List of All Articles with Tag 'r'

One of Vladimir Putin's commanders used two military helicopters to transport his pet cat during the war in Ukraine, a defected Russian pilot has claimed. The cat was airlifted in the military-grade helicopter for around one hour, while another flew alongside it to provide cover during the 114-mile journey, according to former Russian airman Maksim Kuzminov. Mr Kuzminov spoke out in an interview with The New Voice of Ukraine after choosing to leave Russia’s armed forces. Asked for examples of any illogical uses of aviation during the war in Ukraine, Mr Kuzminov said: “Our commander needed to transport a cat, which had some impressive pedigree. To do this, two Mi-8 and Mi-24 [helicopter] crews were assigned. “So, two helicopters transported this wonderful animal, so to speak, from Rostov to Yeysk [air base] — the Mi-8 was flying the cat in, while the Mi-24 was circling to provide cover. “We burned a lot of fuel, resources. Furthermore, the crews aren’t always allowed to rest.” The former pilot said six military personnel were on board for the mission despite Russia experiencing a lack of pilots. Mr Kuzminov, 28, has reportedly been paid £398,000 for defecting and is now urging his former Russian colleagues to follow suit. “The truth is, there are no Nazis or fascists,” he told the Ukrainian news outlet, to counter the message Mr Putin has used to justify the “special military operation” launched in February last year. He said he got in touch with representatives of the Ukrainian military intelligence about the possibility of changing sides and he was offered safety as well as the financial reward. Mr Kuzminov landed his Russian Mi-8 helicopter in Ukraine’s Poltava Oblast on August 23 - giving the chopper to his new bosses as well as spare parts for the aircraft. “It’s a real disgrace what is happening here,” he said of the war. “Murder, tears, blood. “People are simply killing each other. That’s all I can make of this and I don’t want to be a part of it. What is going on now is simply the genocide of the Ukrainian people. Both Ukrainian and Russian.” Read More Russia-Ukraine war – live: 16 killed in missile strike on market town during ‘evil’ attack Ukraine destroys ‘Russian-occupied warehouse’ in drone strike CCTV captures Russian shell landing on Ukrainian market killing at least 16 The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary

Daniel Dubois’s promoter Frank Warren has appealed the result of the British heavyweight’s fight with Oleksandr Usyk, while pushing for a rematch. Dubois was stopped by Usyk in Round 9 on Saturday 26 August, after the Briton floored the unified heavyweight champion in Round 5, only for his body-shot attempt to be ruled a low blow. Usyk was therefore granted five minutes to recover, and the Ukrainian used approximately three of those minutes before the bout in Wroclaw, Poland, resumed. Usyk, 36, then dropped Dubois, 25, in the eighth round and did the same in the ninth, with the Briton failing to beat the referee's count. With the result, Usyk remained unbeaten and retained the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO heavyweight titles. Warren has now lobbied for a No Contest and a rematch, he told the BBC, while boxing journalist Dan Rafael took to X to post a screenshot of what appears to be the appeal. The appeal to the WBA (World Boxing Association) centres on the claim that Usyk would not have beaten a hypothetical referee’s count if Dubois’s punch in Round 5 had not been ruled a low blow. “Owing to what this appeal argues were errors in judgement made by the bout’s referee, Luis Pabon, Daniel Dubois was unjustly denied of his rightful status as unified world heavyweight champion,” read the apparent appeal shared by Rafael. It continued: “Approximately 20 seconds into the fifth round, Mr Dubois landed a body blow that dropped and severely hurt Mr Usyk and, seemingly, crowned Mr Dubois the heavyweight champion. However, the blow was incorrectly adjudicated as low by Mr Pabon. “Instead of being knocked out, Mr Usyk was given a substantial recovery period, which allowed him to regain his strength and continue the bout without impediment.” Usyk won the unified heavyweight titles with a decision victory over Anthony Joshua in 2021, before repeating the trick against “AJ” in 2022 to retain the belts. The southpaw has been linked with a fight against Tyson Fury for the best part of a year, though the WBC champion is due to fight ex-UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in October. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Chris Eubank Jr’s coach remanded in custody following airport arrest Oleksandr Usyk remains heavyweight champion but where does he go from here? Finally, Ricky Hatton has his happy ending

By Helen Coster and Samrhitha A Comcast has moved up the date for the sale or purchase of

By Rachna Uppal and Yousef Saba DUBAI (Reuters) -The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects GDP growth in Saudi Arabia to

Cricket, breakdancing and flag football are still waiting to find out if they will be added to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics

Meta has lost a legal battle to freeze an order from Norway’s data protection authority that imposes hefty fines on the Facebook and Instagram owner over advertising practices deemed to violate user privacy

Four months after a jury found Donald Trump sexually abused and defamed advice columnist E

Jason Kelce hints that family history could allow for his younger brother Travis Kelce to be healthy enough in time to play in the Kansas City Chiefs' season opener at home vs. the Detroit Lions on Thursday night.

