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Ukraine war: Putin preparing for long haul, US intelligence says

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According to US intelligence, Vladimir Putin is preparing for a long war in Ukraine, with even a victory in the east potentially not ending the conflict.

The warning comes as fighting rages in the east, where Russia is attempting to seize territory. After Ukraine resisted attempts to take its capital, Kyiv, Moscow refocused its troops on capturing the Donbas region.

Despite this, US intelligence reports that its forces are stuck in a stalemate. Mr Putin still intends “to achieve goals beyond the Donbas,” according to Avril Haines, director of national intelligence, who testified before a US Senate committee on Tuesday, but he “faces a mismatch between his ambitions and Russia’s current conventional military capabilities.”

She went on to say that Putin was “likely” counting on US and EU support for Ukraine to dwindle as inflation, food shortages, and energy prices rose. As the war continues, Russian President Vladimir Putin may resort to “more drastic measures,” though nuclear weapons would only be used if Russia faced a “existential threat.”

At the same hearing, Director of the Defence Intelligence Agency Scott Berrier stated that Russia and Ukraine were “at a bit of a stalemate.”

Ukraine claims to have recaptured four settlements in the north-eastern Kharkiv region in recent fighting.

Ukraine’s armed forces claim to have reclaimed Cherkasy Tyshky, Ruski Tyshky, Rubizhne, and Bayrak from Russia.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy claimed that Ukrainian victories were gradually pushing Russian forces out of Kharkiv, which has been bombarded since the conflict began.

“We should not create an atmosphere of excessive moral pressure, where victories are expected weekly, if not daily,” he said.

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Israel: Turkish flight aborted as passengers get plane crash pics

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After passengers received plane crash images on their phones, the captain of a Turkish AnadoluJet flight aborted its take-off at Israel’s main airport.

The plane was taxiing at Ben Gurion Airport when the incident occurred, according to Israel’s aviation authority. Passengers and crew were removed from the plane, and luggage was inspected again.

A number of young Israelis have been identified as suspects and are currently being interrogated. After being cleared to leave, the plane left five hours late.

The AnadoluJet Boeing 737, which carried 160 passengers, was on its way to take off when passengers informed the crew that they had received the photos. After being informed, the captain decided to return to the terminal.

The images were shared via AirDrop, an Apple service that allows users to send files from one Apple device to another over short distances, according to the Hebrew Ynet news site. According to the report, all of the images were received on iPhones.

Images from a Turkish Airlines plane that crashed in the Netherlands in 2009 and another plane that crashed in the United States in 2013, according to Ynet.

Passengers were given the option of reboarding the reinspected flight to Istanbul or staying in Israel.

Two weeks ago, another security scare occurred at Ben Gurion Airport. It happened when a family from the United States showed up at check-in with a live artillery shell that they had planned to take home as a souvenir.

As people fled the area, chaos ensued, with one person requiring hospital treatment after falling over a conveyor belt in the haste to flee.

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Dennis Waterman: Minder and New Tricks star dies aged 74

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Dennis Waterman, who starred in shows like Minder, The Sweeney, and New Tricks, has died, according to his family. His age was 74.

“We are deeply saddened to announce that our beloved Dennis passed away very peacefully in hospital in Spain,” according to a statement. They said he died on Sunday afternoon with his wife Pam by his side. “At this very difficult time, the family respectfully requests that our privacy be respected,” they added.

Waterman, who was born in London and attended the Corona Theatre School, began his career working for the Children’s Film Foundation before being invited to join Stratford’s Royal Shakespeare Company at the age of 12.

In his teens, he rose to fame as William, the BBC’s adaptation of Just William.

When he played Det Sgt George Carter opposite John Thaw in ITV’s police drama The Sweeney in the 1970s, he became one of the most well-known faces on British television.

Waterman went on to star in the comedies On the Up and Stay Lucky before returning to New Tricks, where he played another Cockney detective from 2003 to 2015.

