An Aggressive Supreme Court Reshapes the US as Its Standing Erodes
The Supreme Court, in the midst of a run of decisions that have stress-tested the core principles of
2023-06-21 07:29
Manchester City signs Croatia center-back Joško Gvardiol from Leipzig
Manchester City has signed Croatia center-back Joško Gvardiol from Leipzig for 90 million euros ($99.2 million)
2023-08-05 17:20
These Prime-Day-Only Headphones Deals Are Totally Worth It
Are you looking for an aesthetically pleasing pair of headphones that aren’t just pretty to look at, but are also good good on the audio front? The ones that hit on all our marks — from looks and comfort to sound quality and noise cancellation? It can be rare to find a pair that checks all the boxes without being pricey. But, for two days, you can nab the oh-so-worth-it luxury buy on super sale for Amazon’s Prime Day. Whether it’s your first time investing in some pro-level over-ear headphones or you’ve already got a collection going, shop top brands like Sony, Apple, JBL, and more for up to 44% off. Keep on scrolling to add your favorite from our recommendations to cart while the deals last (reminder, it’s a 48-hour-only event).
2023-07-12 05:21
Late homers from Soler, Arraez and Bell lift Marlins to 5-1 series opening win over Astros
Jorge Soler, Luis Arraez and Josh Bell hit consecutive homers in the eighth inning and the Miami Marlins beat the Houston Astros 5-1
2023-08-15 09:57
Fox New host Laura Ingraham trolled as she calls out Harvard President Claudia Gay for defending anti-Israel letter
Laura Ingraham challenged Claudine Gay to 'invite her to speak' about the institution's 'free expression' policy
2023-10-16 12:52
GM's Cruise plans careful re-launch for driverless robotaxis
(Reuters) -General Motors' robotaxi unit Cruise is planning to re-launch in one city, the company said on Wednesday. Cruise had
2023-11-23 05:25
Who is Ashima Chauhaan? 'Indian Matchmaking' star Pradhyuman Maloo's wife accuses him of domestic violence
Pradhyuman Maloo has been accused of physical and emotional abuse by his wife Ashima Chauhaan
2023-08-23 12:16
What are cluster bombs and why is it controversial for the US to send them to Ukraine?
The United States is expected to announce it is sending cluster munitions to Ukraine to help its military push back Russian forces entrenched along the front lines. The administration of Joe Biden is set to say that it will send thousands of them as part of a new military aid package worth $800m (£630m). The move will likely trigger outrage from some allies and humanitarian groups that have long opposed the use of cluster bombs. Proponents argue that both Russia and Ukraine have already been using the controversial weapon in Ukraine and that the munitions the US will provide have a reduced dud rate, meaning there will be far fewer unexploded rounds that can result in unintended civilian deaths. Here is a look at what cluster munitions are, where they have been used and why the U.S. plans to provide them to Ukraine now. What is a cluster munition? A cluster munition is a bomb that opens in the air and releases smaller "bomblets" across a wide area. The bomblets are designed to take out tanks and equipment, as well as troops, hitting multiple targets at the same time. The munitions are launched by the same artillery weapons that Western allies have already provided to Ukraine for the war — such as howitzers — and the type of cluster munition that the US is planning to send is based on a common 155 mm shell that is already widely in use across the battlefield. Why are they so controversial? In previous conflicts, cluster munitions have had a high dud rate, which meant that thousands of the smaller unexploded bomblets remained behind and killed and maimed people decades later. The US last used its cluster munitions in battle in Iraq in 2003, and decided not to continue using them as the conflict shifted to more urban environments with more dense civilian populations. On Thursday, Brigadier General Pat Ryder – the Pentagon press secretary – said the US Defense Department has "multiple variants" of the munitions and "the ones that we are considering providing would not include older variants with [unexploding] rates that are higher than 2.35 per cent." A convention banning the use of cluster bombs has been joined by more than 120 countries, which agreed not to use, produce, transfer or stockpile the weapons and to clear them after they've been used. The US, Russia and Ukraine haven't signed on. Why provide them now? For more than a year the US has dipped into its own stocks of traditional 155 howitzer munitions and sent more than two million rounds to Ukraine. Allies across the globe, including the UK, have provided hundreds of thousands more. A 155 mm round can strike targets 15 to 20 miles (24 to 32 kilometres) away, making them a munition of choice for Ukrainian