
Senate banking panel to vote on Fed nominees Wednesday
The U.S. Senate Banking Committee will vote on Wednesday on whether to advance President Joe Biden's pick for
2023-07-08 03:18

Dutch government collapses over migration row: media
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte's coalition government collapsed after just a year and a half in office on Friday in a row over measures to curb the...
2023-07-08 02:58

US will provide Ukraine with cluster munitions, White House says
The United States will provide Ukraine with cluster-style artillery rounds for use on their own territory to repel Russian invading forces, the White House has said. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters on Friday that Kyiv has “provided written assurances” that it would use the controversial weapons “in a very careful way that is aimed at minimising any risk to civilians”. He said the Defence Department would provide further details on the next arms package that will be sent to Ukraine, but he pointed out that Kyiv’s forces are “firing thousands of rounds a day to defend against Russian efforts to advance and also to support its own efforts to retake its sovereign territory”. The national security adviser suggested the decision to provide Ukraine with cluster weapons already in US stocks was necessary to keep up a steady flow of arms for Kyiv’s defence. “We have provided Ukraine with a historic amount of unitary artillery rounds and we are ramping up domestic production of these rounds. We’ve already seen substantial increases in production, but this process will continue to take time, and it will be critical to provide Ukraine with a bridge of supplies. While our domestic production is ramped up,” he said. “We will not leave Ukraine defenceless at any point in this conflict period”. Mr Sullivan noted that Russia has been using their own version of cluster munitions, which are antipersonnel weapons that make use of small “bomblets” to maximise their effectiveness against massed troops, and pointed out that the Russian weapons have a high rate of failure which leaves the battlefield littered with unexploded ordinance. He added that the US-made shells that will be provisioned to Kyiv’s defence forces have a much lower failure rate, and said Ukraine’s government has committed to post-war de-mining that would prevent civilians from being harmed by unexploded submunitions, which in past conflict zones have lingered for years. While a 2008 treaty, the Oslo Convention on Cluster Munitions, has been signed by more than 100 nations which have agreed to ban the use of such weapons, neither the US, Russia or Ukraine are signatories to the treaty. He also contrasted Russia’s use of the weapons on Ukraine’s territory with Ukraine’s desire to use them to defend their own land. “When we look at what Ukraine would be doing with these weapons, as opposed to what Russia is doing with these weapons, we see a substantial difference. It doesn’t make it an easy decision, and I’m not going to stand up here and say it is easy,” he said, adding that the US had deferred a decision on providing cluster munitions for quite some time because it “required a real hard look at the potential harm to civilians”. “When we put all of that together, there was a unanimous recommendation from the national security team, and President Biden ultimately decided — in consultation with allies and partners and in consultation with members of Congress — to move forward on this step,” he said. Read More The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary
2023-07-08 02:56

Trump aims to blast DeSantis in Iowa for backing policies that 'hurt farmers' and 'demonize ethanol'
Former President Donald Trump plans to headline his largest Iowa campaign event in nearly four months with a speech to thousands at an arena in the western part of the state
2023-07-08 02:50

Cool Verstappen stays calm and modest as Hollywood cameras roll
A cool Max Verstappen completed a ‘double top’ for Red Bull in Friday practice for the British Grand Prix with his now-customary calm efficiency before admitting it was “quite...
2023-07-08 02:49

Western intel officials hunt for signs of Wagner and nuclear warheads in Belarus ahead of NATO
In the wake of the uprising by Wagner Group forces in Russia, the US and Europe have turned their gaze to an increasingly unpredictable Belarus -- a key Russian ally that Western officials fear could give the exiled mercenary troops a new home and serve as a staging ground for Russian nuclear weapons.
2023-07-08 02:29

Stokes and Moeen revive England's Ashes bid
England captain Ben Stokes's dynamic 80, his latest dashing innings kept the hosts' Ashes hopes alive before Moeen Ali struck twice in quick succession in the third Test against...
2023-07-08 02:29

Brazil's lower house approves 'historic' tax reform bill
By Maria Carolina Marcello and Gabriel Araujo BRASILIA (Reuters) -Brazil's lower house of Congress approved on Friday the main text
2023-07-08 02:27

'I don't know if I'll be back,' says Murray
Crestfallen Andy Murray admitted he doesn't know if he will be back at Wimbledon next year after a heart-breaking second round loss to world number...
2023-07-08 02:23

Chelsea agree fee with AC Milan over Christian Pulisic
Chelsea have agreed a fee to sell Christian Pulisic to AC Milan.
2023-07-08 01:59

'Sky's the limit' for 800m world champion Mu
Athing Mu's focus this season remains on defence of her 800m world title in Budapest, but the American says she can feel her horizons...
2023-07-08 01:58

AI4Bharat researchers set to raise $12 million funding from Peak XV, Lightspeed - sources
(Corrects headline, paragraph 1 to say "researchers at AI4Bharat" are raising the fund, not "AI4Bharat" itself; Removes paragraph 4 to
2023-07-08 01:58