
Ukrainian drone blasts munitions depot in Crimea, as Zelensky says counteroffensive about to ‘gain pace’
A Ukrainian attack drone blasted a Russian ammunition depot in central Crimea on Saturday, sparking a major explosion. Sergey Aksyonov, the Kremlin-appointed head of Crimea, said that there have been no immediate reports of casualties, but that authorities were evacuating civilians within a five-kilometre radius. The Ukrainian military seemed to confirm it had launched the drone strike, after it claimed that it had destroyed an oil depot and Russian arms warehouses in the Krasnohvardiiske region of Crimea, the Ukrainian territory that Moscow illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014. Local news channels posted videos showing plumes of smoke above settlements, as explosions rumble in the background. The drone attack comes just as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said that the country’s counteroffensive to push back Russian forces in occupied Ukraine is set to “gain pace.” The much-anticipated effort began later than Kyiv had expected due to a lack of sufficient ammunition supplies from allied countries. But Mr Zelensky said yesterday that the now weeks-old counteroffensive is about to shift in momentum, with Ukraine set to receive more weapons. He called on his allies to provide the war-torn country with more long-range missiles as well as advanced fighter jets, as he addressed international leaders at the Aspen Security Forum. US national security adviser Jake Sullivan told the audience in Colorado that the results of Ukraine’s military effort would only become clear once Kyiv had fully committed its forces. “It is at that moment when they make that commitment that we will really see what the results of the counter-offensive will be,” Mr Sullivan said. Already, recent days have seen Ukraine flexxing its munitions capabilities, as videos have revealed the first confirmed use of US cluster bombs by Ukraine The US had announced previously that it would send the cluster bombs to Ukraine as a part of an $800m package. More than 100 countries have banned the use of these bombs as some of the bomblets may not explode and turn instead into mines on the battlefield, remaining a threat for a long time to come. The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region said on Saturday that Ukraine fired cluster munitions at a village near the Ukrainian border on Friday, but that there were no casualties or damage. Also on Saturday, Ukrainian authorities reported that overnight attacks from Russia on 11 regions had killed at least eight civilians and wounded others. At least four people, including a married couple, were killed as Russian forces on Friday night shelled the settlement of Niu-York, said the regional prosecutor’s office in the eastern Donetsk region. On Saturday morning, Ukraine’s interior ministry said that two civilians died as Russian forces Friday struck Kostiantynivka, a city in the Donetsk region, from multiple rocket launchers. In a post on its official Telegram channel, the ministry said that another civilian was wounded in the same attack, which also destroyed 20 private homes, cars and a gas pipeline. Two more people were also killed near the northern city of Chernihiv, some 100 kilometers from the Russian border, as Russian cruise missiles destroyed the local cultural center and damaged apartment blocks, the regional military administration reported on Saturday morning. Three civilians were wounded as Russian troops overnight shelled a town neighboring the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, local Governer Serhiy Lysak reported. Read More The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary Russia-Ukraine war – live: Arrest of war blogger who branded Putin a coward ‘likely to spark fury in army’ Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s fuel margins have more than doubled since start of Ukraine war Russia comes under pressure at UN to avoid global food crisis and revive Ukrainian grain shipments Russian strikes kill at least 8 civilians as fierce fighting continues in Ukraine's south and east Zelensky sacks Ukraine’s ambassador to UK over Wallace weapons row
1970-01-01 08:00

AI has created a 'Barbenheimer' trailer that fans are calling a 'masterpiece'
If you've spent any time on the internet in the past few weeks you'll be very aware that there is a craze called Barbenheimer which revolves around the release of two movies; Barbie and Oppenheimer. The trend revolves around the fact that the films directed by Greta Gerwig and Christopher Nolan respectively, were released on the exact same day despite appearing to be polar opposites both in terms of aesthetics and messages. That being said the trend has actually helped both movies become box office successes in their own rights as both titles have reportedly over exceeded expectations. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Now you've all seen the memes, explored the dating trend and brought the t-shirts but what if the two movies were actually one movie? Well, wonder no longer because the YouTube channel Curious Refuge has used AI to imagine what a film starring Barbie as a nuclear scientist would actually look like. The trailer has the tone of the two films almost nailed down and features AI rendings of actors from the actual films such as Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Matt Damon, Cillian Murphy and Will Ferrell as well as a few ringers like Brad Pitt and Timothee Chalamet. The video has already been viewed more than 88,000 times and many fans are loving it. One person wrote: "What a masterpiece." Another said: "We truly live in the best timeline." A third wrote: "We needed this. And we received it!" A fourth added: "This is not the cross-over that we need, this is the cross-over that we deserve." If you enjoyed that AI trailer then it's also worth checking out what Star Wars and Lord of the Rings would look like if Wes Anderson directed them. 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.
1970-01-01 08:00

Drone attack on ammunition depot in Crimea prompts evacuation, bridge closure
(Reuters) -A drone attack on an ammunition depot in Crimea prompted authorities to evacuate a 5 km (3 mile) radius
1970-01-01 08:00

