Minnesota Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell made a priority call to his Tennessee Titans counterpart and former teammate Mike Vrabel even before the preseason game schedule was released about arranging a joint practice

Western hopes for Ukraine’s counteroffensive to achieve a dramatic breakthrough have been significantly pared back, with US officials now reportedly forecasting that Kyiv will fall short of its key aim of severing Russia’s land bridge with occupied Crimea. One of the significant challenges confounding Kyiv’s efforts to redraw the frontline is the millions of mines Russia has laid in their path, to the extent that Ukraine is now being described as the most heavily mined country in the world. “What we are seeing is an industrial level of mine-laying, particularly anti-tank mines,” said Paul McCann, of the Halo Trust, the world's largest humanitarian landmine clearance organisation. “Nothing like it [has been] seen in Europe since the Second World War.” In one part of the liberated Mykolaiv region, close to lands flooded by the Khakovka Dam attack, clearance workers found “incredibly dense” fields of powerful anti-tank mines, with one explosive for every square metre, Mr McCann said. But Ukraine’s defence minister Oleksii Reznikov has warned that the minefields on Russian-held territory – spanning the length of the 1,000km frontline – are up to five times as dense as those found in Mykolaiv. They also deep – with reports of as many as five anti-tank mines being stacked one on top of the other – capable of destroying even tanks equipped with mine ploughs. The painstaking efforts by Ukrainian troops to clear paths towards the enemy through the fields of explosives – often under heavy shelling and other fire – mean that, at one key hospital in Dnipro, the number of wounded troops arriving with mine-related injuries is now said to be second only to victims of artillery fire. Experts have told The Independent that Western hesitance to supply Kyiv with the necessary weapons for its counteroffensive this summer had allowed Russia time to create formidable defences, and lay millions of mines – meaning hopes of a “Hollywood”-style breakthrough are likely “unrealistic”. The minefields are “a serious problem”, warned Mark Galeotti, of the Mayak Intelligence consultancy. “If you’re facing a heavily mined battlefield, you have to move slowly ... at the speed of anti-mining tanks or engineers moving through marking mines, so you are therefore vulnerable to being caught under artillery fire. “Mines fix you slowly or they channel you – often into a ‘kill zone’ where they’re waiting to drop volleys of artillery shells on you. They deny the Ukrainians that kind of fluidity and speed of movement [seen during last year’s lightning counteroffensive].” Meanwhile, as Ukrainians risk their lives to clear the minefields, “the Russians can replenish them if nothing else just by using rocket launchers that scatter mines”, Mr Galeotti added. Mines can even be laid in this fashion to trap Ukrainian troops who have just cleared a path through, often by hand. The mines “would be vastly less formidable”, however, were they not “part of a very complex defensive setup”, said the author and honorary professor at University College London. He was alluding to the array of trenches, anti-tank ditches, “dragon’s teeth” barricades and other obstacles Russia has constructed. “It’s always a danger to underestimate Russians in the defence, they can be very dogged,” Mr Galeotti said. Following initial attempts to punch through Russia’s defences which likely proved costly in both manpower and Western-supplied equipment, including tanks, Ukraine now appears to have broadened its focus to target supply lines, decimate key artillery systems and exhaust the Russian military with drone strikes on targets such as Moscow, Belgorod and the Black Sea fleet. “The change in tactics at the line of contact on the battlefield has been towards using lighter footprints, small units on foot, but in the grander scheme of things we’re seeing a lot of these asymmetric cheap attacks being conducted,” said Dr Marina Miron, of King’s College University’s war studies department. “They don’t want to waste the Nato-trained brigades to run against a concrete wall, which is basically those minefields and the Russian defences,” Dr Miron added. Mr Galeotti estimates that Ukraine has already committed half of its new 10th Corps, comprising troops trained and equipped by Nato – a tens of thousands-strong grouping initially intended to hold back and capitalise on any breakthroughs rather than toil at creating them. The minefields and resulting casualties have been “leading to a degree of fatigue even within the [rest of the] country”, Mr Galeotti believes – pointing to recent reports suggesting that the days of “lines of volunteers eager to sign up” to Ukraine’s war effort are “long gone”. However, Ukraine has been buoyed this week by successes in breaking through the first line of Russian defences near the Zaporizhzia village of Robotyne – a first step on the path to severing Russia’s land bridge with Crimea. This breakthrough is “tactically significant” in that it may allow Kyiv’s forces to start operating beyond Russia’s densest minefields, according to the Institute of the Study for War. The gains have prompted some suggestions that further advances could finally allow Kyiv’s troops to pour through paper-thin gaps in the minefields to establish some control over a vast area between Russian lines. “If the Ukrainians are going to break through, it’s going to be like bankruptcy – it’s gradually then all at once,” said Dr Patrick Bury, a senior lecturer at Bath University and former Nato analyst. “That’s what you’re looking for – you get through the defences and suddenly you’re out in the open,” said the former British Army infantry captain. “Basically, you tell tanks and armoured infantry to drive hell for leather and you’re trying to get to undefended towns and cities because they’re your logistics and transport hubs. “They’ll be trying to drive [as] fast as they can towards the Sea of Azov. It’s not as if they want to cut the Russians off completely but they want to force them to withdraw ... Once you break out and you’re inside, it’s about momentum, decision-making, and you’re the one imposing your tempo on the enemy. You move and they have to react.” But while the gains near Tokmak show “progress”, with Dr Bury also pointing to fighting near the village of Urozhaine as “the one to watch”, he believes the chances of a sudden breakthrough are “50/50 at the moment”. “It’s hanging in the balance, and I think the next few weeks are going to be pretty decisive, one way or the other.” Read More Ukraine-Russia war live: Kyiv claims five Moscow fighter jets hit by drones, as Prigozhin ‘confirmed dead’ Experts warn Ukraine’s frontline push is being damaged by West On the ground in Ukraine, the desperate fight to protect a key city from 100,000 of ‘Putin’s thugs’ Wagner Group: Timeline of Yevgeny Progozhin’s private army as leader ‘killed in plane crash’ Yevgeny Prigozhin ‘Ask Me Anything’ - expert Tim White answers your questions Wagner chief ‘killed’ in crash

