The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) abruptly cut off a video statement after the speaker began criticizing several United Nations officials, including one who has been sanctioned by the Trump administration. The video message was being played during a U.N. session in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday morning.

Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust Director and Human Rights Voices President Anne Bayefsky called out several U.N. officials in her message, including U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk and special rapporteur Francesca Albanese, who is the subject of U.S. sanctions.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced sanctions against Albanese on July 9, 2025, saying that she "has spewed unabashed antisemitism, expressed support for terrorism, and open contempt for the United States, Israel and the West."

"That bias has been apparent across the span of her career, including recommending that the ICC, without a legitimate basis, issue arrest warrants targeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant," Rubio added.

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"I was the only American U.N.-accredited NGO with a speaking slot – and I wasn’t allowed even to conclude my 90 seconds of allotted time. Free speech is non-existent at the U.N. so-called 'Human Rights Council,'" Bayefsky told Fox News Digital.

Bayefsky noted the irony of the council cutting off her video in a proceeding that was said to be an "Interactive Dialogue," an event during which experts are allowed to speak to the council about human rights issues.

"I was cut off after naming Francesca Albanese, Navi Pillay and Chris Sidoti for covering up Palestinian use of rape as a weapon of war and trafficking in blatant antisemitism. I named the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, who is facing disturbing sexual assault allegations but still unaccountable almost two years later. Those are the people and the facts that the United Nations wants to protect and hide," Bayefsky told Fox News Digital.

"It is an outrage that I am silenced and singled out for criticism on the basis of naming names," she said.

Bayefsky's statement was cut off as she accused Albanese, as well as Navi Pillay, the former chair of the U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Chris Sidoti, a commissioner of the U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory. She also slammed ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan, who has faced rape allegations. Khan has rejected the sexual misconduct allegations against him.

Had her video message been played in full, Bayefsky would have gone on to criticize Türk's recent report for not demanding accountability for the atrocities committed by Hams on Oct. 7, 2023.

When the video was cut short, Human Rights Council President Ambassador Sidharto Reza Suryodipuro characterized Bayefsky's remarks as "derogatory, insulting and inflammatory" and said that they were "not acceptable."

"The language used by the speaker cannot be allowed as it has exceeded the limits of tolerance and respect within the framework of the council which we all in this room hold to," Suryodipuro said.

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In response to Fox News Digital's request for comment, Human Rights Council Media Officer Pascal Sim said that the council has had long-established rules on what it considers to be acceptable language.

"Rulings regarding the form and language of interventions in the Human Rights Council are established practices that have been in place throughout the existence of the Council and used by all Council Presidents when it comes to ensuring respect, tolerance and dignity inherent to the discussion of human rights issues," Sim told Fox News Digital.

When asked if the video had been reviewed ahead of time, Sim said that it was assessed for length and audio quality to allow for interpretation, but that the speakers are ultimately "responsible for the content of their statement."

"The video statement by the NGO 'Touro Law Center, The Institute on Human Rights and The Holocaust' was interrupted when it was deemed that the language exceeded the limits of tolerance and respect within the framework of the Council and could not be tolerated," Sim said.

"As the presiding officer explained at the time, all speakers are to remain within the appropriate framework and terminology used in the Council’s work, which is well known by speakers who routinely participate in Council proceedings. Following that ruling, none of the Member States of the Council have objected to it," Sim added.

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While Bayefsky's statement was cut off, other statements accusing Israel of genocide and ethnic cleansing were allowed to be played and read in full.

This is not the first time that Bayefsky was interrupted. Exactly one year ago, on Feb. 27, 2025, her video was cut off when she mentioned the fate of Ariel and Kfir Bibas. Then-President of the U.N. Human Rights Council Jürg Lauber stopped the video and declared that Bayefsky had used inappropriate language.

Bayefsky began the speech by saying, "The world now knows Palestinian savages murdered 9-month-old baby Kfir," and is almost immediately cut off by Lauber.

"Sorry, I have to interrupt," Lauber abruptly said as the video of Bayefsky was paused. Lauber briefly objected to the "language" used in the video, but then allowed it to continue. After a few more seconds, the video was shut off entirely. Lauber reiterated that "the language that’s used by the speaker cannot be tolerated," adding that it "exceeds clearly the limits of tolerance and respect."

