US antitrust regulator names Henry Liu to head competition unit
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said on Tuesday that Henry Liu, a partner at law firm Covington
2023-08-23 03:29
Tenor Freddie De Tommaso, a young British sensation, makes US opera debut
Tenor Freddie De Tommaso, who at 28 became an overnight sensation nearly two years ago after stepping in for a star who had taken ill, is so in demand that he sometimes has to turn down roles
2023-08-23 03:29
MacKenzie Scott gave 24 nonprofits $146 million in the first half of 2023
MacKenzie Scott’s quest to give the bulk of her wealth to charity continues
2023-08-23 02:22
Trump leads in polls, money -- and understanding the delegate race
Former President Donald Trump has attracted a lot of attention for his lead in the polls and the money race, but he's also already ahead in an essential area that's gotten less notice: the delegate process.
2023-08-23 02:17
Ukraine steps up attacks on Russia’s planes and airfields – and boasts of gains on the battlefield
Ukrainian saboteurs coordinated by Kyiv’s military intelligence services are said to have carried out drone attacks on airfields deep inside Russia – one of which appears to have destroyed a supersonic Russian bomber. It is one of a number of recent assaults on Russia and its military hardware, as well as drone attacks on Moscow. The latest such attack on the capital came overnight into Tuesday. Responding to the attack on the Russian airfields, British military intelligence said that the weekend attack is highly likely to have destroyed a nuclear-capable Tu-22M3 supersonic long-range bomber. Kyiv says Russia has used the Tu-22M3 to bomb targets across Ukraine with conventional munitions. Western military experts believe Russia has around 60 of the aircrafts. The destruction of the plane, which can be fitted with conventional or nuclear warheads, underscores the vulnerability to drone attacks of Russia’s fleet of ageing but lethal long-range bombers that are a major part of Moscow’s war effort. Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC showed what appeared to be 10 long-range bombers parked on the apron of the Soltsy air base, about 400 miles from the border with Ukraine, on Wednesday 16 August. By Monday, two days after the attack, all those bombers had left the air base. A large black spot was visible on one of the aprons where one of the bombers had been parked. The attack appeared to prompt Russia to relocate other planes of the same type from the airfield to alternative bases further from Ukraine. Russia's Defence Ministry said the attack on Saturday on one of its military airfields in the Novgorod region had been carried out by a Ukrainian drone and that one plane had been damaged. It gave no more details. In a daily update on Ukraine, British military intelligence said “a Tu-22M3 BACKFIRE medium bomber of Russia’s Long Range Aviation (LRA) was highly likely destroyed at Soltsy-2 Airbase in Novgorod Oblast, 650km (403 miles) away from Ukraine’s border”. “This is at least the third successful attack on LRA airfields, again raising questions about Russia’s ability to protect strategic locations deep inside the country,” it said. Ukraine rarely claims such attacks, even if officials are not against pointing them out, but the Ukrainska Pravda newspaper and Ukraine's NV news outlet reported groups of saboteurs were behind the strikes. They attributed two attacks to the saboteurs: the one on Soltsy air base and one on Monday against the Shaikovka air base in the southwestern Kaluga region that is about 180 miles (300km) northeast of the Ukrainian border. Russia's Defense Ministry didn't comment on the reported attack on Shaikovka, but Russian media did. Ukraine has repeatedly sought to take the war into the heart of Russia this year via drone attacks. It has increasingly targeted Moscow’s military assets behind the front lines in eastern and southern Ukraine. Ukrainian military intelligence spokesman Andriy Yusov told the Ukrainian LIGA.net news outlet on Monday that at least one Russian warplane was damaged in the attack on Shaikovka. He said it was carried out by people who worked in close coordination with Ukrainian military intelligence but gave no further details. As for the drone attacks on Moscow – which have increased in recent weeks – Russia’s Defence Ministry claimed a number were shot out of the sky on Tuesday, but falling wreckage of one drone shattered an apartment building’s windows and damaged vehicles in Moscow’s western suburbs. Flights at several Moscow airports were temporarily suspended Tuesday as a security precaution amid the attacks, authorities said. