
Where is Andrea Smith now? UC Riverside professor accused of committing 'ethnic fraud' set to retire with full benefits
Professor Andrea Smith, accused of falsely claiming Native American heritage, is set to retire with privileges and title intact
2023-08-28 16:57

Jacksonville killings refocus attention on the city's racist past and the struggle to move on
By some measures, Jacksonville, Florida, was making strides to emerge from its racist past
2023-08-28 16:55

Oil rises on China moves to support economy; tropical storm eyed
By Alex Lawler LONDON (Reuters) -Oil ticked higher on Monday after China took steps to bolster its flagging economy, though
2023-08-28 16:51

Trent Alexander-Arnold hails Liverpool win for the ages
Trent Alexander-Arnold saluted one of the best performances of manager Jurgen Klopp’s reign after helping Liverpool clinch a “very, very special” victory at Newcastle. The Reds looked dead and buried at St James’ Park when skipper Virgil van Dijk was sent off three minutes after Anthony Gordon had fired the home side into a 25th-minute lead. However, they escaped further punishment to make it to the latter stages of the game still only one goal in deficit, and ultimately emerged with three points after substitute Darwin Nunez scored an unlikely late double. Alexander-Arnold told the club’s official website: “It’s unbelievable, to be honest. It was something very special out there today. “You come here with a game plan, you want to dictate possession, you want to control the game, you want to try to kill the atmosphere as quick as possible, as much as possible because you know that’s a big advantage for them. “But that wasn’t the case and we’ve had to do it the hard way, the very hard way. “I think we have made it difficult, but out there we dug deep, we all pulled in together. “It was something for the ages, to be honest, one of our best performances since the manager’s come in – and we’ve had some outstanding performances as a team, as individuals. “But I think we’ll look back on this game as something very, very special.” Things might have turned out differently for Alexander-Arnold in particular had referee John Brooks judged his sixth-minute challenge on Gordon seconds after he had been booked for kicking the ball away differently, but he survived that scare and the sternest of examinations at the hands of the former Everton striker to emerge victorious. Nevertheless, it took a superb save from keeper Alisson to deny Miguel Almiron before the break and a post to keep the Paraguay international at nay after it, but forgotten man Nunez took full advantage with a superb double, levelling in the 81st-minute before winning it three minutes into stoppage time. With the quality that we have in the team, we can do so many things. Liverpool keeper Alisson Alisson said: “You cannot underestimate [Liverpool], even in a game like that. But to be honest, even when we play against them here last season they had one player sent off and it was really hard to play against 10 men. “When you play as a unit, you can do so many things on the pitch. You can make the pitch be smaller. With the quality that we have in the team, we can do so many things. “We said in the changing rooms in half-time that we should believe, we’re going to have chances and we should believe that we are capable of doing something here tonight. “We did it. This is one of a kind.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Talking Points as Britain’s athletes match previous best at World Championships Ireland’s Johnny Sexton admits disciplinary process took a toll on his family Football rumours: Manchester United target Spanish replacements for Luke Shaw
2023-08-28 16:49

Luxembourg country profile
Provides an overview of Luxembourg, including key dates and facts about this west European country.
2023-08-28 16:24

Did Vanna White appear on 'Price is Right'? 'Wheel of Fortune' star pays homage to Bob Barker in heartfelt post
In a warm tribute, 'Wheel of Fortune' star Vanna White thanked late 'Price is Right' host Bob Barker for introducing her to the world of game shows
2023-08-28 16:21

Libya’s foreign minister suspended after meeting with Israel’s chief diplomat
One of Libya’s rival prime ministers says he has suspended his foreign minister after Israel revealed that its chief diplomat met with her last week
2023-08-28 16:18

Why did Twitch ban Dr Disrespect? YouTuber considers joining Kick if platform offered him massive xQc-like deal
Dr Disrespect, who was banned from Twitch in 2020, can be one of the biggest streamers to join Kick, one of the newest streaming platforms
2023-08-28 16:17

