News Trending War

“Putin Called Me A War Criminal So He’s Not My Best Friend”: Elon Musk

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Elon Musk, the CEO of Twitter, clarified that Vladimir Putin labelled him a “war criminal” and added that he is “not exactly my greatest friend” with Putin. The second-richest person in the world tweeted this in response to a user who questioned why Russian authorities were permitted to use the social media site. The user, Anonymous Operations, provided a screenshot of Dmitry Medvedev, a former Russian president, who claimed that Ukraine will “vanish” because “no one needs it” in a tweet. The user tagged Elon Musk and questioned why he had permitted Russian officials to re-enter the site.

“I’m told Putin called me a war criminal for helping Ukraine, so he’s not exactly my best friend. All news is to some degree propaganda. Let people decide for themselves,” Mr Musk said in his reply.

The tweet divided users, with some arguing “it’s important to allow everyone to speak freely” and others saying “truth in its pure form is only found in mathematics and empirical engineering”.

Twitter is no longer limiting the reach of Russian official media organisations, according to a story published by The Telegraph on Friday.

Additionally, it noted that Twitter’s timeline, search results, and recommendation tools “are showing Mr. Putin’s presidential account, the Russian Foreign Ministry, and its UK Embassy – all of which had restrictions placed on them when hostilities broke out.”

Mr. Musk has repeatedly shared his thoughts on the war in Russia and Ukraine throughout the crisis. He received credit from Mr. Putin’s advisors for putting out a peace proposal that the West rejected but was seen as favourable by the Russians.
Yet, Mr. Musk received criticism from Russian media in January after his business, SpaceX, gave the Ukrainian military more than 20,000 Starlink satellites.

Vladimir Solovyov, a host on Russian official television, referred to Elon Musk as a “war criminal” during the same conversation. The Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs’ advisor Anton Gerashchenko shared a translated version of the video on Twitter.

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Two bodies found after Marseille building destroyed in explosion

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In Marseille, a city in southern France, a four-story apartment building was completely destroyed by an explosion. Two bodies have since been discovered. Six individuals, according to local police, are still missing and rescue operations are ongoing.

The explosion happened in the La Plaine neighbourhood on Sunday around 00:49 local time (23:49 BST on Saturday). Investigators are investigating into the likelihood of a gas leak even if the source is yet unknown.

Almost 200 people had to be evacuated from their houses after the explosion caused minor injuries to five persons from nearby structures. A few hours later, two adjacent buildings partially fell without any further injuries.

Benoit Payan, the mayor of Marseille, issued a warning on Monday that surrounding structures were at danger of collapse.

A fire that had been smouldering beneath the debris all day Sunday was put out by about 100 firefighters who arrived on the scene.

Despite the fact that authorities reported on Sunday evening that the fire was showing signs of dying down, the fire slowed down rescue efforts and made it challenging for search and rescue teams to use sniffer dogs.

The building is thought to have had one flat on each floor, and city officials had stated that a “young couple” was among the missing.

With the use of a crane and lighting, rescue efforts proceeded into the early hours of Monday.

In a brief statement announcing the discovery of the bodies, the fire department said that “given the difficulties of intervention, the extraction [of the bodies from the site] will take time”.

A local gymnasium and two schools have been opened to accommodate the people who have had to leave their homes. Psychological support is also being offered.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Twitter that he was “thinking of those affected and their loved ones” and thanked the emergency workers for their efforts.

Mayor of Marseille Benoît Payan said rescuers remained “determined” to find people alive. “Hope must hold us,” he said.

With the collapse of two old houses in the working-class neighbourhood of Noailles, which left eight people dead, Marseille’s housing regulations came under fire in 2018.

After that tragedy, charities calculated that 40,000 city residents were residing in subparly constructed homes, but on Sunday, officials seemed to rule out structural problems as the root of the most recent collapse.

Local authority chief in the Bouches-du-Rhone region Christophe Mirmand claimed there was no risk notice on the structure and that it was not located in an area known for having subpar housing. Mr. Payan reaffirmed the remarks.

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News Sports Trending

Charles Leclerc: Ferrari driver asks fans to stop gathering outside his home

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Charles Leclerc has requested admirers to quit obtruding themselves outside of his flat in Monaco and to respect his privacy.

The 25-year-old claimed that after his address recently became known, supporters gathered outside to ring the doorbell. In public spaces or at the track, the Ferrari driver said he would still say hello to supporters, but gathering inside his home is “a barrier that should not be crossed.”

