48 h. ago US forces strike another alleged drug boat in eastern Pacific, killing 4

The US military said on Wednesday that it attacked a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing four people on the same day the US House rejected efforts to limit President Donald Trump’s power to use military force against drug cartels. US Southern Command stated on social media that the vessel was operated by narco-terrorists along a known trafficking route. The military didn’t provide evidence behind the allegations but posted a video of a boat moving through water...

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3 d. ago US military says strikes on 3 boats in the eastern Pacific Ocean kills 8

The US military said Monday that it attacked three boats accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing a total of eight people as scrutiny over the boat strikes is intensifying in the US Congress. The US military said in a statement on social media that the strikes targeted “designated terrorist organisations”, killing three people in the first vessel, two in the second boat and three in the third boat. It did not provide evidence of their alleged drug trafficking but posted a...

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3 d. ago US boat strikes kill 8 in eastern Pacific, adding to drug war death toll

The US military said Monday that it attacked three boats accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing a total of eight people as scrutiny over the boat strikes is intensifying in the US Congress. The US military said in a statement on social media that the strikes targeted “designated terrorist organisations”, killing three people in the first vessel, two in the second boat and three in the third boat. It did not provide evidence of their alleged drug trafficking but posted a...

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5 d. ago Gunmen kill 15 people in attack on Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s Bondi Beach

Australian police said on Monday that the alleged offenders behind an attack at a Jewish celebration in Sydney’s Bondi beach that killed 15 people were a father and son duo. One of the gunmen was also killed, bringing the death toll to 16. It was the country’s worst gun attack in about 30 years. “The 50-year-old is deceased. The 24-year-old is currently in hospital,” New South Wales police commissioner Mal Lanyon told a news conference. “I can say that we are not looking for a further offender,”...

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6 d. ago Indonesia flood death toll passes 1,000, over 200 still missing

Devastating floods and landslides have killed 1,003 people in Indonesia, rescuers said on Saturday as the Southeast Asian nation grapples with relief efforts. The disaster, which has hit the northwestern island of Sumatra over the past fortnight, has also injured more than 5,400, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency said in its latest toll. The deadly torrential rains are one of the worst recent disasters to strike Sumatra, where a tsunami wreaked havoc in 2004 in Aceh province, which lies at...

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8 d. ago After Tai Po fire, Hong Kong needs support, compassion – and answers

Within hours of the Wang Fuk Court fire, international news channels were broadcasting harrowing scenes of burning buildings and a community in chaos. Thousands were displaced, the death toll has, sadly, reached 160, and the city is still seeking answers. Hong Kong was thrust into the global media spotlight, drawing its most intense scrutiny since 2019. While the Tai Po fire dominated international coverage, the deadly floods in southern Thailand and landslides in West Sumatra received limited...

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1 week ago Death toll from Hong Kong fire rises to 160 as DNA tests show 1 more perished

The death toll from Hong Kong’s worst fire in decades has risen to 160 after another resident of inferno-ravaged Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po was confirmed as having perished, the city’s police chief has said. Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming also said on Tuesday that the next stage of work at the site would involve removing scaffolding to search for bodies. He also revealed that a piece of bone had been found on the ground after piles of scaffolding were removed, but it had yet to be...

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1 week ago Death toll from Hong Kong fire rises to 160 as DNA tests confirm 1 more fatality

The death toll from Hong Kong’s worst fire in decades has risen to 160 after another resident of the inferno-ravaged Wang Fuk Court housing estate in Tai Po was confirmed as a fatality, the city’s police chief has said, with six people still missing. Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming also said on Tuesday that the next stage of work at the site would involve removing scaffolding to search for bodies. He also revealed that a piece of bone had been found on the ground after piles of bamboo...

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1 week ago 618 dead in Sri Lanka landslides as rains batter South, Southeast Asia

Sri Lankan authorities issued fresh landslide warnings on Sunday, with rains lashing areas already devastated by a powerful cyclone as the death toll rose to 618. A chain of tropical storms and monsoonal rains has battered Southeast and South Asia, setting off landslides, flooding vast tracts and cutting off communities, from the rainforests of Sumatra to Sri Lanka’s highland plantations. At least 1,812 people have been killed in the natural disasters rolling across Sri Lanka, Indonesia,...