How ‘industrial-scale’ Russian minefields are hampering Ukraine’s counteroffensive
Western hopes for Ukraine’s counteroffensive to achieve a dramatic breakthrough have been significantly pared back, with US officials now reportedly forecasting that Kyiv will fall short of its key aim of severing Russia’s land bridge with occupied Crimea. One of the significant challenges confounding Kyiv’s efforts to redraw the frontline is the millions of mines Russia has laid in their path, to the extent that Ukraine is now being described as the most heavily mined country in the world. “What we are seeing is an industrial level of mine-laying, particularly anti-tank mines,” said Paul McCann, of the Halo Trust, the world's largest humanitarian landmine clearance organisation. “Nothing like it [has been] seen in Europe since the Second World War.” In one part of the liberated Mykolaiv region, close to lands flooded by the Khakovka Dam attack, clearance workers found “incredibly dense” fields of powerful anti-tank mines, with one explosive for every square metre, Mr McCann said. But Ukraine’s defence minister Oleksii Reznikov has warned that the minefields on Russian-held territory – spanning the length of the 1,000km frontline – are up to five times as dense as those found in Mykolaiv. They also deep – with reports of as many as five anti-tank mines being stacked one on top of the other – capable of destroying even tanks equipped with mine ploughs. The painstaking efforts by Ukrainian troops to clear paths towards the enemy through the fields of explosives – often under heavy shelling and other fire – mean that, at one key hospital in Dnipro, the number of wounded troops arriving with mine-related injuries is now said to be second only to victims of artillery fire. Experts have told The Independent that Western hesitance to supply Kyiv with the necessary weapons for its counteroffensive this summer had allowed Russia time to create formidable defences, and lay millions of mines – meaning hopes of a “Hollywood”-style breakthrough are likely “unrealistic”. The minefields are “a serious problem”, warned Mark Galeotti, of the Mayak Intelligence consultancy. “If you’re facing a heavily mined battlefield, you have to move slowly ... at the speed of anti-mining tanks or engineers moving through marking mines, so you are therefore vulnerable to being caught under artillery fire. “Mines fix you slowly or they channel you – often into a ‘kill zone’ where they’re waiting to drop volleys of artillery shells on you. They deny the Ukrainians that kind of fluidity and speed of movement [seen during last year’s lightning counteroffensive].” Meanwhile, as Ukrainians risk their lives to clear the minefields, “the Russians can replenish them if nothing else just by using rocket launchers that scatter mines”, Mr Galeotti added. Mines can even be laid in this fashion to trap Ukrainian troops who have just cleared a path through, often by hand. The mines “would be vastly less formidable”, however, were they not “part of a very complex defensive setup”, said the author and honorary professor at University College London. He was alluding to the array of trenches, anti-tank ditches, “dragon’s teeth” barricades and other obstacles Russia has constructed. “It’s always a danger to underestimate Russians in the defence, they can be very dogged,” Mr Galeotti said. Following initial attempts to punch through Russia’s defences which likely proved costly in both manpower and Western-supplied equipment, including tanks, Ukraine now appears to have broadened its focus to target supply lines, decimate key artillery systems and exhaust the Russian military with drone strikes on targets such as Moscow, Belgorod and the Black Sea fleet. “The change in tactics at the line of contact on the battlefield has been towards using lighter footprints, small units on foot, but in the grander scheme of things we’re seeing a lot of these asymmetric cheap attacks being conducted,” said Dr Marina Miron, of King’s College University’s war studies department. “They don’t want to waste the Nato-trained brigades to run against a concrete wall, which is basically those minefields and the Russian defences,” Dr Miron added. Mr Galeotti estimates that Ukraine has already committed half of its new 10th Corps, comprising troops trained and equipped by Nato – a tens of thousands-strong grouping initially intended to hold back and capitalise on any breakthroughs rather than toil at creating them. The minefields and resulting casualties have been “leading to a degree of fatigue even within the [rest of the] country”, Mr Galeotti believes – pointing to recent reports suggesting that the days of “lines of volunteers eager to sign up” to Ukraine’s war effort are “long gone”. However, Ukraine has been buoyed this week by successes in breaking through the first line of Russian defences near the Zaporizhzia village of Robotyne – a first step on the path to severing Russia’s land bridge with Crimea. This breakthrough is “tactically significant” in that it may allow Kyiv’s forces to start operating beyond Russia’s densest minefields, according to the Institute of the Study for War. The gains have prompted some suggestions that further advances could finally allow Kyiv’s troops to pour through paper-thin gaps in the minefields to establish some control over a vast area between Russian lines. “If the Ukrainians are going to break through, it’s going to be like bankruptcy – it’s gradually then all at once,” said Dr Patrick Bury, a senior lecturer at Bath University and former Nato analyst. “That’s what you’re looking for – you get through the defences and suddenly you’re out in the open,” said the former British Army infantry captain. “Basically, you tell tanks and armoured infantry to drive hell for leather and you’re trying to get to undefended towns and cities because they’re your logistics and transport hubs. “They’ll be trying to drive [as] fast as they can towards the Sea of Azov. It’s not as if they want to cut the Russians off completely but they want to force them to withdraw ... Once you break out and you’re inside, it’s about momentum, decision-making, and you’re the one imposing your tempo on the enemy. You move and they have to react.” But while the gains near Tokmak show “progress”, with Dr Bury also pointing to fighting near the village of Urozhaine as “the one to watch”, he believes the chances of a sudden breakthrough are “50/50 at the moment”. “It’s hanging in the balance, and I think the next few weeks are going to be pretty decisive, one way or the other.” Read More Ukraine-Russia war live: Kyiv claims five Moscow fighter jets hit by drones, as Prigozhin ‘confirmed dead’ Experts warn Ukraine’s frontline push is being damaged by West On the ground in Ukraine, the desperate fight to protect a key city from 100,000 of ‘Putin’s thugs’ Wagner Group: Timeline of Yevgeny Progozhin’s private army as leader ‘killed in plane crash’ Yevgeny Prigozhin ‘Ask Me Anything’ - expert Tim White answers your questions Wagner chief ‘killed’ in crash
2023-08-28 15:56

