45 m. ago Pressure grows on ‘reckless’ Hegseth as twin scandals engulf Pentagon chief

Defense secretary defiant but allegations of war crimes and blistering watchdog report increase calls for him to goPete Hegseth is facing the most serious crisis of his tenure as defense secretary, engulfed by allegations of war crimes in the Caribbean and a blistering inspector general report accusing him of mishandling classified military intelligence. Yet despite the long list of trouble and as lawmakers from both parties call for his resignation, Hegseth shows no signs of stepping down and still holds Donald Trump’s support.The twin crises have engulfed the former Fox News personality in separate but overlapping allegations that lawmakers, policy experts and former officials say reveal a pattern of dangerous recklessness at the helm of the Pentagon. Democratic legislators have reignited calls for his ouster after revelations that survivors clinging to wreckage from a September boat strike were deliberately killed in a “double-tap” attack, while a defense department investigation...

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2 h. ago NATO scrambles fighter jets as Putin unleashes deadly strikes threatening Europe

Vladimir Putin's forces launched one of the harshest missile and drone onslaughts of the Ukraine war overnight, with NATO fighter jets scrambled following the attacks

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19 h. ago Survivors plead for urgent aid after catastrophic floods and landslides killed over 1,500 in Asia

Emergency crews are racing against time after catastrophic floods and landslides struck parts of Asia, killing more than 1,500 people

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28 h. ago Serial killer kept sex slaves in torture dungeon and forced them to eat victims

WARNING, GRAPHIC CONTENT: Gary Michael Heidnik raped and tortured six women in a hidden torture chamber in his basement, killing two and forcing the survivors to eat the remains

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40 h. ago Experts urge release of boat strike video as US admiral denies ‘kill them all’ order

Democrat Jim Himes calls footage ‘one of the most troubling scenes’ he’s observed in public serviceAnalysis: Killing of survivors sparks outrage – but entire US ‘drug boat’ war is legally shakyTop Democratic and Republican lawmakers in Congress on Thursday said that the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, had not ordered the military to kill surviving members of a a deadly attack on a boat alleged to be carrying drugs in the Caribbean, but differed over whether the double strike was appropriate.The allegation that Hegseth ordered the killing of survivors sparked bipartisan concern in Washington that he or others involved may have committed a war crime. On Thursday, US navy admiral Frank Bradley, who commanded the attack, and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Caine, appeared before the House and Senate’s armed services and intelligence committees for a closed briefing in which they showed video and discussed the attack with lawmakers. Continue reading...

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42 h. ago US lawmakers call for inquiry into second US military strike on alleged Caribbean drug boat

Democratic representative Jim Himes, who saw footage of attack, called it ‘one of the most troubling scenes’ he’s observed in public serviceAnalysis: Killing of survivors sparks outrage – but entire US ‘drug boat’ war is legally shakyA Democratic congressman described an unedited video of an extrajudicial military strike that killed two survivors in the Caribbean as “one of the most troubling scenes” he’s seen in public service, as human rights advocates and policy experts are lining up to demand the video’s public release.Congressman Jim Himes, the ranking member of the House intelligence committee, made the remarks on Thursday after viewing footage in a classified briefing of the 2 September follow-up attack that killed two men clinging to wreckage off the coast of Venezuela. His assessment came as experts called the operation murder under international law. Continue reading...

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44 h. ago Lawmakers will hear from Navy admiral who ordered attack that killed boat strike survivors

The Navy admiral who reportedly issued orders to fire upon survivors of an attack on an alleged drug boat is on Capitol Hill for a classified briefing with top lawmakers

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47 h. ago The Latest: Lawmakers to hear from Navy admiral who ordered attack that killed boat strike survivors

The Navy admiral who reportedly issued orders for the U.S. military to fire upon survivors of an attack on an alleged drug boat is expected on Capitol Hill to provide a classified briefing to top congressional lawmakers overseeing national security

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48 h. ago Killing of survivors sparks outrage – but entire US ‘drug boat’ war is legally shaky

Pentagon’s Law of War manual clearly prohibits attack, but justification for whole campaign also faces tough questionsGraphic depictions of two survivors being killed by a second US military strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug ferrying boat have provoked outrage where previously there was none – or at least relatively little.A firestorm of controversy has greeted a recent Washington Post report which suggested that a deadly attack on a vessel carrying 11 people in the Caribbean was followed with a second assault after the initial strike failed to kill everybody onboard. Continue reading...

