King's French language skills to boost state visit
King Charles will be on a charm offensive on this month's rearranged state visit to France.
2023-09-06 19:23
British Museum: Chinese TikTok hit amplifies calls for return of artefacts
The popular Chinese TikTok series amplifies nationalist calls for the return of the country's treasures.
2023-09-06 16:23
Bank of Russia to Meet Currency Demand as Eurobond Comes Due
Russia’s central bank will offload 150 billion rubles ($1.5 billion) of foreign exchange in the domestic market this
2023-09-06 15:49
Germany Factory Orders Slumped 11.7% at Start of Third Quarter
German factory orders plummeted in July, a sign that the woes of Europe’s biggest economy continued into the
2023-09-06 14:58
Child dies after entering water at Irish beach
Irish police say a young girl has died after she entered the water at a beach in County Cork.
2023-09-06 05:28
Irish police chief in Dubai to discuss criminal gangs
Gardaí say Commissioner Drew Harris is to attend a series of meetings as part of an ongoing operation.
2023-09-06 01:59
Police detect 865 drivers speeding on 'Slow Down Day'
Irish police say they observed 865 drivers speeding over the course of 24-hours.
2023-09-06 00:19
Tourists horrified after human leg washes up on popular Spanish beach
Tourists were left horrified after a human leg was found washed up on a popular Spanish beach. A human leg and part of a hip were discovered by a passerby walking along the seashore in the east coast resort of Gandia. The woman spotted an object in the sand and dug it out with a stick before calling emergency services, Spanish newspaper informacion.es reported. A full investigation is now underway to identify the victim and their cause of death. Police believe the remains may have come from someone on board a ship that was transporting people from North Africa to Europe, according to Las Provincias. It is not known exactly where the ship was headed to, but police believe it may have been travelling to Spain or Italy. Las Provincias also reported an autopsy has been carried out, that confirmed the remains had been in the water for three weeks, citing a document from the Forensic Anatomical Institute of Valencia. Police believe the leg and hip, which were in an advanced state of decomposition, were detached from the body due to the impact of the sea. “As everything indicates that the leg was detached from the body due to the strong waves, given that it is entire from hip to ankle, it is likely that there are other remains of the body in the sea,” a source from the investigation said, Las Provincias reported. The area where the remains were found has now been sealed off. A search is also being carried out to find the rest of the corpse. Read More Shark attacks swimmer in shallows of popular Spanish holiday beach Fifteen people a day attacked by fish in Benidorm as people with moles warned Fisherman airlifted to hospital after shark bite off coast of Portugal
2023-09-05 23:47
Drone warfare map reveals how Ukraine is striking Russia hundreds of miles from the frontline
As drone strikes continue to rain down on Russian soil, Vladimir Putin’s bloody war has reached his own doorstep. The strikes are now daily and on Tuesday the Russian defence ministry said its air defence systems destroyed two drones over the Kaluga and Tver regions, which border the Moscow region, as well as one closer to the capital, over the Istra district. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that the drones “were trying to carry out an attack on Moscow“ and that a consumer services facility was damaged in the Istra district, which is located some 65 km (40 miles) northwest of the Kremlin. Attacks on Russia have increased sharply, with the largest such strikes hitting six regions on one night last week. That assault included two Russian military transport planes being destroyed – and two more damaged – at an airbase in the city of Pskov. Ukraine’s military intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, said that the drones were launched from inside Russia. However, in speaking to the War Zone website, Mr Budanov did not say whether the attack – about 400 miles (700km) from the Ukraine border – was carried out by Ukrainian or Russian operatives. “We are working from the territory of Russia,” he said. Officials confirmed attacks on six targets in the Pskov, Bryansk, Kaluga, Orlov, Ryazan and Moscow regions. Meanwhile, Moscow has continued to carry out drone attacks on Ukrainian targets including port infrastructure. On Monday, 32 Russian kamikaze drones struck the Ukrainian port city of Odesa, damaging civilian and industrial buildings. The assault on the military airfield in Pskov that damaged aircraft has been deemed the most significant attack, situated more than 600km (400 miles) from Ukraine, it was where a number of elite paratroopers are stationed. The state-run Tass news agency reported at least four giant Il-76 transport planes were damaged in the four-hour wave of drones, two of which had “burst into flames”. Moscow retaliated on Wednesday by launching a “massive combined attack” on the Ukrainian capital using drones and missiles, that killed two people and injured another. Kyiv officials normally neither claim nor deny responsibility for attacks on Russian soil, though they sometimes refer obliquely to them. The apparent Ukrainian drones reaching deep into Russia and cross-border sabotage missions are part of Kyiv’s efforts to heap domestic pressure on the Kremlin, militarily and politically. Meantime, a Ukrainian counteroffensive launched in June is chipping away at some parts of the front line, Kyiv officials claim. Read More The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary Ukraine war – live: Putin accused of trafficking Cubans to fight for Russia in his invasion The three reasons Putin will be terrified of Ukraine’s counteroffensive win Kim Jong-un to hold weapons talks with Putin after ‘travelling to Russia in armoured train’
2023-09-05 22:29
The maker of Wegovy and Ozempic is now Europe's most valuable company
Novo Nordisk has dethroned Bernard Arnault's luxury goods giant LVMH as Europe's most valuable company.