Vietnam PM Fighting for Future as Economy Lags Growth Target
While disagreements are common between elected leaders and central bankers, they’re unusual in one-party, Communist-run nations. When they
2023-08-28 15:52

Ukraine-Russia war live: Key village Robotyne liberated as Kyiv claims five Moscow jets hit by drones
Ukraine‘s military have liberated the southeastern village of Robotyne amid fierce fighting, and are trying to advance further south in their counteroffensive against Russian forces. This comes after hitting five of Moscow’s fighter jets with a night-time drone strike on Russian soil, a source in Kyiv’s security service told Ukrainian outlets yesterday. The Kyiv Post and Ukrainska Pravda both cited sources in Ukraine’s SBU security service as claiming successful strikes were carried out on four Russian Su-30 fighter jets and one MiG-29 at an airfield in Kursk. This morning, Russia’s defence ministry claimed to have shot down two more drones in the Bryansk and Kursk regions, which both border Ukraine, without providing further information about possible damage or casualties. It comes as Russia’s Investigative Committee’s said Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was confirmed to have died in a plane crash near Moscow on Wednesday, citing the results of genetic tests of the 10 bodies found in the wreckage. Western politicians and commentators have speculated that Mr Putin ordered Prigozhin to be killed as punishment for Wagner’s brief mutiny in June, claims the Kremlin has denied as an “absolute lie”. Read More Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin confirmed dead by Russian investigators after plane crash Who is ‘Juice’? The ‘mega talent’ Ukrainian pilot killed in mid-air plane crash Who is Yevgeny Prigozhin? Wagner Group chief killed in plane crash Ukraine investigates incident that killed 3 pilots while Russia attacks with cruise missiles
2023-08-28 15:51

Libya country profile
Provides an overview of Libya, including key dates and facts about this north African country.
2023-08-28 15:51