When Leclerc took a selfie with two individuals sporting scooter helmets in Italy last year, his watch was stolen. The theft that occurred in the beach resort of Viareggio last April was reported as a result of four persons being arrested, according to Italian police last week.

“For the past few months, my home address has somehow become public, leading to people gathering beneath my apartment, ringing my bell, and asking for pictures and autographs,” Leclerc wrote on his Instagram stories.

“While I’m always happy to be there for you and I truly appreciate your support, please respect my privacy and refrain from coming to my house.

“I’ll make sure to stop for everyone when you see me on the streets or at the track, but I won’t be coming downstairs if you visit my home.

“Your support, both in person and on social media, means the world to me, but there is a boundary that should not be crossed.”Leclerc has had a challenging start to the 2023 Formula 1 season, finishing 10th in the driver standings after being forced to retire from two of the first three races.

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News Trending War

Ukraine to export electricity again after months of Russian attacks

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After being repeatedly attacked by Russia for months, Ukraine is now able to export electricity for the first time in six months. Last October, Russia started its protracted and planned assault on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

Power outages and planned blackouts resulted, putting villages and cities in the dark during the winter. Ukraine will be able to sell its excess electricity once more after being ordered to halt exports.

Although domestic clients are still given precedence, energy minister Herman Halushchenko issued an executive order authorising the shipments. Since almost two months, the system has been producing surplus capacity, according to him, and Ukrainians are not subject to any limits.

“The most difficult winter has passed,” Mr Halushchenko said on Friday.

“The next step is to start exporting electricity, which will allow us to attract additional financial resources for the necessary reconstruction of the destroyed and damaged energy infrastructure.”

He also praised the “titanic work” of engineers and international partners to restore the system.

Last month, residents across Ukraine that power supplies were becoming more reliable.

“The city has transformed,” said Inna Shtanko, a young mother in Dnipro. “Finally, street lights are back, and it’s no longer scary to walk the city streets.”

Ukrenergo, the company in charge of running the nation’s energy grid, has cautioned that Ukraine cannot rely on Russian attacks ceasing. On Saturday, Ukrenergo reported that Russia has so far throughout the war launched more than 1,200 missiles and drones at its energy installations.

The attack, according to the business, was the biggest attempt to bring down the electricity infrastructure of a European nation. During winter, with power outages and frigid temperatures, some residents were forced to use “resilience centres” in cities around Ukraine to stay warm. Power, heat, and essential supplies like food and medications were all delivered by the hubs.

Every one of Ukraine’s thermal and hydroelectric power plants has been damaged since Russia began targeting energy infrastructure.

Kyiv has also lost control of Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant at Zaporizhzhia, which is in Russian hands.

In June 2022, Ukraine had said it was hoping to bring in €1.5bn (£1.33bn) from electricity exports to the EU – its main export market for energy since the war began – by the end of the year.

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News Sports Trending

Boris Becker: Six-time Grand Slam singles champion on prison, fame and the future

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Upon his release from prison, tennis legend Boris Becker said he is writing the “third chapter” of his life. The 55-year-old German completed eight months of his 2.5-year sentence after concealing loans and assets worth £2.5 million in order to avoid paying obligations.

After his release in December, he was removed from the UK. He said on 5 Live Breakfast, “I’m typically good in the fifth set – I’ve won the first two sets, I’ve lost the next two, and I’m planning to win that.”

The six-time Grand Slam singles winner was convicted on four offences under the Bankruptcy Act in April of last year. He shot to fame in 1985 when he won Wimbledon at the age of just 17.

The case focused on Becker’s bankruptcy in June 2017 as a result of a more than £3 million loan that was outstanding on his opulent Mallorca estate.

Becker remarked, “I don’t think there was a handbook published for how to behave, what to do, and how to live your life when you win Wimbledon at 17,” before the premiere of a new TV series on his life and career.

“The fame and fortune after was very new.

“Obviously I never studied business, I never studied finance and after my tennis career I made a couple of decisions probably badly advised but again it was my decision.”

After sentencing, Becker spent the first weeks of his detention at Wandsworth Prison in south-west London, before spending the majority of his sentence at Huntercombe Prison in Oxfordshire.

“Whoever says that prison life isn’t hard and isn’t difficult I think is lying,” the three-time Wimbledon champion said.

“I was surrounded by murderers, by drug dealers, by rapists, by people smugglers, by dangerous criminals.

“You fight every day for survival. Quickly you have to surround yourself with the tough boys, as I would call it, because you need protection.”

Becker said being a legendary tennis player counted for nothing while he was in prison.

