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Top US Defense Official Hails 'Model Ally' in South Korea Talks

The Pentagon AP
The Pentagon AP
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Top US Defense Official Hails 'Model Ally' in South Korea Talks

The Pentagon AP
The Pentagon AP

The Pentagon's number three official hailed South Korea as a "model ally" as he met with local counterparts in Seoul on Monday, days after Washington's new defense strategy called for reduced support for partners overseas.

Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby arrived in South Korea on Monday and is seen as a key proponent of President Donald Trump's "America First" foreign policy.

That policy -- detailed in Washington's 2026 National Defense Strategy (NDS) released last week -- calls for the United States to prioritize deterring China and for long-standing US allies to take "primary responsibility" for their own defense.

Arriving in Seoul on his first overseas trip as the Pentagon's number three official, Colby in a post on X called South Korea a "model ally".

And he praised President Lee Jae Myung's pledge to spend 3.5 percent of the country's GDP on the military.

That decision, he told a forum, "reflects a clear-eyed and sage understanding of how to address the security environment that we all face and how to put our storied and historic alliance on sound footing for the long haul," according to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency.

"Such adaptation, such clear-eyed realism about the situation that we face and the need for greater balance in the sharing of burdens, will ensure that deterrence remains credible, sustainable and resilient in this changing world," he added, according to the agency.

Colby also met Monday with South Korea's defense and foreign ministers, who touted Seoul's development of nuclear-powered attack submarines as proof the country was taking more responsibility for its defense.

Details remain murky on where the nuclear submarines will be built, however.

South Korea's leader said last month it would be "extremely difficult" for them to be built outside the country.

But Trump has insisted they will be built in the United States.

Longstanding treaty allies, ties between the United States and South Korea were forged in the bloodshed of the Korean War.

Washington still stations 28,500 troops in South Korea as a deterrent against the nuclear-armed North.

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World

Rights Group Says Confirmed Iran Protest Toll nears 6,000

In this photo obtained by The Associated Press, Iranians attend an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, Jan. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP, File)
In this photo obtained by The Associated Press, Iranians attend an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, Jan. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP, File)
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Rights Group Says Confirmed Iran Protest Toll nears 6,000

In this photo obtained by The Associated Press, Iranians attend an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, Jan. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP, File)
In this photo obtained by The Associated Press, Iranians attend an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, Jan. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP, File)

A US-based rights group said Monday it had confirmed the deaths of 5,848 people in a wave of protests in Iran suppressed by security forces, warning that it was still investigating thousands more potential fatalities.

The protests started in late December sparked by economic grievances but turned into a mass movement against Iran, with huge street rallies for several days from January 8.

Rights groups have accused authorities of an unprecedented crackdown by shooting directly at the protesters, and the demonstrations have, for now, petered out, reported AFP.

NGOs tracking the toll have said their task has been impeded by a now 18-day internet shutdown, warning that confirmed figures are likely to be far lower than the actual toll.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said it had confirmed that 5,848 people had been killed, including 5,520 protesters, 77 minors, 209 members of the security forces and 42 bystanders.

But the group added it was still investigating another 17,091 possible fatalities.

At least 41,283 people have been arrested, it said.

Confirming the internet blackout remains in place, monitor Netblocks said the shutdown was "obscuring the extent of a deadly crackdown on civilians".

"Gaps in the filternet are being tightened to limit circumvention while whitelisted regime accounts promote the Islamic Republic's narrative," it added.

Giving their first official toll from the protests, Iranian authorities last week said 3,117 people were killed.

The statement from Iran's foundation for martyrs and veterans sought to draw a distinction between "martyrs", who it said were members of security forces or innocent bystanders, and what it described as "rioters" backed by the United States.

Of its toll of 3,117, it said 2,427 people were "martyrs".

Over the weekend, Persian-language TV channel Iran International, which is based outside Iran, said more than 36,500 Iranians were killed by security forces between January 8 and 9, citing reports, documents and sources. It was not immediately possible to verify the report.

Another NGO, Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR), says it has documented at least 3,428 killings of protesters by the security forces and warned that the final toll risks reaching 25,000.

World

Judge Set to Hear Arguments on Minnesota's Immigration Crackdown after Fatal Shootings

US Border Patrol Agents, including one carrying a camera and working with Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino, detain a protester a day after the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US, January 8, 2026. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
US Border Patrol Agents, including one carrying a camera and working with Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino, detain a protester a day after the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US, January 8, 2026. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
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Judge Set to Hear Arguments on Minnesota's Immigration Crackdown after Fatal Shootings

US Border Patrol Agents, including one carrying a camera and working with Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino, detain a protester a day after the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US, January 8, 2026. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
US Border Patrol Agents, including one carrying a camera and working with Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino, detain a protester a day after the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US, January 8, 2026. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

A federal judge will hear arguments Monday on whether she should at least temporarily halt the immigration crackdown in Minnesota that has led to the fatal shootings of two people by government officers.

