Billionaire Elon Musk reportedly restricted his Starlink internet access multiple times in Ukraine, which has affected Kyiv’s battlefield strategy. The world’s richest man denied the Ukrainian military’s request to turn on Starlink near Crimea, the Russian-controlled territory, during the ongoing war with Russia, the New York Times reported, citing people familiar with the situation. The Tesla CEO has been providing Starlink service to Ukraine since late February 2022, just days after Russian president Vladimir Putin launched his unprovoked invasion and a cyberattack took down the country’s internet. SpaceX’s Starlink makes up the majority of satellites orbiting Earth with more than 4,000 of them in the low-Earth orbit. Mr Musk’s unilateral hold over his satellite internet technology, which has been an essential part of Ukraine's communications since the war, has raised concerns among officials, according to the report. In February this year, SpaceX announced it had taken steps to prevent Ukraine's military from using the Starlink satellite internet service for controlling drones in the region. Following the announcement, Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said SpaceX needed to pick a side in the war against Russia. Ukrainian authorities worried about over-dependence on a single source technology held talks with other satellite internet providers. But they acknowledged none rival Starlink’s reach. “Starlink is indeed the blood of our entire communication infrastructure now,” Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s digital minister, told NYT. The technology, he said, enabled artillery teams, commanders and pilots to watch drone footage simultaneously while chatting online. According to soldiers, the response times from finding a target to hitting it have been cut to about a minute from nearly 20 minutes. “The huge number of lives that Starlink has helped save can be measured in the thousands,” Mr Fedorov added. “This is one of the fundamental components of our success." Mr Musk also asked the US last year to fund for their internet services to Ukraine because they could not continue the arrangement. The company estimated the cost at nearly $400m over 12 months, according to a SpaceX letter reported by CNN. About 1,300 Starlink terminals purchased through a British supplier stopped working last year after the Ukrainian government could not pay the $2,500 monthly fee for each, according to the report. Meanwhile, defence secretary Lloyd Austin in June approved a Pentagon deal to buy 400 to 500 new Starlink terminals and services, that would provide the Pentagon control of the setting where the internet signal worked inside Ukraine for new devices to carry out “key capabilities and certain missions”. The Independent has reached out to Space X for a comment. Read More Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites are leaking radiation that harms deep space astronomy, study warns 'X' logo installed atop Twitter building, spurring San Francisco to investigate permit violation Ukraine war – live: Putin’s aide says Russia ‘would be forced’ to go nuclear if Kyiv’s pushback is successful

A skyscraper in Moscow was the target of a drone attack for the second time in two days, as Volodymyr Zelensky warned Vladimir Putin the "war is returning" to Russia. Russia’s defence ministry claimed its anti-aircraft units downed drones headed for Moscow, but one of them ended up hitting the same high-rise building that was struck last Sunday. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that while the attack damaged the facade of the skyscraper’s 21st floor, it didn’t cause any injuries. Ukraine almost never publicly claims responsibility for attacks inside Russia or on Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine, but has increasingly highlighted how destroying Russia’s military infrastructure helps Kyiv’s counteroffensive. This comes as a 10-year-old girl and her mother were among at least six people killed after two Russian ballistic missiles struck an apartment complex and a university building in Zelensky’s hometown yesterday. At least 75 people were injured in the attack on Kyryvi Rih, as Zelensky called it an act of Russian “terror”. The head of Zelensky’s office, Andriy Yermak said the “Russian army is barraging Kherson” and targetting residential areas, adding that four people had been killed and 17 injured in the city. Read More Drones, military confusion and cracks in Putin’s authority: Ukraine’s push to sow discord in Russia’s ranks UK sanctions Moscow judges after British-Russian dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza’s appeal rejected The $3.9 billion UN humanitarian appeal for Ukraine is only 30% funded, UN aid official says Ukraine says Russian missiles hit another apartment building and likely trapped people under rubble