He co-starred with fellow actors James Bolam and Alun Armstrong in the role of Gerry Standing.

Waterman became famous for singing the theme songs to many of his shows, and as a result, he was caricatured by David Walliams in Little Britain.

He continued to pursue his interest in music throughout his acting career, and had number one hits in Australia and New Zealand, as well as reaching number three in the UK charts with I Could Be So Good For You, the Minder theme song.Tributes have poured in for the actor, who has been described as a “brilliant actor who was a staple on our screens throughout the 1970s and 1980s” by broadcaster Kay Burley.

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Dozens feared dead after Russian bomb hits school

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The bombing of a school where villagers had sought refuge is tragically just one of many attacks this weekend as the war in Ukraine continues.

A sustained Russian assault has resulted in fierce fighting around Popasna in Luhansk in recent days. Serhiy Haidai, the local governor, said Ukrainian forces were retreating and that the town had been completely destroyed.

Ramzan Kadyrov, the Chechen leader and a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, announced that his troops had taken control of the majority of the town.

Meanwhile, Russian-backed separatists in the neighbouring Donetsk region claimed that Ukrainian shelling hit the city of the same name and another town, Holmivskyi, on Sunday.

Both sides had previously stated that the other would suffer significant losses. According to the Ukrainian government, 400 enemy soldiers were killed, eight tanks and 28 other armoured vehicles were destroyed, a ship and a helicopter were destroyed, and 27 drones were shot down.

According to Russia’s military, its air force alone killed around 420 Ukrainian soldiers and disabled 55 military vehicles. It also claims to have shot down two attack planes and a helicopter near the port of Odesa, as well as destroying a warship with a missile. Since the Russian invasion began, the Ukrainian government has accused Moscow of targeting educational establishments, including schools and colleges, completely destroying more than 20 sites.

Daria Herasymchuk, a presidential advisor, called the invasion “a war against children.”

Officials said on Sunday that the Russian invasion has killed 225 children and injured 413 others, though these figures are likely to be higher because they do not include casualties in occupied areas or areas where hostilities are still taking place.

Children were suffering the most, according to Ms Herasymchuk, in the eastern Donbas region, where the government has requested international assistance to repatriate children from orphanages in Russian-occupied territory.

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Russia-Ukraine war: European Union likely to sanction Vladimir Putin’s alleged girlfriend Alina Kabaeva

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Alina Kabaeva, the alleged girlfriend of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is named in the sixth proposed package of European Union sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Kabaeva, who has been romantically linked to Putin, was included in a proposed EU sanctions list, according to two European diplomatic sources.

At this point, names can be removed or added at the discretion of member states, and it is expected to be a point of negotiation when a new sanctions package is proposed, according to an EU Commission source. The EU has not yet given its approval to the draught proposal. “There are ongoing discussions. It won’t be easy, but we’ll have to wait and see “On Friday morning, one of the diplomatic sources said.

Kabaeva, who was born in 1983, was first linked to Putin when she was a medal-winning gymnast more than a decade ago. Putin, who is divorced, has denied ever dating her. Kabaeva and Putin are said to have met when she was a young gymnast competing in European competitions and at the Olympic Games. At the 2004 Athens Games, she won the gold medal in rhythmic gymnastics.

She was selected as one of the torch bearers when Russia hosted the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia in 2014, an event that occurred shortly before Russia illegally annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula.Since the start of the Ukrainian conflict, the EU has increased its economic sanctions against Russia. Recently, the EU proposed a ban on Russian oil imports, which would have a significant impact on Russia’s economy, though Hungary, an EU member with close ties to Putin, is likely to sabotage any such plans.

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Belarus Ryanair plane arrest student Sofia Sapega jailed for six years

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A Belarusian court sentenced a Russian student to six years in prison, one year after she and her dissident journalist partner were detained and arrested on a Ryanair flight. Sofia Sapega and Roman Protasevich were on their way to Lithuania when their flight was forced to land in Minsk.