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1 week ago 627 dead in Sri Lanka landslides as rains batter South, Southeast Asia

Sri Lankan authorities issued fresh landslide warnings on Sunday, with rains lashing areas already devastated by a powerful cyclone as the death toll rose to 627. A chain of tropical storms and monsoonal rains has battered Southeast and South Asia, setting off landslides, flooding vast tracts and cutting off communities, from the rainforests of Sumatra to Sri Lanka’s highland plantations. At least 1,812 people have been killed in the natural disasters rolling across Sri Lanka, Indonesia,...

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1 week ago Hegseth defends killing boat survivors, likens drug gangs to al

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth doubled down on deadly US air strikes against alleged drug-running boats off the Venezuelan coast, saying he would have made the same call as the admiral who ordered survivors to be killed. The nearly two dozen strikes on boats in the Caribbean and Pacific have come under bipartisan scrutiny, but recent reports that a September strike included a second one to kill two survivors clinging to wreckage at sea have prompted accusations of possible war crimes. “From what...

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1 week ago Indonesia’s flood death toll hits 883, hundreds still missing

Indonesia’s disaster agency on Saturday reported a rise in the death toll from floods and landslides on the island of Sumatra, saying at least 883 people had been confirmed dead while more than 500 were missing. The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said the figures covered three provinces – Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra – which had been hit by days of intense rainfall that triggered overflowing rivers, landslides and severe damage to transport infrastructure. The agency said 520...

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1 week ago Indonesia’s flood death toll hits 908, hundreds still missing

Indonesia’s disaster agency on Saturday reported a rise in the death toll from floods and landslides on the island of Sumatra, saying at least 908 people had been confirmed dead while 410 were missing. The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said the figures covered three provinces – Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra – which had been hit by days of intense rainfall that triggered overflowing rivers, landslides and severe damage to transport infrastructure. A chain of tropical storms...

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2 w. ago Admiral denies ‘kill them all’ order in boat attack but video alarms lawmakers

A Navy admiral commanding the US military strikes on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean told lawmakers on Thursday that there was no “kill them all” order from Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth but a stark video of the attack left grave questions as Congress scrutinises the campaign that killed two people. Admiral Frank Bradley appeared for a series of closed-door classified briefings at the Capitol as lawmakers conduct an investigation after a report that he ordered the follow-on attack that...

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2 w. ago US admiral denies ‘kill them all’ order in Caribbean boat strike

A US Navy admiral commanding the US military strikes on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean told lawmakers Thursday that there was no “kill them all” order from Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, but a stark video of the attack left grave questions as Congress scrutinises the campaign that killed two survivors. Admiral Frank “Mitch” Bradley appeared for a series of closed-door classified briefings at the Capitol as lawmakers conduct an investigation after a report that he ordered the follow-on...

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2 w. ago Fiona Hill on what Trump’s Caribbean boat strikes signal to Russia and China : Here & Now Anytime

Fiona Hill on what Trump’s Caribbean boat strikes signal to Russia and China : Here & Now Anytime  NPR

Politics

2 w. ago Beijing vows to pursue ‘hostile external forces’ in Hong Kong as high

Beijing vows to pursue ‘hostile external forces’ in Hong Kong as high-rise fire death toll rises to 159  Taipei Times

Politics

2 w. ago 6 arrested over fire alarm system at Hong Kong blaze estate; death toll now 159

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Get faster notifications on the latest updates by downloading our app. What we know so far: 159 people, including a firefighter, confirmed dead 79 injured, including 12 firefighters About 30 people remain unaccounted for HK$2.3 billion raised for rescue and relief efforts The eight blocks in Wang Fuk Court had been undergoing renovations since July...

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2 w. ago Trump defence chief says he didn’t see survivors or watch second boat strike

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday he had watched the first US strike in September on an alleged drug-smuggling vessel in real time but did not see survivors in the water or the second lethal strike that he described as being carried out in the “fog of war”. Hegseth, speaking at a cabinet meeting alongside US President Donald Trump, defended the follow-up strike that has drawn bipartisan scrutiny from Congress and concerns about the legality of the administration’s moves. The...

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2 w. ago Trump’s defence chief says he didn’t see survivors or watch second boat strike

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday he had watched the first US strike in September on an alleged drug-smuggling vessel in real time but did not see survivors in the water or the second lethal strike that he described as being carried out in the “fog of war”. Hegseth, speaking at a cabinet meeting alongside US President Donald Trump, defended the follow-up strike that has drawn bipartisan scrutiny from Congress and concerns about the legality of the administration’s moves. The...

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