Mbappe video 'responding to Arsenal rumours' called 'desperate' by fans
A viral clip has appeared to show Kylian Mbappe turning down speculation that he is about to join Arsenal but not all is as it seems. Rumours have been circulating that Mbappe, arguably the best footballer in the world, is preparing to leave his current club Paris Saint Germain after he was left out of the French champions' squad for their pre-season tour of Japan and South Korea. The 24-year-old French superstar has only one year left on his contract with PSG and if rumours are true, is widely believed to be preferring a move to Real Madrid. On the matter PSG's president Nasser El-Khelaifi has said: "We don't want to lose the best player in the world for free. We can't do that. This is a French club. "He said he would never leave for free. If he changes his mind today, it's not my fault. We don't want to lose the best player in the world for free, that's very clear." Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Given Mbappe's overwhelming talent it shouldn't come as a surprise that many top teams in England are being linked with the star despite there being no credible reports that any Premier League side can actually afford to sign him. Arsenal fans have been the most vocal about the player coming to the Emirates with the line 'Mpabbe to Arsenal' trending on Twitter for several days. Now a clip, that has been viewed nearly 200,000 times on Twitter shows Mbappe being asked whether he will make the switch to North London by a reporter only to turn down the idea. This isn't what it looks like though. This is actually from an interview in 2021 where Mbappe was asked if he would sign for the other North London team, Tottenham Hotspur after he had an interaction with one of their most famous fans, Spider-Man actor Tom Holland. Needless to say many fans were already aware of the video and called out its deceptive nature. The clip on Twitter has been carefully edited to remove any mention of Spurs and therefore doesn't reflect Mbappe's thoughts on a move to Arsenal although and likelihood of that transfer happening still would appear to be unlikely. Recently Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was asked about the possibility of the Gunners signing Mbappe to which the Spaniard said: "You know I never talk about players that don’t play for our club. I’m sorry." Arsenal are currently on a pre-season tour of the United States where they have already beaten the MLS All-Stars team 5-0 and are due to play Manchester United and Barcelona before the end of the month. 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.
1970-01-01 08:00

Kyiv drone strikes Crimea munitions depot as attacks escalate
A Ukrainian drone attack on Crimea Saturday blew up an ammunition depot, sparking evacuations on the Moscow-annexed peninsula and halting rail traffic, just five days after drones damaged Russia's symbolic...
1970-01-01 08:00

Ukraine hits Crimea ammunition dump, sparking evacuations and disrupting transport
Ukrainian forces hit an ammunition dump in Crimea, forcing an evacuation of the area and canceling train services, authorities in the annexed province say.
1970-01-01 08:00

Entertainer Jamie Foxx tells fans in an Instagram message that he is recovering from an illness
Academy Award winning actor, Grammy winning singer and comedian Jamie Foxx says he “went to hell and back” but is recovering from an undisclosed medical condition
1970-01-01 08:00

Lionel Messi converts biggest Ronaldo fan iShowSpeed after Inter Miami debut goal
YouTuber and streaming star iShowSpeed has found himself converted to being a Lionel Messi fan after witnessing the Argentinian legend score a stunning goal on his Inter Miami debut. Messi made his debut for his new club on Friday night in the Leagues Cup against Mexican side Cruz Azul. Although Messi didn't start the game he did come on shortly into the second half and by the end of the game he had grabbed all the headlines thanks to an unbelievable free kick on the 94th minute to give Miami a 2-1 win. It was a star-studded affair at the DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida with David Beckham (the club's owner), Victoria Beckham, Serena Williams and Kim Kardashian in attendance. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter However, the most shocked person by the World Cup winner's incredible strike was iShowSpeed who made a wager with himself if Messi scored the goal. The 18-year-old online personality has amongst many things, made a name for himself for being an outspoken Cristiano Ronaldo fan. He even met the Portuguese icon earlier this year during an emotional encounter. Speed happened to be in attendance for the match and in a clip doing the rounds on social media, he was seen saying that if Messi scored the freekick he would become a fan of the footballer. Sure enough, Messi did score leaving Speed completely speechless but he was at least prepared. Speed, who was wearing a Portugal shirt with Ronaldo printed on it, removed the garment to show an Inter Miami shirt underneath with Messi on the back - Speed clearly had some hindsight into the occasion. 36-year-old Messi has signed a two-and-a-half year contract with Miami which will likely be the last club he plays for during his illustrious career. 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.
1970-01-01 08:00

The 'Barbie' and 'Oppenheimer' double feature shouldn't be a one-off
Sometimes the best thing to do when the present feels unpleasant is to look back, or look ahead.
1970-01-01 08:00

Is Jennifer Lopez jealous? Singer had rules for husband Ben Affleck working with his ex Jennifer Garner in 'Deadpool 3'
'Elektra is Daredevil's love interest, so she's making sure there are no 'just like old times' moments between them,' said an insider
1970-01-01 08:00

Does Scarlett Johansson have bad breath? Matt Damon jokes that kissing actress during 'We Bought A Zoo' filming was 'hell'
During a game of Confession with Emily Blunt, Matt Damon recalled the hilarious incident
1970-01-01 08:00

How did Josephine Chaplin die? Charlie Chaplin's daughter died peacefully at 74 surrounded by family and friends
Josephine Chaplin is survived by her three sons, Charly, Julien and Arthur, among other loved ones
1970-01-01 08:00