
Ukraine war: Putin influencers profiting from war propaganda
Russia's military bloggers are reaping the rewards of a growing advertising market on Telegram.
1970-01-01 08:00

Who could replace McConnell? Trump has a critical view of the possible short list
It would be a mistake to presuppose these are the final days of Sen. Mitch McConnell's record-setting run as the Republican leader in the Senate. But his recent public freezing spells make it imprudent not to consider what comes next.
1970-01-01 08:00

Post Malone shows off 55-pound weight loss in new photos after giving up soda
Post Malone has shown off his weight loss in new photos after revealing he gave up soda in an effort to become healthier. On 28 August, the “Sunflower” singer — whose real name is Austin Richard Post — shared with his Instagram followers a full-body mirror selfie of his new look. In the photo, he was dressed in all black head to toe, with the singer writing in the caption: “Introducing Viceroy Chungus VonBattlepass, I love you.” During an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast on 8 August, the singer credited his weight loss with cutting out soda as well as performing regularly for his “If Y’all Weren’t Here, I’d Be Crying” Tour, which started on 8 July. He revealed to the popular podcast host that he went from 240lbs to 185lbs, effectively losing 55 pounds. In the past, the singer said that his post-show rituals would usually include him indulging in a soda. “Shows, soda,” he elaborated to Rogan about his guilty pleasure. “Soda is so bad. It’s so bad, but it’s so good. I’ll have a soda. I’m a bad boy and I’ll have a Monster energy [drink].” He added, “I had a great show, and you know what, I’m feeling a little bit naughty. I’m gonna have myself a Coke on ice.” Cutting back on soda is one of many lifestyle choices the singer has made this past year. Ever since welcoming his baby girl in 2022 with his fiancée, he revealed that he has “never felt healthier,” and is “the happiest [he’s] been in a long time”. In an April Instagram post, he wrote that he started making healthier choices for the sake of his daughter. “I guess dad life kicked in and I decided to kick soda, and start eating better so I can be around for a long time for this little angel,” the singer said. According to Dr Elizabeth Ko and Dr Eve Glazier from UCLA Health, drinking soda has been linked to many adverse health conditions, including "obesity, poor blood sugar control, and diabetes”and “recent studies have found an association with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart disease”. The doctors also noted that research indicates that drinking at least one soda per day “measurably increases the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes”. Though some might suggest diet sodas as an alternative, the doctors wrote that they are “not any better” because they can increase hunger and disrupt metabolism. The “Circles” singer doesn’t intend to stop his wellness journey by just cutting back on soda and eating better, he also said he plans on cutting back on “smokes and brews” as well. Read More Post Malone reveals his fiancée turned him down the first time he proposed Post Malone hits back at false ‘rumour’ about hard drug use
1970-01-01 08:00

Lady Gaga dedicates her Las Vegas Residency performance of jazz classics to her late mentor and friend Tony Bennett
The Grammy Award winner also dedicated a song to Tony Bennett's wife Susan Benedetto who was present in the audience
1970-01-01 08:00

Emma Stone wows Venice as sex-mad reanimated corpse
With Emma Stone as a sexually voracious reanimated corpse in "Poor Things" and Wes Anderson presenting his take on Roald Dahl, the Venice Film Festival was taken...
1970-01-01 08:00

Mitch McConnell: From polio victim to political titan
The Kentucky senator has been behind many of his party's most consequential moments in Washington.
1970-01-01 08:00

Shaquille O’Neal opens up about his 55-pound weight loss: ‘I couldn’t even walk up the stairs’
Shaquille O’Neal has spoken candidly about his fitness and health goals while opening up about his 55-pound weight loss. The former NBA star, 51, discussed his recent weight loss, and his “crazy goals” for himself, during an interview with Entertainment Tonight, where he revealed that he decided to change his lifestyle after realising he couldn’t “walk up the stairs”. “I was getting chubby and couldn’t even walk up the stairs. I didn’t like the way I looked in the mirror,” he explained. “I was like, ‘I’m gonna lose 20’ and then I was trying to lose 20.” According to O’Neal, who weighed 406 pounds at the start of his journey, he began by exercising, with the Los Angeles Lakers legend then changing his eating habits as well. He told the outlet that his goal is now to be “between 315 and 330 [pounds],” which he said is what he weighed when he helped lead the Miami Heat to their first NBA title in franchise history in 2006. In addition to losing more weight, the basketball star, who is 7ft 1in, also wants to achieve an “eight pack,” although he joked that he’s halfway to his goal. “I’ve got a five-pack now so I’ve got seven more packs to go because I want to take my shirt off on Instagram,” he said. This is not the first time that O’Neal has opened up about his fitness transformation, as he told the outlet in December that he was inspired to get healthy after a friend called him “fat”. “I got a couple people involved - it’s all about eating right. I got some blood work done, a friend of mine called me and said: ‘You’re fat,’ and she gave me this guy’s name, and he did some blood work, and you know, ‘cause I was the athlete - I wasn’t a salad eater. I won’t pay attention to any of that. I don’t care about none of that,” he recalled at the time. According to O’Neal, he also hadn’t known the difference between “a carb and a protein”. “At 50 years old I never knew. So, he was saying you can’t do this, you can’t do that, more vegetables, my iron’s low. And once I just started changing those certain things, it dropped,” he said. Read More Shaquille O’Neal says he follows ‘respectable nepotism’ philosophy when it comes to his children Shaquille O’Neal surprises family by paying for their washer and dryer at Home Depot
1970-01-01 08:00

