Senator Minority Leader Mitch McConnell entered the Graves County Republican Party Breakfast on Saturday to a standing ovation and applause, but voters expressed some concern about how his health will affect his ability to continue serving in the Senate.

Deion Sanders’ debut as Colorado coach was billed as a big deal of a closely watched offseason

The Detroit Lions celebrated their season-opening win over the Kansas City Chiefs like a Super Bowl victory of their own, and who can blame them?

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is set Wednesday to host a climate meeting marred at its outset by the absence of speakers from the world's top two...

Nadine Arslanian, who would later go on to marry New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez and become Nadine Menendez, hit and killed a pedestrian in a 2018 car crash, which is alleged to be the inception of a bribe in the federal indictment against the couple, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

A YouTuber stunned the internet after discovering a massive deep hole in a New York City sidewalk. Internet personality Casey Neistat shared his shocking discovery in a video that has gone viral across social media. Text overlaying the video read: “Gotta watch out on New York City sidewalks”. In the clip, Neistat was filming on a New York City street when the camera of his phone panned to reveal a corner of a paving slab that was crumbling and appeared to be sagging downwards. Neistat pressed his foot into the crumbling part of the slab which dramatically fell away leaving a fairly sizeable and dangerous-looking hole. He put his arm holding the phone down the hole, with the camera revealing just how deep it went into the ground. Various rusted pipe work could be seen occupying the space. The 20-second video has been viewed almost 26 million times on TikTok and has also been shared across other social media platforms, sparking quite a reaction. @caseyneistat ⚠️ Other TikTokers took to the comments, where they joked that the hole would probably soon be rented out as an apartment. “That’s someone’s studio apartment. $2,300 a month plus utilities,” someone joked in the comments section. Another said: “Bro found Old York.” One concerned viewer wrote: “Casey, I hope you called someone.” “Bro out here wasting injury lawsuits,” someone else quipped. Someone else suggested: “Mans found the entrance to Super Mario World.” Along the same lines, another person asked: “Are the ninja turtles in there?” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter 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.

By Lewis Jackson SYDNEY Australia's financial position will be more precarious and credit rating at risk should the

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

The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate fell again this week, but remains near the 22-year high it hit three weeks ago, little relief for house hunters facing a market held back by persistently high prices and a near-historic low number of homes for sale

Retail experts have long sounded the alarm on malls in the US.

