By Tom Westbrook SINGAPORE Stocks were struggling to advance in Asia and the dollar was firm on Wednesday

Russia has likely been forced to move several air defence systems from its Kaliningrad enclave on the Baltic Sea coast to the frontline in Ukraine amid the losses it has suffered there, according to the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD). Vladimir Putin appears to have been left with no choice but to weaken the defences of Kaliningrad, an outpost bordered by Nato members on three sides and considered one of Moscow’s most strategically sensitive regions. “Exceptional Russian air transport movements through November 2023 suggest that Russia has likely moved strategic air defence systems from its Baltic coast enclave of Kaliningrad, to backfill recent losses on the Ukraine front,” the MoD said in its latest intelligence update on Sunday. Putin’s forces suffered particularly high losses to its SA-21 air defence systems in Russian-occupied Ukraine in late October 2023, it said. Ukrainian attacks most likely destroyed at least four Russian surface-to-air missile systems that were located in occupied territories in a span of a single week, the MoD said in an earlier update on 2 November. “The fact that the Russian MoD appears willing to accept additional risk here highlights the overstretch the war has caused for some of Russia’s key, modern capabilities,” the MoD said. Sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania on Nato’s eastern flank, Kaliningrad is geographically completely separated from the country’s main territory. The isolated oblast is only accessible to Russia through a contentious strip of land, the Suwalki gap, that links Russian ally Belarus to Kaliningrad. Moscow places significant strategic importance on Kaliningrad because it houses the Russian Baltic Fleet in the port of Baltiysk, and it stands out as one of Russia’s few ice-free European ports. In May, Poland said it was reverting the name of Kaliningrad to its historical name Krolewiec on maps, prompting a furious reaction from the Kremlin. The region was formerly called Koenigsberg when it was ceded from Germany to the Soviet Union after the Second World War. In 1946 the Soviets renamed it Kaliningrad, after Mikhail Kalinin, one of the leaders of the Bolshevik revolution. Read More Booker Prize winner Paul Lynch on Dublin riots: This is always under the surface Iceland’s new #1 selfie spot may have emerged out of ground despite volcano threat Russia places Meta spokesperson on wanted list Booker Prize winner Paul Lynch on Dublin riots: This is always under the surface Iceland’s new #1 selfie spot may have emerged out of ground despite volcano threat Russia places Meta spokesperson on wanted list

Since 2009, a cloistered band of hard-rock geologists and other scientists have toiled on a mission...

Takeo Spikes Blasts Bills for Bad Seats.

Vietnam has formally agreed to let a Vatican representative live in the country and open an office

Channel 4's The British Miracle Meat, has stirred up a divisive response online after Gregg Wallace and Michel Roux Jr seemingly tuck into human steaks – but it isn't all that it seems. The Masterchef judge and Chef Roux Jr visited a factory in Lincolnshire where they "engineered human meat" in a mission to solve the cost of living crisis. The pair met with so-called low-income donors who were selling their flesh to the company, Good Harvest. Later in the show, the pair unknowingly chowed down on toddler meat at a restaurant. Baffled viewers were quick to turn to social media to understand what was going on, with one calling it the "sickest thing" they've ever seen. Another called the show a "dystopian hell." Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Meanwhile, a third quipped: "I hope Ofcom have some extra staff on tonight." But, there's a huge plot twist: The show is completely satirical and fictional. The mockumentary intended to show the measures people would go to to make ends meet amid the cost of living – which, clearly, many viewers missed. Here are five nuggets that should have given the game away: The donor signup process The British Miracle Meat shares the Good Harvest company's realistic-looking submission form, in which donors 'sign up for extraction.' "Good Harvest encourages people who need the income to sign up, select their own extraction site and get paid within the week," Wallace explains. Among the extraction options were: 'buttock, thigh, belly, rib, wing and shoulder.' The mock page shows the 'buttock' selected, which rewards £250 in cash. Human skin can be lab-grown into a '30kg protein cake' within hours While visiting the lab, Wallace is shown how the 'human meat' is grown. The thin slices of flesh start off in a 'nutrient vat'. The scientist told Wallace it will grow into a cake over 24 hours – thanks to the nutrient solution it's immersed in. When Wallace asks why human meat, as opposed to animal, the scientist responds: "We've got centuries of knowledge of human medicine on our side. We know more about humans than we know about animals, so we've mastered engineered human cells to make these structured flavours we expect from steaks we eat." The 'taste test' Wallace takes his new findings to Chef Roux Jr at a fine dining restaurant in Mayfair. The chef is taken aback by the package's logo "made by humans, from humans" and the cost of just 99p a slice. "These come from three donors in the north-east of England," Wallace responds to which the chef quips: "Wow, I wonder if that affects the flavour." The blind taste test showed the chef cooking up three different steaks from different people across the UK. They then had to guess where it was from. Upon tasting one of the steaks, Chef Roux Jr says: "If it was 100 per cent pure beef, I'd say it was an animal that's got a certain age, and maybe a little stressed as well." Wallace revealed the person to be 45-year-old Alison, an NHS nurse and part-time delivery driver. 'You know there's something wrong when you have to jump on a bus and have some flesh scooped out of your arm for money' Wallace met with donor Gillian, a retired receptionist who looks after her housebound husband and grandson. Speaking about her situation, she said: "When the prices shot up, well... It buried us." When asked whether she was happy about taking part in the clinical trials, the 67-year-old confessed "no". Wallace went on to say that Gillian would be able to cover two weeks of energy bills following her donation. He spoke with other people in the waiting room, asking what they'll be spending their money on. "Black mould in every corner of the house," one elderly man responded, "I'm going out to earn money so I can repair it." The launch of Good Harvest's premium range The company shared a promotional video for their upcoming premium range, which the boardroom was ecstatic about. The secret? "Well-fed children under the age of six." One of the workers told Wallace "they recover quicker than adults," before offering him a portion of toddler tartare. He then went over to visit the children's medical complex which saw toddlers playing with toys while sporting stickers that read: "I'm beating the cost of living crisis." Following the show, Wallace took to Instagram thanking people for watching. He jokingly added: "I really enjoyed my first acting job!" He went on to share a photo of himself, writing: "Satire. See Jonathan Swift 'A Modest Proposal'." Swift's 1729 satirical essay suggested the Irish may have overcome their financial troubles by eating their own children. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 26, 2023--