“If you think you’re better than everybody else then you lose,” he said.

“Inside it doesn’t matter that I was a tennis player, the only currency we have inside is our character and our personality. That’s it, you have nothing else.

“You don’t have any friends at first, you’re literally on your own and that’s the hard part, you have to really dig inside yourself about your qualities and your strengths but also your weaknesses.”Becker was deported to Germany after being freed, and he won’t be permitted to come back to the UK until October 2024. Becker thinks his time in prison has taught him some important lessons.

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Jeremy Renner describes snowplough accident: ‘My mistake and I paid for it’

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Jeremy Renner, star of the Avengers, claimed that his January accident in which he was crushed by a snowplough was “my mistake, and I paid for it.” On New Year’s Day, Renner attempted to stop the car from running over his nephew and broke more than 30 bones in the process.

On Thursday, the American network ABC aired his first in-depth interview since that time.

“You shouldn’t be outside the vehicle when you’re operating it, you know what I mean? It’s like driving a car with one foot out of the car,” he said.

“But it is what it was. And it’s my mistake, and I paid for it.” Renner, 52, is best known for playing Marvel’s Hawkeye and has been nominated for two Oscars.

He told ABC’s Diane Sawyer that he and his nephew Alex, 27, had been removing one of the family’s trucks from the snow with the help of the 6.5-tonne vehicle.

Renner claimed that without applying the parking brake, he stepped out of the cab to see if Alex was in the way of the snowplough when it began to slide on the ice. But, he slipped and fell out.

“I just happened to be the dummy standing on the dang track a little bit, seeing if my nephew was there.”

Renner attempted to re-enter the vehicle out of concern that it might “sandwich” Alex against the truck. But, he stepped across the moving wheel tracks of the plough, which propelled him ahead and caused the vehicle to run over him.

Asked if he remembered the pain, he replied: “Oh yeah, I was awake through every moment.

“It’s hard to imagine what that feels like… It felt like someone took the wind out of you.

“Pain is everything – it’s like if your soul could feel pain.”

Recalling his thoughts at the time, he continued: “I said, ‘Oh, that [leg], that one’s really messed up… that leg’s [going to] be a problem.

“[I’m thinking], what’s my body [going to] look like? Am I just gonna be like a spine and a brain like a science experiment?”

However, after three months of intensive treatment, Renner was seen in the ABC programme being able to walk with the aid of a frame.

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People were taking drugs in Spain 3,000 years ago, study finds

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According to new research, people were using hallucinogenic drugs in Spain around 3,000 years ago.

Experts claim that hair from a Menorca burial site demonstrates the use of medications by prehistoric human civilizations that were produced from plants and bushes. It is thought to be the earliest direct indication of drug use by humans in Europe.

Researchers discovered that they would have caused delirium and hallucinations. The research, which was published in the journal Scientific Reports, revealed evidence of human activity at the Es Càrritx cave on Menorca’s southwest coast.

More than 200 human tombs can be found in the cave, which is thought to have been used for religious and funerary purposes for roughly 600 years, up until 800 BCE.

The drugs, which had the potential to be highly potent, may have been utilised in rituals performed at the cave, according to researchers. Shamans “who were capable of regulating the side-effects of the plant medications” may have been involved in these.

Three psychotropic compounds were found in the locks’ analysis, which had been reddened during the ancient rites and might have been applied by more than one person.

Researchers also discovered ephedrine, which increases energy and alertness, along with the hallucinogens atropine and scopolamine.

Moreover, jugs with spiral carvings on their lids were discovered in the cave, according to researchers. According to the report, some academics have connected these carvings to a person’s “altered states of consciousness” while using hallucinogens.

Indirect evidence, such as the portrayal of narcotic plants in works of art, had previously been used to support claims of prehistoric drug use in Europe.

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Stormy Daniels Says Donald Trump Shouldn’t Go To Jail In Hush Money Case

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The adult film star Stormy Daniels, who is at the centre of the legal case against Donald Trump, stated that she does not believe the former president should go to prison if found guilty of hiding the hush money payments he made to her.
“I don’t think that his crimes against me are worthy of incarceration. I feel like the other things that he has done, if he is found guilty, absolutely,” Daniels, 44, said in an interview with Fox Nation’s Piers Morgan to be broadcast on Thursday.

Regarding allegations that he organised hush-money payments to Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal before the 2016 American election to censor publication of their alleged affairs, Trump was charged in New York on Tuesday with 34 felonies for falsifying business records.

