Russia has pounded Eastern Ukrainian’s Avdiivka for the fourth straight day, further destroying the city that is reportedly already “ablaze.” “The fighting has been going on for four consecutive days...They have substantial reserves of personnel and equipment. Avdiivka is completely ablaze,” Vitaliy Barabash, head of the city’s military administration, told Ukrainian national TV. “They shoot, using everything they have. The hospital is again under fire, as are administrative buildings and our volunteer centre,” Mr Barabash said. Russian attacks on the city, known for its large coking plant, have gutted it, according to Reuters. In what is considered the biggest military offensive of the ongoing conflict in months, Russia has moved a large column of three battalions, including about 2,000 troops, dozens of armoured vehicles, as well as jets into the northern flank of Avdiivka. Officials say the attacks on Avdviivka were relentless and that the enemy was attacking from all sides. The region is a crucial gateway to the Donetsk territory which is the primary communication hub within the occupied territories. “The enemy does not stop storming, they come from all directions,” Vitaliy Barabash, the head of the city’s military administration, said. Both Washington and Russia’s UN representative say the intensified battles in the east signified a new stage in the campaign. “Russian troops have, for several days now, switched over to active combat action practically throughout the entire front line. The so-called Ukrainian counteroffensive can therefore be considered finished,” UN’s Russia representative Vasily Nebenzia said. However, the US said it is confident Ukrainians would beat back Russian forces, although Russia does not seem ready to give up its campaign. “All Russian attacks have resulted in significant losses for them,” military analyst Serhiy Zgurets said. Russia’s own military has also suffered its worst combat losses since mid-February, according to Kyiv Post. The new offensive also suggests Russia could be unwilling to give up its campaign. “On average, there are 50-60 instances of intense shelling with artillery and rockets targeting the town. As for military positions, they get hit at least 500-600 times a day,” Mr Barabash added. Read More Ukraine-Russia war – live: Zelensky and Dutch PM visit Odesa and agree to boost air defence Israel-Hamas war live: Tens of thousands of Gazans flee homes as IDF launches ground raids US says North Korea delivered 1,000 containers of equipment and munitions to Russia for Ukraine war

OKLAHOMA CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 19, 2023--

Retailers are kicking off the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season on Friday with a bevy of discounts and other enticements

HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 12, 2023--

Energy permitting reform, which aims to cut down the time it takes for new projects to get approved, could be one of the few bipartisan measures to emerge from a debt limit deal.

Here's how to install and play the Overwatch 2 multiplayer beta.

Hundreds of people have attended an AI-generated church service in Germany, involving virtual avatars delivering sermons written by ChatGPT. The 40-minute service at Saint Paul’s church in Fürth received mixed reactions from the Protestant congregation, the Associated Press reported, with the avatars occasionally causing unintentional laughter. Some church members even refused to speak along when the digital avatar read out the Lord’s Prayer. “There was no heart and no soul,” said Heiderose Schmidt, a 54-year-old IT worker who attended the service. “The avatars showed no emotions at all, had no body language and were talking so fast and monotonously that it was very hard for me to concentrate on what they said. But maybe it is different for the younger generation who grew up with all of this.” Lutheran pastor Marc Jansen was more impressed by the artificial intelligence, saying he had “imagined it to be worse” than it was. “I was positively surprised how well it worked,” he said. “Also, the language of the AI worked well, even though it was still a bit bumpy at times.” The AI began the service by stating: “Dear friends, it is an honour for me to stand here and preach to you as the first artificial intelligence at this year’s convention of Protestants in Germany.” It went on to talk about leaving the past behind and never losing trust in Jesus, while also urging the congregation to overcome their fear of death. More than 300 people attended the service, which was organised by 29-year-old theologian Jonas Simmerlein from the University of Vienna. Mr Simmerlein instructed ChatGPT to include psalms, prayers and a blessing, saying the experiment was designed to show how religious leaders could use AI to help them with their work. “Artificial intelligence will increasingly take over our lives, in all its facets. And that’s why it’s useful to learn to deal with it,” he said, adding that AI will not be able to replace the role pastors serve in interacting with the local community. “The pastor is in the congregation, she lives with them, she buries the people, she knows them from the beginning. Artificial intelligence cannot do that. It does not know the congregation.” Read More What is superintelligence? How AI could wipe out humanity – and why the boss of ChatGPT is doomsday prepping 10 ways AI will change the world – from curing cancer to wiping out humanity Major Google Bard update allows it to not just write code, but execute it Instagram is working on an AI chatbot with multiple personalities The glaring omission from Apple’s AR headset launch

Issei isn’t some random student who is being given a chance to fight for the Leger inheritance just because he was his 'spiritual son'

The destruction of the Kakhovka Dam in southern Ukraine is swiftly evolving into long-term environmental catastrophe

"Suits" has been highly rated on Netflix and now a new show is reportedly in the works.

By Jonathan Stempel Squishmallows joined Warren Buffett's business empire two years after Lady Gaga, Kim Kardashian and others

The heartwarming way John Krasinski says wife Emily Blunt inspires him