Terry Venables will forever be remembered as the manager who oversaw the summer when football came home. The charismatic boss, who has died at the age of 80, enjoyed a colourful and controversial career, the undoubted highlight of which was leading England to within a penalty shoot-out of reaching the final of the European Championship on home soil in 1996. That fixture was his last as the national team’s manager after he left the role to focus on his upcoming court cases, but by the end of the year he was, perhaps typically, combining a new role as Portsmouth chairman with another as Australia coach. That ‘wheeler-dealer’ streak saw Venables court controversy for his dealings outside of football. ‘El Tel’, as he became known during his time in charge of Barcelona, also co-owned and managed Tottenham, and was the subject of allegations of improper business conduct, as well as claims he once paid Brian Clough a bung. The one-time midfielder was born in Dagenham, Essex, on January 6, 1943, and was an only child. Having shown promise as a footballer, he joined Chelsea as an apprentice in 1958 before signing professional terms two years later, and then winning a League Cup winner’s medal in 1965 following a 3-2 victory over Leicester. He had earned his two England caps the previous year in fixtures against Belgium and Holland, having represented his country at schoolboy, youth, amateur and under-23 level. It was his transfer to Tottenham in 1966 that led to his most successful period as a player, during which he won the following year’s FA Cup with a 2-1 victory over his former club. He left Tottenham for QPR in 1969, moving on five years later to Crystal Palace. His talents did not just lie on the pitch, though. During his playing career, Venables co-wrote detective novels, which were later turned into the TV series Hazell about a wise-cracking cockney private eye. It ran for 22 episodes from 1978-79. It proved a significantly bigger hit than one of his early business ideas – the ‘Thingummywig’, a hat with a built-in wig so women could go out without removing their curlers. After one season as a player at Palace he retired and joined the coaching staff and, in 1976, he was promoted into the role that proved his most natural fit – manager. Venables required only one year to lead Palace to promotion from the Third Division and just a further two to secure the Second Division title. In October 1980 he resigned to take over at QPR, leading the second-tier side to the 1982 FA Cup final, which they lost to Tottenham in a replay. The following season he guided them to the Second Division title, while becoming both their major shareholder and managing director. He led QPR to a fifth-placed finish and qualification for the UEFA Cup in the 1983-84 campaign, but in May 1984 he resigned to become manager of Barcelona. He charmed the crowd present at his first match in charge by addressing them in Catalan and, more significantly, in his first season he led the club to their first Spanish league title in 11 years. Venables signed Gary Lineker and Mark Hughes during his time at the Nou Camp, also selling Diego Maradona. However, Barca only finished runners-up in the league during the following two seasons, also losing in the final of the 1986 European Cup as Romanian opponents Steaua Bucharest triumphed on penalties after a goalless draw. His dismissal in September 1987 was followed by his appointment as Tottenham manager in October. He brought Paul Gascoigne to the club and linked up with Lineker again. Venables led Spurs to 1991 FA Cup glory with a 2-1 victory over Nottingham Forest in the final, although the match was overshadowed by Gascoigne’s cruciate ligament injury. When Venables and Alan Sugar won the takeover battle for the club that June, he was also appointed chief executive, but his relationship with the then chairman gradually broke down. In 1993 Sugar sacked him, and later that year the BBC’s Panorama programme alleged misdealings connected with Venables’ businesses, which he responded to by threatening libel action. Despite any damage to his reputation, in January 1994 he was appointed England manager, and his first fixture in charge came two months later when they defeated Denmark 1-0 at Wembley. That August, police also dropped their inquiry into allegations he paid Clough a £50,000 bung to arrange a player transfer. In January 1996 Venables revealed he would resign as England manager after that year’s European Championship to focus on pending court cases, but the imminent conclusion to his reign could not take the gloss off what so nearly became such a glorious summer for the hosts. With Arsenal’s Tony Adams as his captain at the heart of defence, Alan Shearer in form up front and a rejuvenated Gascoigne pulling the strings in midfield, they progressed to the knockout stages following a 4-1 thumping of Holland that still ranks as one of England’s finest performances. Venables’ use of the ‘Christmas Tree’ formation was considered instrumental to their success, which also included a penalty shoot-out victory over Spain in the quarter-finals. England produced another memorable display in the semi-final, only to lose on penalties to eventual winners Germany. Despite the cruel nature of the defeat and the fact it proved his final match as England manager, he later described that summer as the “best time of my life”. That July, Venables made an unexpected return to the sport as Portsmouth’s director of football and by November he had been appointed Australia manager, also becoming Portsmouth chairman, having bought the club for £1. In January 1998 he stepped down from his role of chairman and also agreed to a High Court order banning him from holding company directorships for seven years. His return to Palace as manager that April was short-lived, but he was recruited again, this time by struggling Middlesbrough, in December 2000. Having left after leading them to Premier League survival, in July 2002 he returned for one last job in club management, this time at financially-troubled Leeds. The sale of key players including Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler and Jonathan Woodgate contributed to their plight and in March, as the threat of relegation loomed, he was sacked again. Venables surprisingly returned to the England set-up as new manager Steve McClaren’s assistant in the summer of 2006. Failure to qualify for Euro 2008 saw them dismissed in November 2007. Having speculated in clubs and property, his final business venture began in 2014 when he opened a boutique hotel and restaurant with wife Yvette in Penaguila, Spain. Venables, who died on Saturday, is survived by his wife and daughters Tracey and Nancy. Read More Jurgen Klopp hails ‘super influential’ Trent Alexander-Arnold after Man City draw On This Day in 2020: Gunners have a good night against Rapid Vienna Erik ten Hag: Schedule has already crossed limits of what players can handle Mikel Arteta hails Aaron Ramsdale despite errors in Arsenal’s win over Brentford Novak Djokovic handed ‘bitter’ end to season as Jannik Sinner stuns Serbia We have to be better – Brendan Rodgers says Celtic’s penalty record must improve

