Category: World

Four of the six crew members aboard the U.S. KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft that went down in western Iraq on Thursday have been confirmed dead, U.S. Central Command officials have said.
This brings the number of U.S. service members killed in the conflict to 11.
Rescue efforts are continuing, and the circumstances of the incident are under investigation, the officials said, although the aircraft’s loss was not due to either hostile or friendly fire.
Officials believe that a collision in midair may have caused the crash, The New York Times reported.
The identities of the service members are currently being withheld until 24 hours after their next of kin have been informed.
It was earlier reported that the plane went down following an “incident” involving another U.S. plane at approximately 2 p.m. ET Thursday.
open image in galleryRescue efforts are continuing and the circumstances of the incident are under investigation, the offiicials said, although the loss of the aircraft ..

A US Air Force refuelling aircraft crashed in western Iraq during a mission linked to the ongoing war with Iran, according to military officials.
“Rescue operations are ongoing,” the officials said, adding that they were trying to establish the full details of the incident.
“US Central Command is aware of the loss of a US KC-135 refuelling aircraft,” Centcom, which runs US military operations in the Middle East, said in a statement.
“The incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury, and rescue efforts are ongoing.”
However, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of armed factions backed by Iran, said it was responsible for downing the aircraft.
The group said in a statement it had shot down the aircraft “in defence of our country’s sovereignty and airspace”.
Centcom said “two aircraft were involved in the incident. One of the aircraft went down in western Iraq, and the second landed safely”.
“This was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire,” it adde..

Elon Musk’s disciples in his so-called Department of Government Efficiency were embedded across federal agencies with a mandate to fire thousands of public employees and radically cut federal spending.
When Musk deployed DOGE into the National Endowment for the Humanities, which provides vital financial support to research and arts programs, Musk’s staff abruptly choked off more than 1,400 grants, eliminating tens of millions of dollars in public funding within less than a month.
More than 10 hours of newly released video testimony from January uncovers how two DOGE operators relied on ChatGPT and their own largely uninformed judgments to make sweeping decisions about funding for a range of programs and projects — and the people who rely on them.
The depositions, stemming from a lawsuit from the Modern Language Association, the American Council of Learned Societies and the American Historical Association, included testimony from two young DOGE officials, Justin Fox and Nathan Cavanaugh..

Fuel tankers erupt in flames after Iranian boat attacks in GulfThe International Energy Agency warned on Thursday that the world is facing the worst oil supply disruption in history.
Oil prices have surged past $100 a barrel again after more fuel tankers were struck by explosive-laden boats in a suspected Iranian attack this morning.
Two tankers were ablaze in Iraqi waters on Thursday after what appeared to be Iranian strikes, as Iran warned the world should be ready for oil to hit $200 a barrel.
An Iraqi official told state media that its oil ports “have completely stopped operations.” Other countries have moved vessels out of the area as a precaution.
Three crew members are still believed to be trapped on a Thai-flagged bulk carrier hit in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday.
As oil markets felt the impact of the war on global trade, Donald Trump insisted that the US had won the war but didn’t want to have to go back every two years.
“We don’t want to leave early do we?” he said on W..

US drugmaker Eli Lilly has issued a public warning about potential health risks from compounded weight-loss drugs containing vitamin B12 and the active ingredient in its medication, Zepbound. The company stated on Thursday that a previously unidentified impurity, arising during preparation, could pose dangers to consumers.
This alert marks the latest move in Lilly's ongoing efforts against drug compounders, which it accuses of marketing illicit versions of Zepbound and its diabetes treatment, Mounjaro. Both drugs share the same key ingredient, tirzepatide. Lilly has initiated legal proceedings against various compounders, wellness centres, and other entities for selling products claiming to contain tirzepatide.
Conversely, compounders maintain their offerings are legitimate under a specific federal law. This provision permits compounding when patients require tailored medications due to medical concerns, such as the inclusion of vitamins or dosages not available in branded product..