News Trending War

Severodonetsk: Ukrainian man rides his bike through the besieged city while dodging Russian shells

By 546 0

By cycling and dodging Russian shells and warplanes, a Ukrainian man managed to escape the heavily bombed eastern city of Severodonetsk unharmed.

Arif Bagirov, 45, told BBC Newshour that it was his “craziest journey.” He described his 70-kilometer (43-mile) bike ride to Bakhmut as “a lot of firing and at least two air strikes near me.”

The editor and blogger predicted that if one shell landed close by, the Russians would most likely avoid hitting the area again. Using these strategies, he was able to reach Bakhmut unharmed. “There were holes in the road, and everything, including cars, was smashed up,” Mr Bagirov said.

“And there was a lot of debris strewn about.” It is, after all, a frontline road. Thankfully, there were no bodies, but it was clear that people had died there.”
Mr Bagirov claimed that avoiding Russian warplanes was easier because he could hear them approaching from afar.
“I found a ditch to lie down in and stayed there until they passed.”
When he finally arrived in Bakhmut, a Ukrainian-controlled city further west, he said it was a huge relief. “When I was riding my bike, it wasn’t so much a sense of fear as it was a sense of anger: ‘This is my land, this is my country!’

And whether you like it or not, I’m going to finish this journey!’ He describes the sensation as “sporting anger, a positive anger” that kept him going. Mr Bagirov, a seasoned cyclist, added, “It was definitely my craziest journey on a bike.” “I’d travelled great distances before, but never in such adverse conditions.”

“I don’t know at the moment,” he said simply when asked about his future plans. I’m just on my way to Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, and once there, I’ll get some rest.” “As soon as the opportunity presents itself, all I want to do is help my home town again,” he added.

Picture Courtesy: Google/Images are subject to copyright

News Trending

Alan White, the drummer for Yes, has died at the age of 72

By 606 0

Alan White, a founding member of the seminal prog-rock band Yes, has passed away.

After a brief illness, the 72-year-old, who was born in Pelton, County Durham, died peacefully at his home in the United States. According to the band, he had been looking forward to an upcoming UK tour and celebrating his 50th anniversary with Yes, which he had joined in 1972.

White collaborated with John Lennon, George Harrison, and Joe Cocker during his career. “Alan White, our beloved husband, father, and grandpa, passed away at the age of 72 at his Seattle-area home on May 26, 2022, after a brief illness,” the band said in a social media post.

“Alan was many things to many people throughout his life and six-decade career: a certified rock star to fans all over the world, a band mate to a select few, and a gentleman and friend to all who met him.”

Former frontman Jon Anderson and bassist Chris Squire, along with guitarist Peter Banks, keyboardist Tony Kaye, and drummer Bill Bruford, founded Yes in London in 1968. The band went through several lineups, including White and Rick Wakeman, and experimented with a variety of musical styles.

Owner Of A Lonely Heart, Roundabout, and Long Distance Runaround are some of their biggest hits. White began playing the drums at the age of 12 and was performing in front of an audience at the age of 13.

In the 1960s, he worked with a variety of bands before receiving what he thought was a prank phone call from John Lennon in 1969.

However, it was the former Beatle who called to ask if White would join the Plastic Ono Band, and White went on to play on several of John Lennon’s albums, including Imagine. This led to a meeting with Harrison, who requested that the drummer play on the album All Things Must Pass, which included the single “My Sweet Lord.”

White had only three days to learn the songs before the start of a major US tour when he joined Yes on July 27, 1972. White was the band’s longest-serving member until founding member Chris Squire passed away in 2015. In 2017, Yes was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Picture Courtesy: Google/Images are subject to copyright

Entertainment News Trending

Elvis biopic: Austin Butler praised, but mixed reviews for film

By 577 0

Many critics praised actor Austin Butler’s portrayal of Elvis Presley in a new biopic of the singer, which has received generally positive reviews.

The film, directed by Baz Luhrmann, had its world premiere on Wednesday at the Cannes Film Festival. Butler “throws himself into the performance,” according to The Wrap, and Total Film predicted an Oscar nomination.

