Marcus Ryder has voiced his criticism of Disney's remake of 'The Little Mermaid' for its failure to address the horrors of slavery in the Caribbean

Russia’s air defence units have shot down two Ukrainian drones flying over Belgorod and Oryol oblasts as Kyiv increases the pace of its counteroffensive against Moscow’s invasion. The drone attacks come as Ukraine overtook two key villages recently and has stepped up counter attacks on Russia. Drone and missile attacks deep inside Russia and on Russia-controlled territory have shot up drastically in recent months, with the Russian defence ministry blaming the “Kyiv regime” for what it calls “terrorist attacks”. While Ukraine has seldom responded to accusations of attacks, it has expressed satisfaction at the destruction of Russian military infrastructure and critical military sites. The drones were shot down at 10.30pm and 11.45pm local time on Tuesday night, the Russian defence ministry said in two separate posts on its Telegram channel on Wednesday. No immediate damage or casualties in the overnight attacks has been reported by the officials of both regions. It said “an attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack by an aircraft-type UAV on objects on the territory of the Russian Federation was stopped”. Kyiv has maintained that destroying Russian military infrastructure far away from the war’s frontlines targets Moscow’s war efforts while aiding Kyiv’s own efforts to reclaim land Russia has occupied. Belgorod, roughly 40km away from the Ukrainian border, has witnessed a wave of attacks in the last two months, with the most seen this month. In return, Russia has continued its campaign of air strikes and shelling across Ukraine. The regional governor of Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkov, confirmed attacks every day on the territory, stating either unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) dropping ammunition payloads in the region or being shot down by Russia’s active air defences heavily concentrated in the bordering city. A day earlier, Russia claimed its air defences shot down two unspecified aerial targets over Belgorod. The governor said initial reports indicated some damage to power lines but no casualties. Last month, three people were killed in a drone attack in Belgorod after another drone had targeted central Moscow. Read More Zelensky urges Trump to ‘not waste time’ and share proposal on ending Russian invasion of Ukraine Ukraine-Russia war – live: Putin ‘weaponising’ food as troops target cargo ship in Black Sea Ukraine ‘has one month to hold knife to Crimea’s throat’ and force Putin into peace talks Zelensky says ‘Russian society has raised a second Hitler’ in attack on Putin

The past few months certainly haven't shied away from plane drama. From Tiffany Gomas' 'not real' rant finally being cleared up, to the 'Instagram famous' woman boasting about her so-called celebrity status, it feels like 2023 has been the year of the in-air tantrums. But now, attention has been turned to a much milder confrontation that put one man in a very uncomfortable position. When the unnamed passenger (let's call him Joe for ease) booked a 12-hour long-haul flight from New Zealand to Los Angeles, he paid an additional cost for extra legroom due to his height. Joe noted that his name was explicitly displayed above his reserved seat where he found an elderly couple sitting. He politely addressed the misunderstanding, showed them his ticket and explained that he paid extra, to which they suggested he sat in their seats 10 rows back. They went on to tell him that "[the leg room's] not that bad" back there. That's when a flight attendant intervened as Joe was holding up the line. When the situation was explained, the staff member told the couple they had not paid for those seats and had to move. In response, they asked to be upgraded – but it was a full flight. "I got some stink eyes from other people on the flight," Joe wrote on the popular Reddit thread, adding: "I paid for the extra leg room and I need it." It didn't take long for fellow Redditors to chime in with their opinions, with one user calling the couple "ridiculous." "Lol people giving you dirty looks like you harassed this older couple for your health," one person wrote. Another added: "Honestly it wouldn’t matter if you were 4’0 - they were your seats." A third person said: "Seriously, what kind of person decides to take someone else's seat on a plane? I understand if there's an empty seat once you've taken off, but this kind of thing takes a special kind of entitlement." How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Sign up for 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.

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