Government
An ICE Firearms Trainer Was Involved in At Least 4 Deadly Shootings
David Norman, a former Phoenix police officer who's described himself as "a fucking savage," now runs a company that provided training to Homeland Security's Special Response Teams. The owner of a company that trained paramilitary Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents testified that he was involved in at least four lethal shootings, according to a 2021 deposition related to a lawsuit reviewed by WIRED. David S. Norman, the founder and proprietor of law enforcement training firm TruKinetics LLC, served as a Phoenix Police officer from the late 1990s until his retirement in 2020. Prior to founding TruKinetics the same year, according to records reviewed by WIRED, Norman was involved in six shootings while on duty that left four people dead and two more wounded. In every instance, the Phoenix Police Department said Norman fired on an armed suspect and exchanged volleys of gunfire in at least two of the shootings. Based in Gilbert, Arizona, TruKinetics offers training on small-team tactics, hostage rescues, close-quarters combat, building searches, night-vision firearms proficiency, pistol and rifle courses, "vehicle interdiction," breaching with explosives, and sniper tactics, according to the company's website.
A Danish Couple's Maverick African Research Finds Its Moment in RFK Jr.'s Vaccine Policy
The work of Peter Aaby and Christine Stabell Benn has long been controversial. Until Robert F. Kennedy Jr. became US health policy chief, most vaccine scientists tended to ignore it. In 1996, Guinea-Bissau seemed like an ideal research post for budding pediatrician Lone Graff Stensballe. Her supervisor, a fellow Dane named Peter Aaby, had spent nearly two decades collecting data on 100,000 people living in the mud brick homes of the West African country's capital. Aaby and his partner, Christine Stabell Benn, believed that the years of research in the impoverished country had yielded a major discovery about vaccines--and what they described as "non-specific effects": The measles and tuberculosis vaccines, which were derived from live, weakened viruses and bacteria, they said, boosted child survival beyond protecting against those particular pathogens. But, the scientists said, shots made from deactivated whole germs, or pieces of them, such as the diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) shot, caused more deaths--especially in little girls--than getting no vaccine at all.
Mali drone strikes kill at least 10 civilians at wedding
Drone strikes by Mali's army have killed at least 10 civilians as they prepared to celebrate a wedding in the central region of San in another escalation of the conflict since armed groups launched a widespread coordinated assault late last month. The strikes on Sunday occurred during a security crisis after attacks on the military government's positions last month by fighters from the al-Qaeda-linked Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and Tuareg separatists known as the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA). "What was supposed to be a moment of joy in the village turned into immense sorrow," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "The tragedy occurred as the villagers were preparing the second edition of this traditional collective wedding, a major cultural event for this community," a security source who requested anonymity for safety reasons told AFP. The strikes targeted "a procession of motorbikes following one another", he added.
Escaped tiger shot by German police after attacking man
An escaped tiger believed to be owned by Germany's Tiger Queen has been shot dead by police after attacking one of its keepers, according to local media reports. Police say a 73-year-old man was seriously injured after being attacked on Sunday while he was inside the animal's enclosure, located in a privately-owned facility on the outskirts of the German city of Leipzig. The tiger escaped the enclosure and was found shortly after by armed police, who shot and killed the animal. The site of the enclosure is believed to be owned by controversial trainer and private owner Carmen Zander, who describes herself as Germany's Tiger Queen. The animal was one of eight big cats kept at the industrial site near the German town of Schkeuditz, according to local media.
Thailand plans reform of up to 7,000 business rules to tempt foreign investment
Thailand risks losing ground to regional rivals such as Vietnam and Indonesia, which have moved more aggressively to streamline regulatory regimes and court foreign capital. Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul's government plans a sweeping reform of more than 7,000 business regulations, aiming to cut bureaucratic hurdles and accelerate investment as it tries to compete for global capital. The planned rollback of ministerial rules and secondary regulations, many of which have accumulated into a significant burden on companies, marks a concerted push to reposition Thailand as a more competitive destination for multinational firms reconfiguring supply chains. The effort was detailed in a government statement Monday and comes as Thailand risks losing ground to regional rivals such as Vietnam and Indonesia, which have moved more aggressively to streamline regulatory regimes and court foreign capital. "Regulations intended to guide have, in practice, become costs," said government spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek.
How ISWAP and Boko Haram are reshaping the Lake Chad Basin
The killing of Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the second-in-command of ISIL (ISIS), by United States and Nigerian forces marks a notable achievement for "counterterrorism". Yet for analysts observing the Lake Chad Basin, it highlights how persistent and complex insecurity in the region has become. Al-Minuki, a Nigerian national from Borno State, was operating out of a compound near Lake Chad, at the centre of one of the world's most active armed group theatres. Perhaps equally significant is the parallel resurgence of Boko Haram, which quietly rebuilt itself while security agencies primarily focused on the more dominant ISWAP. "While regional forces focused on countering ISWAP's threats, partly due to the group's advanced drone capabilities, Boko Haram appears to have taken advantage of the relative attention on its rival to regroup," Nimi Princewill, a security expert in the Sahel, told Al Jazeera.
Cuba says U.S. fabricating pretext for conflict after report on drone purchase
Cuba says U.S. fabricating pretext for conflict after report on drone purchase Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez speaks during a news conference in Havana in October 2025. HAVANA - Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez accused the U.S. on Sunday of fabricating a fraudulent case to justify economic sanctions and potential military intervention. The minister's comments followed a report by Axios the same day citing classified intelligence, which said Cuba had acquired more than 300 military drones. Cuba neither threatens nor desires war, Rodriguez said in a post on social media, adding that the country prepares itself to confront external aggression in the exercise of the right to legitimate self-defense recognized by the U.N. Charter. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.
U.S. and Iran far from Hormuz deal as Trump says clock is ticking
U.S. and Iran far from Hormuz deal as Trump says clock is ticking A ship remains anchored in the Strait of Hormuz near Larak Island, Iran, on Saturday. The U.S. and Iran remained far apart Sunday on a deal to end weeks of war and reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz, as a drone attack sparked a fire at a United Arab Emirates nuclear plant, spotlighting the risks of a fragile ceasefire. U.S. President Donald Trump made clear his patience is wearing thin, posting on social media Sunday that For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won't be anything left of them. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!" Iran's semiofficial Fars news agency said the U.S. had set five main conditions for a peace deal, including the removal of uranium used by Iran's nuclear program to the U.S.; no U.S. reparations to Tehran and the unfreezing of less than a quarter of Iran's suspended assets. Fars didn't give a source for the information, and the U.S. hasn't publicly commented on such stipulations.