and is ranked 11th on the Test rankings.
The running mate for Rep. Lee Zeldin's, R-N.Y., gubernatorial race says that it's "horrific" that the alleged attacker has already been released from jail due to New York's cash bail reform law.
Alison Esposito, candidate for New York lieutenant governor, told Fox News Digital it's "horrific" that David Jakubonis, the man accused of attacking Zeldin, was released from jail just hours after the incident occurred and says it sends a broader message to residents of the state.
"I think it's horrific. I think, what does this tell us about the shot that innocent victims, everyday New Yorkers, have just walking the streets of New York?," Esposito said. "If a sitting congressman at a political rally who is exercising his right to free speech and exercising his free, the freedoms of expressing his opinion, when an individual comes up and attempts to take his life, and attempts to assault him, attempts to potentially murder him, and within six hours that man has been released."
Esposito, who was previously a deputy inspector for the New York City Police Department, said that the state is doing a "disservice" to the man.
Congressman Lee Zeldin stands on stage during his stump speech, before an alleged attack on him, in Fairport, New York, United States, July 21, 2022.
(Ian Winner/Handout via Reuters)
Zeldin was at the Veterans of Foreign Wars post event giving a speech about bail reform on Thursday evening when Jakubonis, 43, allegedly got on stage and "lunged" at the gubernatorial candidate with a blade in his hand, according to witnesses.
As Jakubonis "lunged" toward Lee, he can be heard saying "you're done," several times, according to video. After several people assisted in taking down Jakubonis, Zeldin got back on stage and continued his speech.
Jakubonis, who was charged with attempted assault in the second degree, was arraigned in Perinton Town Court and released on his own recognizance just hours after the incident happened, according to the sheriff's department.
"Not only are we doing that man a disservice, who may need help, be it psychological or he, at some point we were told that he was a veteran. Maybe he needs, he has some wounds of war," she said. "You know, what does that say for the everyday New Yorker who's trying to get a fair shake in our justice system, when you're going to release somebody who attempts to take the life of a sitting congressman?"
The candidate for lieutenant governor said that when she first saw Jakubonis get on stage, "I didn't know what he was doing," and said that she thought he was possibly part of the sound crew and was going to fix something.
Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., was attacked during a gubernatorial campaign stop in Perinton, New York on Thursday night where an individual allegedly pulled out a sharp object.
(Ian Winner)
That quickly changed when the man lunged forward at Zeldin. Esposito said then "his intention was clear," adding that the congressman "was amazing" and stayed calm throughout the incident.
Zeldin's campaign shared an image with Fox News Digital that appears to show the blade that was used by the alleged attacker, who is being restrained in the picture.
A man allegedly tried to attack Rep. Lee Zeldin during a campaign stop in New York Thursday night. Pictured above is the weapon he allegedly used.
(Zeldin Campaign)
Zeldin, Esposito and their campaign staff were unharmed in the incident, according to a statement.
After the incident, Zeldin tweeted that cashless bail "must" be repealed in New York.
"After being charged with a felony for last night’s attack, the man who tried to stab me was instantly released back onto the street due to New York’s insane cashless bail law. We MUST repeal cashless bail in New York!," Zeldin said.
A 2019 bail reform law in New York eliminated cash bail for most nonviolent felonies and misdemeanors.
Fox News' Brie Stimson contributed to this report.
Sara Ballou is a social media producer for Fox News Digital.
