Ukrainian troops are inching closer to the eastern city of Bakhmut, the scene for some of the fiercest fighting in the continuing invasion, officials in Kyiv have said. Deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar said fierce fighting raged near the villages of Klishchiivka, Kurdyumivka and Andriivka on the southern flank of Bakhmut, a small city reduced to ruins in a bloody, months-long battle that gave Russian forces control of the area for now. Despite steady Western military aid, Ukrainian military officials have said Russia still has an advantage in artillery, tanks and manpower. But Volodymyr Zelensky’s military is about to receive a consignment of 1,700 strike and reconnaissance drones to help with its counteroffensive. It comes as Russian forces struck port infrastructure in Ukraine‘s Odesa region in an overnight missile attack, killing a security guard and damaging a cargo terminal, the region’s governor said on Thursday. Odesa’s ports have been regular targets for Russian attacks since Moscow withdrew on July 17 from a U.N.-brokered deal that allowed Ukrainian grain to be exported via the Black Sea. Read More Angry Russia refuses to speak at UN meeting on its attacks on Ukraine's key port city of Odesa. Putin’s forces pushed back around Bakhmut as Ukraine’s troops press on with counteroffensive Wrongfully detained in Russia and injured fighting in Ukraine. Everything we know about Trevor Reed Russian fighter jet strikes another American drone over Syria in the sixth incident this month

Asian shares are mostly higher after China reported that its slowing economy showed signs of stabilizing in August

Liverpool are closing in on Brighton midfielder Alexis Mac Allister. The 24-year-old’s father, Carlos, who acts as his representative, arrived at the weekend for talks regarding the World Cup winner’s future. It is understood the Argentina international has a release clause, believed to be between £45million and £55m, in a contract he only signed in October and Liverpool are close to triggering that. Seagulls boss Roberto De Zerbi admitted last month he is already resigned to losing a player who was key in securing their first European participation with a sixth-placed finish in the Premier League, just five points behind Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp is looking to rebuild a midfield which misfired this season and Mac Allister has been a long-term target, with James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain departing at the end of their contracts. Liverpool were also interested in Mason Mount, entering the final 12 months of his contract at Chelsea, but Manchester United appear to be the front-runners and Klopp does not want to get into a protracted – and often expensive – process so has moved on to other players. The Reds have been linked with Bayern Munich’s Ryan Gravenberch, Nice’s Khephren Thuram and Borussia Monchengladbach’s Manu Kone and will be looking to get their business done early in time for the start of pre-season on July 8. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Unplanned coal power plant outages, the impact of natural disasters on transmission lines and huge deployments of rooftop

Eight in 10 children who experience bedwetting have never attended a sleepover - because they’re too embarrassed. A survey of 742 adults, with children aged 4-11, found that 69 per cent of kids have turned down an invite to a sleepover party. And nearly as many (67 per cent) of parents have declined an invitation on behalf of their child. To help parents and kids deal with the experience, and help kids make friends and gain independence through sleepovers, Pampers Ninjamas teamed up with Dr Ranj Singh on educational and fun content discussing bedwetting, and how to prepare for nights out of the home. The three-part series provides education about why bladder leaks can happen, as well as practical tips on how to manage them, particularly during sleepover moments. Paediatrician, TV presenter and author Dr Ranj, said: “Sleepovers can play an important role in developing the confidence and independence of children, as well as for their enjoyment. “So I am proud to be helping the 82 per cent of children who are currently missing out, to offer practical advice as to how to better prepare for overnight stays with friends and family.” The research also found more than a quarter (26 per cent) of respondents are not comfortable discussing bedwetting with parents hosting sleepovers. And 35 per cent report an increase in bedwetting before going back to school, suggesting scholastic stress could be a trigger. To combat the situation, 76 per cent have invested in a waterproof mattress, while 68 per cent have purchased nappies for older children. Read More Playing with dolls could help a child’s social development Study finds free childcare reform has ‘little benefit’ to poorer families Most children in kinship care living with at least one grandparent, figures show

Mark Anthony Jackson ditched her car and 'tampered' with the gun he used to kill Karli Hope Hurley that night

Thousands of AI-generated images depicting real victims of child sexual abuse threaten to “overwhelm” the internet, a watchdog has warned. The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), the UK organisation responsible for detecting and removing child sexual abuse imagery from the internet, said its “worst nightmares” have come true. The IWF said criminals were now using the faces and bodies of real children who have appeared in confirmed abuse imagery to create new images of sexual abuse through artificial intelligence technology. The data published by the organisation said the most convincing imagery would be difficult even for trained analysts to distinguish from actual photographs, and some content was now realistic enough to be treated as real imagery under UK law. The IWF warned that the technology was only improving and would pose more obstacles for watchdogs and law enforcement agencies to tackle the problem. The research comes ahead of the UK hosting the AI safety summit next week, where world leaders and tech giants will discuss the developing issues around artificial intelligence. In its latest research, the IWF said it had also found evidence of the commercialisation of AI-generated imagery, and warned that the technology was being used to “nudify” images of children whose clothed images had been uploaded online for legitimate reasons. In addition, it said AI image tech was being used to create images of celebrities who had been “de-aged” and depicted as children in sexual abuse scenarios. In a single month, the IWF said it investigated 11,108 AI images which had been shared on a dark web child abuse forum. Earlier this year, we warned AI imagery could soon become indistinguishable from real pictures of children suffering sexual abuse...We have now passed that point Susie Hargreaves, IWF Of these, 2,978 were confirmed as images which breached UK law and 2,562 were so realistic it said they would need to be treated the same as if they were real abuse images. Susie Hargreaves, chief executive of the IWF, said: “Our worst nightmares have come true. Earlier this year, we warned AI imagery could soon become indistinguishable from real pictures of children suffering sexual abuse, and that we could start to see this imagery proliferating in much greater numbers. We have now passed that point. “Chillingly, we are seeing criminals deliberately training their AI on real victims’ images who have already suffered abuse. “Children who have been raped in the past are now being incorporated into new scenarios because someone, somewhere, wants to see it. “As if it is not enough for victims to know their abuse may be being shared in some dark corner of the internet, now they risk being confronted with new images, of themselves being abused in new and horrendous ways not previously imagined. “This is not a hypothetical situation. We’re seeing this happening now. We’re seeing the numbers rise, and we have seen the sophistication and realism of this imagery reach new levels. “International collaboration is vital. It is an urgent problem which needs action now. If we don’t get a grip on this threat, this material threatens to overwhelm the internet.” The IWF said it feared that a deluge of AI-generated content could divert resources from detecting and removing real abuse, and in some instances could lead to missed opportunities to identify and safeguard real children. Read More More than 500 potential cyber attacks logged every second, BT says ChatGPT and other chatbots ‘can be tricked into making code for cyber attacks’ Tinder adds Matchmaker feature to let friends recommend potential dates Google and Meta withdraw from upcoming Web Summit ‘Game-changing’ facial recognition technology catches prolific shoplifters Facial recognition firm Clearview AI overturns UK data privacy fine

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