First Thing: Biden vows response after US troops killed in drone attack

Iran says it had nothing to do with attack near Syrian border, after US president says Washington will respond at a time and in a manner of our choosing'. Plus, psychologists on the appeal of Donald Trump

Good morning.

The specter of a direct US-Iranian military conflict drew closer yesterday when Joe Biden announced that three US service personnel had been killed and more than 34 injured in a drone attack on a US service base on the border of Jordan and Syria. Biden blamed Iranian-backed militia based mainly in Iraq for the despicable" attack and vowed revenge.

What happened during the attack? Four separate drone strikes had been fired at three US bases, and the US is investigating why the T-22 base's defence mechanism did not repel this one. Many of the American service personnel wounded received traumatic brain injuries. An official said the drone struck near the barracks early in the morning, which would explain the high number of casualties.

What's happening in Gaza? The Gaza Strip is facing inevitable famine" because of the decision by western countries to pause funding for the UN's agency for Palestinian affairs after Israeli accusations that 12 of the group's employees took part in the Hamas attack on 7 October. Michael Fakhri, the UN special rapporteur on the right to food, said yesterday that famine was imminent and now inevitable.

What did Chemours do after the order? The mandate prompted Chemours to invest $100m on air emission controls, including a thermal oxidizer it bills as world-class" technology allegedly capable of destroying PFAS, which are widely considered to be impossible to eliminate on an industrial scale.