Trump, 76, is also under criminal investigation in Washington for mishandling confidential materials and trying to rig the 2020 election; he is also the subject of a criminal investigation in Georgia for attempting to rig the state’s election.

Trump, the first U.S. president to be charged criminally while in office or afterward, was accused by prosecutors in Manhattan of attempting to hide a violation of election rules during his successful 2016 campaign.

Trump, who is currently in the lead for the GOP nomination in 2024, has admitted the payment but denies having an affair with Daniels.

The case’s subsequent hearing is scheduled for December 4. According to legal experts, a trial might not even begin for a year, and an indictment or even a conviction would not be legally binding.Daniels told Morgan that if the case goes to trial, she would like to testify.

“I have nothing to hide. I’m the only one that has been telling the truth,” she said.

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Macron counting on Xi to ‘bring Russia to senses’

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Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, has pleaded with Xi Jinping, the leader of China, to assist in ending Russia’s war in Ukraine.

He told Mr. Xi in Beijing, “I know I can count on you to bring Russia to its senses, and bring everyone back to the negotiating table.” China and France, according to Mr. Xi, have the “capacity and obligation” to preserve world peace.

Moscow, meanwhile, declared that the onslaught will carry on since there were currently “no prospects for a peaceful conclusion.”

After years of deteriorating relations between the West and China, which has hesitated to denounce Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Mr. Macron is in China on a state visit that is being closely watched.

Also, Mr. Macron wants to improve business connections. He is joined by a sizable business group as well as Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, who he asked to participate in meetings with the Chinese leadership.

In the late afternoon on Thursday, Mr. Macron was treated to a lavish military display in Beijing before meeting Mr. Xi for private talks that were described as “frank” and “warm” by Chinese and French officials.

Following the meeting, Mr. Xi addressed the media and urged “reasonable restraint” from the international community, stating that China “advocates for peace talks and wants a political settlement.”

He also reaffirmed the prohibition against using nuclear weapons in the conflict. Earlier this week, Russia declared its intention to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, close to the ally’s western border with Nato countries.

Mr Macron said “we can’t have a safe and stable Europe” as long as Ukraine remained occupied, and that it was “unacceptable” that a member of the UN Security Council had violated the organisation’s charter.

The French president addressed Mr. Xi directly throughout the press conference, striking a friendly tone throughout his statement. It contrasted with Mr. Xi’s lethargic press conference delivery.

Later, in a different press conference, Ms. von der Leyen emphasised that it would be against international law and “seriously undermine” the relationship between the EU and China if Beijing sent weapons to Russia.

She said that she wanted Beijing to play a role that “promotes a just peace” and that she “firmly” supported Volodymyr Zelensky, the leader of Ukraine, in his peace proposal, which asks for the complete departure of Russian soldiers.

China has released its own peace plan which Western nations have been generally dismissive of, saying it sides too much with Russia. But Mr Zelensky has expressed interest in it and called for direct talks with Mr Xi – who has yet to publicly respond.

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Climate change: Norwegian seafloor holds clue to Antarctic melting

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According to new research, the melting ice sheet in Antarctica may recede far more quickly than previously anticipated.

The proof comes in the form of seafloor traces off the coast of Norway that show the retreat of a vanishing European ice sheet thousands of years ago. The glaciers in Antarctica that are receding the fastest are now seen to do so at a rate of up to 30 metres per day.

Yet, if they accelerated, the additional melt water would have significant effects on sea level rises all throughout the world. Since the 1990s, the surface of the world’s oceans has already risen by almost 1 centimetre due to ice loss from Antarctica brought on by climate change.

The maximum retreat with the Norwegian sheet, according to the researchers, was more than 600m per day.

“This is something we could see if we continue with the upper estimates for temperature rise,” explained Dr Christine Batchelor from Newcastle University, UK.

“Although, worryingly, when we did the equations to think about what would be needed to instigate such retreat in Antarctica, we actually found there are places where you could get similar pulses of withdrawal even under the basal melt rates we know are happening at the moment,” she told BBC News.

Significantly, the areas with the fastest rates were those with relatively flat seafloors. These are areas where the thickness of the ice above is more likely to be uniform and where less melting is needed to make the ice float to speed up its retreat.

On the seafloor near Antarctica, there have been reports of similar corrugations, but the examples are rather small. Because the Norwegian research region is so much larger, it provides a much clearer picture of how quickly ice can retreat in a warming climate.

Currently, scientists utilise satellites to keep an eye on the glaciers that terminate in the ocean in Antarctica. The spacecraft can determine where the tides are raising and lowering the ice.

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