investigation

Pentagon elevates probe into Iranian girls’ school strike as preliminary findings point to possible U.S. role WASHINGTON — The U.S. military said today it has elevated its investigation into a Feb. 28 strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ school in southern Iran, following media reports that preliminary findings indicate U.S. forces were likely responsible. Iran says 168 children were killed, a toll that, if confirmed, would make it among the deadliest civilian casualty incidents linked to U.S. military action in the Middle…

Hillary Clinton is set to testify behind closed doors before the Republican-led House Oversight Committee as part of its investigation into the late financier Jeffrey Epstein and his convicted accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell. Her appearance will be followed the next day by a deposition of former President Bill Clinton, according to people familiar with the schedule. The Clintons initially rejected subpoenas ordering them to testify, but agreed after House Republicans threatened to hold them in contempt of Congress. The…

Peter Mandelson has been released on bail after his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office amid a Metropolitan Police investigation into whether sensitive government information was passed to Jeffrey Epstein. In a statement issued just after 2 a.m., the Metropolitan Police said a 72-year-old man “arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office has been released on bail pending further investigation.” The force said the man was arrested at an address in Camden on Monday, Feb. 23, and taken to a London police…

Investigators are examining whether criminal negligence played a role in the avalanche that killed at least eight people during a guided backcountry ski trip in California, but emphasized it is too early to determine whether any charges are warranted, the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said. The slide, which struck a group near Castle Peak outside Truckee, was the deadliest U.S. avalanche in 45 years. The sheriff’s office said in a written statement that, in addition to the coroner’s death investigations, it is conducting a…

UN probe: RSF’s El-Fasher assault bears ‘hallmarks of genocide,’ as rights mission urges urgent civilian protection The United Nations’ independent fact-finding mission on Sudan has concluded that the Rapid Support Forces’ siege and October capture of El-Fasher in Darfur bore the “hallmarks of genocide,” documenting ethnic massacres, widespread rape and mass detentions over what survivors called “three days of absolute horror.” In findings presented to the UN Security Council, the mission said the scale, coordination and…

California opens probe into delayed wildfire warnings in West Altadena Black neighborhoods California’s attorney general has opened a civil rights investigation into whether delayed evacuation warnings during last year’s Los Angeles wildfires contributed to a higher death toll in historically Black neighborhoods in Altadena. Attorney General Rob Bonta said his office will examine whether race, age or disability discrimination played a role in the emergency response on the west side of Altadena, where most residents are…

Human Rights Watch Urges Investigation into Deadly Drone Attack in Niger Human Rights Watch (HRW) is pressing Nigerien authorities to undertake an independent investigation into a drone strike conducted by the army in January, which the organization claims resulted in the deaths of approximately 17 civilians, including four children. In a recent statement, HRW emphasized that, while the attack may have also claimed the lives of several militants, it breaches international law. The incident occurred on January 6, when…

Ghislaine Maxwell to face closed-door House deposition; expected to invoke Fifth Amendment Ghislaine Maxwell, serving a 20-year federal sentence for trafficking girls to financier Jeffrey Epstein, will be questioned behind closed doors by the House Oversight Committee via prison videolink — but her legal team says she will refuse to answer on Fifth Amendment grounds. The extraordinary deposition, part of a congressional probe into Epstein’s ties to powerful figures and the handling of information about his crimes, follows a…

Investigators probing Spain’s deadly high-speed train collision say a cracked rail likely existed before the crash, a preliminary finding that could shift scrutiny toward infrastructure on one of the world’s busiest high-speed networks. A report released today by Spain’s CIAF rail accident investigation committee said an inspection of the Iryo train involved in Sunday evening’s collision in Andalusia found “notches in the tread of the right-sided wheels” on four carriages. Similar notches with a compatible geometric pattern…

Spain’s High Court prosecutors have shelved a preliminary investigation into singer Julio Iglesias, ruling the court lacks jurisdiction because the alleged crimes occurred outside Spain and the accusers do not reside in the country. The decision, outlined in a filing seen by Reuters, halts the probe at the national level while leaving open the possibility of prosecution in the Dominican Republic and the Bahamas, where the alleged conduct took place. Women’s Link Worldwide, a rights group, lodged the complaint on Jan. 5 on…