List of All Articles with Tag 'pol'

Republican presidential hopeful Tim Scott expressed confidence that he will meet his party’s eligibility requirements to participate in

Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Thursday that she will support President Joe Biden's reelection bid given the challengers he currently faces in the primary.

The Chicago Police Department says it is investigating an unspecified number of officers for misconduct following allegations they engaged in improper sexual relations with newly arrived migrants.

A Jerusalem court acquitted an Israeli border police officer of "involuntary reckless manslaughter" in the fatal shooting of Eyad al-Hallaq, an unarmed Palestinian man.

The Biden administration announced Friday it’s purchasing 6 million more barrels of crude oil for the Strategic Petroleum

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

The US will send cluster munitions to Ukraine as part of a new military aid package, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed on Friday, following months of debate within the Biden administration about whether to provide Kyiv with the controversial weapons banned by over 100 countries including key US allies.

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.

By Maria Carolina Marcello and Gabriel Araujo BRASILIA (Reuters) -Brazil's lower house of Congress approved on Friday the main text

Britain and other European countries could be hit by riots on the scale France is currently experiencing, Francois Hollande has said. The former French president said the unrest, initially triggered by killing of Nahel Merzouk by a police officer, had been exacerbated by economic and social problems. Mr Hollande claimed the riots were in part spreading through a social media “domino effect" and that this would not respect borders. “Those people who sometimes look at us with a little irony should tell themselves that the same thing could happen there," he told the Times newspaper. "The images [of the riots] do not only circulate between Paris, Lyon and Marseilles, they also circulate in the towns and cities of the UK, Germany, the US.” The former Socialist Party head of state, held office from 2012 to 2017, said those taking to the streets had been motivated by "a desire to go and get goods that you cannot buy in ordinary times". He claimed in his analysis that some participants saw the protests as "an opportunity ... to break into shops and take everything inside". This urge had been exacerbated by inflation and Covid lockdowns which had caused social dysfunction among some French youth, he said. Nahel Merzouk, who was 17-years-old, was shot dead by a police officer during a traffic stop on Tuesday, triggering days of fierce clashes. More than 700 people were arrested following his funeral on Saturday as police fired tear gas and fought street battles with protestors late into the night in flashpoint Marseilles. Police initially reported that one officer had shot at the teenager because he was driving his car towards him. But this version of events was quickly contradicted by a video circulating on social media. London and other cities in England endured days of widespread rioting in 2011 following the shooting of 29-year-old Mark Duggan by police in Tottenham. Read More Fresh fears for house prices after fastest drop in 12 years Boris attacks ‘odious’ Ulez scheme – but Labour takes poll lead in Uxbridge Labour tells Jeremy Hunt his advisers must not undermine Bank of England Fresh fears for house prices after fastest drop in 12 years Boris attacks ‘odious’ Ulez scheme – but Labour takes poll lead in Uxbridge Labour tells Jeremy Hunt his advisers must not undermine Bank of England

An attorney disciplinary committee has recommended Rudy Giuliani be disbarred in Washington, DC, for his efforts on behalf of then-President

A top Oklahoma education official prompted swift criticism on Thursday by falsely claiming the 1921 Tulsa race massacre wasn’t about race. Ryan Walters, who took office as superintendent of public instruction, mades the comments during a forum at the Norman Public Library on Thursday, after he was asked how accurately teaching about the infamous white supremacist massacre which killed as many as 300 Black people wouldn’t violate a state ban on teaching critical race theory. “I would never tell a kid that because of your race, because of the color of your skin, or your gender or anything like that, you are less of a person or are inherently racist,” Mr Walters said in response. “That doesn’t mean you don’t judge the actions of individuals. Oh, you can. Absolutely, historically, you should. ‘This was right. This was wrong. They did this for this reason.’ But to say it was inherent in that because of their skin is where I say that is critical race theory. You’re saying that race defines a person.” “Let’s not tie it to the skin colour and say the skin colour determined it,” he added. The Tulsa race massacre is considered one of the worst acts of white supremacist terror in US history. During the 1921 massacre, rumours about a young Black man’s encounter with a white woman prompted a mob of white vigilantes, in some cases armed and deputised by Tulsa officials, to raze the thriving Greenwood district, a bustling centre of Black business in the city. The violence killed as many as 300 Black people, injured more than 800, and left tens of thousands of people homeless, according to the Tulsa historical society. After the massacre concluded, nearly all residents of Greenwood were arrested en masse, and could only be released on the application of a white person. No one was ever prosecuted for the violence. The state official’s coments attracted swift condemnation. “No matter what anyone says or does, Tulsa will continue teaching a full, honest, and complete history of our city, state, country, and world,” Tulsa superintendent Deborah Gist wrote on Twitter. “After 100 years we have an Oklahoma elected official still fighting the Tulsa Race Massacre,” Oklahoma congressional candidate and former FBI agent Dennis Baker added on Twitter. “MAGA State Superintendent Ryan Walters believes the Tulsa Race Massacre wasn’t about race. The Klan hide behind a white robe – Walters proudly displays his red cap.” Many were incredulous that Mr Walters didn’t see the role of race in the mob violence. “I’m sure in his opinion, the Civil War and the Holocaust had nothing to do with race either,” state representative Monroe Nichols tweeted. “[Ryan Walters] is a notorious sympathizer of the darkest moments of history and all those who perpetuated them.” The Independent has contacted Mr Walters for comment. The Tulsa controversy isn’t the first time the education official has provoked controversy. Last month, he called on Oklahoma schools to promote Christianity and display the Ten Commandments to encourage “Western heritage.” Read More Tulsa race massacre survivors are fighting for justice 102 years after catastrophic attack Scientist: Progress in identifying Tulsa massacre victims Indiana school board candidate under fire for saying “all nazis weren’t bad” Kansas attorney general sues to prevent transgender people from changing driver's licenses Toby Keith's shows at his Oklahoma music venue mark return to stage after revealing cancer diagnosis Viola Ford Fletcher, oldest living Tulsa Race Massacre victim, publishes memoir