ground troops trying to hit enemy targets from a distance. Ukrainian forces are burning through thousands of the rounds a day battling the Russians. Yehor Cherniev, a member of Ukraine's parliament, told reporters at a German Marshall Fund event in the US this spring that Kyiv would likely need to fire 7,000 to 9,000 of the rounds daily in intensified counteroffensive fighting. Providing that many puts substantial pressure on U.S. and allied stocks. The cluster bomb can destroy more targets with fewer rounds, and since the US hasn't used them in conflict since Iraq, it has large amounts of them in storage it can access quickly, said Ryan Brobst, a research analyst for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. A March 2023 letter from top House and Senate Republicans to the Biden administration said the US may have as many as three million cluster munitions available for use, and urged the White House to send the munitions to alleviate pressure on American war supplies. "Cluster munitions are more effective than unitary artillery shells because they inflict damage over a wider area," Mr Brobst said. "This is important for Ukraine as they try to clear heavily fortified Russian positions." Tapping into the US stores of cluster munitions could address Ukraine's shell shortage and alleviate pressure on the 155 mm stockpiles in the US and elsewhere, Mr Brobst said. Is using cluster bombs a war crime? Use of cluster bombs itself does not violate international law, but using them against civilians can be a violation. As in any strike, determining a war crime requires looking at whether the target was legitimate and if precautions were taken to avoid civilian casualties. "The part of international law where this starts playing [a role], though, is indiscriminate attacks targeting civilians," Human Rights Watch's associate arms director Mark Hiznay said. "So that's not necessarily related to the weapons, but the way the weapons are used." Where have cluster bombs been used? The bombs have been deployed in many recent conflicts. The US initially considered cluster bombs an integral part of its arsenal during the invasion of Afghanistan that began in 2001, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW). The group estimated that the US-led coalition dropped more than 1,500 cluster bombs in Afghanistan during the first three years of the conflict. The Defense Department had been due to stop use of any cluster munitions with a rate of unexploded ordnance greater than 1 per cent, by 2019. But the Trump administration rolled back that policy, allowing commanders to approve use of such munitions. Syrian government troops have often used cluster munitions — supplied by Russia — against opposition strongholds during that country's civil war, frequently hitting civilian targets and infrastructure. And Israel used them in civilian areas in south Lebanon, including during the 1982 invasion. During the month-long 2006 war with Hezbollah, HRW and the United Nations accused Israel of firing as many as four million cluster munitions into Lebanon. That left unexploded ordnance that threatens Lebanese civilians to this day. The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen has been criticized for its use of cluster bombs in the war with the Iran-backed Houthi rebels that has ravaged the southern Arabian country. In 2017, Yemen was the second deadliest country for cluster munitions after Syria, according to the UN. Children have been killed or maimed long after the munitions originally fell, making it difficult to know the true toll. In the 1980s, the Russians made heavy use of cluster bombs during their 10-year invasion of Afghanistan. As a result of decades of war, the Afghan countryside remains one of the most heavily mined countries in the world. Associated Press Read More The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary Biden is considering sending controversial cluster munitions to help Ukraine Muslims across Pakistan hold anti-Sweden rallies to denounce burning of Islam's holy book Ukraine claims new gains made against Russia’s troops near Bakhmut - live
2023-07-07 19:25
Andrea Gaudenzi is re-elected as the chairman of the ATP men’s tennis tour
Andrea Gaudenzi has been re-elected as the chairman of the ATP men’s tennis tour
2023-06-27 02:47
After years of erasure, Black queer leaders rise to prominence in Congress and activism
On the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington, speakers called attention to a nationwide backlash against LGBTQ+ rights
2023-10-13 12:20
Supreme Court guts affirmative action in college admissions
The Supreme Court says colleges and universities can no longer take race into consideration as a specific basis for granting admission, a landmark decision that overturns long-standing precedent that has benefited Black and Latino students in higher education.