“Cult mom” Lori Vallow has been sentenced to life in prison with no parole for the murders of her two children in a dramatic case that gripped the nation. Vallow, 50, was convicted in May of killing her seven-year-old son Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 16-year-old daughter Tylee Ryan, who vanished without a trace in September 2019. She was also found guilty of conspiring to kill her husband Chad Daybell’s first wife, Tammy, who died in October 2019. The verdict came after prosecutors convinced a jury that Vallow and Mr Daybell conspired with her brother Alex Cox to murder Tammy, JJ and Tylee as part of their bizarre cult beliefs – but also for financial purposes so that they could collect Tammy’s life insurance money and the children’s social security and survivor benefits. Before the sentence was handed down, the court heard victim impact statements from several family members devastated by the harrowing saga that’s seen countless twists and turns over four years. To the surprise of many, Vallow spoke herself and appeared to show no remorse for the deaths of her children and Tammy, claiming they were “busy” and “happy” in heaven. She appeared emotionless as the sentence was handed down. Read More Lori Vallow finally broke her silence at the sentencing. It was too late Lori Vallow claims ‘no one was murdered’ as she breaks silence in bizarre sentencing statement ‘Monster’ Lori Vallow is confronted by victims’ sobbing families at sentencing: ‘Cruel campaign of terror’

Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will make a ministerial statement on the ongoing graft investigation involving Transport

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has said that the investigation into Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia is “ready to go” – in a hint suggesting a potential indictment could be imminent. “The work is accomplished,” she told WXIA over the weekend. “We’ve been working for two and half years. We’re ready to go.” DA Willis said that there will be people unhappy with the outcome of the probe and praised the actions of local officials who ramped up security around the courthouse in Georgia last week. The DA previously indicated that any charging decisions would likely come in August. Separately, an indictment may also come soon in DOJ special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into Mr Trump’s efforts to overturn the election and into the January 6 Capitol riot. This comes after Mr Smith’s office added additional charges against the former president in the case involving his handling of classified documents on leaving the White House. Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos de Oliveira was charged in the case last week, becoming the third defendant. He appeared in court on Monday, and will be formally arraigned next week. He has not entered a plea. Read More Mar-a-Lago property manager is the latest in line of Trump staffers ensnared in legal turmoil Trump's early work to set rules for nominating contest notches big win in delegate-rich California What is an indictment? Donald Trump is facing his third and fourth of 2023

Lori Vallow’s attorney claimed that the “cult mom” who murdered her two children and conspired to kill her new lover’s wife is “misunderstood” and is actually “all about love” as he asked the judge for leniency at her sentencing hearing. The 50-year-old convicted killer appeared in Fremont County Courthouse in Idaho on Monday morning to be sentenced for the murders of her two youngest children Tylee Ryan, 16, and Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 7, and conspiracy to murder her new husband Chad Daybell’s first wife Tammy Daybell. Sitting slouched cross-legged at the defence table, Vallow kept her head down and refused to look her victims’ devastated family members in the eyes as they gave heartwrenching impact statements to the court and as prosecutors asked that she spent the rest of her life behind bars with no chance of parole. In a defence statement, Vallow’s attorney John Thomas asked the judge to give her “hope” that the “most hated woman in America” could one day be free from prison. “I think Lori Daybell is the most hated woman in America right now and maybe in the world. That hate will never bring closure to the victims,” he said. The attorney began his bizarre statement by saying that he used to be a prosecutor but realised that “I don’t think Jesus Christ was a prosecutor”. “He is our greatest advocate. And now I sit next to Lori Vallow,” he said. He went on to claim that Vallow – who conspired to kill her children and love rival – is “misunderstood” and people who know her, know she is actually “about love”. “People who truly know her know she’s about love. We didn’t always get along and our team has had a lot of misunderstandings,” he said. “But Lori’s overarching theme is about love. She is very different than who she plays on tv. She’s smart, insightful, witty.” Mr Thomas argued that Vallow’s sentence should be a fixed term to give her an incentive to rehabilitate herself with an eye to possibly being released from prison aged 70. “If we give her a fixed term we protect her from society until her 70s and she helps other inmates and becomes a better person.” After Mr Thomas finished his sentencing recommendation, Vallow took the opportunity to address the court herself. She shockingly claimed that “no one was murdered” as she broke her silence for the first time over the horrific murders of her two children and her lover’s wife in a chilling statement at sentencing. In the bizarre remarks, the so-called “cult mom” read out a Bible quote, spoke of visiting “heaven” and continued to channel her doomsday cult beliefs while claiming “I have had many communications with Jesus Christ”. While her victims’ loved ones were forced to listen in horror, she claimed that she had communicated with her murdered children Tylee Ryan and Joshua “JJ” Vallow as well as “her friend” Tammy Daybell from beyond the grave – and that they are “very happy”. Ultimately, Judge Steven Boyce was not swayed by either argument and Vallow was sentenced to five life sentences, three consecutive, without the possibility of parole. Read More Lori Vallow had two alleged accomplices in her children’s murders. One will never face justice Cult beliefs, hazmat suits and charred remains: Key revelations from Lori Vallow’s murder trial A doomsday cult, murders and children buried in a pet cemetery: The twisted case of Lori Vallow Lori Vallow claims ‘no one was murdered’ as she breaks silence in bizarre sentencing statement