The state of Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul sued the Department of Homeland Security earlier this month, five days after Renee Good was shot by an Immigration and Customs officer. Saturday's shooting by a Border Patrol officer of Alex Pretti has only added urgency to the case.

Since the original filing, the state and cities have substantially added to their original request. They're trying to restore the state of affairs that existed before the Trump administration launched Operation Metro Surge on Dec. 1.

The hearing is set for Monday morning in federal court in Minneapolis. Democratic Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said he plans to personally attend, The Associated Press said.

They're asking that US District Judge Kathleen Menendez order federal law enforcement agencies to reduce the numbers of officers and agents in Minnesota to levels before the surge, while allowing them to continue to enforce immigration laws within a long list of proposed limits.

Justice Department attorneys have called the lawsuit “legally frivolous” and said "Minnesota wants a veto over federal law enforcement.” They asked the judge to reject the request or or at least stay her order pending an anticipated appeal.

Ellison said at a news conference Sunday that he and the cities filed their lawsuit because of “the unprecedented nature of this surge. It is a novel abuse of the Constitution that we’re looking at right now. No one can remember a time when we’ve seen something like this.”

It wasn't clear ahead of the hearing when the judge might rule.

The case also has implications for other states that have been or could be targets of intensive federal immigration enforcement operations. Attorneys general from 19 states plus the District of Columbia, led by California, filed a friend-of-the-court brief supporting Minnesota.

"If left unchecked, the federal government will no doubt be emboldened to continue its unlawful conduct in Minnesota and to repeat it elsewhere,” the attorneys general wrote.

Menendez is the same judge who ruled in a separate case on Jan. 16 that federal officers in Minnesota can’t detain or tear gas peaceful protesters who aren’t obstructing authorities, including people who are following and observing agents.

An appeals court temporarily suspended that ruling three days before Saturday’s shooting. But the plaintiffs in that case, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota, asked the appeals court late Saturday for an emergency order lifting the stay in light of Pretti's killing. The Justice Department argued in a reply filed Sunday that the stay should remain in place, calling the injunction unworkable and overly broad.

In yet another case, a different federal judge, Eric Tostrud, late Saturday issued an order blocking the Trump administration from “destroying or altering evidence” related to Saturday's shooting. Ellison and Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty asked for the order to try to preserve evidence collected by federal officials that state authorities have not yet been able to inspect. A hearing in that case is scheduled for Monday afternoon in federal court in St. Paul.

“The fact that anyone would ever think that an agent of the federal government might even think about doing such a thing was completely unforeseeable only a few weeks ago," Ellison told reporters. “But now, this is what we have to do.”

World

Indonesia Landslide Death Toll Rises to 17, Dozens Missing

Timur Matahari / AFP
Timur Matahari / AFP
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Indonesia Landslide Death Toll Rises to 17, Dozens Missing

Timur Matahari / AFP
Timur Matahari / AFP

The death toll from a landslide that hit Indonesia's West Java province at the weekend rose to 17 on Monday, the country's disaster mitigation agency said, with dozens still missing.

The landslide that hit a residential area in the Bandung Barat region early on Saturday was triggered by heavy rains starting the day before, which the weather ‌agency warned ‌could continue in the province ‌and ⁠several other ‌regions for another week.

The impacted Pasir Langu village is located in a hilly area of the province about 100 km (60 miles) southeast of Indonesia's capital, Jakarta. More than 30 houses were buried by the landslide, the agency said.

At least 17 people ⁠have died, agency spokesperson Abdul Muhari told Reuters on ‌Monday, with 73 still missing.

Indonesia's ‍navy chief Muhammad Ali ‍said on Monday that 23 navy officers ‍were among those trapped.

The officers were involved in border patrol training at the time of the landslide, he said, adding that heavy equipment was not able to reach the disaster zone due to bad weather.

The agency said on ⁠Sunday that a smaller landslide together with bad weather had also hindered the search, which requires drones and heavy equipment.

Flash floods hit several parts of Indonesia last week, including West Java and Jakarta, forcing residents to flee their homes and evacuate to higher ground.

The landslide occurred two months after cyclone-induced floods and landslides on the island of Sumatra killed 1,200 people, destroyed homes ‌and displaced over a million residents.