2023-06-29 22:23
VAR correct not to award Wolves late penalty – Man Utd goalkeeper Andre Onana
Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana believes referee Simon Hooper and VAR were right not to award Wolves a last-gasp penalty in Monday night’s Premier League clash at Old Trafford. United opened their league account for the season in unconvincing fashion as Raphael Varane’s header 14 minutes from time was enough to earn a 1-0 victory that was barely deserved. Indeed, it looked like Wolves might get the chance to equalise from the penalty spot at the death when debutant Onana appeared to clatter into Sasa Kalajdzic, but the goalkeeper got away with it. Wolves boss Gary O’Neil said Onana tried “to take the centre-forward’s head off” and claimed Premier League referees’ boss Jon Moss apologised to him for the decision after the match. But asked if it was a penalty, Onana said: “No, goalkeepers make decisions, sometimes you are right, sometimes you are not. “I made a decision and I am responsible for everything. For me it was contact between two big guys and nothing happened. But for us, the most important thing was to win and I am happy for the victory. “Of course I was confident (it would not be given).” Onana made his Premier League debut following his summer move from Inter Milan. The Cameroon international, who worked with Erik Ten Hag at Ajax, has big boots to fill following on from David De Gea, and his style differs greatly from the Spaniard as he likes the ball at his feet. But he insists it is a case of him adapting to his new surroundings rather than the United defence changing their game. “Listen, I think I’m playing with some of the best defenders in the world because playing for Manchester United is not something easy,” he said. “I think I’m the one who has to adapt because United is a very big club and I’m proud to be able to perform here and proud to play alongside these defenders and if something has to change, I think we will do it. “At the moment everything is going right and we just have to continue working like this and I think it will be OK by the end of the season.” Few will have seen a performance like this coming from Wolves, whose plans for the season were thrown into disarray last week when boss Julen Lopetegui left, just five days before their opener, with O’Neil coming in. O’Neil, who was sacked at Bournemouth after keeping them in the English top flight last season, will have been thrilled at what he saw as his new side put in a slick counter-attacking display that had United on the run for the majority of the game. But old failings returned as they could not score with any of the 23 shots they had, which will have brought back memories from last season, where they registered just 31 times. “I think we keep doing more like today,” O’Neil said. “My initial thoughts around them not scoring enough goals last year was, we need to arrive in good areas, with good numbers more. “We have enough talent in the group so if we arrive in good numbers, the boys will score goals, no doubt. “I don’t think today was a reoccurrence of the pattern you saw last year. I think if the lads play that game 100 times, they score in 99 of them. “Keep arriving in those areas, keep working with the players to improve understanding and how many times we arrive and the lads will score some goals.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Football rumours: West Ham growing frustrated with Harry Maguire delays On this day in 2008: Britain beat ‘invincible’ France to Olympic sprint gold Gary O’Neil claims referees’ boss told him Wolves should have had penalty
2023-08-15 14:59
You Might Like...
This renowned explorer built a career rescuing people from caves. Now he’s stuck in one of the world’s deepest
Putin to meet Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi in first summit since Wagner mutiny
Jarrod Bowen signs contract extension at West Ham
'So proud of you': Fans laud '1000-lb Sisters' star Tammy Slaton for 'no filter' selfie amid backlash
Western Digital's first-quarter forecast disappoints as weak cloud demand weighs
Barbie who? Swifties embrace rumor that Taylor Swift is on track to become America's most popular Halloween costume
100 killed in fire during wedding in northern Iraq
Birthday boy Thomas resists Roglic assault to stay in Giro pink
