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One of Vladimir Putin's commanders used two military helicopters to transport his pet cat during the war in Ukraine, a defected Russian pilot has claimed. The cat was airlifted in the military-grade helicopter for around one hour, while another flew alongside it to provide cover during the 114-mile journey, according to former Russian airman Maksim Kuzminov. Mr Kuzminov spoke out in an interview with The New Voice of Ukraine after choosing to leave Russia’s armed forces. Asked for examples of any illogical uses of aviation during the war in Ukraine, Mr Kuzminov said: “Our commander needed to transport a cat, which had some impressive pedigree. To do this, two Mi-8 and Mi-24 [helicopter] crews were assigned. “So, two helicopters transported this wonderful animal, so to speak, from Rostov to Yeysk [air base] — the Mi-8 was flying the cat in, while the Mi-24 was circling to provide cover. “We burned a lot of fuel, resources. Furthermore, the crews aren’t always allowed to rest.” The former pilot said six military personnel were on board for the mission despite Russia experiencing a lack of pilots. Mr Kuzminov, 28, has reportedly been paid £398,000 for defecting and is now urging his former Russian colleagues to follow suit. “The truth is, there are no Nazis or fascists,” he told the Ukrainian news outlet, to counter the message Mr Putin has used to justify the “special military operation” launched in February last year. He said he got in touch with representatives of the Ukrainian military intelligence about the possibility of changing sides and he was offered safety as well as the financial reward. Mr Kuzminov landed his Russian Mi-8 helicopter in Ukraine’s Poltava Oblast on August 23 - giving the chopper to his new bosses as well as spare parts for the aircraft. “It’s a real disgrace what is happening here,” he said of the war. “Murder, tears, blood. “People are simply killing each other. That’s all I can make of this and I don’t want to be a part of it. What is going on now is simply the genocide of the Ukrainian people. Both Ukrainian and Russian.” Read More Russia-Ukraine war – live: 16 killed in missile strike on market town during ‘evil’ attack Ukraine destroys ‘Russian-occupied warehouse’ in drone strike CCTV captures Russian shell landing on Ukrainian market killing at least 16 The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary

Members of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee say Russian President Vladimir Putin is committing genocide in Ukraine

A federal judge ruled that the jury hearing E. Jean Carroll's defamation lawsuit will only need to decide how much money Donald Trump will have to pay her, after the judge found the former president was liable for making defamatory statements.

An announcement is likely soon on the UK becoming a fully-fledged member of the multi-billion euro programme.

Josh Groban, John Mellencamp, Tracy Morgan and the ever-present Jon Stewart will stand up at this year’s Stand Up for Heroes fundraiser

A Pennsylvania man has opened up about the terrifying moment an escaped murder convict Danelo Cavalcante apparently broke into his home while his family was sleeping. The manhunt for Cavalcante entered its seventh day on Wednesday, with at least five confirmed sightings of the fugitive since he escaped from Chester County Prison on 31 August. Law enforcement initially set up a two-mile perimeter around a wooded area where Cavalcante was believed to be hiding, but the search was expanded after Cavalcante was caught on trail camera sneaking past the perimeter on Monday. Schools in the district have been closed, and authorities have urged residents to remain aware of their surroundings and secure their homes from the killer. West Chester resident Ryan Drummond claimed in an interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer that one of Cavalcante’s confirmed sightings occurred at his home. Mr Drummond said that he woke up to noises downstairs on 1 September and realised that there was an intruder. “I decided not to confront him and thought it was a better move to flick the light switch,” Mr Drummond, whose wife and children were also in the home, told the Inquirer. “And he flicked it back at me, which was terrifying, so I told my wife to call 911.” Mr Drummond said that Cavalcante entered the home through an old French door that couldn’t lock properly. He said his nine-year-old daughter had raised fears about Cavalcante being able to gain access to the home through the door, but he tried to reassure her that the murder convict was likely far away. “The last few days have been surreal. It’s tough,” Mr Drummond said. “We’re all jumpy, and I could see this has taken a psychological toll on my kids. If they’re in the room by themselves, they’re calling for us.” Fortunately, Cavalcante left the Drummonds’ home after reportedly taking a backpack, a baseball cap and some fruit from the kitchen. When asked during a press conference about the incident, state police confirmed that Mr Drummonds’ home was within the perimeter of the search but declined to elaborate on the break-in. Chester County residents have been asked to “remain indoors at this time, lock your vehicles and review your surveillance cameras and contact police if you observe anything suspicious,” DA Deb Ryan said. The most recent sighting came Monday night at Longwood Gardens, where trail surveillance video captured him walking through the area with a duffel bag, backpack and hooded sweatshirt he apparently stole while on the run. That sighting led officials to move the search area farther south after they determined that Cavalcante had likely slipped through the original perimeter set by hundreds of local, state and federal law enforcement officers. Officials said his movements show he’s feeling the pressure of the massive search and that his options are dwindling. “I intend to stress him. I want to push him hard. He’ll make mistakes,” Pennsylvania State Police Lt Col George Bevins said at a press conference. “He’ll show himself. He’s already shown himself, we believe, a few times.” Law enforcement teams, including the US Marshals, SWAT, local, state, and other federal agencies, have joined the search to find Cavalcante Authorities are also offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to his arrest. On 22 August, Cavalcante was sentenced to life without parole for stabbing his 33-year-old ex-girlfriend Deborah Brandão to death. Cavalcante attacked Brandão in Schuylkill Township, back in August 2021, in front of her two children, who were just seven and three years old. He is also wanted for a 2017 murder in Brazil. Read More Danelo Cavalcante killed his girlfriend in front of her children. Now he’s on the run after a prison break Pennsylvania police hone in on heavily wooded area during ongoing manhunt for dangerous fugitive Danelo Cavalcante Authorities try to flush out escaped murderer in suburban Philadelphia manhunt