Immaculate Grid baseball answers, clues, hints and connections for Grid 107 on July 18th featuring the Yankees, Phillies, Brewers, Mariners and MarlinsHello everybody! Good morning to all, I hope your favorite team won last night, unless you are a Reds or a Giants fan, as mother nature had other...

Rising living costs are having a wide-ranging impact on our everyday lives, including when it comes to summer barbecues. In fact, the cost of food and drink for a typical summer barbecue in the UK could be around £10 more than last year, according to new calculations by Canada Life. The financial services provider, which used Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures to make the calculations, has put the cost of a typical barbecue at around £90, up from around £80 last summer. Of course, the actual cost will vary depending on exactly what you buy and how many people you’re catering for. In its basket of barbecue goods, Canada Life piled in products such as beef burgers, pork sausages, baking potatoes, chicken, meat-free sausages, veggie burgers, bread rolls, mayonnaise, cheese, salad ingredients, crisps, fizzy drink and alcoholic beverages. How can you keep barbecue costs down? If you’re keen to make the most of summer barbecue opportunities, but conscious of your budget too, Canada Life also has some tips. Spokesperson Shelley Greenwood suggests: “If you’re hosting more than once this summer, don’t throw out the charcoal after one use. Make sure you put out the fire safely and keep what is left in the barbecue for next time. Simply top up with new charcoal as needed.” Greenwood also suggests using price comparison apps such as Trolley to compare prices of items on your shopping list. “Then place your order through a cashback site to save even more,” she adds. She also suggests checking out apps for food in your local area that is being sold cheaply or perhaps even given away. For example, the Too Good to Go app allows people to search for bags of food being sold cheaply at places such as grocery stores, restaurants and cafes that might otherwise be destined to go to waste. Food sharing app Olio also helps stop surplus food going to waste, with users posting pictures of giveaways, including food and other items. Greenwood also suggests looking out for “yellow sticker” food items, which have been marked down in the supermarket, like cuts of meat or fish. Check these can be frozen and, if so, freeze them the same day and “simply defrost according to instructions ahead of your barbecue”, adds Greenwood. Also, rather than buying side dishes, go through your cupboards and fridge to see what ingredients could be transformed. Perhaps you could make your own pasta salad, or roast some tomatoes while you’re cooking something else, to create side dishes. You could also ask party guests to bring along a few sides to help share the costs. And if your priorities are more about having a summer gathering than firing up a barbecue, you could also consider by-passing the barbecue altogether and preparing food in your air fryer or slow cooker instead. Greenwood adds: “This way, you’re not reliant on the weather either.” Read More What I lost (and gained) by walking 10,000 steps each day for 5 months Woman says her life was ‘blown up’ by viral plane rant where she called passenger ‘not real’ How to save money in the kitchen according to top chefs Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Its UK division, which includes its NI business, had a pre-tax profit of £119m, up £53m since 2022.

A barrage of Russian missiles greeted a delegation of African leaders arriving in Kyiv on Friday as part of a mission aiming to broker peace...

By David French and Pablo Mayo Cerqueiro NEW YORK/LONDON (Reuters) -One of the world's top insurers is mulling offloading its