Firefighters rescued two men who fell into a manhole during heavy rain in Omaha, Nebraska, on Friday, including one who was washed about a mile through sewer pipes before getting trapped behind a metal grate

The biggest Pride parade in New England has returned to Boston for the first time since 2019

MILAN (Reuters) -Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, a billionaire businessman who created Italy's largest media company before transforming the

The U.N. Security Council has failed to approve either of two rival resolutions authorizing the delivery of humanitarian aid to Syria’s rebel-held northwest from neighboring Turkey, officially ending the U.N. cross-border operation which had been vital to helping 4.1 million people

Pokimane discussed her thoughts on Twitter about welcoming another member into her household, be it another cat, a dog, or even a child

The massive drone attack across multiple regions of Russia into Wednesday marked Ukraine's largest attack on Russian soil since the start of Vladimir Putin's invasion 18 months ago. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said it is one of 25 such attacks on Russia during August as Kyiv increases its attempts to "bring the war home" to Russia and destroy equipment that would be used on the frontline in Ukraine. The MoD believes that Russian air defences are likely having difficulty detecting and destroying the drones, given the number of drones hitting their targets. For Ukraine, their own mission to down drones coming from Russia, a constant menace throughout the war, is being added by the US-made 'Vampire' rocket system. The Vampire consists of a laser-guided-missile launcher that houses four rockets and can quickly be installed in a military – or even civilian – truck with a flat bed. It can fire BAE Systems’ Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System rockets outfitted with fuses designed to detonate near a drone. The Vampire, which stands for Vehicle Agnostic Modular Palletised ISR Rocket Equipment, has one major aim. As the Pentagon's undersecretary of defense for policy Colin Kahl, put it, the launcher “uses small missiles, essentially, to shoot [drones] out of the sky.” The laser-guided element allows it to be very accurate, without being as hi-tech as other systems being sent by Western allies. There are other advantages to the system too. The cost per missile is about $27,000 (£21,000), which is expensive for a single munition but relatively cheap for guided missile. The fact that it can be added to most flatbed trucks is useful, with Ukraine's ground forces having proved resourceful in adapting a number of vehicles to house the weapons they need. Air defence systems like the Vampire give Ukrainian forces the option to swiftly – and relatively cheaply – combat Russia's kamikaze drones, offering them the ability to keep their most advanced anti-aircraft systems for areas where they are most important. With many air defence systems built to take down airplanes, helicopters and missiles, small drones can prove a costly problem. While there is scope for advanced technology drones to cost hundreds of thousands of pounds to produce, but smaller ones can cost thousands or even hundreds of pounds. Missiles used to shoot them down can also cost hundreds of thousands, making the four-barrel Vampire rocket launcher system a relative steal. The Pentagon has confirmed that the Vampire, which is also able to strike ground units, is now being used by Ukrainian forces. “Initial Vampire systems have been delivered and are in operation by Ukrainian Armed Forces,” the Pentagon’s Acquisition and Sustainment Office said in statement. The company that makes the counter-drone system, L3Harris Technologies Inc have said that four of the 14 systems that make up a $40m contract signed in January, arrived in Ukraine in the middle of the year. The contract calls for the other 10 to be delivered by the end of 2023. While the bulk of US military support to Ukraine comes from existing stock, the contact for the Vampires comes directly under the billions of dollars set forth as part of Washington's Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. It is the first time the system has been deployed in a combat zone – and it will prove extremely useful to Ukraine in a conflict where drones are playing an increasingly important role. Read More The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary

Local election offices have been understaffed for years

(Reuters) -A United Nations expert said on Monday that U.S. government treatment of Guantanamo Bay inmates was cruel, inhuman and

A controversial six-week abortion ban bill is headed to South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster's desk to be signed into law after the measure cleared the state Senate Tuesday.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been involved in a car accident while traveling to presidential campaign events in Tennessee but is uninjured

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky called on Canada to “stay with” his country in its war against Russia, in his first visit to the country since the start of the invasion. The Ukrainian president arrived in Canada’s capital Ottawa late on Thursday night and addressed the parliament on Friday where he sought to bolster support from Western allies for Ukraine’s war. “Moscow must lose once and for all. And it will lose,” Mr Zelensky said during his address on Friday. He repeatedly thanked Canadians for financial support and for making Ukrainians fleeing war feel at home in Canada, prompting a number of standing ovations from dignitaries and parliamentarians. Mr Zelensky said Canada has always been on the “bright side of history” in fighting previous wars and said it has helped saved thousands of lives in this war with its aid to Kyiv. Canada is home to about 1.4 million people of Ukrainian descent, close to 4 per cent of the population. More than 175,000 Ukrainians have come to Canada since the war started and an additional 700,000 have received approval to come as part of an initiative that supports temporary relocation of those fleeing the war. The initiative allows for an open work permit for three years with pathways to permanent residency and citizenship. In his speech Mr Zelensky linked the suffering of Ukrainians now to the 1930s genocide caused by Stalin, when the Soviet leader was blamed for creating a man-made famine in Ukraine believed to have killed more than 3 million people. He also noted that it was in Edmonton, Canada, where the world’s first monument was erected in 1993 to commemorate the Ukrainian Famine-Genocide. The Ukrainian president expressed hope that a monument would one day be raised in Canada to Ukraine’s victory over Russia’s invasion, “maybe in Edmonton.” “I have a lot of warm words and thanks from Ukraine to you,” Mr Zelensky said in prime minister Justin Trudeau’s office before his speech. “You have helped us on the battlefield, financially and with humanitarian aid. ... Stay with us to our victory.” It is Mr Zelensky’s first visit to Canada since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. He previously addressed the Canadian Parliament virtually after the war started. Mr Trudeau called the visit an opportunity to show Mr Zelensky “how strongly and unequivocally we stand with Ukraine” and announced an additional $650m Canadian (£394m) over three years for 50 armored vehicles that will be built in Canada. “We are shifting our approach to provide multiyear assistance to ensure Ukraine has the predictable support it needs for long term support,” Mr Trudeau said at a news conference. Mr Zelensky and Mr Trudeau also attended a rally in Toronto with the local Ukrainian community late Friday. The visit comes as cracks begin to appear in the united Western front backing Ukraine for the last 19 months of gruelling war against Russia with hard-right Republicans led by Donald Trump becoming increasingly hostile to sending more aid and key partner Poland saying it will no longer send arms to Kyiv. Ukrainian troops are struggling to take back territory that Russia gained over the past year and with no end to war in sight, Mr Zelensky has a hard road ahead to keep the momentum in favour of Kyiv going, a task for which allies like Canada play a key role. Additional reporting by agencies Read More Ukraine-Russia war - live: Putin’s Black Sea navy HQ hit in missile strike as Kyiv breaches frontline defences Cracks in Western wall of support for Ukraine emerge as Eastern Europe and US head toward elections Biden has told Zelensky US will give Ukraine coveted ATACMS long-range missiles, report says Zelensky makes passionate plea to US lawmakers on key Washington visit

Germany’s city of Munich is getting ready to tap the kegs for Oktoberfest