Police in Los Angeles are hunting for around 11 suspects after a security guard was beaten to death outside a popular Hollywood nightclub. The shocking attack unfolded at around 2am on Sunday outside the Dragonfly Hollywood nightclub close to Santa Monica Boulevard and Wilcox Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The security guard, a 32-year-old man who has been identified as Daniel Sandifer by The Los Angeles Times, was working at the Hollywood hotspot at the time when he was confronted by the large group of people. The altercation quickly turned violent with witnesses reporting seeing the group beating and stomping on Sandifer, according to ABC7. Officers arrived on the scene to find Sandifer lying in the street unresponsive. They performed life-saving measures on him but he was pronounced dead from his injuries upon arrival at the hospital. Now, a manhunt is underway to find up to 11 suspects responsible. It is not clear whether the group of people knew the victim prior to the violent attack. It is also unclear if the group had frequented the club that night for Dragonfly’s “Signature Saturday” event. The Dragonfly describes itself as the “most popular Hip Hop night club scene LA has to offer” with several famous faces including Tyga and Megan Thee Stallion known to have partied there in the past. It remained closed on Sunday and its “Sunday Night Fever” event was cancelled in the wake of the tragedy. Dragonfly posted an Instagram story on Sunday announcing the closure and saying it was mourning the death of its bouncer. “As we begin to process and mourn the loss of our colleague, Dragonfly will be closed,” the post read. “Our hearts are with his family at this time.” The LAPD is asking anyone who witnessed or recorded the incident to come forward with information. “We know that oftentimes people will record these types of incidents on their cellphone,” Detective Samuel Marullo told ABC7 from the scene. “We would encourage them to share that with us as it can help bring a sense of justice to this person’s family.” He added that investigators are canvasing the neighbourhood for security cameras which may have picked up the events surrounding the attack. “One thing we know was that there was a lot of people present – a lot of people on the street – many of whom left the scene prior to police arriving.” Law enforcement officials have not publicly identified Sandifer yet but a cousin of the man, Evette Sandifer, identified him to The LA Times. Ms Sandifer said her cousin was a hardworking man who took care of his two daughters and was the primary caretaker of his grandmother who is in hospice. Ms Sandifer said: “I’m sure the club provided some footage. That’s on them, but everybody has cellphones nowaday. We need to get some suspects and hold them accountable.” Anyone with information can contact LAPD’s West Bureau Homicide at (213)382-9470. Read More Hollywood nightclub death – latest: Security guard fatally beaten outside Dragonfly club as 11 suspects on run Hospital security guard fatally shot while on the job by suspect later killed by Portland police