Vanity Fair, on the other hand, called Butler “the only thing that works,” while IndieWire called the film “deliriously awful.” “Yes, it’s a bright and splashy jukebox epic with an irresistible central performance from Austin Butler,” wrote Robbie Collin of The Telegraph, who gave the film four stars.

“But it veers in and out of fashion on a scene-by-scene basis, in that signature Luhrmann way: it’s the most impeccably styled and blaringly gaudy thing you’ll see all year, and all the more fun for it.”

Elvis is “easily Luhrmann’s best movie since Romeo + Juliet,” according to Kevin Maher of the New York Times, in another four-star review. “The musical numbers have a lot of power because of Butler’s performance, but also because of Luhrmann’s editing, which has the kind of frenetic rhythms that are almost impossible to resist (feet will tap),” he said.

When Butler was cast as Elvis Presley in 2019, he reportedly beat out Harry Styles, Ansel Elgort, and Miles Teller.

Butler’s performance was praised by Clarisse Loughrey of The Independent, who wrote that the actor “makes a compelling argument for Elvis’ power, at a time when the musician’s arguably lost a little of his cultural cachet.”

“Butler has the looks, voice, stance, and wiggle down pat,” she said, “but what’s truly impressive is that indescribable, undistillable essence of Elvis-ness – magnetic, gentle, and fierce all at once.”

Steve Pond of The Wrap described the star’s performance as “wildly physical but never cartoonish or disrespectful.”

Total Film’s Jordan Farley said: “Some may be offended by the length of the film, which clocks in at over 150 minutes, but a lack of action isn’t the issue; there’s enough to Elvis’ story to fill 150 hours.

“The problem is that well-edited montages or a time jump bridged by a newspaper headline to fill in the gaps miss a lot of interesting material. Most of Elvis’s Hollywood years, as well as his initial rise to chart-topping fame, are relegated to one of these montage.

“In the end, nothing in Elvis’ life happens gradually – this is a fast-paced life story, but such is the energy that Luhrmann cultivates. At the very least, it’s never dull.”

Picture Courtesy: Google/Images are subject to copyright

News Trending War

Ukraine war: Russian soldiers’ bodies are dumped near Kyiv

By 548 0

Villagers in Zavalivka called the authorities after their dogs began digging incessantly in the woods.

The topsoil was carefully removed by a Ukrainian military team wearing white protective suits. They discovered a man’s body, lying face down with his legs twisted strangely beneath him. His uniform indicated that he was a Russian soldier.

Russian troops’ remains are still being discovered in and around the villages they passed through or occupied near Kyiv, weeks after they failed to seize Ukraine’s capital. However, Ukraine claims that Russia is uninterested in returning them.

The body was taken from its grave in the woods to a refrigerated train on the outskirts of Kyiv, which now serves as a mobile morgue for the Russian dead. The white plastic sacks are labelled with numbers rather than names, and on the day we visited, there were at least 137 stacked inside two carriages.

The Ukrainians try to identify the dead: the forensics team discovered two bank cards and badges for a Russian motorised rifle brigade on the body that was just brought in.

“At least this one has a chance of getting home,” the man in charge said as he displayed the finds, which included a soiled T-shirt with the Army of Russia logo printed on it.

I confirmed that the man I had just seen exhumed was a young, married soldier from Siberia a few moments later. A carefully posed black-and-white photograph from his social media profile stared out from my phone next to his body bag.

“We don’t abandon our own,” Russia proudly proclaims. It’s a big part of President Vladimir Putin’s pretext for invading Ukraine, where he falsely claimed Russian-speakers required protection.

This pledge does not appear to apply to Russian soldiers.
“The bodies we’ve discovered show they treat people like garbage, like cannon fodder,” Col Volodymyr Liamzin told the BBC. “They don’t require their troops. They throw them here, then flee, leaving the bodies behind.”

Russian soldiers are being urged to surrender and save their lives, while Ukrainian children are being sacrificed.

