WASHINGTON U.S. wholesale inventories were unchanged in May after declining for two straight months, suggesting inventory investment could

A Ukrainian attack drone blasted a Russian ammunition depot in central Crimea on Saturday, sparking a major explosion. Sergey Aksyonov, the Kremlin-appointed head of Crimea, said that there have been no immediate reports of casualties, but that authorities were evacuating civilians within a five-kilometre radius. The Ukrainian military seemed to confirm it had launched the drone strike, after it claimed that it had destroyed an oil depot and Russian arms warehouses in the Krasnohvardiiske region of Crimea, the Ukrainian territory that Moscow illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014. Local news channels posted videos showing plumes of smoke above settlements, as explosions rumble in the background. The drone attack comes just as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said that the country’s counteroffensive to push back Russian forces in occupied Ukraine is set to “gain pace.” The much-anticipated effort began later than Kyiv had expected due to a lack of sufficient ammunition supplies from allied countries. But Mr Zelensky said yesterday that the now weeks-old counteroffensive is about to shift in momentum, with Ukraine set to receive more weapons. He called on his allies to provide the war-torn country with more long-range missiles as well as advanced fighter jets, as he addressed international leaders at the Aspen Security Forum. US national security adviser Jake Sullivan told the audience in Colorado that the results of Ukraine’s military effort would only become clear once Kyiv had fully committed its forces. “It is at that moment when they make that commitment that we will really see what the results of the counter-offensive will be,” Mr Sullivan said. Already, recent days have seen Ukraine flexxing its munitions capabilities, as videos have revealed the first confirmed use of US cluster bombs by Ukraine The US had announced previously that it would send the cluster bombs to Ukraine as a part of an $800m package. More than 100 countries have banned the use of these bombs as some of the bomblets may not explode and turn instead into mines on the battlefield, remaining a threat for a long time to come. The governor of Russia’s Belgorod region said on Saturday that Ukraine fired cluster munitions at a village near the Ukrainian border on Friday, but that there were no casualties or damage. Also on Saturday, Ukrainian authorities reported that overnight attacks from Russia on 11 regions had killed at least eight civilians and wounded others. At least four people, including a married couple, were killed as Russian forces on Friday night shelled the settlement of Niu-York, said the regional prosecutor’s office in the eastern Donetsk region. On Saturday morning, Ukraine’s interior ministry said that two civilians died as Russian forces Friday struck Kostiantynivka, a city in the Donetsk region, from multiple rocket launchers. In a post on its official Telegram channel, the ministry said that another civilian was wounded in the same attack, which also destroyed 20 private homes, cars and a gas pipeline. Two more people were also killed near the northern city of Chernihiv, some 100 kilometers from the Russian border, as Russian cruise missiles destroyed the local cultural center and damaged apartment blocks, the regional military administration reported on Saturday morning. Three civilians were wounded as Russian troops overnight shelled a town neighboring the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, local Governer Serhiy Lysak reported. Read More The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary Russia-Ukraine war – live: Arrest of war blogger who branded Putin a coward ‘likely to spark fury in army’ Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s fuel margins have more than doubled since start of Ukraine war Russia comes under pressure at UN to avoid global food crisis and revive Ukrainian grain shipments Russian strikes kill at least 8 civilians as fierce fighting continues in Ukraine's south and east Zelensky sacks Ukraine’s ambassador to UK over Wallace weapons row