In northern Thailand’s mountainous Khao Kho region, Saiphin Moore, the vivacious founder of London’s ubiquitous restaurant chain Rosa’s Thai, grew up cooking and eating some of her country’s most famous dishes. From the seriously spicy som tam to the famously fiery pad kra prow, these recipes pack a punch – which also makes them the perfect winter warmer. Som tam (green papaya salad) Ingredients: 2 tbsp roasted peanuts 1-10 red bird’s eye chillies (depending on how brave you are) 5 small (or 2-3 large) garlic cloves 1½ tbsp palm sugar 2 yard-long beans (or green beans), cut into 2.5cm (1 inch) pieces 4 cherry tomatoes, sliced 2 tbsp fresh lime juice 2 tbsp Thai fish sauce (or 2 tsp salt) ½ medium green papaya, peeled and shredded 1 carrot, shredded 2 tbsp dried shrimp (leave out for a vegetarian alternative) Method: 1. In a small, dry frying pan, toast the peanuts over a medium heat until golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside. (There’s also a ready-toasted alternative you can find in the supermarkets). 2. Coarsely pound the chillies and garlic together using a pestle and mortar. Add the palm sugar, beans and tomatoes. Lightly pound to combine, then squeeze in the lime juice and fish sauce. 3. Lightly pound again, then add the green papaya and carrot. Pound again and toss to combine. The taste should be sweet and salty in perfect balance, with a sharp, sour and spicy tang. 4. Spoon the salad into a serving bowl and sprinkle over the dried shrimp and toasted peanuts. Pad kra prow taohu (tofu holy basil stir-fry) Pad kra prow is another national dish found on many a Thai street corner, and that includes the vegetarian version. In Thailand we use holy basil, the very pungent sister of Italian basil, which is a key ingredient in Thai cooking. You’ll notice the sudden bursts of aroma from the wok as soon as you start tossing the ingredients together over a high heat – it’s a smell that wakes up my senses every time. Serves: 2 Ingredients: 3 red bird’s eye chillies 3 garlic cloves 2 tbsp vegetable oil 150g (5½oz) firm tofu, cut into chunks 1 tbsp light soy sauce ½ tbsp dark soy sauce ½ tbsp sugar Pinch of white pepper ½ onion, chopped ¼ red pepper, sliced ¼ yellow pepper, sliced 30g (1oz) yard-long beans or green beans, cut into 2cm (¾ inch) pieces Handful of holy basil leaves 2 kaffir lime leaves, chopped Steamed jasmine rice, to serve Method: 1. Using either a pestle and mortar, grind the chillies and garlic to a paste. 2. Heat the oil in a wok set over a high heat. Add the chilli and garlic mixture and stir-fry for about 30 seconds, until nice and golden brown. 3. Now add the tofu chunks, both soy sauces, the palm sugar and white pepper and cook, tossing everything around in the pan, for about 1 minute, until the tofu is well coated and has taken on a little colour from the sauces. 4. Once everything is mixed well, add the onion, peppers and long beans and cook for a further 30 seconds, all the while tossing the mixture together. Throw in the basil and lime leaves and stir-fry for a further 30 seconds. Serve immediately with jasmine rice. Grilled whole sea bass At home in Petchabun, in the north of Thailand, we would cook this dish with whatever freshwater fish we caught that day. It’s always been one of my favourite go-to barbecue recipes because it’s super quick and easy to put together! This dish has always been on our menu from day one but I’ve tweaked it slightly from what we serve at Lao Café to make sure everyone can easily make this at home. It’s great just by itself with the spicy dipping sauce, or add sticky rice or rice noodles, and leafy green salads on the side to make it a complete meal. Serves: 2-3 Ingredients: 1 whole sea bass, scaled and gutted (or other sustainably caught medium-size white fish like sea bream or tilapia) 1 stalk of lemongrass, sliced 4-5 stalks of coriander (save the leaves for dipping sauce) 1 galangal, sliced (available from Asian supermarkets, leave out if you can’t find it) 2 cloves of garlic, whole A handful of Thai or Italian basil leaves For the marinade: 2 tbsp oyster sauce 1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tsp black pepper, crushed For the dipping sauce: 2-3 bird eyes chillies, finely chopped 1 small clove of garlic, finely chopped 1 tbsp fish sauce 2 tbsp lime juice 1 tsp palm sugar (or brown sugar) A handful of coriander leaves, roughly chopped Method: Rub the marinade mixture liberally on both sides of the fish skin. Stuff the lemongrass, coriander stalks, galangal, garlic, and basil inside the fish. Wrap the fish in foil and place on the barbeque for 15-20 minutes depending on the size, until the flesh flakes easily. While the fish is cooking, make the dipping sauce by combining the ingredients together. Make sure that the sugar is dissolved completely. Serve the fish from the foil, set a bowl of sticky rice or rice noodles and salads on the side, and dig in! Read More Move over Nando’s – how chicken restaurants became cool Long live British scran: Three classic dishes for autumn Four delicious ways to use up leftover pumpkin this Halloween The best foods to forage in November and how to cook them Why ‘chain’ restaurant shouldn’t be a dirty word Starbucks customer reveals comical result of her request for half sandwich