2023-09-05 19:46
Europe’s Real Rates Fuel Speculation Over Faster ECB Bond Runoff
Speculation is mounting the European Central Bank will shrink its bond portfolio at a quicker pace to ensure
2023-09-05 14:51
The three reasons Putin will be terrified of Ukraine’s counteroffensive win
Ukraine’s counter-offensive breakthrough will come as a “shock” to Russian President Vladimir Putin, an expert has said. Mark Galeotti, professor of Slavonic studies at UCL, said Russians had become “complacent” and believed their defence to be more effective than Kyiv’s progress would suggest. It comes after Ukrainian generals claimed troops had breached Russia’s first line near Zaporizhzhia and were gathering momentum in an offensive many observers claimed had failed. Professor Galeotti explained there were three aspects to Ukraine’s counteroffensive gains that would particularly concern the Russian leadership. “One is on the battlefield,” he told The Independent. “It demonstrates their slow, methodical bite and hold strategy is in fact working and has the chance to hammer the second line of Russian defences.” “The second is political,” he continued. “It is also a response to critics in the West who suggested it is time for Ukraine to negotiate because it wasn’t going to make any move. “And thirdly, in terms of the Russians. I think they had started to get a little bit complacent as autumnal rains got closer. I think they thought they had pulled the defence off. “It will come as a shock, but we have seen on the whole the Russians are quite effective in the defence. So I think they’ll be doing what they can to shore up that second line.” Brig Gen Oleksandr Tarnavisky, who leads Ukraine’s southern offensive, claimed Russian troops had devoted 60 per cent of their time to its first defence, and only 20 per cent each into its second and third. He claimed Russia would soon run out of its “best” soldiers, giving Ukraine an advantage to attack “more and faster”. However, Chatham House consulting fellow Keir Giles, who researches Russian security, said there was no sign of “imminent collapse” among Russian forces despite Kyiv’s latest breakthrough. He told The Independent: “There are optimistic noises from Ukraine about whether the offensive might progress a little faster now because they have broken through the first and strongest Russian defensive line. “But that of course does not mean that things are going to collapse imminently on the Russian side, as some have suggested. “The resilience of Russia and its forces remains imponderable. There is no sign of imminent collapse of the Russian economy or society.” Mr Giles added there were signs Russia feels it is in a position to “drag the conflict out” and wait for the Western coalition to collapse. Ukrainian deputy defence minister Hanna Maliar said their forces had retaken about 1.16 square miles of land in the past week around the eastern city of Bakhmut, which was captured by Russian troops in May after months of heavy fighting. Moscow has continued to carry out drone attacks on Ukrainian targets including port infrastructure. Last night, 32 Russian kamikaze drones struck the Ukrainian port city of Odesa, damaging civilian and industrial buildings. At least 23 of the Iranian-made Shahed drones were shot down by the Ukrainian military, the country’s Air Force said. Soon after, Ukraine’s defence spokesman claimed some of the drones exploded on Romanian territory. Romania’s Ministry of Defence said it “firmly” denied the claim but reiterated its support for Ukraine and said Russian attacks on the country break “all international humanitarian rules”. General Tarnavisky told the Guardian: “When we started the counter-offensive we spent more time than we expected on de-mining the territories. “Unfortunately, the evacuation of the wounded was difficult for us. And this also complicated our advance. “In my opinion, the Russians believed the Ukrainians would not get through this line of defence. They had been preparing for over one year. They did everything to make sure that this area was prepared well.” On Sunday, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had decided to dismiss Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov from his post and would ask parliament this week to replace him with Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine‘s main privatisation fund. The announcement, made in his nightly video address to the nation, sets the stage for the biggest shakeup of Ukraine‘s defence establishment during the war launched by Russia in February 2022. Read More Ukraine-Russia war – live: Putin’s forces pushed back in the south as Moscow launches kamikaze drone attack Zelensky needed to sack his defence minister – but it goes beyond just corruption scandals Ukraine's defense minister resigns following Zelenskyy's announcement of his replacement The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary
2023-09-05 14:50