Israel Latest: Biden Sees Israel-Saudi Thaw as Motive for Attack
President Joe Biden said Hamas attacked Israel in part to stymie its efforts to normalize relations with Saudi
2023-10-21 12:46
Italy signs deal to take in migrant workers from Tunisia
ROME Italy on Friday signed a deal to take in some 4,000 workers from Tunisia, in line with
2023-10-20 21:55
Man finally caught after faking heart attacks to avoid paying the bill in 20 different restaurants
A serial dine and dasher who faked having heart attacks to avoid paying the bill has finally been caught. Aidas J, 50, who is of Lithuanian nationality and lives in Alicante scammed 20 eateries in the area by refusing to pay the bill. He dramatically clutched his chest and fell to the floor as if he was having a heart attack, say several reports. Putting on a stellar performance, Aidas masqueraded as a Russian tourist and mixed together multiple languages. He would order multiple items on the menu before refusing to pay, revealed Spanish newspaper El País. The conman who dressed well in designer clothes always started with a Russian Salad, washed down with multiple glasses of whiskey, followed by a hearty main of entrecote or lobster, followed by more whisky for desert. The twentieth time Aidas tried his luck in a year caught the attention of the police, when the manager of Buen Comer restaurant Moisés Doménech noticed him trying to flee. Mr Doménech told the Sun when he attempted to spree, he fell to the floor. She told the newspaper: “It was very theatrical, he pretended to faint and slumped himself down on the floor.” The offender ordered two whiskeys and seafood paella at El Buen Corner, receiving a bill for 34.85 Euros. He even sought medical attention for his ‘heart problems’ and was even admitted to hospital, report El País. Aidas has only now been arrested after the last time he attempted to swerve the bill as he ignored court summons and fines, say the paper. The spokesperson for Alicante National Police told Insider: "He was arrested multiple times in the city of Alicante. The modus operandi was the same," she said. After a long string of offences, the conman has been jailed for 42 days but his crimes are considered minor as each bill was between £13 and £60. Read More Bedbugs spread to hotels and hostels in Europe after Paris outbreak No-shows at pubs, restaurants and bars double London’s best new restaurants: From Spanish-Welsh fusion at Mountain to British kitsch at 20 Berkeley Italy PM Meloni leaves partner after sexist comments AP Week in Pictures: Europe and Africa Russia-Ukraine war: Kyiv makes ‘breakthrough’ on Dnipro river - live
2023-10-20 21:45
L’Oreal Falls as China Sales Hit by Drop in Travel Retail
L’Oreal SA shares fell after the cosmetics maker reported weaker-than-expected sales growth, hurt by a challenging travel retail
2023-10-20 15:50
UK Borrowing on Track to Undershoot as Inflation Boosts Tax
An inflation-induced tax boom has left UK government borrowing on track to come in significantly below official forecasts
2023-10-20 15:49
UK Retail Sales Fall More Than Expected in Spell of Warm Weather
UK retail sales tumbled more than expected as unusually warm weather deterred shoppers from spending on clothes for
2023-10-20 14:51
Ukrainian troops fight off fresh attacks from Putin’s forces in eastern town of Avdiivka
Ukrainian forces are fighting off a new Russian military onslaught in the bombarded eastern city of Avdiivka where intense fighting has been concentrated this month, senior military officials said. "The enemy is not relenting in attempts to break through our defences and surround (Avdiivka)," Ukraine’s commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhnyi said in a video posted on Telegram in which he is seen conferring with officers in Avdiivka and Kupiansk. The Ukrainian Army said they have continued to make gains in the southern part of the war-hit nation. The region has been hit by massive Russian attacks as the fighting has been intensified in recent weeks. "The enemy is actively bringing in assault units and large amounts of armoured equipment and using aircraft and artillery,” the Ukrainian general said. Ukrainian forces have faced constant pressure on Avdiivka where Russia has regrouped and launched new assaults, Oleksandr Shtupun, spokesperson for the southern group of Ukrainian forces, said on Thursday. The city, about 20km (12 miles) west of Russian-held Donetsk saw a lull in the fighting in the last few days after witnessing heavy shelling and missile attacks last week. Russia said its forces destroyed a command point near Avdiivka and repelled 11 Ukrainian attacks near Kupiansk. Ukrainian general Zaluzhnyi said Ukrainian forces around Kupiansk were "maintaining their defence in the most difficult of conditions". A town next on radar for Russian forces to recapture, Avdiivka has seen months of attacks since Russia’s full-scale military assault in February last year. Known for its large coking plant, Avdiivka held out in 2014 against Russian-backed separatists who secured swathes of eastern Ukraine and it. Only 1,600 residents remain from a pre-war population of 32,000, officials said. Kupiansk was recaptured by Ukrainian troops late last year in a lightning advance through the country’s northeast, but Russian forces have stepped up attacks in a bid to retake it. In continued signs of progress, Ukrainian spokesperson Shutpun said the troops had made a degree of headway