The Boston Celtics paid top dollar to acquire Kristaps Porzingis. Now, injury concerns are already creeping in.The Boston Celtics underwent significant offseason changes, primarily with their decision to trade Marcus Smart (and stuff) for Kristaps Porzingis (and stuff). On the surface, that'...

Russian president Vladimir Putin said the plane carrying Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was blown up from the inside and fragments of hand grenades have been found in the bodies of those killed in the crash. This is the first time Mr Putin commented on the details of the plane crash that killed Prigozhin – the mercenary leader who had challenged his regime and launched a military coup by marching onto Moscow in a dramatic threat to the Kremlin not seen in decades. "Fragments of hand grenades were found in the bodies of those killed in the crash," Mr Putin told a meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, but did not share any details on the type and number of hand grenades that could have been detonated on board. He denied an external influence or targeting of the plane from the outside. "There was no external impact on the plane – this is already an established fact," he said, rejecting assertions by unidentified US officials who said shortly after the crash that they believed it had been shot down. Mr Putin said the head of Russia’s investigative committee had reported to him a few days ago. The private Embraer jet carrying the Wagner leader and the mercenary group’s co-founder along with eight other people crashed north of Moscow on 23 August. All 10 people onboard were reported dead. Mr Putin also suggested that the remains of the passengers, including Prigozhin, should have been tested for alcohol and drugs. He said he thought investigators were wrong to have not carried out these tests on the bodies of those killed in the crash. "In my opinion, such an examination should have been carried out but it was not," he said. The searches of Wagner’s offices in St Petersburg by the FSB found 10bn roubles ($100m) in cash and 5kg (11 pounds) of cocaine, he said. The investigators of the crash have yet to report publicly on the cause. Neither Wagner nor Prigozhin’s family could be reached to comment on Mr Putin’s remarks. Prigozhin had claimed pride in casting Wagner as the world’s most war-hardened fighting force and was known to have carried out Russia’s dirty work in middle-east and Africa. The mercenary fighters waged a brutal battle – dubbed the “meat grinder” – in Bakhmut last year in winter, where they eventually handed Moscow its biggest territorial gain in many months. Just two months before his death, he had accused Mr Putin’s top military brass, defence minister Sergei Shoigu and general staff Valery Gerasimov of incompetence and warned that Russia could lose the war in Ukraine unless it raised its game. The brief mutiny against Russia’s defence establishment posed the biggest challenge to Putin’s rule since the former KGB spy came to power in 1999. According to the leaders in the West, not only did it expose the strains on Russia of the war in Ukraine, it also showed the worsening relations between the Russian president and his long-time stooge. Read More Putin’s ‘punishment battalions’ full of convicts and drunk recruits: ‘They’re just meat’ Wagner succession: Yevgeny Prigozhin’s son ‘set to be next mercenary boss’ Putin orders former Wagner commander to take charge of 'volunteer units' in Ukraine ‘Weak’ Putin killed Wagner mercenary chief Prigozhin, Zelensky says

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Two cargo ships have arrived in Ukraine using a new route to sail into Black Sea ports defying Russia's effective blockade of its ports. Two ships reached Chornomorsk on Saturday to load almost 20,000 tonnes of wheat for African and Asian markets, Ukraine's infrastructure minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said on social media. The ships will deliver the wheat to Egypt and Israel, the minister added. The vessels – Resilient Africa and Aroyat – were located between Ukraine’s Danube River delta and Odessa, Bloomberg reported. The ships carry the flags of Palau and crew members are from Turkey, Azerbaijan, Egypt and Ukraine. The vessels were the first ships to reach a Ukrainian port after Russia pulled out from the Black Sea grain deal, which was brokered by the UN and Turkey in July 2022 to combat a global food crisis worsened by Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. Since Russia’s exit from the deal, prices for grains and oilseeds have already risen and are expected to get higher if the deal isn’t resumed. Ukraine last month announced a "humanitarian corridor" in the waters to release ships trapped in its ports since the beginning of the invasion in February 2022. At least five vessels have so far left the port of Odesa, using the corridor which hugs the western Black Sea coast near Romania and Bulgaria. Kyiv, which has been a global food producer and exporter also wants to use the corridor for its food exports. "While the UN is not involved in the movement of those vessels, we welcome all efforts for the resumption of normal trade, especially of vital food commodities that help supply and stabilize global food markets," a UN official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. "We continue our efforts to facilitate exports for agricultural products from both Ukraine and the Russian Federation." However, the passage of the ships comes at a risk with Russia warning that it would treat any vessels headed to Ukraine’s ports as carriers of weapons. The Russian Navy in August opened fire on a cargo vessel to force it to stop for checks. “To forcibly stop the vessel, warning fire was opened from automatic weapons,” the Russian defence ministry said. A Ka-29 helicopter carrying Russian soldiers was then scrambled to inspect the ship. Read More Ukraine-Russia war – live: Putin ‘creating new defences’ amid ‘growing concerns’ over Kyiv counteroffensive Ukrainian troops move through destroyed Donetsk settlement as Kyiv announces recapture Unesco adds two locations in war-ravaged Ukraine on its list of historic sites in danger

Severe thunderstorms bombarded the Phoenix area Thursday night, knocking out power for more than 30,000 homes and businesses in Arizona while threatening flash flooding and dust storm conditions.

Valencia has played its first home game with a section of Mestalla Stadium closed as punishment for the racist abuse against Vinícius Júnior last weekend

Pope Francis has denounced the 'backwardness' of some conservatives in the American Catholic Church

China's Commerce Minister Wang Wentao will meet both US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and US Trade Representative Katherine Tai next week, the Chinese Embassy said Thursday, as the United States and China try to recalibrate strained relations.

'GMA' host Robin Roberts is in Berlin reporting on the Special Olympics for ABC news

Billie Eilish has hit out at fans for criticising her style on Instagram. The global pop star called fans ‘f**king bozos’ after she spoke about being criticised for wearing feminine clothing after being known for wearing baggy, boy-ish clothing for the first few years of her career. She spoke about the lose-lose situation she found herself in, something often experienced by many women, especially those in the spotlight. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter On her Instagram stories she wrote: "I spent the first 5 years of my career getting absolutely OBLITERATED by you fools for being boy ish and dressing how I did & constantly being told I’d be hotter if I acted like a woman and now when I feel comfortable enough to wear anything remotely feminine or fitting, I CHANGED and am a sellout...and 'what happened to her" The 21-year-old continued: "OMG it's not the same Bilie she's just like the rest bla blah...you guys are true idiots. Lol." "I can be BOTH’ the star exclaimed, adding sarcastically on another story: ‘FUN FACT! Did you know that women are multifaceted!!!!!??? … totally unheard of and insane to want to express yourself differently at different times." Her comments come after a recent speight of other celebrities calling out their fans for making comments about them including Ariana Grande who begged her fans in an emotional video to stop commenting on her changing body appearance. Elsewhere Taylor Swift fans also wrote an open letter to the star criticising her rumoured relationship with The 1975 frontman Matty Healy. 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

LA PAZ (Reuters) -Bolivia's attorney general's office is seeking a prison sentence of 30 years for former president Jeanine Anez,