After the battle, the village elder claims he and others buried the Russians “for sanitary reasons.” When I ask why, he says most of them were blown to bits.

He wasn’t allowed to show us the graves because they are a crime scene until Col Liamzin’s team visits and exhumes the site. However, his to-do list is already lengthy.

Picture Courtesy: Google/Images are subject to copyright

News Trending

Elon Musk advertises a Tesla job on Twitter, and the response is hilarious

By 616 0

Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, recently posted a job advertisement on Twitter, and internet users couldn’t help but troll him.
Elon Musk announced on Twitter a day after sexual harassment allegations against him surfaced, which he denounced as “completely false,” that his company would be forming a “hardcore litigation department” to “directly initiate and execute lawsuits,” with the team reporting to him.

“My commitment: we will never seek victory in a just case against us, even if we will probably win [and] we will never surrender/settle an unjust case against us, even if we will probably lose,” Mr Musk said in a Twitter threat. “I’m looking for hardcore streetfighters, not white-shoe lawyers,” he continued, adding that “there will be blood.”

Mr Musk requested that applicants submit three to five bullet points demonstrating “evidence of exceptional ability.” As a result, Twitter users decided to have some fun, with some mocking Mr Musk for using social media to find the best legal minds in the world, while others pitched hilarious points, just as the Tesla CEO had requested.”Because if I wanted to assemble a team of the world’s best legal minds, the first place I would go would absolutely be Twitter,” one user wrote. Another shared three bullet points: “1. I drank 69 beers in one day in July 2017 2. I know everything there is to know about Arizona dive bars 3. A Tier 1 law school awarded me Magna Cum Laude. These are ranked from most important to least important.” Another user claimed to have “a lot of experience stealing coffee from Harvard Law.”

Meanwhile, according to Business Insider, SpaceX paid $250,000 in 2018 to settle a sexual harassment claim filed by an unnamed private jet flight attendant who claimed Mr Musk exposed himself to her. According to the article, an anonymous source claimed to be a friend of the flight attendant.
Elon Musk, on the other hand, denounced the “completely false” claims the next day. “It never happened,” he said, and he challenged the anonymous person to describe something that isn’t widely known.

Picture Courtesy: Google/Images are subject to copyright

News Trending War

Ukraine war: One Russian’s anti-war protest on the side of his shopping centre

By 541 0

You can reach Russko-Vysotskoye by driving eight hours north of Moscow.

Apart from the chicken farm and the church that was reduced to rubble during WWII, there isn’t much to see here.  However, there is one feature of this town that stands out: the local shopping centre.

The building is owned by Dmitry Skurikhin, and you should see what he’s done to the front. “Peace to Ukraine, Freedom to Russia!” he writes in huge letters. He’s written the names of Ukrainian towns that have been attacked by the Russian army in bright red paint.

Mariupol, Bucha, Kherson, Chernihiv, and other cities are among them. Dmitry explains, “I thought this would be a good way of getting information out.”

“Because our people had no idea what was going on during the first few weeks of the war. They assumed that a special operation was underway to remove drug addicts from the Ukrainian government. They were completely unaware that Russia was shelling Ukrainian cities.” Dmitry has even transformed his store’s roof into a massive yellow and blue Ukrainian flag. Dmitry pulls out a paint pot and brush and begins to add more names.

Irpin, Borodyanka, Odesa… The excess paint drips blood red down the wall, amplifying the impact of this statement.

Dmitry is well aware that his actions are fraught with danger. Protests in Russia frequently result in prosecution or threats. Or both. His door has already been defaced with the word “traitor.” The cops have also paid us a visit. He was fined later for smearing the Russian military.Paint, Dmitry Skurikhin knows, will not bring peace. But, he believes, if his protest causes people in the town to stop, think, and even question, it will have been worthwhile.

Picture Courtesy: Google/Images are subject to copyright

News Trending War

Russian soldier pleads guilty in first war crimes trial of Ukraine conflict

By 547 0

In the first war crimes trial in Ukraine since the conflict began, a 21-year-old Russian soldier admitted to killing an unarmed civilian.