in the southern part of the frontline.The Ukrainian troops have advanced 400m (a quarter mile) to the southwest village of Verbove in Zaporizhzhia region. The troops fighting off Russian attacks in the southern part are looking to advance to the Sea of Azov and sever a land bridge linking Russian positions in the east and south. In another gain this week, Ukrainian forces have broken through the eastern bank of the Dnipro river in southern Kherson region – in an offensive that can rupture Russia’s military lines across the critical river. When Ukrainian troops retook parts of Kherson region last year, Russian forces abandoned its biggest city, also called Kherson. They now shell the city from the opposite bank. Read More Ukraine makes ‘breakthrough’ on Dnipro river - latest updates Biden calls to maintain ‘American leadership’ with aid package for Ukraine and Israel Trump attacks Biden’s ‘incompetence and weakness’ ahead of presidential address
2023-10-20 14:29
Ukraine-Russia war - live: Kyiv makes ‘breakthrough’ on Dnipro river
Ukrainian forces have advanced on the Dnipro River onto the opposite bank, crossing into Russian-occupied territory, Russian sources have claimed. A prominent Russian milblogger ‘Rybar’ claimed Ukrainian troops pushed through Russian defences as they landed on the east bank of the Dnipro river. He claimed they temporarily occupied the village of Poyma and positions on the northern outskirts of Pishchanivka on the afternoon of 17 October. According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the milblogger later claimed that Russian forces pushed Ukrainian forces back from these positions towards the Dnipro River. He also claimed that a Ukrainian sabotage group is still operating in Pishchanivka as of the afternoon of October 18, according to ISW. It comes as Ukrainian defence forces made first use of a US supplied long-range weapon by striking two Russian military airfields, successfully destroying nine helicopters and an ammunition base. Russia’s ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, described Washington’s decision to supply the ATACMS as “reckless” and “a grave mistake” that would not alter the war’s outcome. Read More Russian fighters ‘scrambled over Black Sea to prevent British warplanes approaching Russian airspace’ Biden calls to maintain ‘American leadership’ with aid package for Ukraine and Israel Ukraine's parliament advances bill seen as targeting Orthodox church with historic ties to Moscow Putin says Russia ‘will be able to repel’ Ukraine’s new weapons used to damage Kremlin’s air assets
2023-10-20 12:27
Israel Latest: US, Saudi Defense Chiefs Discuss Middle East
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman held talks by telephone to
2023-10-20 11:55
Russian fighters ‘scrambled over Black Sea to prevent British warplanes approaching Russian airspace’
Two Russian fighter jets were scrambled on Thursday to prevent three British warplanes from entering Russian airspace over the Black Sea, the Russian defence ministry has claimed. The Su-27 fighter jets were sent to intercept “three air targets” near the border, with Russia claiming to have identified them as a British RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft and two Typhoon fighter planes. “As the Russian fighters approached, the foreign military aircraft turned away from the state border of the Russian Federation,” the statement claimed. It was not clear how close the planes came to each other. The Black Sea has become an increasingly important theatre in the war between Russia and Ukraine, now nearing the end of its 20th month. President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday he had ordered Russian planes armed with Kinzhal hypersonic missiles to patrol over the Black Sea. Russia has previously reported a number of incidents in which its fighter jets were scrambled to intercept military planes from Norway, another NATO member, over the Barents Sea. In September last year, a Russian pilot fired two missiles towards an RAF surveillance plane after mistakenly believing he had permission to fire. Russia claimed it had been caused by a “technical malfunction” with the UK’s Ministry of Defence publicly accepting their explanation. After firing, the first missile missed the RAF plane while the second failed to launch successfully. If it had reached its target, it could potentially have drawn a Nato member into a military confrontation with Russia. The two Russian SU-27 fighter jets had encountered the RAF plane, which was carrying a crew of up to 30 people, as it was flying a surveillance mission over the Black Sea in international airspace on 29 September 2022. The Ministry of Defence has been approached for comment. Read More Ukraine-Russia war - live: Kyiv makes ‘breakthrough’ on Dnipro river as Moscow warns US of ‘grave’ mistake Ukraine has used long-range ATACMS missiles against Russia, Zelensky says Putin says Russia ‘will be able to repel’ Ukraine’s new weapons used to damage Kremlin’s air assets The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary
2023-10-20 00:50
Mahsa Amini awarded EU's Sakharov human rights prize
The 22-year-old died in custody after allegedly violating Iran's strict dress code, sparking mass protests.
2023-10-20 00:16
Irish police give evidence in Ashling Murphy murder trial
First responders to the scene tell a Dublin court there were no signs of life when they found her.
2023-10-19 23:17