Last year, when the previous incident occurred, Bayefsky said she believed the whole thing was "stage-managed," as the council had advanced access to her video and a transcript and knew what she would say.

A man was arrested after a statue of late United Kingdom Prime Minister Winston Churchill was defaced with red graffiti in London, the Metropolitan Police noted in a post on X.

Photos show the statue and its base defaced with messages such as "NEVER AGAIN IS NOW," "ZIONIST WAR CRIMINAL" AND "GLOBALISE THE INTIFADA!"

"Overnight, the Winston Churchill statue in Parliament Square was graffitied with red paint," the police noted in the post on Friday.

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"Officers were on scene within two minutes of being alerted shortly after 4am. A 38-yr-old man is in custody having been arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated criminal damage," the police added.

A Dutch activist group claimed credit for the graffiti. 

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"On the morning of 27th February, the statue of Winston Churchill at Parliament Square was defaced with red paint. This protest was organised and executed by @freethefilton24nl," a post on Instagram claims.

The post features a pre-recorded statement in which a man says, "My name is Olax Outis. I am a citizen of the Netherlands." 

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He identifies himself as "part of a Dutch action group called Free the Filton 24 NL," explaining, "I've come to the United Kingdom to deface statue of one of history’s most well-known war criminals, Winston Churchill."

The State Department is allowing non-essential personnel working at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem to leave Israel ahead of possible strikes on Iran. The embassy announced the decision early Friday morning and said that "in response to security incidents and without advance notice" it could place further restrictions on where U.S. government employees can travel within Israel.

The decision came after meetings and phone calls through the night Thursday into Friday, according to The New York Times, which reviewed a copy of an email that U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee sent to embassy workers.

The Times reported that the ambassador said in his email that the move was a result of "an abundance of caution" and that those wishing to leave "should do so TODAY." He reportedly urged them to look for flights out of Ben Gurion Airport to any destination, cautioning that the embassy's move "will likely result in high demand for airline seats today."

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In the email, Huckabee also said that there was "no need to panic," but he underscored that those looking to leave should "make plans to depart sooner rather than later," the Times reported.

"Focus on getting a seat to anyplace from which you can then continue travel to D.C., but the first priority will be getting expeditiously out of country," Huckabee said in the email, according to the Times.

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The embassy reiterated the State Department's advisory for U.S. citizens to reconsider traveling to Israel and the West Bank "due to terrorism and civil unrest." Additionally, the department advised that U.S. citizens not travel to Gaza because of terrorism and armed conflict, as well as northern Israel, particularly within 2.5 miles of the Lebanese and Syrian borders because of "continued military presence and activity." 

It also recommended that U.S. citizens not travel within 1.5 miles of the Egyptian border, with the exception of the Taba crossing, which remains open.

"Terrorist groups, lone-actor terrorists and other violent extremists continue plotting possible attacks in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. Terrorists and violent extremists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, and local government facilities," the embassy said in its warning. "The security environment is complex and can change quickly, and violence can occur in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza without warning."

While the embassy did not specifically mention Iran in its warning, it referenced "increased regional tensions" that could "cause airlines to cancel and/or curtail flights into and out of Israel."

Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department and the White House for comment on this matter.

The Swedish Armed Forces jammed a suspected Russian drone Feb. 25 as it approached a French nuclear-powered aircraft carrier while docked in Malmö during major NATO drills, according to reports.

The Charles de Gaulle warship, the flagship of the French Navy, was visiting the southern Swedish port as part of the mission LA FAYETTE 26.

The drills brought NATO naval forces into the Baltic Sea region at a time of rising tensions with Moscow.

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The drone security breach unfolded when the carrier was in port, underscoring mounting concerns over Russian-linked drone activity near critical Western military assets, according to SVT.

The Swedish broadcaster reported that the drone was launched from a nearby Russian vessel and moved toward the carrier before being detected by Swedish forces.

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A ship from the Swedish Navy found the suspected drone during ongoing sea patrols in the Öresund Strait.

In response, Swedish operatives activated electronic countermeasures, disrupting the aircraft’s control systems.

