US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Back in Hospital, Transfers Duties 

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks during a press conference at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on February 1, 2024. (AFP)
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks during a press conference at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on February 1, 2024. (AFP)
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US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Back in Hospital, Transfers Duties 

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks during a press conference at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on February 1, 2024. (AFP)
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks during a press conference at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on February 1, 2024. (AFP)

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was hospitalized in Washington on Sunday for treatment of "symptoms suggesting an emergent bladder issue", a Pentagon spokesperson said.

Austin, 70, later transferred the duties of his office to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, Pentagon Press Secretary Major General Pat Ryder said in a statement.

Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers criticized Austin last month for failing to disclose a cancer diagnosis and subsequent hospitalizations in December and January, including to President Joe Biden. Some prominent Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, called for Austin to be removed from his job.

The incident was an embarrassment for Biden, and Austin apologized during a televised news briefing. He is scheduled to testify before Congress on Feb. 29 about the situation.

Biden, a Democrat, has said he has confidence in Austin despite what the president agreed was a lapse in judgment.

With its announcement of the secretary's trip to the hospital and the quick decision to transfer his duties to a deputy, the Pentagon appeared determined to avoid a repeat of last month's political uproar.

It was unclear how long Austin would remain hospitalized, officials of Walter Reed Military Medical Center said in a statement late on Sunday.

Austin's cancer prognosis remained excellent and the bladder issue was not expected to change his anticipated full recovery, the officials added.

Austin, a retired four-star general who led forces in Iraq and is America's first Black defense secretary, was still in hospital last month as US forces launched a retaliatory strike against an Iranian-backed militia leader in Baghdad.

There are now three different investigations into Austin's behavior, including one by the office of the Pentagon's Inspector General, a watchdog agency that tracks military waste, fraud and abuse. The Republican chair of the House Armed Services Committee, Mike Rogers, has called Austin to testify.

Austin is scheduled to travel to Brussels for a Wednesday meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. It was not clear if his hospitalization would affect those travel plans.



Floods Inundate Thailand's Northern Tourist City of Chiang Mai

Flooding hits the northern Thai city of Chiang Rai in the wake of Typhoon Yagi. Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP
Flooding hits the northern Thai city of Chiang Rai in the wake of Typhoon Yagi. Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP
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Floods Inundate Thailand's Northern Tourist City of Chiang Mai

Flooding hits the northern Thai city of Chiang Rai in the wake of Typhoon Yagi. Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP
Flooding hits the northern Thai city of Chiang Rai in the wake of Typhoon Yagi. Lillian SUWANRUMPHA / AFP

Chiang Mai, Thailand's northern city popular with tourists, was inundated by widespread flooding Saturday as its main river overflowed its banks following heavy seasonal rainfall.
Authorities ordered some evacuations and said they were working to pump water out of residential areas and clear obstructions from waterways and drains to help water recede faster, The Associated Press reported.
Dozens of shelters were set up across the city to accommodate residents whose home were flooded. The Chiang Mai city government said the water level of the Ping River, which runs along the eastern edge of the city, was at critically high levels and was rising since Friday.
However, the provincial irrigation office on Saturday forecast that the water level was likely to remain stable and recede to normal in about five days.
Thai media reported that efforts to evacuate elephants and other animals from several sanctuaries and parks on the outskirts of the city were continuing Saturday. About 125 elephants along with other animals were taken to safety from the Elephant Nature Park, from where some escaped on their own to seek higher ground. About 10 animal shelters in the area have been flooded.
Chiang Mai Gov. Nirat Pongsitthavorn said that the latest flooding, the second in six weeks, exceeded expectations.
Thailand's state railway suspended service to Chiang Mai, with trains on the northern line from Bangkok terminating at Lampang, about 1 1/2 hours ride to the south. Chiang Mai International Airport said it was operating as usual on Saturday.
Flooding was reported in 20 Thai provinces on Saturday, mostly in the north. At least 49 people have died and 28 were injured in floods since August, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said.
In the Thai capital Bangkok, the government said Saturday it will let more water flow out of the Chao Phraya Dam in the central province of Chai Nat over the next seven days, as it risks exceeding it capacity. The release of the water may affect residents downstream who live near waterways in Thailand’s central region, including Bangkok and surrounding areas.