Authorities in southern Brazil say at least 27 people have died after a fierce storm caused floods in several cities in the region

Four months after a jury found Donald Trump sexually abused and defamed advice columnist E

By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) -A federal judge on Wednesday said the writer E. Jean Carroll's second trial against

BRONX, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 6, 2023--

A grandmother who contracted sepsis which made her hallucinate, have “blotchy skin” and turn the “colour of stone” later found out that her four-year-old grandson had the condition and Strep A at the same time as her, with the pair being “lucky to be alive”. Lorna Conaghan, 63, a retired business control analyst from Gourock, Scotland, and her grandson, Alfie Crawford, four, had sepsis at the same time, and Lorna “just couldn’t believe it”. In September 2022, Lorna was due to have a shoulder replacement, but on the morning of the surgery, she “did not feel right” and felt “on edge and weak” – but put it down to nerves. Little did she know this was her first warning sign of sepsis. After informing the doctors, they soon realised that one of her organs was infected and she was admitted to the hospital’s high dependency unit. The following day, Lorna was diagnosed with sepsis as her skin began to look mottled, and doctors told her that she “would have been dead” if it was caught any later. After having antibiotics and a few more hospital visits, Lorna began to recover, but it has taken her 11 months to “go back to normal” and have regulated blood pressure. When Lorna was in hospital, her grandson Alfie, who was three at the time, had chicken pox and a cold, which developed into sepsis and Strep A. Lorna thinks that because Alfie’s mum knew about her symptoms of sepsis, it helped her realise something was wrong. Alfie’s lungs were “full of pus”, so he was put on a ventilator and was in an induced coma for over a week. He also had to “learn to walk again”, and slowly has been able to make a full recovery – with Lorna saying the family are “so lucky to still have him”. Lorna told PA Real Life: “Alfie got sick when I was in hospital, and when I found out I just couldn’t believe it. “I think me having sepsis made Alfie’s mum realise that he had more than just a cold and chicken pox. “We’re both so lucky to still be here and that Alfie is back to running around and having balls of energy.” On July 4 2022, Lorna broke her arm after slipping on her dog’s tennis ball and ended up needing a shoulder replacement. On the day of the surgery, September 30 2022, at Inverclyde Royal Hospital, Greenock, she began to “not feel right” but put it down to nerves. She said: “I told the doctors and they tested me for Covid, but I was negative, and after a few more tests they thought one of my organs might be infected. “They thought it was my heart to begin with, but they couldn’t figure out what organ it was. “The biochemist worked out which antibiotic would best kill the infection, so I was put on that straight away.” Lorna stayed in the hospital for nine days, with seven of them being on the high dependency unit. She said: “They thought it was my kidneys, so they were trying to get them functioning again. “With hindsight, it was terrifying, but I didn’t realise how serious it was at the time. “I was a strange colour, the colour of stone, and I was all blotchy. “Doctors said if they caught it much later, or if I wasn’t in hospital, I would have been dead.” Four weeks later, Lorna was admitted to the high dependency unit again after her GP noticed she had extremely low blood pressure and low heart rate. She said: “I was so confused – when family members would visit me, I’d ask them to leave because I was hallucinating and didn’t want them to see me like that. “I thought there was a castle outside the hospital – I thought I was seeing it outside my window, and I remember thinking that we’ll have to go there once I’m out of hospital.” Since then, it has taken Lorna 11 months to get “back to normal” and her blood pressure regulated. She said: “I’m still having problems with my liver, but now I’m just tired. It’s really taken it out of me. I can only take the dog so far, I’m just so tired all the time.” While Lorna was in hospital, Alfie’s mum informed her that he was feeling unwell. Stephanie did not want to worry Lorna when she was already sick, but it turned out that Alfie, who was three at the time, had also contracted sepsis. Lorna said: “He came home from nursery with chicken pox, and also had a bit of a cold. “Then it just got worse – he was having terrible pains in his back, and I think Stephanie had just listened to what I had said about my symptoms, and it made her realise subconsciously that he might be more unwell than he is coming across. “They called the paramedics, and that night he got a lot worse – when they arrived at A&E, she took him up to the desk and said, ‘We’re going to have a dead child if we don’t do something’.” Within half an hour, Alfie was admitted to intensive care at Glasgow Children’s Hospital and doctors soon realised his lungs were “full of pus” and that he had sepsis, which had turned into Strep A. So, Alfie was put on a ventilator and was in an induced coma for over a week. “Doctors made it clear to Alfie’s family that it was indeed life-threatening and that he was very lucky to be alive Lorna Conaghan Lorna said: “He had to learn to walk again – he was so weak after he woke up. “Doctors made it clear to Alfie’s family that it was indeed life-threatening and that he was very lucky to be alive. “His legs were so weak – he hadn’t eaten much while being poorly.” After having antibiotics and being in the induced coma, Alfie is now “running around”. Lorna said: “With me, I’ve had a good life, but it was so unfair to think that little Alfie could have died – he hasn’t had a life yet. “We’re just so lucky to still have him with us. “This whole experience has made me appreciate everything – when I take the dog for a walk I have a sit down on the bench and take in all the lovely scenery. “I have treated every day since Alfie and I got better as a bonus day in my life.” Read More Amy Dowden reveals ‘life-threatening’ sepsis diagnosis amid cancer treatment BBC Radio 2’s Tony Blackburn reveals he had sepsis and pneumonia in health update Martha Mills: Parents of girl who died after NHS mistakes call for new right to get second opinion Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Russian drones have been hitting Ukrainian port facilities on the border with Nato member Romania.