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3 d. ago Trump officials say second strike aimed to destroy drug boat instead of crew

Officials hew closely to secret memo which gives legal cover to firing on boats even if it would kill people on board Trump administration officials have defended carrying out a follow-up strike on a drug boat that killed survivors on 2 September by arguing that its objective was to ensure the complete destruction of the boat, an action the Pentagon had internal legal approval to conduct.The White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a briefing on Monday that Adm Frank Bradley, who oversaw the operation and gave the order for the second strike, directed it to sink the boat. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Hegseth says he did not ‘stick around’ to watch second strike on alleged drug boat, but says admiral made ‘right call’ – US politics live

Defense secretary’s comments comes after Trump said Hegseth ‘didn’t know’ about second strike that killed two shipwrecked survivorsTrump administration is ‘selling out’ admiral to shield Hegseth over boat strikes, officials sayPete Hegseth told US soldiers in Iraq to ignore legal advice on rules of engagementJoseph Gedeon is a politics breaking news reporter based in WashingtonThe FBI director, Kash Patel, is “in over his head” and leading a “chronically under-performing” agency paralyzed by fear and plummeting morale, according to a scathing 115-page report compiled by a national alliance of retired and active-duty FBI special agents and analysts. Continue reading...

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3 d. ago Johnson pins responsibility for second strike on alleged drug boat on admiral as Pentagon says strikes will continue

Johnson also says he doesn’t know how much of video recording of second strike, which reportedly killed two survivors, should be releasedTrump administration is ‘selling out’ admiral to shield Hegseth over boat strikes, officials sayPete Hegseth told US soldiers in Iraq to ignore legal advice on rules of engagementJoseph Gedeon is a politics breaking news reporter based in WashingtonThe FBI director, Kash Patel, is “in over his head” and leading a “chronically under-performing” agency paralyzed by fear and plummeting morale, according to a scathing 115-page report compiled by a national alliance of retired and active-duty FBI special agents and analysts. Continue reading...

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4 d. ago Fox News host admits Trump faces ‘big problem’ if White House ordered boat survivors to be killed

Hume said that the intention of the strikes matters, after it was revealed that Pete Hegseth had ordered the military to ‘kill everybody’

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4 d. ago White House says admiral directed second strike that killed alleged drug boat survivors in ‘self defense’

Trump administration refuses to say whether survivors on suspected drug-trafficking vessels posed imminent threat

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4 d. ago Russia warns of ‘consequences’ & accuses Nato of preparing for ‘major war’ after claims of ‘pre

RUSSIA has accused Europe of gearing up for "major war" after a top Nato chief claimed the defence pact could launch "pre-emptive strikes" on Vladimir Putin. Moscow hit back at the suggestion, blaming the West for "moving towards escalation" - despite mad Vlad's growing shadow war currently tearing through the continent. It comes after Admiral...

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4 d. ago ‘The current could kill an elephant’: Asia flood survivors describe escaping with their lives

From Thailand to Indonesia, torrential flooding has carried away people’s possessions and homes, upending entire communitiesHow cyclones and monsoon rains converged to devastate parts of Asia – visual guideAminah Ali, 63, was at home in the Pidie Jaya district of Indonesia’s Aceh province when the rains started at midnight on Wednesday. The waters rose gradually. It seemed like the usual flooding that happens during monsoon season, but then came a loud roar of water: her village was suddenly inundated.With help from her son, she managed to clamber on to her rooftop, where she waited for 24 hours. Flood waters, 3 metres high, stretched into the distance. “I saw many houses being swept away,” she said. Continue reading...

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5 d. ago Trump ‘wouldn’t have wanted’ second strike on Caribbean boat survivors

US president says he will look into reports US military was told to conduct follow-up attack on suspected drug vesselDonald Trump said on Sunday he would look into reports that the US military conducted a follow-up strike on a boat in the Caribbean that it believed to be ferrying drugs, killing survivors of an initial missile attack.The US president also said he “wouldn’t have wanted” a second strike on the vessel during the incident on 2 September – the first publicised operation in a series of attacks in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific that Washington says are aimed at combatting the drug trade. Continue reading...

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8 d. ago Hong Kong firefighters make final search for survivors after apartment tower blaze kills 94

Hong Kong firefighters have been searching a high-rise apartment complex after a massive fire killed at least 94 people

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8 d. ago Flash flooding in Sumatra kills 69 as rescue crews search rivers for survivors

Monsoon rains cause devastation on Indonesian island, sparking landslides and flash floodingFlash floods and landslides on Indonesia’s Sumatra island have killed 69 people, with 59 missing as emergency workers search in rivers and the rubble of villages for bodies and possible survivors.Monsoon rains over the past week caused rivers to burst their banks in North Sumatra province on Tuesday. The deluge tore through mountainside villages, swept away people and submerged more than 2,000 houses and buildings, the National Disaster Management Agency said. Nearly 5,000 residents fled to government shelters. Continue reading...

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9 d. ago Hong Kong fire latest: rescue crews search for survivors after 55 killed and hundreds reported missing

Three men arrested as 26 rescue teams on site at Wang Fuk Court residential apartment complex in Tai Po district. Follow the latest updates liveReport: death toll rises as hundreds reported missingWhat we know so far about the blazeBamboo scaffolding may be to blame for spread of fireA visual guide to the fireThe death toll has risen again to 44, fire officials say.Officials said they are still having difficulties proceeding into the upper floors in some of the buildings in the residential complex as the fire continues. Continue reading...

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