A Pennsylvania man has opened up about the terrifying moment an escaped murder convict Danelo Cavalcante apparently broke into his home while his family was sleeping. The manhunt for Cavalcante entered its seventh day on Wednesday, with at least five confirmed sightings of the fugitive since he escaped from Chester County Prison on 31 August. Law enforcement initially set up a two-mile perimeter around a wooded area where Cavalcante was believed to be hiding, but the search was expanded after Cavalcante was caught on trail camera sneaking past the perimeter on Monday. Schools in the district have been closed, and authorities have urged residents to remain aware of their surroundings and secure their homes from the killer. West Chester resident Ryan Drummond claimed in an interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer that one of Cavalcante’s confirmed sightings occurred at his home. Mr Drummond said that he woke up to noises downstairs on 1 September and realised that there was an intruder. “I decided not to confront him and thought it was a better move to flick the light switch,” Mr Drummond, whose wife and children were also in the home, told the Inquirer. “And he flicked it back at me, which was terrifying, so I told my wife to call 911.” Mr Drummond said that Cavalcante entered the home through an old French door that couldn’t lock properly. He said his nine-year-old daughter had raised fears about Cavalcante being able to gain access to the home through the door, but he tried to reassure her that the murder convict was likely far away. “The last few days have been surreal. It’s tough,” Mr Drummond said. “We’re all jumpy, and I could see this has taken a psychological toll on my kids. If they’re in the room by themselves, they’re calling for us.” Fortunately, Cavalcante left the Drummonds’ home after reportedly taking a backpack, a baseball cap and some fruit from the kitchen. When asked during a press conference about the incident, state police confirmed that Mr Drummonds’ home was within the perimeter of the search but declined to elaborate on the break-in. Chester County residents have been asked to “remain indoors at this time, lock your vehicles and review your surveillance cameras and contact police if you observe anything suspicious,” DA Deb Ryan said. The most recent sighting came Monday night at Longwood Gardens, where trail surveillance video captured him walking through the area with a duffel bag, backpack and hooded sweatshirt he apparently stole while on the run. That sighting led officials to move the search area farther south after they determined that Cavalcante had likely slipped through the original perimeter set by hundreds of local, state and federal law enforcement officers. Officials said his movements show he’s feeling the pressure of the massive search and that his options are dwindling. “I intend to stress him. I want to push him hard. He’ll make mistakes,” Pennsylvania State Police Lt Col George Bevins said at a press conference. “He’ll show himself. He’s already shown himself, we believe, a few times.” Law enforcement teams, including the US Marshals, SWAT, local, state, and other federal agencies, have joined the search to find Cavalcante Authorities are also offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to his arrest. On 22 August, Cavalcante was sentenced to life without parole for stabbing his 33-year-old ex-girlfriend Deborah Brandão to death. Cavalcante attacked Brandão in Schuylkill Township, back in August 2021, in front of her two children, who were just seven and three years old. He is also wanted for a 2017 murder in Brazil. Read More Danelo Cavalcante killed his girlfriend in front of her children. Now he’s on the run after a prison break Pennsylvania police hone in on heavily wooded area during ongoing manhunt for dangerous fugitive Danelo Cavalcante Authorities try to flush out escaped murderer in suburban Philadelphia manhunt

Two Binance executives overseeing regions including Eastern Europe and Russia have left the world’s largest crypto exchange, which

Aaron Rodgers has seen a UFO because of course he has. But on the Hard Knocks finale, he shared all the bizarre details.

Spanish football star Jenni Hermoso has filed a legal complaint over an unsolicited kiss by football federation boss Luis Rubiales following Spain’s win over England in the Women’s World Cup final, the national prosecutor’s office said on Wednesday. With the complaint, Rubiales could face criminal charges in addition to the ongoing probe by Spain’s top sport court for “serious misconduct” and an investigation by world governing body Fifa. The kiss occurred minutes after Spain won the World Cup, immediately prior to lifting the trophy as the squad received their medals and passed a line of dignitaries – one of which was Rubiales in his position as president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (Rfef). There, he was seen planting a kiss on Hermoso’s lips – which the player says was not consensual and Rubiales insists that it was. While the crisis engulfing Spanish football has centred around Rubiales’ position and conduct, it has not been limited to the president, with head coach Jorge Vilda sacked from his post this week and claiming it to have been an “unfair” decision. Rubiales, meanwhile, continues to protest his innocence in the situation, releasing a statement to say “justice will be served” and that “information [...] is being subjected to numerous manipulations, lies, and censorship”. Spanish prosecutors initially opened a preliminary investigation into whether the incident amounts to a crime of sexual assault, with the office now saying the legal complaint has been filed. The national sports tribunal also opened a misconduct case against Rubiales, ruling the kiss on Hermoso constituted a “serious offence”, but not one to the degree which would have resulted in his suspension. However, he has already been suspended from his duties by Fifa, while Uefa also said his behaviour was “inappropriate”, but are leaving any sanctions to the game’s governing body to hand out. Meanwhile, the Rfef’s regional leaders have called for Rubiales’ resignation from the head of the organisation. Rubiales’ mother locked herself in a church and went on a hunger strike as the controversy around her son broke out, insisting she was “willing to die” to protest his innocence. However, she was eventually taken to hospital for treatment. Former England international Jill Scott said this week that the saga had “overshadowed” the enormous sporting achievement of the Spanish squad having won the World Cup, while every member of the squad have refused to play for Spain again while Rubiales remains head of the federation. Neither Hermoso’s representatives nor Rubiales were immediately available for comment. Read More Sacked Jorge Vilda defends clapping Luis Rubiales’ ‘I will not resign’ speech Luis Rubiales fallout live: Spain boss Vilda hits out at ‘unfair’ sacking Jill Scott says World Cup kiss saga ‘overshadowed’ Spain playing ‘great football’