A Missouri Republican wants exceptions to the state's near-total abortion ban

By Saqib Iqbal Ahmed NEW YORK A still-jittery bond market is clouding the outlook for a rally in

Russia has taken the wheel from Wagner as the Kremlin has recruited up to 100,000 prisoners to fight in Ukraine. The practice was a trademark move of the late mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, who filled his group’s ranks with convicted criminals. The army unit, commonly known as Storm-Z, is reportedly seen as a disposable force in Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation”. It comes as the Russian prison population has dropped from an estimated 420,000 to around 266,000, according to deputy minister Vsevolod Vukolov, who disclosed the figures earlier this month. Russian state-controlled media reported that Storm-Z squads exist, that they took part in intense battles and some of their members received medals for bravery, but it has not disclosed how they are formed, or the losses they take. While the Russian defence ministry has never acknowledged creating Storm-Z units, the first reports of their existence emerged in April when the Institute for the Study of War cited what it said appeared to be a leaked Russian military report on the formation of the squads. RTVI, a Russian news website, said Storm-Z “is the same scheme as with the [Wagner] private military company. Prisoners sign contracts with the defence ministry, and after completing them they can go home or continue serving”. However, a Russian soldier who fought alongside members of the penal squad told Reuters that Storm-Z fighters “are just meat”. The soldier, from army unit no. 40318 who was deployed near Bakhmut in May and June, said he’d given medical treatment to a group of six or seven wounded Storm-Z fighters on the battlefield. In doing so, he had disobeyed an order from a commander - whose name he didn’t know - to leave the men. He said he didn’t know why the commander gave the order, but claimed that it typified how Storm-Z fighters were considered of lesser value than ordinary troops by officers. The soldier, who requested anonymity because he feared prosecution in Russia for publicly discussing the war, said he had sympathy for the men’s plight: “If the commandants catch anyone with the smell of alcohol on their breath, then they immediately send them to the Storm squads.” The UK ministry of defence addressed the emergence of the penal squads in its update on 24 October, saying: “Russia largely continues to rely on specially designated ‘Shtorm-Z’ units for local offensive operations in Ukraine.” It said: “Multiple accounts suggest the units are given the lowest priority for logistical and medical support, while repeatedly being ordered to attack.” The intelligence update added that the squads were “likely first fielded in 2022” and they highlight “the extreme difficulty Russia has in generating combat infantry capable of conducting effective offensive operations”. Read More The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary Live updates | Israeli troops briefly enter Gaza as wider ground incursion looms Europe's central bank is set to halt rate hikes as the Mideast war casts a shadow over the economy Putin presides over rehearsals of 'massive' Russian nuclear strike

Congress has approved measures to undo federal protections for the lesser prairie chicken and northern long-eared bat

WASHINGTON The U.S. trade deficit narrowed in June as imports dropped to the lowest level in more than

New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley threw his helmet in frustration after suffering an apparent injury late against the Cardinals.

A clip from earlier this year of controversial comedian Matt Rife on influencer Tana Mongeau's podcast CANCELLED has gone viral after his bizarre response to a question. When appearing on Mongeau's podcast this summer he shared a recent "epiphany" he had. "So many f**king people hate me," he begins by saying. "For really no reason, and it really made me realise that people only hate somebody they're jealous of." He goes onto say, "I've been guilty of hating people, and when I've fully sat back and thought about it was because I was jealous of where that person was in their life. I thought maybe they'd gotten an opportunity that I should have gotten." Mongeau then asked "do you think people were hate Osama bin Laden are jealous of him?" "Yeah," Rife is heard saying, before the clip ends. In the episode Rife actually goes on to joke, "yeah of course! They're mad that he was the one calling the shots." On Twitter/X many called Rife an "idiot" and praised Mongeau's question: Rife recently came under fire for sexist jokes, specifically one about domestic violence from his show Netflix special Natural Selection. In the show tells an anecdote about a restaurant server with a black eye, who his friend claims 'should be in the kitchen' so no one can see her. "I feel like if she could cook, she wouldn't have that black eye", Rife then says. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings. How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

'The vibe is pure joy on this one. Thank you,' wrote a fan in response to Lil B's track dedicated to IShowSpeed

The settlement from the Human Rights Tribunal benefits 300,000 people harmed by the welfare system.

In a vibrant orange bikini, Kourtney Kardashian displays her pregnant belly

FRANKFURT Shares of Commerzbank were down 3.4% late on Friday after a German newspaper reported details of the

ANOKA, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 19, 2023--