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Photo: Getty Images / Brett Carlsen Hegseth faces opposition in Congress amid misconduct allegations Trump considers alternative nominees like DeSantis and Ernst Hegseth criticized after reports of drinking, alleged sexual assault US President-elect Donald Trump on Friday reiterated his support for Pentagon nominee Pete Hegseth, citing the Ivy League-educated former Fox News host's "charisma" and calling him "a WINNER" even as the nomination faces headwinds in Congress amid allegations of misconduct. A 44-year-old Army National Guard veteran, Hegseth has vowed to continue fighting for the top Department of Defense job and spent the week meeting with US senators as some key lawmakers have said they are not yet ready to support him. "Pete Hegseth is doing very well. His support is st...

Yoon Suk Yeol bowed during a televised speech to the nation, only hours head of a planned impeachment vote. Photo: ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has apologised for his attempt to impose martial law and bowed during a televised speech to the nation, only hours head of a planned impeachment vote. Yoon said he would not seek to avoid legal and political responsibility for his decision, which he said was born of desperation. The speech was the embattled leader's first public appearance since he rescinded the martial law order early on Wednesday, just six hours after it was declared and after parliament defied military and police cordons to vote against the decree. "I am very sorry and would like to sincerely apologise to the people who were shocked," Yoon said. ...

By Bianca Flowers for Reuters Since Joe Biden's pardon of his son Hunter, civil rights activists and politicians have called for clemency for other people they believe were unfairly convicted or sentenced. Photo: Mandel NGAN / AFP The White House is listening to demands for President Joe Biden to extend the same grace to thousands of people wronged by the US judicial system as he did to his son Hunter, officials say. Since Biden's pardon of Hunter on Sunday, a growing chorus of civil rights activists and lawmakers have called for broader clemency for other people they believe were unfairly convicted or sentenced. Defence attorneys and civil rights groups are ramping up efforts to highlight compelling cases, working in conjunction with state legislators to draft letters to the White H...

By Timour Azhari for Reuters Anti-government fighters celebrate in Syria's northwestern Idlib province in November. (file photo) Photo: ABDULAZIZ KETAZ Iraqi Shi'ite Muslim ruling parties and armed groups are weighing the pros and cons of armed intervention in Syria, viewing as a grave threat the advance of Sunni Islamist rebels who have taken two Syrian cities and now bear down on a third. Baghdad has a dark history with Syria-based Sunni fighters, thousands of whom crossed into Iraq after the 2003 US invasion and fuelled years of sectarian killing before returning again in 2013 as Islamic State to conquer a third of the country. The Syrian rebels currently advancing in Syria, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, have disavowed Al Qaeda and IS and say they have no ambitions in Iraq, but the...

Police place bullet casing markers outside of a Hilton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan in New York, where United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot on Wednesday, December 4. Photo: CNN Newsource A Canterbury commerce graduate has been caught up in the police investigation into the killing of UnitedHealthcare chief executive Brian Thompson. Niki Dilley, who had been visiting New York, has described the police investigation at his hostel - where the chief suspect was also staying - as "scary but cool". It comes as detectives investigating the killing of Thompson recovered possible DNA evidence from items found at the scene and turned it over to a lab for testing, according to a senior law enforcement official briefed on the investigation. Samples sent for testing are from a water b...

NYPD release photos of suspected gunman without mask Photo: NYPD By Rich McKay and Daniel Trotta, Reuters Police release suspect photos, offer $10,000 reward for information Security tightened at UnitedHealth, other insurers after attack Shell casings found with words linked to critical insurance book The hunt for the killer of a UnitedHealth executive passed the crucial 48-hour mark on Friday, as New York police scoured surveillance video, chased down leads and sought the public's help to find the gunman. Brian Thompson, 50, the CEO of UnitedHealth's insurance unit, was shot from behind on Wednesday in what police described as a targeted attack. Police have released multiple photos of the suspect, who was last recorded on video riding an electric bicycle into Central Park after fleei...

By Maya Gebeily, Suleiman Al-Khalidi and Parisa Hafezi, Reuters Rebel forces pictured outside Aleppo last week. Photo: AFP / BAKR ALKASEM Rebel group's leader aims to 'build Syria', return refugees Israeli airstrikes target Lebanon-Syria border crossings Rebels' offensive catches Assad government off guard Residents flee Homs for pro-Assad coastal region Russian forces destroy bridge to hamper rebel progress Iran, Hezbollah say they are stepping up help to Assad Iran will send missiles, drones and more advisers to Syria, a senior Iranian official said on Friday (local time), as rebel forces pushed their lightning offensive south towards the city of Homs in the biggest challenge for years to President Bashar al-Assad's rule. Seizing Homs would cut off Syria's capital Damascus ...

Donald Trump. Photo: AFP / Jim Watson The International Olympic Committee has no concerns over working with Donald Trump and his incoming administration on the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympics given the President-elect's continued support of those Games, IOC President Thomas Bach said. The Los Angeles Olympics were awarded in 2017 when Trump was president following his first election victory. Trump also met Bach at the White House in 2017 shortly before the Games were awarded to Los Angeles. While the LA Games do not depend on federal funding like most other Olympics, as the project is privately funded, the federal government plays a key role in providing security, transport and travel assistance amongst other areas of support for the event. "It is in the best hands of the United State...

By Asif Shahzad, Reuters A supporter of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and jailed former prime minister Imran Khan holds a placard during a protest rally in Sydney. Photo: Saeed KHAN / AFP Khan pleads not guilty to terrorism charges His party says it will challenge the indictment Arrest warrants issued for Khan's wife Charges linked to unprecedented attacks against military Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan was indicted on Thursday on charges of inciting attacks against the military, a case stemming from deadly anti-government rallies led by his party last year. The indictment was the latest in dozens of cases against the 72-year-old former cricket star turned politician, who has been in jail since late last year. It came hours after a court issued warrants ...

By Lauren Mascarenhas and Annette Choi, CNN Two photos released by NYPD show the unidentified shooter of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson Photo: NYPD via CNN A manhunt is underway for the man who fatally shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson Wednesday morning, in what police believe was a targeted attack. The gunman shot Thompson outside a hotel in Midtown Manhattan before fleeing through the city. Police are using video surveillance to piece together the suspect's movements before and after the shooting Wednesday. Here's a visual timeline of the alleged gunman's movements before, during and after the shooting: Brian Thompson was the CEO of the largest US health insurer, UnitedHealthcare. Photo: LinkedIn / Supplied Key moments so far 6.15am - Wednesday, 4 December A surve...