Germany blames Russia for explosive drone attack at Leipzig airport

Germany has blamed Russia for an attempted explosive drone attack targeted at Leipzig/Halle Airport last month.
The device was discovered near an aircraft from Ukraine on the evening of 4 August and defused.
German interior minister Alexander Dobrindt stated that the event corresponds with a known pattern of “Russian hybrid operations.”
He said the German government “comes to the conclusion that Russia is responsible for the hybrid attack in Leipzig on 4 August.
“We assume that Germany is the target of further hybrid attacks by ‌Russia,” he added.
Germany’s foreign minister, Johann Wadephu, has ordered a series of measures in response, including the closure of the Russian consulate in Bonn along with the Russian House, a cultural centre in Berlin.
Nato secretary general Mark Rutte said “the evidence was clear” and he welcomed the measures after speaking with German chancellor Friedrich Merz.
He wrote on X: “Nato will continue to strengthen our ability to deter and defend all Allies a..

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FBI eases hiring standards and won’t rule out applicants over prostitution or bestiality

FBI Director Kash Patel has made it easier for people who've previously engaged in prostitution or bestiality to join the bureau's ranks – a change that one former agent called “beyond disturbing.”
The FBI quietly amended its hiring practices earlier this year and will consider applicants for special agent positions and other bureau roles even if they have paid for sex three times or fewer in the last decade, according to a CBS News report last week.
The rules also do not rule out an applicant if they engaged in bestiality, so long as it happened before they turned 18, according to the report.
Before the change, an FBI applicant who engaged in prostitution or bestiality would have been automatically disqualified, according to Daniel Meyer, a Washington lawyer who specializes in background checks and the security-clearance process.
He told Scripps News that admitting to buying sex during a polygraph was typically a “death knell” for an FBI applicant.
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Mom died after running back into her burning home to rescue her 3-year-old daughter from fire

A Minnesota mother died after re-entering a burning duplex to save her 3-year-old daughter, shielding the toddler with her own body until firefighters reached them.
Bonnie Pierce, 38, was napping inside the St. Paul home when the fire broke out on August 22. Her 12-year-old daughter, Aurora, escaped by kicking out an air conditioning unit and climbing through a window, according to a GoFundMe campaign set up for the family.
Pierce initially made it outside safely, but returned to the blaze after realizing her youngest child, 3-year-old Grace, was still trapped inside. Her sister, Jenny McGovern, noted that Pierce may have assumed the 12-year-old had the toddler with her before stepping outside.
“She’s a hero,” McGovern said, according to CBS News. “She died a hero. She's my hero forever. I cannot thank her enough for saving that little girl’s life.”
First responders encountered significant fire, extreme heat and near-zero visibility on the first floor of the East Magnolia Avenue ..

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Kalshi issues George Santos a lifetime ban and $71,356 fine over suspicious trades

Prediction platform Kalshi has handed former U.S. congressman George Santos a lifetime ban and fined him $71,356 over allegations of insider trading.
According to a disciplinary filing released by the firm, its compliance team determined there was reasonable cause to conclude that the former lawmaker participated in unlawful trades.
The decision comes amid a surge in questionable transactions across prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket, creating fresh oversight hurdles as law enforcement and regulators step up their focus on the expanding industry.
In June, Kalshi referred Santos to the U.S. Department of Justice following the discovery of unusual account activity, a source previously told Reuters.
Santos was ousted from Congress following charges of identity theft and fraud (AFP via Getty Images)Fresh out of prison for wire fraud and identity theft, Santos allegedly began a new scheme by fixing the odds on a bet of whether he would attend President Donald Trump’s State of the..

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Dozens of people evacuated from parts of the Grand Canyon after flash floods

Dozens of people were evacuated over the weekend from Grand Canyon National Park after flash floods inundated parts of the park.
Bright Angel Canyon, a popular hiking trail into the Grand Canyon, was hit with a spate of flash flooding around 2:30 p.m. Saturday, the National Park Service said.
No injuries were reported, officials said.
The National Park Service said it was conducting an aerial evacuation of “approximately 50 individuals from the Phantom Ranch area.”
“The entirety of the North Kaibab Trail and Phantom Ranch are closed until further notice,” the NPS wrote on social media.
About 50 people were evacuated from Grand Canyon National Park over the weekend due to flash flooding, park officials said (AP2000)Phantom Ranch is a historic lodge in the Grand Canyon National Park near the bottom of the Grand Canyon by Bright Angel Creek.
The flash floods total one-quarter to three-quarters of an inch in 30 minutes, the National Weather Service said.
The rain caused flooding in ..

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Cyprus ferry incident latest: Desperate search for more than 20 missing passengers after boat capsizes, killing 7

Passengers sit on top of capsized ferry off coast of CyprusSearch teams are desperately trying to locate 23 people who were aboard a ferry carrying nearly 270 passengers that capsized off the coast of northern Cyprus on Sunday.
At least seven people have died in the incident, self-declared Northern Cyprus prime minister Unal Ustel confirmed, and 237 people have been rescued.
Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman said: “We have still not been ‌able to reach 23 people. Search and rescue teams are working very intensively to find them.
“If there are people still inside the vessel, reaching them does not appear easy at the moment. Efforts are being made using other technologies to reach them as well.”
The catamaran-style boat was travelling from the port of Kyrenia, also known as Girne, in the breakaway north of ethnically divided Cyprus, to the Turkish port of Tasucu in Mersin province.
Mr Ustel said the ferry faced adverse weather conditions and began taking in water just 15 minutes afte..

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