Travis Barker leaves Blink-182's European tour, gets ready to welcome first baby with Kourtney Kardashian
Barker shared a few pictures on his Instagram account, which seemed to be from a hospital prayer room
1970-01-01 08:00

Drone attacks inside Putin’s Russia will only increase, says senior Ukraine official
Drone strikes on Russian soil are only set to increase as Ukraine brings Moscow's invasion home, a senior Kyiv official has said. Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky said that it has increased strikes on Russian-occupied areas and would also ramp up attacks within Russia itself. Kyiv does not generally directly claim attacks outside of Ukraine, with Mr Podolyak saying such strikes would be carried out by "agents" or "partisans". "As for Russia... there is an increasing number of attacks by unidentified drones launched from the territory of the Russian Federation, and the number of these attacks will increase," Mr Podolyak told Reuters. "This is the stage of the war when hostilities are gradually being transferred to the territory of the Russian Federation". Drone attacks on Russia have increased sharply recently, with the largest such strikes hitting six regions on one night this week. That assault included two Russian military transport planes being destroyed – and two more damaged – at an airbase in the city of Pskov. Ukraine's military intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, said that the drones were launched from inside Russia. However, in speaking to the War Zone website, Mr Budanov did not say whether the attack – about 400 miles (700 kilometres) from the Ukraine border – was carried out by Ukrainian or Russian operatives. "We are working from the territory of Russia," he said. President Zelensky had suggested earlier this week that a new long-range Ukrainian weapon had hit a target 700 kilometres away, without saying what the weapon was or where it struck. The drone strikes continued into Thursday, with attacks on three regions. Russia's Defence Ministry also claimed to have destroyed a total of 281 Ukrainian drones over the past week, including 29 over the western regions of Russia – indicating the scale of the role drones are now playing in the 18-month war. On the ground in Ukraine, where Kyiv is trying to break through Russian lines in a counteroffensive that started in June, The US said on Thursday that it has seen solid progress by Ukrainian forces in the southern Zaporizhzhia region in the last 72 hours. "We have noted over the last 72 hours or so some notable progress by Ukrainian armed forces ...in that southern line of advance coming out of the Zaporizhzhia area, and they have achieved some success against that second line of Russian defenses," White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said. "That is not to say... that they aren't mindful that they've still got some tough fighting ahead of them as they try to push further south" or that Russia could launch a counter effort, he added. Mr Podolyak said Kyiv's forces were continuing to advance and hoped that Western military aid would continue to come in the months ahead. He added that he believed allies, who have poured in billions of pounds of weaponry, understood that there could be no kind of "compromise" with Moscow. "At the moment, the partners understand that this war will no longer end in a compromise solution - that is, either we destroy Russia's capabilities by military means, and to do this we need the appropriate tools, or this war with such level of aggression will continue for some time." The Kremlin will not like the pressure Kyiv is exerting with its drones strikes. That may have been behind the state-run RIA news agency quoting the head of Russia's space agency Roscosmos as sayng that the country's Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missiles, which are capable of carrying ten or more nuclear warheads, had been put on combat duty. Mr Kirby said that the White House was not in a position to confirm the reports. In June, Vladimir Putin said that Sarmat missiles would be deployed for combat duty "soon". The Russian president has constantly sought to talk up the advanced nature of the missiles in recent years. Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report Read More The ‘Vampire’ rocket system helping Ukraine shoot down Russia’s kamikaze drones Ukraine-Russia – live: Putin puts ‘Satan II’ nuclear missile ‘on combat duty’ as Kyiv launches drone strikes Ukraine launches ‘massive’ drone strikes on six regions of Russia – destroying war planes The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary
1970-01-01 08:00

Burna Boy breaks UK record by topping albums chart
Nigeria's Burna Boy has become the first international Afrobeats artist to secure a number one album in Britain with "I Told Them...", the UK's...
1970-01-01 08:00

How Phil Collins Accidentally Created the Sound That Defined 1980s Music
You may have never heard the phrase “gated reverb,” but you've most definitely heard the effect. And you can thank Phil Collins for that.
1970-01-01 08:00

You winning yet? Allies' scepticism irritates Ukraine
Some of Ukraine's allies have started wondering whether the counteroffensive against Russia is getting bogged down, to the irritation of Kyiv which says it...
1970-01-01 08:00