The case prompted widespread condemnation and new sanctions against Alexander Lukashenko’s government. She was found guilty of inciting social enmity and discord by the court.She was also found guilty of illegally gathering and disseminating information about an unnamed person’s private life without his permission.The anger was sparked by Mr Lukashenko’s election to a sixth term in office in a rigged presidential election, according to the opposition.

Mr. Lukashenko denied the election was rigged and retaliated against the opposition, whose leaders were imprisoned or forced to flee the country.

Mr. Lukashenko denied the election was rigged and retaliated against the opposition, whose leaders were imprisoned or forced to flee the country.

Mr Protasevich had fled Belarus in 2019 and had only known Ms Sapega for about six months when they were apprehended.

He has yet to stand trial, and the status of the investigation into him is unknown.

The opposition activist was on Belarus’s “most wanted” list. However, the decision to declare a bomb threat on board his flight across Europe in May 2021 stunned the world.

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Ukraine war: Zelensky plea as Russians seek Mariupol endgame

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Russian forces have launched an all-out assault on the Azovstal steelworks, the last Ukrainian stronghold in Mariupol, according to Ukrainian officials.

According to the commander of the Azov regiment, Ukrainian forces inside the plant are fighting “difficult bloody battles” for the second day. After days of sustained attacks, Russian forces are said to have entered “the territory of the plant.”

Around 200 civilians, including children, are believed to be sheltering inside. The BBC was unable to independently verify reports of a Russian attack on a steel plant.

“I am proud of my soldiers who are making superhuman efforts to contain the enemy’s pressure… the situation is extremely difficult,” Azov commander Denis Prokopenko said in a brief video message posted on Telegram.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has made a new appeal to the United Nations to assist in the rescue of those still alive. “To us, everyone is significant. We request your assistance in rescuing them “In a phone call, Mr. Zelensky informed UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

Mr. Guterres was thanked by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko for a successful UN-led and Red Cross-led evacuation of more than 100 people from the steelworks earlier this week, but he asked the UN to “assist in the removal of all the wounded from Azovstal.”

On Wednesday, 344 evacuees from various south-western cities, including Mariupol, arrived in the relative safety of Zaporizhzhia, a south-eastern city still under Ukrainian control, according to Ukraine’s deputy prime minister.

Irina Vereshchuk thanked the UN and the Red Cross for their assistance in a Telegram post, saying: “Women, children, and the elderly from Mariupol, Manhush, Berdiansk, Tokmak, and Vasylivka are among them… We will now provide them with emotional and psychological support during this trying time.”

The evacuations were confirmed by Osnat Lubrani, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine.

“While this second evacuation of civilians from Mariupol and beyond is significant, much more must be done to ensure that all civilians caught up in fighting are able to flee in the direction of their choice,” she said in a statement.

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Britain’s Got Talent star Jonathan Goodwin paralysed

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Jonathan Goodwin, an escapologist, has been paralysed following an accident, according to his fiancee Amanda Abbington.

After an accident during rehearsals for America’s Got Talent: Extreme last year, the Sherlock actress said he nearly died twice.
 She revealed that the stunt performer, who competed on Britain’s Got Talent in 2019, now uses a wheelchair.

He was supposed to break free from a straight jacket while suspended 30 feet in the air between two cars.

Instead, as they caught fire, Mr Goodwin was crushed between them. “He fell 30 feet and lost a kidney, broke both shoulder blades, shattered both legs,” Ms Abbington, 48, said on Jay Rayner’s Out To Lunch podcast.

“He had third-degree burns, which broke his spine and severed his spinal cord, and he was on the verge of death.” Then he nearly died again on the operating table.”

