
Indian Prime Minister fires health minister and 11 others as Covid crisis lingers
CNN
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi dropped 12 members of his cabinet on Wednesday in a dramatic reshuffle, including the federal ministers for health and law, as he faces fierce criticism over the government's alleged mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, who was the face of the government's efforts to fight Covid-19, was asked to step down along with his deputy. Just hours later, Modi appointed Mansukh Laxman Mandaviya to take on the role. Official sources told Reuters Vardhan had to pay the political price for the government's struggles to cope with a devastating second wave of coronavirus infections earlier this year that claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Indians.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth risked compromising sensitive military information that could have endangered US troops through his use of Signal to discuss attack plans, a Pentagon watchdog said in an unclassified report released Thursday. It also details how Hegseth declined to cooperate with the probe.

Two top House lawmakers emerged divided along party lines after a private briefing with the military official who oversaw September’s attack on an alleged drug vessel that included a so-called double-tap strike that killed surviving crew members, with a top Democrat calling video of the incident that was shared as part of the briefing “one of the most troubling things” he has seen as a lawmaker.