"A ship from the Swedish Navy observed a suspected drone during ongoing sea patrols in the Öresund," the Swedish Armed Forces said in a statement, SVT reported.

"In connection with the observation, the Swedish Armed Forces took countermeasures to disrupt the suspected drone. After that, contact with the drone was lost," the statement said.

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As yet, it remains unclear whether the drone returned to the Russian vessel or fell into the sea after being jammed.

Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson told SVT Thursday that the drone came "probably from Russia, as there was a Russian military vessel in the immediate vicinity at the time of the facts," according to Le Monde.

"A drone was jammed yesterday by a Swedish system at about seven nautical miles from the Charles de Gaulle. The Swedish system worked perfectly and this did not disrupt operations on board," French General Staff spokesman Colonel Guillaume Vernet also said.

This incident came just hours after Poland sent fighter jets overnight in response to another wave of Russian strikes over Ukraine, heightening tensions between Moscow and NATO, according to reports.

It also follows warnings from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said that his "adversaries know how things could end" if they resort to using a "nuclear" response.

An Egyptian tour guide was arrested after allegedly sketching a stick figure onto the side of the 4,000-year-old Pyramid of Unas while leading a group of tourists.

Video of the incident, which circulated widely on social media, shows the man leaning toward a lower section of the pyramid’s outer casing while tourists stand nearby listening. He is then seen attempting to wipe the markings away with his hand, though remnants remain visible in the footage.

In a post on X, Egypt’s Interior Ministry said the guide "damaged an antiquity by drawing on the outer casing of one of the pyramids" while explaining the site to tourists. Although the initial report mentioned the general Giza area.

The ministry said the investigation was launched after the video spread online, prompting an antiquities inspector to file a report with the Saqqara Tourism Police Station identifying the guide. Officials said the markings were later removed by specialists.

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Authorities apprehended the suspect, who confessed to the act during questioning, according to the ministry.

"Legal measures have been taken," the ministry added, noting that specialists have since removed the markings.

Local media outlets, citing the Interior Ministry’s investigation, identified the site as the Pyramid of Unas in the Saqqara necropolis south of Giza.

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B.C. for the Pharaoh Unas, is historically significant for containing the earliest Pyramid Texts. These religious inscriptions consist of more than 200 spells carved into the pyramid's interior walls, forming what scholars consider the oldest known collection of funerary texts.

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The pyramid is located within the vast Saqqara necropolis, part of ancient Memphis – Egypt’s first capital and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site that contains a sprawling complex of tombs, temples and pyramids.

Egypt has increased enforcement and preservation efforts at archaeological sites in recent years as officials seek to protect ancient monuments that attract millions of visitors annually.

Under Egypt’s Antiquities Protection Law, damaging actions such as writing on or damaging archaeological sites can carry prison sentences and fines, with the exact penalties varying by offense.

Afghanistan and Pakistan exchanged significant cross-border fire Thursday in an escalation of hostilities along their shared border, according to multiple reports.

The clashes came after the Taliban said it launched retaliatory strikes on Pakistani military positions, while Islamabad said it was responding to unprovoked fire in the area.

Reuters reported that both forces clashed for more than two hours along their roughly 2,600-kilometer (1,615-mile) border, threatening a ceasefire that had been agreed to in 2025 following fighting.

Thursday's flare-up came after Pakistani forces carried out airstrikes inside Afghanistan earlier this week, with Taliban officials saying the strikes killed at least 18 people, Reuters reported Feb. 24.

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Pakistan meanwhile said it targeted militant hideouts and rejected claims that civilians were targeted.

Taliban officials went on to describe an "extensive" military operation against Pakistani army positions in response to the strikes.

"In response to repeated provocations, extensive preemptive operations have been launched against Pakistani military positions along the Durand Line," Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid wrote on X.

 In a separate statement, he said "specialized laser units" were operating at night.

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Taliban military spokesman Mawlawi Wahidullah Mohammadi also said in a video shared with Reuters that the "retaliatory operation" began in the evening on Thursday.

Mujahid said "numerous" Pakistani soldiers had been killed and some were also captured. Reuters said it could not independently verify those claims.