Lewis Hamilton took aim at Max Verstappen’s criticism of the Las Vegas Grand Prix after lauding the star-studded race as one of the best of the year. The lead changed hands on multiple occasions on a wild and incident-packed night in Sin City. But it was Verstappen, doom-monger-in-chief, who prevailed to take his 18th win from the 21 rounds so far. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc denied Red Bull a one-two finish after he passed Sergio Perez on the final lap to finish runner-up. The build-up to Formula One’s £500million debut race on the Strip had been mired in controversy. Verstappen accused the sport’s bosses of making him look like a clown following Wednesday night’s Superbowl-style Opening Ceremony. And in the wake of an embarrassing practice washout, the triple world champion compared the event to the fifth tier of English football. He was then effusive in his praise for the sport’s traditional European venues in Monaco, Monza and Spa. But Las Vegas’ 3.8-mile street venue served up a thrill-a-minute classic which culminated in Verstappen passing Leclerc for victory with 13 laps remaining. Hamilton endured an arduous night on the Strip following a collision with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. The prang dropped him to 19th and last. Hamilton fought back to seventh but he can no longer catch Perez in the race for second in the championship. For all those who said it was all about the show, Vegas proved them wrong Lewis Hamilton Yet, despite his own personal disappointment, the seven-time world champion hailed the Saturday night sizzler as a breakthrough moment for the sport. “For all those who said it was all about the show, Vegas proved them wrong,” said Hamilton in an apparent swipe against Verstappen. “The race was great, and it was one of the best races. There have been so many people who have been negative about the show, and all that. But just let it be and see how it goes. “And it was huge. There has been criticism about having three races in the United States, and people talking about bringing back old classics from Europe. But this has provided a better race than most of the tracks we go to. Hats off to the people who ran the show. “I cannot wait to come back and hopefully have a better race next year. I am really grateful to Vegas for having us.” The inaugural event – billed by F1 as the greatest show on earth – got off to the worst possible start when Carlos Sainz collided with a drain cover and first practice was abandoned after just eight minutes. Furious fans were ejected from the venue before second practice concluded at 4am on Friday. But F1’s American owners’ Liberty Media were celebrating a triumph in the early hours of Sunday morning after stars of stage and scene flocked to the entertainment capital of the world to witness a fascinating race. Verstappen took centre stage after he fought back from a five-second penalty – for pushing pole-sitter Leclerc off the road at the first corner – and a collision with George Russell as they duelled for fifth. Russell was penalised with a five-second penalty of his own by the stewards. The all-conquering Verstappen made his way ahead of Perez, and then Leclerc on laps 36 and 37 respectively to land a fine win. Wearing his Elvis-themed Red Bull overalls, Verstappen belted out a rendition of the King’s Viva Las Vegas from inside his cockpit after taking the chequered flag – waved by pop star Justin Bieber. Verstappen, Leclerc and Perez – who all enjoyed spells leading the race – were then whisked off in a limousine to conduct their post-race interviews in front of the Bellagio before the hotel’s iconic fountains burst into life and a fireworks show lit up the night sky. But was Verstappen ready to row back on his earlier disapproval? “I always expected it to be a good race because there are long straights, and low-speed corners, and you don’t lose a lot of downforce so that has never been my issue,” he said, largely dodging the question. “Today was fun and that is the only thing I want to say about it. I hope everyone enjoyed it. “(Team principal) Christian (Horner) put me on the spot so I couldn’t leave him hanging. I had to sing. But I need some lessons so I am going to go to Geri (Horner) and book an appointment.” But more pressingly for Verstappen will be next weekend’s concluding round of this marathon 22-race season in Abu Dhabi next weekend. Read More Class action lawsuit filed over farcical start to Las Vegas Grand Prix Toto Wolff fuelled by ‘personal anger’ to help Lewis Hamilton win eighth title On this day in 2010: Sebastian Vettel becomes youngest ever F1 world champion ‘One of the best races’: Lewis Hamilton says Las Vegas GP proved critics wrong Las Vegas Grand Prix dazzles on debut with usual dose of Max Verstappen reality F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix LIVE: Verstappen wins as Leclerc overtakes Perez on last lap