A few days after the invasion began, Vadim Shishimarin admitted to shooting a 62-year-old man. He is facing life in prison. Handcuffed and flanked by heavily armed guards, the prisoner was led into the tiny Kyiv courtroom. He kept his head bowed and appeared nervous.

The widow of the man who was killed was only a few metres away.
As the soldier entered court, she wiped tears from her eyes and sat with her hands clasped as the prosecutor laid out his case, describing Kateryna’s husband, Oleksandr Shelipov, being shot in the head.

The judge inquired, “Do you accept your guilt?” Shishimarin replied, “Yes.”

“Totally?”

From behind the glass of his grey metal-and-glass cage, he replied quietly, “Yes.”

Shishimarin was commanding a unit in a tank division when his convoy was attacked, according to prosecutors. He and four other soldiers stole a car and encountered the 62-year-old on a bicycle near Chupakhivka, according to them. Shishimarin was ordered to kill the civilian, according to prosecutors, and he did so with a Kalashnikov assault rifle.

The Kremlin previously stated that it was unaware of the situation.

Shishimarin’s trial was postponed shortly after the civilian’s widow heard the Russian soldier admit to the murder for the first time. On Thursday, the high-profile hearing will resume in a larger courtroom.  Before leaving the court for the day, Oleksandr’s widow spoke to the BBC about how she was coping.

“I pity him [Shishimarin],” she expressed her sorrow. “However, I cannot forgive him for such a crime.”  Ukraine has identified more than 10,000 possible Russian war crimes so far.

Although Moscow has denied targeting civilians with its troops, investigators have been gathering evidence of possible war crimes to present to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is sending a team of 42 investigators, forensic experts, and support personnel to Ukraine. In the meantime, Ukraine has established a team to preserve evidence in order to facilitate future prosecutions.

Picture Courtesy: Google/Images are subject to copyright

News Trending

Amber Heard In Her Testimony: “I Filed For Divorce From Johnny Depp Because…”

By 643 0

On Monday, Amber Heard testified that she filed for divorce from “monster” Johnny Depp in May 2016 because she was afraid for her safety.
“I had to leave him,” the 36-year-old actress Heard told the jury during her former husband’s defamation trial. “I knew I wouldn’t be able to survive otherwise.”

“I was terrified it was going to end badly for me,” she explained. Heard described filing for divorce as “the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to do.” “I’d tried everything I could to make this relationship work.”

“It was difficult because I adored Johnny,” she explained. “I was in love with him.”

Heard claimed that when the “Pirates of the Caribbean” star drank, he turned into a “monster,” and that her efforts to stop him from using drugs and alcohol had failed. “The monster was this thing that had become the norm rather than the exception,” she explained. “The violence had become routine.”

Heard claimed she sought a temporary restraining order the same week she filed for divorce after an argument in which Depp threw a cellphone at her, striking her in the face.

During his four days on the witness stand, the 58-year-old Depp denied ever striking Heard and claimed she was the one who was frequently violent.

Depp sued Heard in December 2018 after she wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post in which she described herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.”
Depp sued Heard for implying he was a domestic abuser and is seeking $50 million in damages. Heard, who had a starring role in “Aquaman,” did not name Depp in the op-ed.

Heard, who was born in Texas, countersued for $100 million, claiming she had been subjected to “rampant physical violence and abuse” at his hands.

Heard also testified about an incident that occurred while the couple was vacationing in France at a chateau.

She claimed they were watching a pre-release trailer for “London Fields,” in which the filmmakers had “unbeknownst to me” included a sex scene involving a body double.

She explained, “Johnny freaked out because it looked like me.” “So I have an extremely envious man who is already angry with me for breaking the rule that I must have a sex scene.

“It wasn’t me, I’m telling him. That scene was not shot by me “she said. “He was enraged, and among other things, he called me a liar and a whore.

She said Depp punched her in the jaw and slapped her across the face.

On Monday, Heard’s lawyers are expected to finish questioning her before handing her over to Depp’s legal team for cross-examination.

