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They have a catchy name. They’re called “attack’ems”.

It’s a play on an acronym, ATACMS, which itself stands for Army Tactical Missile System.

To you and me it’s a long-range missile.

It has a range of about 180 miles, it’s guided, it can be fired from Ukraine’s existing fleet of missile launch systems and President Zelenskyy’s battlefield commanders have been asking for it for some time.

Sources here in Washington have confirmed to me that America will provide a small number of the ATACMS to Ukraine soon.

Used tactically, they could hit Russian supply lines and command/control locations in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine.

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President Joe Biden meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
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President Biden and President Zelenskyy. Pic: AP

Ukraine already has Storm Shadow cruise missiles which have a longer range than the ATACMS. But these must be launched from fighter jets. They require good weather and a capable air force. Ukraine is short of fighter jets.

The ATACMS can be launched from the ground in all weather at a point closest to the frontline beyond which the target is. This is tactically advantageous.

America had a number of concerns about supplying the ATACMS to Ukraine.

First, the enduring concern over how Russia would respond to ever-more sophisticated Western weaponry on the battlefield, especially if the weapons were capable of striking within Russia itself.

Given the positions of the current frontline and the range of the ATACMS, it would be a push for them to hit Russian territory.

The second particular concern with the ATACMS is supply. It’s understood that the American stock of the missile is not at a level which makes US officials feel entirely comfortable about handing a whole load of them over to Ukraine.

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US to send weapons to Ukraine

Some dormant variants of the weapon may be more available, and we know too that an order was given in the last ‘National Defence Authorisation Act’ to procure and produce nearly 2000 more ATACMS – perhaps to backfill supply given to Ukraine.

There is an interesting dichotomy emerging in American politics when it comes to Ukraine.

On the left, among Democratic Party politicians, there is overwhelming support for continued financial and material support for Ukraine.

The dichotomy lies on the right. Some within the Republican Party, a vocal minority deeply aligned with Donald Trump, oppose all funding for Ukraine which they inaccurately say comes in the form of ‘blank cheques’.

Others, from the more traditional core of the Republican Party, argue that the battlefield stalemate and the concerns of the Trumpian caucus could all have been avoided if President Biden provided all the weaponry needed much earlier.

But of course, we’ll never know how President Putin would have responded if the West had laid all their weapons on for Ukraine to use at the start of this bloody war.

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Cathay Pacific apologises over inflight Family Guy episode referencing Tiananmen Square

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Cathay Pacific apologises over inflight Family Guy episode referencing Tiananmen Square

Cathay Pacific has apologised after an episode of Family Guy depicting Tiananmen Square was included in inflight entertainment.

The episode of the adult animated series – known for pushing boundaries – includes a scene referencing the 1989 protest crackdown, in which China’s military violently suppressed massive pro-democracy protests.

Cathay Pacific is Hong Kong’s flagship airline.

“Cathay Pacific is aware of the incident and sincerely apologises to the affected customers,” the company said in a statement.

“We emphasise that the content of the programme does not represent Cathay Pacific’s standpoint, and have immediately arranged to have the programme removed as soon as possible.”

The airline said the content of its inflight entertainment system is managed by a third-party provider.

“We have consistently provided them with clear instructions to ensure that the recommended content meets our company standards.

“We have promptly informed the service provider of the seriousness of the incident, and have instructed them to thoroughly investigate the cause and strengthen oversight to ensure that similar incidents do not occur in the future.”

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For three decades, an annual vigil in Hong Kong honoured those who died in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on 4 June 1989.

However, the group that organised the vigil has disbanded amid a crackdown on political activism in the semi-autonomous city.

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Fuse ODG releases ‘alternative’ to Band Aid called We Know It’s Christmas

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Fuse ODG releases 'alternative' to Band Aid called We Know It's Christmas

Singer Fuse ODG has released an “alternative” charity song to Band Aid’s Do They Know It’s Christmas? after criticising the original for having potentially damaging effects on Africa.

The single titled We Know It’s Christmas (Band Aid Reply) was released by the British-Ghanaian singer on Tuesday, in what he described as “not just a song” but a “statement”.

Writing about his new song in The Guardian, the singer said he is “offering an Afrobeats alternative to Band Aid” as a “celebration of progress and a step toward reclaiming our narratives”.

He said the Afrobeats genre has in the past helped to unite Africans globally and “foster pride in our heritage”.