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 30, 2023--

Americans celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day and Columbus Day on the second Monday of October each year.

The grandmother of JJ Vallow, who was murdered by his mother, Lori Vallow Daybell, slammed the release of Manson Family member Leslie Van Houten

When Derek Carr’s fourth-down pass fell incomplete in the end zone, the Jacksonville Jaguars celebrated and Carr and Co. left the Superdome field amid boos from spectators who had watched the New Orleans Saints stall out in virtually the same fashion in Houston last Sunday

Elon Musk is busy “lifting weights throughout the day” to prepare for his touted cage fight against Mark Zuckerberg – and he’s not the only one getting ready for action. In fact, his Chinese doppelgänger is also preparing himself in case, for some reason, he’s called upon to take his place in the bout. In case you missed it, Musk and Zuckerberg seemingly agreed to a cage match after it was leaked that Zuckerberg's Meta was planning to release a rival to Twitter called Threads. After Musk said he’d be up for a cage match if he is”, Zuckerberg then posted a screenshot of Musk's tweet to his Instagram story saying "send me location". Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter It’s got a lot of people interested – not least Chinese TikToker Yilong Ma. @mayilong0 #zuckerberg #elonmusk I am X, challenge Zuckerberg. Yilong bears an uncanny resemblance to Musk, and he’s been posting videos of himself also preparing for a “fight” with Zuckerberg. One clip sees him pose in a pair of boxing gloves, next to a man wearing a cardboard box over his head with a picture of Zuckerberg taped to it. @mayilong0 #elonmusk #zuckerberg #tesla He also stands in front of a Tesla in the clip, shouting “come on” and “KO”. Who knows, perhaps if the real Musk and Zuckerberg don’t end up meeting in the ring they’ll get their lookalikes to go toe to toe instead. It comes after Musk previously shared information about a potential venue to host the match. He tweeted back in June that there’s "some chance fight happens in Colosseum". In a post on Sunday (August 6) in Meta’s recently launched social media platform Threads, Mr Zuckerberg said he had proposed 26 August for the bout with the Tesla titan. “I’m ready today. I suggested Aug 26 when he first challenged, but he hasn’t confirmed. Not holding my breath,” the Meta chief said in response to Mr Musk’s post on Twitter, which has been rebranded as X. 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.

