Taylor Swift embraced Travis Kelce with passion after the concert in Argentina

Russia has intensified its offensive in northeastern Ukraine to break through its heavily fortified defence and recapture the Kupiansk-Lyman area. The Russian Army is preparing for “serious offensive actions” and sending more staff in Kupiansk-Lyman, commander of the Ukrainian ground forces Oleksandr Syrskyi said. The fighting had "significantly escalated", he said, adding, "The main goal is to break through our troops’ defences and recapture our territory". But Ukraine’s eastern forces said president Volodymyr Zelensky’s forces were putting up a tough fight from well-entrenched troops, forcing Russian soldiers to retreat. “Our fortifications there are quite reliable. We have a powerful, dug-in position,” Ilia Yevlash, spokesperson for Ukraine’s forces in the east, told Ukrainian television. “So the enemy got it right in the teeth and retreated in order to regroup.” Russia captured the northeastern towns near Ukraine’s second-largest city of Kharkiv when the invasion began but Ukrainian forces recaptured the areas last year, evicting invading forces from some parts of the country’s Donbas industrial heartland. Its recapturing marked a significant step in the Ukrainian offensive to defend its territories. The Russian defence ministry acknowledged that it launched an “intense military activity” in the area and repelled 10 Ukrainian attacks in the Kupiansk area and two more in adjacent Lyman. In June, Ukraine initiated a counteroffensive with the primary objective of reclaiming territory in the eastern region, notably in the vicinity of Bakhmut, which had fallen under Russian control in May. Their strategy also involved advancing southward toward the Sea of Azov. The Ukrainian military primarily achieved gradual progress, disregarding criticism from certain Western observers who contended that the offensive was proceeding too slowly. Over the past week, the focus on the eastern front has shifted from Bakhmut to Avdiivka, a town located further southwest renowned for its substantial coking plant. The leading local authority in Avdiivka said there was a temporary calm in the city but they anticipated a forthcoming assault. “Shelling has diminished, there was less today,” Vitaliy Barabash, head of Avdiivka’s military administration, told national television, while noting that two people were killed in a nearby village. “We expect there will be new waves of heavy attacks in the days to come.” Read More Ukraine-Russia war – live: Putin suffers serious losses in largest offensive in months Sushi standoff spreads as Russia joins China in banning Japanese seafood Russian governor reported to police for speaking out over Putin’s ‘unnecessary’ war against Ukraine The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary

Hamas-run health ministry says an Israeli strike has killed 50 people, but Israel has not commented.

Soon, you may be able to cruise down a Florida highway named after singer Jimmy Buffett while listening to his A1A album named after the road.

Over 150 books have been removed from a large, Orlando-area Florida school district, including classics like The Scarlet Letter, Paradise Lost, and The Invisible Man, as school officials review materials for sexual content under the state’s restrictive book ban laws. According to a teacher keeping track of books that have been temporarily pulled for review by the Orange County government, titles by Shakespeare have been restricted to only 10th through 12 graders, while other popular works like The Fault in Our Stars, Into the Wild, and Catch-22 have been put on the restricted list because of sexual material. One teacher told The Orlando Sentinel she was “gobsmacked” when she saw Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream was among the restricted works. She said she chooses works to study in class “to engage my students, to offer them literature that makes them think,” and that an accurate version of “the adolescent experience” in literature may contain some sexual themes, but still be valid for the classroom. “It’s just so frustrating and disheartening,” she said. The state’s book ban laws, passed under Republican governor Ron DeSantis, have caused empty shelves across Florida. “The books are sitting out on tables, they’re being boxed up and discarded,” Florida school librarian Keri Clark told The Independent earlier this year. “It’s just it’s a really sad sight. A lot of the kids keep looking through the window and it’s just it’s awful that I can’t let them come in and get books.” The Florida policyies are part of a nationwide surge of book bans. During the first half of the 2022-2023 school year, school officials tried to restrict at least 874 individual book titles, according to PEN America, a nearly 30 per cent spike from book challenges over the previous year. Overwhelmingly, the book ban attempts singled out works by and about people of colour and LGBT+ people, PEN found. At least 30 per cent of the impacted titles are books about race, racism, or feature characters of colour, and more than a quarter of all titles include LGBT+ characters or themes. Read More Biden condemns ‘hysterical’ threats to LGBT+ Americans as White House pushes back on book bans As conservatives target schools, LGBTQ+ kids and students of color feel less safe Florida mom who tried to ban Amanda Gorman’s book has ties to far-right groups

Ariel Winter's lawyer claimed that her mother Crystal denied the young actress food while 'Modern Family' was being filmed and physically and mentally abused her

Talks over forming Thailand’s next government are well into their second week and there’s still no sign that

Ukraine can’t win the war against Russia, Prime Minister Viktor Orban, widely perceived to be the closest European

Expressing gratitude, Olivia Dunne shared heartfelt Instagram stories, crafting a collage featuring her boyfriend, family, friends, and her dog Roux

Republican presidential hopeful Tim Scott expressed confidence that he will meet his party’s eligibility requirements to participate in

RFEF have a high risk plan to try and save under fire president Luis Rubiales following his behaviour and conduct after the Women's World Cup final.

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 11, 2023--