In another post on X, Mujahid said, "The cowardly Pakistani army has bombed some places in Kabul, Kandahar, and Paktia. Praise be to God, no one was harmed," referring to the earlier strikes.

Pakistan has since rejected the Taliban’s account. 

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said on X that Afghanistan's Taliban's "unprovoked action along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border" was given an "immediate and effective response."

The ministry said Taliban forces had "miscalculated and opened unprovoked fire on multiple locations" along the border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The post said that the fire was being met with an "immediate and effective response by Pakistan’s security forces."

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"Early reports confirm heavy casualties on the Afghan side with multiple posts and equipment destroyed," the ministry said. 

"Pakistan will take all necessary measures to ensure its territorial integrity and the safety and security of its citizens."

Pakistani security sources also told Reuters that 22 Taliban personnel had been killed, and several quadcopters were shot down.

The fighting follows Pakistan’s accusations that the Taliban is sheltering TTP militants behind a surge in violence and suicide attacks. 

The Afghan Taliban denies the claim. A day before February's strikes, Pakistani officials said they had "irrefutable evidence" that militants were launching attacks from Afghan soil, Reuters reported.

Denmark will head to the polls on March 24 after Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called a snap parliamentary election, a move widely viewed as an attempt to consolidate rising public support tied to her handling of tensions with President Donald Trump over Greenland.

Frederiksen announced the early vote on Wednesday, arguing that Denmark needs political clarity at a time of mounting geopolitical pressure. According to Reuters, she said the country faces "a serious foreign policy situation," and that voters should have a say in how Denmark navigates it.

Her center-left Social Democratic government has seen a lift in opinion polls in recent weeks after taking a firm stance that Greenland is not for sale and that Danish sovereignty is non-negotiable. 

The dispute with Washington has reshaped the domestic political conversation, pushing Arctic security and national sovereignty to the forefront of Danish politics.

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Frederiksen, who has led Denmark since mid-2019, has spent much of the past year managing the fallout from Trump’s renewed push to acquire Greenland, the vast Arctic island that is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Tensions escalated sharply last month when Trump threatened to impose new tariffs on Denmark and several other European Union countries.

Trump has argued that the United States needs control of the North Atlantic island for national security reasons, citing increased activity by Russia and China in the Arctic. The region has grown in strategic importance as melting ice opens shipping routes and access to natural resources, intensifying competition among major powers.

The standoff appeared to ease after Trump announced that a framework agreement to strengthen Arctic security had been reached following talks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. After that announcement, U.S., Danish and Greenlandic officials began technical discussions on implementing the arrangement, focusing on security coordination rather than any change in sovereignty.

Throughout the crisis, Frederiksen and other senior Danish officials repeatedly emphasized that Greenland’s status is not up for negotiation. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference earlier in February, Frederiksen cautioned that she did not believe the crisis had fully passed and suggested Washington could still harbor ambitions to annex the island.

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According to The Guardian, Danish commentators have described the prime minister’s polling boost as a "Greenland bounce," reflecting growing domestic approval of her firm posture toward Washington.

Frederiksen’s decision to call early elections appears aimed at converting that surge into a renewed mandate. Denmark’s next general election had not been scheduled until later this year, but the prime minister argued that the current security climate justifies seeking fresh voter backing.

Greenland, home to roughly 56,000 people, has long been strategically significant due to its location between North America and Europe. The United States maintains a military presence there at Pituffik Space Base, formerly known as Thule Air Base. Any suggestion of U.S. acquisition has historically been sensitive in both Copenhagen and Nuuk, Greenland’s capital.

Euronews reported that Frederiksen’s government has stressed cooperation with allies while firmly rejecting any negotiations over Greenland’s sovereignty. European leaders have signaled support for Denmark, reinforcing the view that Arctic stability is increasingly central to NATO and EU planning.

Opposition parties have criticized the timing of the snap election, arguing that Frederiksen is seeking political advantage during a moment of heightened nationalism. Others, however, have largely backed the government’s line on Greenland, suggesting that the sovereignty issue may transcend traditional party divides.

The March 24 vote will determine whether Frederiksen can strengthen her coalition or whether voters will shift the parliamentary balance. It will also serve as a broader test of how Danes believe their country should manage its relationship with Washington as Arctic security becomes a defining issue of global competition.