“We’re no longer waiting for charity; we’re building our own futures. This is about empowerment, pride, and showing the world that Africa’s story is far more than poverty and aid,” he wrote on YouTube.

The rapper said all the funds from the single will go to the New Africa Growth and Relief Fund, which he has launched to help build a “financial safety net” for the continent.

It comes after pop star Ed Sheeran said he was not asked permission for his vocals to be used in Band Aid 40, and would have “respectfully declined” if he had been asked, referencing a post by Fuse ODG, for updating his view on the matter.

Fuse ODG said a decade earlier he had refused to take part in the 2014 revamp of the 1984 project as he feels that while it helps get “sympathy and donations, they perpetuate damaging stereotypes that stifle Africa’s economic growth, tourism, and investment”.

He said his “mission” is now to “reclaim the narrative, empowering Africans to tell their own stories, redefine their identity, and position Africa as a thriving hub for investment and tourism”.

The singer acknowledged that while the public’s generosity in reaction to the original single – which was launched by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to help charities working with starving children in Ethiopia – was “genuine” and addressed “a specific humanitarian crisis”, the way it depicted Africa “did more long-term harm than good”.

Pic: PA
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Artists who took part in the original Band Aid in 1984. Pic: PA

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The re-recording of the song in 2014. Pic: PA

He claims the song “inadvertently contributed to a broader identity crisis for Africans, portraying the entire continent as one monolithic, war-torn, starving place”.

Band Aid 40 was released last month to mark the song’s 40th anniversary. It is a remix which blends the voices of artists who have featured on previous editions including Harry Styles, George Michael and Bono.

Reacting to recent criticism of the hit, Geldof said earlier this week that none of the arguments put forward by critics like Fuse ODG and Sheeran would “get any oxygen if Band Aid didn’t come out”.

“Sentiment changes, opinions change, theory changes over 40 years, and that’s correct. You can’t stay stuck,” he said while appearing on ITV show Lorraine.

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“You’ve got to find different ways of combating these issues and different ways of talking about them and what we’re celebrating here, and none of these arguments will get any oxygen if Band Aid didn’t come out. That’s part of all this.

“So Ed says, ‘This is the way I feel now’. And I’ve put in the call – he’s a really lovely man, he’s an intelligent guy, he’s a major artist and we’ll have a chat and we’ll either agree or disagree but we’ll talk about it.

“But the debate must be made, and it means that we can argue our point of view even more strongly. So that’s where I’m at with this.”

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Gunman tries to assassinate Indian politician at holy temple

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Gunman tries to assassinate Indian politician at holy temple

A gunman has tried to assassinate a prominent Indian politician at the Golden Temple in the Indian city of Amritsar,

The assailant fired at Sukhbir Singh Badal, the former deputy chief minister of Punjab, at one of the holiest shrines in the Sikh religion on Wednesday.

No injuries were reported.

The suspect, later identified as 68-year-old Narain Singh Chaura, was overpowered by bystanders and was handed to police.

Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab, India. File pic: saiko3p/iStock
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The attack happened at one of the holiest Sikh sites. File pic: saiko3p/iStock

Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said the gunman was “a former terrorist and a criminal”.

“He has been arrested and the weapon has been recovered,” he said.

The incident was caught on camera by media filming Mr Badal, who was performing his “sewadar” as a religious punishment meted out by the Akal Takht, the highest religious authority of the Sikhs.

He and some of his party leaders were directed to perform guard duty, wash dishes, clean shoes and toilets at the Golden Temple and several other gurdwaras, or temples.

A small board hung around his neck acknowledging the “misdeeds” committed by him and his government while he was in power in Punjab from 2007 to 2017.

At the time of the assassination attempt, Mr Badal was in a wheelchair with a fractured leg, holding a spear as a guard at the temple gates.

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Mr Bhullar said alert police officers managed to stop the attack.

“Deploying policemen in uniform at the Golden Temple was a challenging task because of religious feelings,” he said.

“There are many restrictions and constraints in checking or frisking people coming to the temple. We did what was possible and the result shows how prepared we were.”

The attacker is believed to be a member of the now-inactive militant group Khalistan Liberation Army.

Leaders of Mr Badal’s party and opposition leaders are demanding a high-level judicial probe into the incident and say the law and order situation of Punjab is deteriorating – a claim denied by the ruling state government.

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