FBI Director Kash Patel and Senator Cory Booker clashed during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday. The hearing focused on the FBI’s handling of the Charlie Kirk assassination case. Booker accused Patel of leading a “generational destruction” of the FBI and said he was unfit to lead. Patel hit back, calling Booker an “embarrassment.” The shouting match forced the committee chairman to pound his gavel to restore order. Booker warned Patel that Trump would “cut you loose.” Earlier, Senator Peter Welch also criticised Patel, saying he was “promoting himself” instead of working with local police in the Kirk investigation. (PC: AFP, AP)

Tyler Robinson, 22, has been charged with aggravated murder in the killing of US conservative leader Charlie Kirk. Prosecutors say the charge is a capital offence and they will seek the death penalty. Kirk was shot in the neck at an outdoor event at Utah Valley University on September 10. Investigators allege Robinson fired from a campus roof with a bolt-action rifle. He was arrested days later near St George, Utah. Officials say his DNA was found on the gun trigger. He also faces charges including firing a weapon, obstruction, and witness tampering. Robinson has not yet pleaded. (PC: Reuters)

US judge in New York has dropped two terrorism charges against Luigi Mangione, who is accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Judge Gregory Carro ruled that prosecutors failed to show the crime met the legal definition of terrorism. However, he allowed a second-degree murder charge to proceed, along with weapons and forgery charges. Mangione faces 15 to 25 years in prison if convicted. He also faces US federal murder charges that could bring the death penalty. Thompson, a father of two, was shot in Manhattan last December. Mangione’s state trial will begin on 1 December. (PC: Timothy A. Clary / AFP - Getty Images)

A huge photo of Donald Trump with Jeffrey Epstein has been displayed outside Windsor Castle ahead of the US president’s visit to the UK. The banner was unveiled by campaign group Everyone Hates Elon, which said it was funded by donations from the British public. The group claimed Trump was visiting to escape questions about Epstein. King Charles will host Trump and First Lady Melania at Windsor Castle this week, with a ceremonial welcome and state banquet planned. The stunt has sparked fresh debate around Trump’s ties to the late financier, who was convicted of sex crimes. (PC: The Independent)

Israel has launched the “main phase” of its ground offensive in Gaza City. Heavy bombing shook the city overnight as tanks and troops moved in. Thousands of Palestinians fled south in cars, trucks, and on foot. Israel said 2,000 to 3,000 Hamas fighters remain in the city. Gaza’s Shifa Hospital reported 34 bodies by noon. At the same time, a UN commission accused Israel of genocide, citing mass killings and forced displacement. Israel rejected the report as false. Families of hostages protested in Israel, urging Prime Minister Netanyahu to bring them home. The Gaza war has killed over 64,000. (PC: BBC)

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar admitted that India never accepted third-party mediation in ceasefire talks. He said a ceasefire offer came through the US, but India insisted the matter must stay bilateral. Dar’s statement undercut Donald Trump’s claim that he had brokered peace after Operation Sindoor. Trump had credited himself on social media for the truce following four days of strikes between India and Pakistan. Dar revealed that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed India’s firm stand on bilateral talks. He added Pakistan remains open to dialogue on issues including terrorism, trade, and Jammu and Kashmir. (PC: India Today)

The Israeli military on Tuesday warned civilians to evacuate Yemen’s Hodeidah port, saying it will attack the area within hours. Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Col. Avichay Adraee urged all people and ships at the port to leave immediately, warning that staying would “put their life in danger.” The warning comes after Israel’s recent airstrikes in Yemen killed at least 46 people and wounded over 160, following a Houthi drone attack on an Israeli airport. Previous strikes also killed Houthi leaders. The escalation marks a sharp rise in the nearly 2-year-old conflict with the Iran-backed Houthis. (PC: HT)

Ukrainian journalist Dmytro Khyliuk has returned home after spending 3.5 years in Russian captivity without facing any charges. He was taken by Russian forces in 2022 and held in several prisons, where he faced beatings, starvation, and cruelty. Dmytro was freed last month in a prisoner swap that also released seven other Ukrainian civilians, a rare move by Russia. He immediately called his mother and began contacting families of fellow prisoners to confirm who is alive. His family had only received two short notes from him during his detention. Over 16,000 civilians remain missing in Ukraine. (PC: BBC)

The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has vaccinated 46,122 stray dogs against rabies in the past month. It also microchipped 12,000 dogs for identification and tracking. The drive follows a Supreme Court order that bans culling and stresses humane management. The GCC runs five Animal Birth Control centres, conducting 115 surgeries daily. After sterilisation, dogs are kept for recovery before release. A pet registration drive has begun, making rabies shots mandatory with a Rs 50 fee. Officials urged citizens to avoid abandoning pets. Chennai’s stray dog population is estimated at 1.8 lakh, raising safety and health concerns. (PC: India Today)

Indian-origin motel manager Chandra Nagamallaiah, 50, was brutally beheaded in Dallas, Texas, by Cuban national Yordanis Cobos-Martinez. The accused had a violent criminal record and was released into the US after Cuba refused to take him back. The murder happened in front of Nagamallaiah’s wife and son following a dispute at the motel. US Homeland Security warned that “barbaric criminals” will no longer be allowed to stay in the country. Donald Trump called Nagamallaiah “a respected person” and vowed to bring first-degree murder charges. Officials said the killing was preventable if the accused had not been released earlier this year. (PC: HT)