Ukrainian forces have claimed their first successes in a long-anticipated counteroffensive, as they recaptured three villages from Russian forces in the southeast of the country on Sunday. If confirmed it would mean the first week of its pushback against Moscow ended in tangible territorial gains for Ukraine. Unverified footage showed Kyiv’s forces hoisting the Ukrainian flag at a building in the village of Blahodatne in Donetsk region and posing with their unit’s flag in the adjacent village of Neskuchne. The troops also reportedly retook Makarivka, the next village to the south, and advanced between 300m and 1,500m in two directions on the southern front, deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar said in a statement. Success has also been seen in the Bakhmut direction, the minister said. Volodymyr Zelensky praised Ukrainian troops last night and said: “Of course, I am thankful to our soldiers for this day”. The long-expected counteroffensive was indirectly confirmed by Vladimir Putin on Friday, who said that a Ukrainian military push was underway, but had failed to breach Russian defensive lines and taken heavy casualties. Read More Ukraine claims first successes of counteroffensive as it recaptures three villages Ukraine's dam collapse is both a fast-moving disaster and a slow-moving ecological catastrophe Musician Travis Leake spoke up about freedom of speech in Russia with Anthony Bourdain in 2014. Now he’s been detained

By Katie Paul NEW YORK Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday revealed the company's next generation mixed

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Donald Trump attacked Mike Pence as “delusional” days after the former vice president was revealed to play a central role in the latest federal indictment against him. Mr Trump appeared to be trying to do damage control on Truth Social after he was charged with four federal charges related to his alleged conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election and the subsequent attack on the Capitol. After attacking Special Counsel Jack Smith and the Department of Justice, Mr Trump turned his attention to his former vice president and current 2024 White House opponent. “Liddle’ Mike Pence, a man who was about to be ousted as Governor Indiana until I came along and made him V.P., has gone to the Dark Side,” Mr Trump wrote on Saturday. The statement appeared to be in reference to Mr Pence’s more recent outspoken condemnation of Mr Trump’s behaviour leading up to the 6 January riot. “I never told a newly emboldened (not based on his 2% poll numbers!) Pence to put me above the Constitution or that Mike was ‘too honest.’ He’s delusional, and now he wants to show he’s a tough guy,” Mr Trump added. The ex-vice president and 2024 candidate has begun selling merchandise that says “Too honest” – something Mr Trump allegedly told Mr Pence after he refused to engage in a scheme to unlawfully decertify election results. Then in a statement released after Mr Trump’s third criminal indictment, Mr Pence said: “Today’s indictment serves as an important reminder: anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be President of the United States.” While giving a speech in New Hampshire this past week, Mr Pence also responded to a group of Trump supporters who questioned his loyalty to the United States for refusing to unlawfully decertify election results. The ex-president has maintained that he upheld his duty to the Constitution on 6 January. Seemingly, Mr Pence is capitalising on Mr Trump’s bad press to make himself appear as the more stable conservative candidate for president. As Mr Pence tries to appeal to GOP voters, Mr Trump is attempting to discredit the indictment and Mr Pence’s character. In his Truth Social post, Mr Trump continued: “I once read a major magazine article on Mike. It said he was not a very good person. I was surprised, but the article was right. Sad!” Mr Pence and Mr Trump worked closely together for the four years they were in office. Mr Trump’s latest attack comes after prosecutors in the Department of Justice (DoJ) appealed to Judge Tanya Chutkan to issue a protective order preventing Mr Trump and his attorneys from sharing information about the case. The proposed order directly mentioned Mr Trump’s love of ranting and attacking others on social media as a cause for concern that he could release sensitive information. At his arraignment on Thursday, Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya reminded Mr Trump: “It is a crime to intimidate or retaliate against anyone for providing information about your case to the prosecution or otherwise obstruct justice.” When asked if he understand the warning, Mr Trump nodded affirmatively. Read More Trump attacks indictment, ‘deranged’ Jack Smith and long showers in South Carolina speech - latest news Mike Pence heckled by Trump supporters at town hall after rolling out mocking merch DoJ requests protective order after Trump threatens revenge in Truth Social post DoJ requests protective order after Trump threatens revenge in Truth Social post

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The White House said on Monday it wasn’t behind a Defense Department decision to cancel drag events at US military bases. Late last week, DoD announced that drag events, which have been performed at US military installations for decades, wouldn’t continue because they aren’t a “suitable use” of military resources. The Pentagon said in a statement that “certain criteria must be met for persons or organizations acting in nonfederal capacity.” Biden administration press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Monday at a press conference that the White House supports LGBTQ+ members of the military. “The Biden-Harris administration will celebrate LGBTQI plus service members’ contributions with pride across federal agencies, including at the Department of Defense,” she said. The Pentagon decision has already led to the cancellation of at least one planned drag show, a family-friendly event at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada featuring performer Coco Montrese, a former contestant on RuPaul’s Drag Race. The base has hosted drag events in 2021 and 2022, planned by the facility’s Pride committee. General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Monday on CNN canceling the events was the “absolute right thing to do” and said drag events “were never part of DOD policy to begin with and they’re certainly not funded by federal funds.” Capitol Hill Republicans questioned Mr Milley and other military leaders in March at a House Armed Services Committee hearing in March, and have since raised inquiries about potential funds going to such events. US military members have performed in drag at bases since at least World War I, including during the famed USO shows of WWII, according to the New York Times “Ensuring our ranks reflect the diversity of the American people is essential to morale and cohesion,” the Modern Military Association of America, a nonprofit representing LGBTQ+ servicemembers, told the paper. “It affects recruiting and retention of service members who do not feel welcome due to their sexual and gender identities.” Across the country, Republican-led legislatures have passed laws targeting drag shows, and drag events have been the subject of armed threats, part of a wider wave of GOP attacks on LGBTQ+ people. Read More David Furnish hits out at Ron DeSantis for ‘diabolically anti-Christian’ policies against LGBTQ+ people The Independent Pride List 2023: The LGBT+ people making change happen Tennessee drag ban is struck down by federal judge: ‘Unconstitutionally vague and substantially overbroad’

President Joe Biden and first lady Dr. Jill Biden will travel to Hawaii on Monday, the White House announced, as search, rescue and recovery efforts continue following the devastating wildfires there.

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By Humeyra Pamuk RIYADH (Reuters) -U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meeting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in