Ex-US defence chiefs urge congressional hearings on Trump’s military firings

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Trump’s first defence secretary James Mattis among five to express alarm at ‘reckless’ dismissals of top military figures

Five former US defence secretaries have demanded congressional hearings on Donald Trump’s firings of several military commanders, including the chair of the joint chiefs of staff, saying it was done for “purely partisan reasons” and weakens national security.

The five – including James Mattis, who served as defence secretary during Trump’s first presidency – wrote in a letter that they were “deeply alarmed” by the dismissals, which they said were “reckless” and unjustified by operational reason.

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Starmer to hold talks with Zelenskyy and Meloni before Ukraine defence summit

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Prime minister will host more than a dozen countries over weekend as Europe tries to secure deal to end war

Keir Starmer will hold talks with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Italy’s Giorgia Meloni in Downing Street on Sunday before a major London defence summit aimed at securing “lasting and enforced” peace in Ukraine.

Fresh from his trip to see Donald Trump in the White House on Thursday, Starmer has headed back to London to host the defence summit, where more than a dozen world leaders will gather to discuss Ukraine.

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Blast at Taliban-linked Pakistani seminary kills six people, injures 20 – Al Jazeera English

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  1. Blast at Taliban-linked Pakistani seminary kills six people, injures 20  Al Jazeera English
  2. Thousands of mourners attend funeral of Taliban-linked cleric killed in Pakistan suicide blast  The Associated Press
  3. Suicide bombing at Pakistan Islamic seminary kills six, including Taliban-linked cleric  CNN
  4. Six killed in blast at Pakistan's 'University of Jihad'  BBC.com
  5. Profile: Maulana Hamidul Haq Haqqani — the vice chancellor of Jamia Darul Uloom Haqqania  DAWN.com
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Europe Gears Up for Giant Defense Spending Increase – Kyiv Post

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  1. Europe Gears Up for Giant Defense Spending Increase  Kyiv Post
  2. Tusk says European leaders heading to London to discuss joint plans on defence – as it happened  The Guardian
  3. Europe will need to pull all the levers to up its defence spending  The Economist
  4. Trump Shocks Europe Into Chasing Billions for Military Buildup  Bloomberg
  5. Von der Leyen floats EU effort to finance missiles, ammunition and air defense  POLITICO Europe
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Israeli army concludes Hamas defeated it on 7 October – Middle East Eye

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  1. Israeli army concludes Hamas defeated it on 7 October  Middle East Eye
  2. Report: IDF alerted PM's intel officer of worrying Hamas activity 3 hours before Oct. 7 invasion; Officer didn't pass material up chain  The Times of Israel
  3. Israeli military cites 'fundamental misunderstanding' of Hamas ahead of Oct. 7 attack  NPR
  4. Israel's military publishes first report on 7 October 2023 failures  BBC.com
  5. IDF carried out Hannibal Directive, new 'Sword of Damocles' operation on October 7  The Jerusalem Post
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IDF troops fire warning shots in southern Syria, protests break out near Damascus – Ynetnews

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  1. IDF troops fire warning shots in southern Syria, protests break out near Damascus  Ynetnews
  2. Israel Strikes Syria Hours After Country’s Leader Demands Withdrawal  The New York Times
  3. Israel bombs ‘military targets’ in southern Syria, outside Damascus  Al Jazeera English
  4. Katz confirms Israeli strikes in southern Syria: 'We will not allow it to become southern Lebanon'  The Times of Israel
  5. Syrians emerging from dictatorship bristle at new threat from Israel  The Washington Post
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The Latest: Trump calls for ‘ceasefire now’ between Russia and Ukraine – Yahoo

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  1. The Latest: Trump calls for ‘ceasefire now’ between Russia and Ukraine  Yahoo
  2. Trump calls for ‘ceasefire now’ between Russia and Ukraine  The Associated Press
  3. Zelensky says Trump relationship can be repaired after White House row  Le Monde
  4. Trump says Putin would keep his word on a Ukraine peace deal  The Guardian
  5. Russia rules out 'any options' for European peacekeepers in Ukraine  Reuters
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Five unknowns about any possible deal to end Ukraine-Russia war

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As Volodymyr Zelenskyy heads to Washington to meet Donald Trump, a number of questions remain unanswered

As Volodymyr Zelenskyy heads to Washington to meet Donald Trump, questions remain over the future of Ukraine and the country’s war with Russia. Here are five things we don’t know about a possible deal to end the conflict.

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