Judge Penney Azcarate has scheduled the case’s closing arguments for May 27, after which it will be decided by a jury. Depp’s lawyers have called experts to testify that he has lost millions as a result of the allegations, including a $22.5 million payday for the sixth instalment of “Pirates of the Caribbean.” Depp filed the defamation suit in the United States after losing a separate libel case against The Sun in London in November 2020 for calling him a “wife-beater.”Depp and Heard, a three-time Oscar nominee, met on the set of “The Rum Diary” in 2009 and married in February 2015. Two years later, their divorce was finalised.

Picture Courtesy: Google/Images are subject to copyright

News Trending War

Ukraine war: Putin warns Finland joining Nato would be ‘mistake’

By 639 0

President Vladimir Putin of Russia has warned Finland’s Prime Minister Juha Sipila that joining Nato and abandoning its neutral status would be a “mistake.”

He assured Sauli Niinistö that Finland’s security was unaffected.  The conversation took place during a phone call by Finland’s president, ahead of a formal request that Finland is expected to make soon.

Finland and Russia share a 1,300-kilometer (810-mile) border. To avoid antagonising its eastern neighbour, it has stayed out of Nato until now. Mr Putin did not directly threaten retaliation in response to Finland’s move, but the Russian foreign ministry has indicated that retaliation will occur.

However, Russia’s decision to halt electricity supplies to Finland is being interpreted as a precursor. RAO Nordic, a Russian energy supplier, mentioned payment issues in its statement.

Reima Paivinen, the head of Finland’s national grid, told the BBC that the Russian suspension had caused no problems.
He claimed that Russian imports made up about 10% of the country’s supply, but that they could be replaced with alternative sources.

The Kremlin said after Mr Niinistö’s phone call with Mr Putin on Saturday that the Russian leader had stressed that “ending the traditional policy of military neutrality would be a mistake because there is no threat to Finland’s security.” “Such a shift in the country’s political orientation could have a negative impact on Russian-Finnish relations, which have been built over many years in a spirit of good neighbourliness and cooperation between partners,” it continued.

Mr Niinistö said he told Mr Putin about how Russia’s recent actions, combined with the invasion of Ukraine, “have changed the security environment of Finland.”

“The conversation was direct and to-the-point, and it was carried out without a hitch. The importance of avoiding tensions was emphasised “he said.

Turkey could be a stumbling block to Sweden and Finland joining Nato, after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused both countries of harbouring “terrorist organisations” and said he did not support their membership applications.

It was interpreted as a reference to the PKK, which Turkey considers to be a terrorist organisation. The PKK has been fighting Turkey for a Kurdish homeland for decades.

In 1949, Nato, a Western military alliance, was formed in part to counter the Soviet Union’s threat.

One of the reasons for the invasion of Ukraine, according to President Putin, is Ukraine’s desire to join the alliance.

Picture Courtesy: Google/Images are subject to copyright

News Trending

Spain plans menstrual leave in new law for those with severe pain

By 547 0

According to media reports, Spain is planning to introduce medical leave for women who suffer from severe period pain.

According to a draught bill, women would be entitled to three days of paid leave per month, which could be increased to five in certain circumstances. Politicians, on the other hand, warned that the draught, which had been leaked to Spanish media, was still being worked on.

If passed, it would be Europe’s first legal entitlement of its kind. Only a few countries around the world have passed such legislation.

The Spanish law is part of a broader reproductive health reform that includes changes to the country’s abortion laws.

The law is expected to be presented to cabinet early next week, according to media outlets that have seen portions of it.

The draught states that with a doctor’s note, three days of sick leave will be allowed for painful periods, with the possibility of extending to five days on a temporary basis for particularly intense or incapacitating pain.

However, it is unlikely to apply to those who experience only minor discomfort. El Pas reports that it is part of a broader effort to treat menstruation as a health issue, which includes the elimination of the “tampon tax” on some hygiene products and the provision of free hygiene products in public places such as schools and prisons. Surrogacy, which is illegal in Spain, will be subject to stricter regulations under the proposed law.

Picture Courtesy: Google/Images are subject to copyright