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s deputy defence minister, Hanna Maliar, said that the country’s forces have made progress in its counteroffensive to retake land occupied by Russia during the invasion ordered by President Vladimir Putin – and so proving Kyiv can push back a better-armed and numerically superior enemy. Ukrainian troops have faced vast Russian minefields and trenches in the counteroffensive launched in early June, But Ms Maliar brushed aside any suggestion that Kyiv’s progress was too slow. “It's incorrect to measure this advance by metres or kilometres,” Ms Maliar told Reuters. “What’s important is the very fact that despite everything, we’re moving forward even though we have fewer people and fewer weapons.” Ms Maliar highlighted the situation in eastern Ukraine, where she said Russian forces – who also enjoy air superiority – can fire 400,000-500,000 artillery shells each week or around 10 times more than Ukraine. Earlier on Tuesday, she said Ukrainian troops had gained a foothold in the southeastern village of Robotyne on the road to Tokmak, an occupied rail hub whose recapture would be a milestone in Kyiv’s southward drive to reach the Sea of Azov. The next major settlement is the big regional city of Melitopol. Germany’s foreign minister said on Tuesday Ukraine needed more help penetrating Russian minefields and that Berlin was discussing with its partners how to fulfil Kyiv’s requests for more equipment. Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report Read More The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary Biden to attend next month's G-20 summit in New Delhi, while Harris will head to Jakarta for ASEAN Poland's leader says Russia's moving tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, shifting regional security Iran unveils armed drone resembling America's MQ-9 Reaper and says it could potentially reach Israel
2023-08-23 02:17
Ukraine war – live: Troops celebrate counteroffensive as Putin’s forces pushed back
Ukraine has broken the "stalemate" on the frontline and is making progress in its counteroffensive against Russia, a senior Kyiv official claimed. The embattled nation began its long-awaited counteroffensive in June this year against the Russian invaders. But progress has been slower than anticipated as Ukrainian forces try and take heavily fortified Russian positions, surrounded by landmines. Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar brushed aside any suggestion that Kyiv's progress was too slow and said Ukraine had military doctrine by attacking an enemy that has a numerical advantage in manpower and weaponry. Ms Mailar said: "It's incorrect to measure this advance by metres or kilometres. "What's important is the very fact that despite everything, we're moving forward even though we have fewer people and fewer weapons." Her claims were also backed up by the US as White House national security advisor Jake Sullivan told a briefing on Tuesday: "We have been clear all along that this battlefield is very dynamic."We are seeing it (Ukraine) continue to take territory on a methodical, systematic basis." Read More Putin was meant to be at a summit in South Africa this week. Why was he asked to stay away? Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said to be recruiting Wagner 'strongmen' for Africa On the ground in Ukraine, the desperate fight to protect a key city from 100,000 of ‘Putin’s thugs’
2023-08-23 02:16
WNBA teams ready for sprint to the postseason with coveted spots on the line
WNBA teams are ready for their sprint to the finish of the regular season with coveted playoff spots and positioning up for grabs
2023-08-23 01:53
Biden to attend next month's G-20 summit in New Delhi, while Harris will head to Jakarta for ASEAN
The White House says President Joe Biden will attend next month’s Group of 20 summit in New Delhi, India
2023-08-23 01:47
Wall St slips as higher Treasury yields weigh, Nvidia drops
By Amruta Khandekar and Shristi Achar A Wall Street's main indexes slipped in choppy trade on Tuesday as
2023-08-23 01:28
Bleep This: A Brief History of Profanity on Television
Whether scripted or spontaneous, expletives have been making their way on to the air for decades.
2023-08-23 01:27
State Department renews ban on use of US passports for travel to North Korea
The Biden administration is extending for another year a ban on the use of U.S. passports for travel to North Korea
2023-08-23 01:17
White House: China economic data less transparent in recent months
By Andrea Shalal and David Ljunggren The United States on Tuesday criticized China for reducing the transparency of
2023-08-23 00:57