Author: Verified News Online

A debate over a possible US military draft started after tech giant Palantir Technologies publicly backed the idea of universal national service. It argued that all citizens should share the burden of war. The company shared 22 extensive points explaining why software companies are equally responsible for defence. In a post on X, the company said, “National service should be a universal duty. We should, as a society, seriously consider moving away from an all-volunteer force and only fight the next war if everyone shares in the risk and the cost.”The intervention comes at a sensitive moment. The United States is facing growing military pressure abroad, particularly amid the conflict involving Iran. The fighting began after US and Israeli strikes on February 28 and has since transitioned into missile exchanges, naval clashes and a blockade of Iranian ports. US President Donald Trump has warned Tehran of severe consequences if it refuses a peace deal, at one point threatening to “blow up..

AdvertisementUnited StatesUSPoliticsFBI’s Patel sues Atlantic for US$250 million, says drinking story ‘is a lie’The FBI director is suing the magazine after its story claimed that he had a drinking problem and referred to his ‘unexplained absences’
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenReutersPublished: 11:11pm, 20 Apr 2026Updated: 11:14pm, 20 Apr 2026FBI Director Kash Patel filed a defamation ⁠lawsuit against the Atlantic and its reporter Sarah Fitzpatrick, following the publication of an article on Friday claiming the director had a drinking problem that could pose a threat to national security.The magazine’s story, initially titled “Kash Patel’s Erratic Behavior Could Cost Him His Job,” cited more than two dozen anonymous sources expressing concern at Patel’s “conspicuous inebriation and unexplained absences” that “alarmed officials at the FBI and the Department of Justice”.
The ‌article, which the Atlantic subsequently titled “The FBI Director Is MIA” in its online version, reported that during Pa..

AdvertisementHong Kong tourismHong KongHong Kong Economy40 Hong Kong tour groups safe after magnitude 7.5 quake strikes JapanJapan issues tsunami warning for north and northeast prefectures of Hokkaido, Aomori and Iwate, after quake strikes at 4.53pm
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenWynna WongPublished: 11:02pm, 20 Apr 2026Hong Kong travellers in Japan were reported safe by at least one major tour operator while the Immigration Department said it was closely monitoring the situation after a powerful earthquake struck off the country’s northeast coast on Monday, triggering tsunami warnings.
Steve Huen Kwok-chuen, executive director of EGL Tours, said the operator currently had about 40 tour groups in Japan, including three in the northeast and four in Hokkaido, areas covered by the alert.
“All our customers are safe,” he told the South China Morning Post soon after the quake struck. “Earthquakes are quite common in Japan … there has been no impact on any of our itineraries.”
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Law firm representing Kash Patel made their letter to the Atlantic public which they said they sent before the article on Kash Patel's alleged drinking problem was published.

A major war of words broke out between FBI director Kash Patel's advisers and Atlantic after Atlantic's journalist Sarah Fitzpatrick exclusively reported that the FBI director has been suffering from a drinking problem, which is known to the administration. On several occasions, Patel's security detail had difficulty waking him as he was seemingly intoxicated, Fitzpatrick reported, and then asserted that she stood by every word of what she wrote as she is an award-winning investigative journalist. She said Atlantic has excellent attorneys who would fight the case as she crosschecked the accounts, and even the White House and the Department of Justice, and they did not dispute the reporting. “This is telling,” Fitzpatrick commented on Patel's advisor Erica Knight's statement threaten..

An alleged retail theft network worth millions has been broken up in Australia, with police confirming that an Indian national on an expired visa is among 31 people arrested.Victoria police say the group is accused of stealing up to $10 million worth of goods from supermarkets across the state in a highly organised operation. The arrests follow a months-long investigation.Among those charged is a 39-year-old Indian man who police allege was in the country on an expired visa. He is accused of stealing around $160,000 worth of goods over several months. Authorities say he faces 68 counts of theft and 19 counts of attempted theft and is yet to appear in court.Police say the group ran a coordinated “theft-to-order” model, targeting high-value everyday items such as baby formula, vitamins, skincare products and electric toothbrushes. These goods were then passed to receivers and sold on the black market for profit.The thefts took place across several locations in Australia including Melbour..