The United States and its allies held close consultations but publicly stayed on the sidelines Saturday as officials waited to see how the armed revolt by longtime Kremlin insider Yevgeny Prigozhin and...

A New Jersey con man who was pardoned by former President Donald Trump has been arrested and is accused of defrauding investors out of millions of dollars. Eliyahu “Eli” Weinstein was charged alongside four others with a number of crimes, including conspiring to defraud investors of more than $35m and conspiracy to obstruct justice, according to a statement from the office of the US attorney for New Jersey. Each of the five defendants was charged with one count of wire fraud conspiracy and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice. Mr Weinstein was given a 24-year federal prison sentence after being convicted of two separate investment fraud schemes — one that ran from 2004 through 2011, the other from 2012 through 2013 — across both of which he defrauded investors of roughly $230m, according to a court document. On 19 January, 2021, after Mr Weinstein had served less than eight of the 24 years, Mr Trump pardoned him. Shortly after his release from prison, Mr Weinstein started up a new scheme, the statement said. “We allege Mr. Weinstein took part in a new scheme to rip off investors by hiding his real identity,” Special Agent in Charge James E Dennehy of the Newark FBI said. Mr Weinstein allegedly used the alias “Mike Konig” in this new scheme outlined by the FBI. Mr Weinstein allegedly said in a “surreptitious audio” obtained by investigators August 2022: “We collectively did not tell everyone who I was, no one would ever give you a penny if they knew who I was . . . because I have a bad reputation.” He worked with four others, the court document states: Aryeh “Ari” Bromberg , Joel Wittels, Shlomo Erez, and Alaa Hattab. The men were accused of taking “tens of millions of dollars from investors” through the firm Optimus Investments Inc. Most of these investors were “family, friends, or close associates,” the document said. Mr Weinstein, Mr Bromberg, and Mr Wittels received a large portion of the money through Tryon Management Group LLC — another company that was owned and operated “by two other conspirators” — which promised investors opportunities to invest in deals involving Covid-19 face masks, “scarce baby formula,” and first-aid kits “bound for Ukraine,” according to the statement. However, unable to pay the investors with legitimate investment returns, the men decided to combine the funds from both Optimus and Tryon investors and “use it to make monthly payments to other investors in a Ponzi-like fashion” starting in February 2022, the document states. “Once the Tryon owners learned that Mike Konig was actually Weinstein, they agreed with the defendants to continue concealing Weinstein’s identity from investors and to raise additional money to pay off existing Tryon investors, all in an effort to stop the Ponzi scheme from falling apart and to cover up the fraud,” the statement said. The men are also charged with obstructing justice after allegedly “hiding Mr Weinstein’s assets” — $200m in restitution — owed to his previous victims, as well as allegedly “concealing his myriad business activities, which were expressly prohibited by the terms of his supervised release,” according to the court document. If convicted on both charges, each of the five men face a maximum of 25 years in prison and fines of “either $250,000 or twice the gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest,” according to the statement. On top of this, the Securities and Exchange Commission also filed a civil complaint against the men and two other individuals “based on the same and additional conduct,” the statement said. Mr Weinstein was one of the 143 people pardoned by former President Trump in the final hours of his term. Read More Donald Trump is the first former president arrested on federal charges. Can he still run in 2024? An inmate was pardoned by Oregon’s governor. Two years on he’s a person of interest in four suspicious deaths Egypt pardons jailed activists, including two prominent rights defenders, official reports say

Channing Tatum who is 3 inches taller than Brad Pitt was starstruck by his ‘Lost City’ co-star while getting into look of his character in the film

TCU coach Sonny Dykes is a little salty when it comes to his school's rivalry with SMU