Donald Trump has done a U-turn on his choice for the new director of national intelligence.
The US President has withdrawn his nomination for Texas Republican John Ratcliffe.
It comes after strong criticism that the congressman is not qualified for the job.
Ratcliffe has responded by saying that he does not want the job to become "a purely political and partisan issue".
Israel says it is poised to move on Rafah
Israel's military is poised to evacuate Palestinian civilians from Rafah and assault Hamas hold-outs in the southern Gaza Strip city, a senior Israeli defence official said, despite international warnings of a humanitarian catastrophe.
China evacuates entire town as record rains, winds lash its south
Relentless rains, hail and winds of near hurricane intensity battered southern China, forcing the evacuation of an entire town of more than 1,700 people in the province of Guangdong, media said on Thursday.
More than 100 pilot whales stranded in Western Australia, experts say
Marine wildlife experts were frantically trying to rescue some 140 pilot whales stranded on Thursday in the shallow waters of an estuary in the southwest of the state of Western Australia.
Grand jury indicts 18 in Arizona fake elector scheme
A grand jury has charged 18 people with allegedly participating in an Arizona fake elector scheme to re-elect then-US President Donald Trump in 2020, the state's attorney general said on Wednesday.
India inspects spice makers over alleged contamination
India is inspecting facilities of spice makers MDH and Everest for compliance with quality standards after sales of some of their products were halted in Hong Kong and Singapore for allegedly containing high levels of a cancer-causing pesticide.