Billy Porter has sparked backlash after he called Anna Wintour a ‘b****’ over her decision to feature Harry Styles as the first-ever solo male cover star of Vogue. In a recent interview with The Telegraph, the Pose actor addressed criticism he initially received after hitting out at Styles for appearing on the cover of the fashion magazine wearing a Gucci dress. Porter - who’s known for championing gender-neutral fashion - explained how he would have better approached Wintour about “uplifting” those whose voices often go unheard in the fashion world. Speaking to the outlet, the 59-year-old actor explained that he participated in a Q&A with the Vogue editor-in-chief months before Styles’ cover was revealed in December 2019. “That b**** said to me at the end: ‘How can we do better?’ And I was so taken off guard that I didn’t say what I should have said,” Porter recalled. Looking back, the Cinderella star wished he had said: “Use your power as Vogue to uplift the voices of the leaders of this de-gendering of fashion movement.” However, Porter noted: “Six months later, Harry Styles is the first man on the cover.” “It’s not Harry Styles’ fault that he happens to be white and cute and straight and fit into the infrastructure that way... I call out the gatekeepers,” he continued, before suggesting that the former One Direction member was “on the cover” of Vogue because he’s “white and he’s straight”. “Non-binary blah blah blah blah. No. It doesn’t feel good to me. You’re using my community - or your people are using my community - to elevate you. You haven’t had to sacrifice anything,” Porter said. Despite the Tony award-winner’s efforts to promote inclusivity in fashion, his comments about Wintour sparked backlash online, as some fans deemed his remarks “misogynistic” towards the fashion editor. “Not him thinking he’s allowed to be misogynistic,” one person wrote on X, formally known as Twitter. “Calling a woman a b**** just because she didn’t do what you wanted will NEVER be okay.” “I’m not one to defend Anna or that cover, but using misogyny to make your case for de-gendering fashion is not smart,” another user tweeted. “I immediately tune out the second a man refers to a woman as a b****,” said someone else. “Your statement is now null”. Another person joked: “Oh he’s never getting invited to the Met Gala ever again.” Meanwhile, one user recalled how Porter recently admitted to selling his house as a result of the Hollywood strikes when they tweeted: “I would not be calling Anna Wintour a b**** if I was currently having to sell my house to be able to live but that’s just me.” In December 2019, Styles became Vogue’s first-ever solo male cover star when he posed on the cover of the magazine in a Gucci dress. Months later, Porter took issue with Vogue’s decision to feature Styles on the cover when he claimed that all the singer had to do to break barriers was “be white and straight”. “I was the first one doing it and now everybody is doing it,” the actor told The Sunday Times in October 2021. “I’m not dragging Harry Styles, but... He doesn’t care, he’s just doing it because it’s the thing to do. This is politics for me. This is my life. “I had to fight my entire life to get to the place where I could wear a dress to the Oscars,” Porter added. “All [Styles] has to do is be white and straight.” After facing criticism for his initial comments, Porter issued an apology to Styles live on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, telling the camera: “Harry Styles, I apologise to you for having your name in my mouth. “It’s not about you. The conversation is not about you.” The American Horror Story alum went on to explain that the conversation surrounding inclusivity in fashion is “deeper,” as it is actually about “the systems of oppression and erasure of people of colour who contribute to the culture”. After acknowledging that there is a lot to “unpack” regarding the topic, Porter noted that he is willing to do so as long as it is without the interference of “the cancel culture of the internet”. “I’m willing to unpack it, sans the dragging and cancel culture of the internet, because I do not now, nor will ever, adjudicate my life or humanity in sound bites on social media,” he said. “So when you’re ready to have the real conversation, call a b****. Okay? I’m ready to have it!” Porter, who previously told The Sunday Times that he “changed the whole game” when it came to breaking gendered fashion barriers, famously wore a tuxedo dress custom-made by designer Christian Siriano to the 2019 Oscars. As of now, Wintour has not publicly acknowledged Porter’s recent remarks. The Independent has contacted representatives for Billy Porter and Anna Wintour for comment. Read More Billy Porter hits out at Harry Styles and Anna Wintour over Vogue cover: ‘You’re using my community’ Billy Porter reveals he has to sell his house due to Hollywood strikes: ‘You’ve already starved me out’ Billy Porter and husband Adam Smith split after six years of marriage Billy Porter hits out at Harry Styles and Anna Wintour over Vogue cover Supermodels including Naomi Campbell recreate iconic Vogue cover from 1990 Will the gendered separation in clothing ever cease to exist?

Former President Donald Trump, who is facing charges in Washington, DC for allegedly conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 election, claimed on Sunday that he wouldn't receive a fair trial in the nation's Capital as he continues to rail against his latest indictment.

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A Marine suspected of involvement in the death of another Marine was taken into custody at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina, Wednesday night, the base said in a statement.

Jaydn Ott had a 100-yard kickoff return, Jeremiah Hunter had a pair of touchdown receptions and California became bowl eligible for the first time in four years with a 33-7 victory over UCLA in the final regular-season game under the current iteration of the Pac-12 Conference

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Scientists believe they have discovered the cause of the megalodon's extinction – and no, it’s not Jason Statham. Experts have been conducting research on fossils of teeth from the biggest species of shark the world has ever seen, which went extinct around 3.6 million years ago and measured at least 15 metres long. Research published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences explains that the animal was actually partially warm-blooded. Unlike most cold-blood sharks, the body temperature is thought to have been around 27 degrees. The temperature is higher than the sea temperatures around the time. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Study co author Robert Eagle, who is professor of marine science and geobiology at UCLA, said [via CNN]: “We found that O. megalodon had body temperatures significantly elevated compared to other sharks, consistent with it having a degree of internal heat production as modern warm-blooded (endothermic) animals do.” They were able to prove that the animals were warm-blooded by analysing how carbon-13 and oxygen-18 isotopes were closely bonded together in the fossilised teeth. Senior study author Kenshu Shimada is a paleobiologist at DePaul University in Chicago, who said: “A large body promotes efficiency in prey capture with wider spatial coverage, but it requires a lot of energy to maintain. “We know that Megalodon had gigantic cutting teeth used for feeding on marine mammals, such as cetaceans and pinnipeds, based on the fossil record. The new study is consistent with the idea that the evolution of warm-bloodedness was a gateway for the gigantism in Megalodon to keep up with the high metabolic demand.” The fact it was warm-blooded means that regulating body temperature could have been the cause of its eventual demise. The Earth was cooling when the animal went extinct, which could have been a critical factor. “The fact that Megalodon disappeared suggests the likely vulnerability of being warm-blooded because warm-bloodedness requires constant food intake to sustain high metabolism,” Shimada said. “Possibly, there was a shift in the marine ecosystem due to the climatic cooling,” causing the sea level to drop, altering the habitats of the populations of the types of food megalodon fed on such as marine mammals and leading to its extinction. “One of the big implications for this work is that it highlights the vulnerability of large apex predators, such the modern great white shark, to climate change given similarities in their biology with megalodon,” said lead study author Michael Griffiths, professor of environmental science, geochemist and paleoclimatologist at William Paterson University. 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.

Iga Swiatek’s U.S. Open title defense has ended with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 loss to Jelena Ostapenko in the fourth round

The Toy Story broadcast of the NFL London game in Andy's Room provoked fun responses to kick off NFL Sunday.