“He’ll be like that forever unless there’s some kind of stem cell surgery or that thing Elon Musk is designing with the little chip,” she said. Mr. Goodwin, a Pembrokeshire native, has remained “positive and upbeat, and so strong,” she said.

“I just aspire to be like him in terms of courage and strength.” “He’s just incredible, honestly, like a very happy, positive human being, just liquid sunshine,” she says. He’s incredible.”

The stuntman, according to the actress, left a voice message before his surgery saying there was a 50% chance he wouldn’t make it.

He expressed his love for her and thanked her for sharing the last few months of his life with him.

For about ten years, the couple had been friends on social media. Joe, Abbington’s son, thought his act was “amazing,” so Abbington followed him. She claimed they met after she divorced Martin Freeman, a fellow Sherlock actor, and he divorced his wife.

They spent hours on the phone each day at first, Ms Abbington said, before he flew to Vienna to meet her for the first time. Mr. Goodwin proposed within 30 minutes. The couple plan to marry this summer.

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Meghan Markle’s animated series Pearl has been cancelled by Netflix

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In an effort to save money, Netflix has cancelled the development of Pearl, an animated series created by Meghan Markle.

The show, which was announced last year, is one of several projects that the streaming behemoth has cancelled. Netflix announced a sharp drop in subscribers last month, warning that millions more are on the verge of abandoning the service.

The company’s market value plummeted by more than $50 billion, and experts warned it would be difficult to get back on track. Meghan will serve as an executive producer on Pearl, according to Archewell Productions, the company founded by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

The series was supposed to follow the exploits of a 12-year-old girl who is inspired by historical figures.

Netflix did confirm, however, that it will continue to collaborate with Archewell Productions on a number of projects, including a documentary series called Heart of Invictus. The series will focus on athletes competing in the Invictus Games for injured veterans, which will be held in The Hague in 2022 and was founded by Prince Harry.

A BBC request for comment was not immediately returned by Archewell Productions.

Netflix also announced that two animated children’s series, Dino Daycare and Boons and Curses, would be cancelled.

Netflix announced in April that its total number of subscribers had fallen by 200,000 in the first three months of this year, far short of its goal. It also predicted that two million more users would abandon the service in the three months leading up to July.

Some analysts warned that the company had run out of easy ways to grow the business after a period of rapid expansion during the pandemic. Consumers who are strapped for cash are cutting back on streaming services to save money, while others believe there is too much content to choose from in the face of fierce competition from companies like Disney and Amazon.

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A four-year-old Dutch boy enjoys a joyride in his mother’s car

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After driving his mother’s car in the Netherlands, a four-year-old boy may have a future in Formula One.

On Saturday, the child crashed into two parked cars in Utrecht’s central city before fleeing the scene in his pyjamas and bare feet, according to police. After seeing him walking down the street alone in the cold, concerned bystanders called the cops. No one was injured in the incident, and police claimed on Instagram that they had discovered a “new Max Verstappen.”

When his father went to work on Saturday, the child awoke and took his mother’s car keys “to go for a drive,” according to police.

A report of an abandoned vehicle near-by, which appeared to have hit two parked cars, came in after officers were dispatched to pick him up.

According to the police, it was registered to the boy’s mother, and officers contacted her. When police handed the phone to the child, he allegedly imitated driving and made steering wheel gestures. “We then realised that the child could have been the driver,” continued the Instagram post.

Before being reunited with his mother, the four-year-old was given some hot chocolate and a teddy bear at the police station.

They went to the accident scene together, and he was asked if he could demonstrate how the car worked.

According to police, the child opened the car with the key, put it in the ignition, and moved his foot to the clutch and gas pedals. His mother described him as “resourceful.”

Officers advised the parents to keep their car keys hidden from their children in the future. Police wrote in the post, “New Max Verstappen found in (the Utrecht suburb of) Overvecht,” referring to the current Dutch Formula One world champion driver. “Fortunately, this mini driver’s adventure came to a satisfying conclusion,” police said.

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