“Cult mom” Lori Vallow was confronted by her victims’ sobbing family members at her sentencing hearing where they branded her a “monster” and described her 1,841-day “cruel campaign of terror”. The 50-year-old convicted killer appeared in Fremont County Courthouse in Idaho on Monday morning to be sentenced for the murders of her two youngest children Tylee Ryan, 16, and Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 7, and conspiracy to murder her new husband Chad Daybell’s first wife Tammy Daybell. Sitting slouched cross-legged at the defence table, Vallow kept her head down and refused to look her victims’ devastated family members in the eyes as they gave heartwrenching impact statements to the court. JJ’s grandmother Kay Woodcock broke down in tears as she told Vallow she will “never understand” how she – who once appeared to be a loving mother – could have murdered the son she “chose” to adopt. “The deplorable woman that chose to be his mother, the woman who five years earlier made the conscious decision to stand in front of a judge and swore to provide for, care, love and protect him,” she sobbed. “Lori always showed her deepest appreciation that we gave her the greatest gift ever, being JJ,” she said. “That same mother murdered [her son]... and I will never understand it.” Ms Woodcock is JJ’s biological grandmother and the sister of Vallow’s fourth husband Charles Vallow. She told the court how when JJ was born, he spent time in the NICU and was born with drugs in his system because his parents struggled with substance abuse. She described her joy as she and her husband Larry Woodcock took in JJ as their own son. They “loved every minute of raising him”, she said, describing it “as priceless”. But, around a year later, Vallow and Charles Vallow adopted the little boy. Sobbing, Ms Woodcock said that they all believed that would be best for JJ – who had autism – so he could grow up with younger, more energetic parents who had greater access to the resources he needed. Describing Vallow as a caring mother to JJ, Ms Woodcock said it was even more “mind-blowing” that the woman who “chose to be his mother” could a few years later be the same person to murder him. “I knew it was the best thing for him. I knew she [Lori] would always be 1000 percent involved in his care... that is part of why this is so hard – how could someone [do this]... it’s mind-blowing and I will never understand it,” she said. Ms Woodcock went on to speak of 16-year-old Tylee and how close the teenager was to her younger brother. “It warmed our hearts seeing her and JJ together,” she said. “The love they had for each other is evident in the last photo they have with each other,” she added, referring to the final photo of Tylee alive – an image of her taken on a trip to Yellowstone National Park with Cox, Vallow and JJ. Ms Woodcock began her statement by reeling off a list of numbers and said they are “more than numbers”. “Today marks 1,481 days that have been filled with terror,” she said. “One was the day that my brother was murdered.” In August 2019, Charles Vallow was shot dead by Vallow’s brother Alex Cox at her home in Arizona. Vallow is currently awaiting trial on charges of conspiracy to murder for Charles’ killing. “This was the beginning of her cruel campaign of terror,” said Ms Woodcock. Ms Woodcock said that Vallow’s killing spree “all began with greed” for a $1m life insurance policy in the event of Charles Vallow’s death. She said she would have given her the money if she could only have just let JJ and Tylee live. “I would have given her the money. She could have let JJ and Tylee live and have $1m,” she said. “She could have been free to be Chad’s mistress and foot the bill with money from spilled blood. JJ and Tylee could have lived with us and had wonderful lives.” Following Charles Vallow’s murder, she said that she was fearful for JJ’s safety but that – legally – she had no rights to step in and take him into her care. When JJ and Tylee then went missing, she described “319 days” of “pure hell” where she feared the worst – only for it to be realised when their remains were found in Mr Daybell’s yard. “Nothing can describe the pure hell of not knowing where the children were,” she said. “319 days from the last day we were allowed to be able to Facetime with JJ and the day we knew the children had been found, in Chad Daybell’s backyard, buried like animals.” Vallow’s only surviving child Colby Ryan said in a statement read by prosecutors how he had lost so much as a result of his mother’s actions. “I’ve watched everything crumble and shredded to pieces,” he said, speaking about all the things that Tylee and JJ will now never experience after their lives were cut short. Tammy’s sister Samantha Gwilliam also took the stand to deliver an emotional victim impact statement where she dismissed Vallow’s doomsday cult beliefs that she and Mr Daybell are “exalted” beings and that their victims were “zombies” or “dark spirits”. “You are a liar, an adultress and a murderer,” she told her. “I am not a dark person or a zombie. For me and my family to be presented that way is unacceptable,” she said. “Everyone knows what liars you are. They now know what horrible things you have done. “You are not an exalted being. There is no huge event that is going to save you. No angels are coming to rescue you.” Instead, she said that Vallow will now spend her life behind bars. Ms Gwilliam also read out a statement from her father Ronald Douglas who spoke of “the eternal ramifications” of Vallow’s actions on their family. As well as taking away Tammy, Vallow’s actions had also torn apart the family that they still have left. Following Tammy’s murder and the chilling revelations that came out over the past three years, Tammy’s mother’s health deteriorated significantly and she passed away. Beyond that, Mr Douglas said that the family had also lost their relationship with Tammy and Mr Daybell’s five children – who he said have believed their father’s lies. In her victim impact statement, Tammy’s aunt Vicki Hoban slammed Vallow’s “shameful” conduct during the murder trial, calling her out for “smirking, smiling, giggling, talking” – something that was “extremely disrespectful to watch”. She said it was time for Tammy’s story, and not Vallow’s. “Tammy was beloved. There will be a huge void in our life. This is Tammy’s story. She was a mom, a grandma, a niece, a friend, a librarian,” she said. “More than a librarian, she was a teacher. Her last days went to preparing a bookfair for underserved children.” The night she was killed, she said she imagines Tammy went to bed with “no idea what the plan was for that night”. “Unbeknownst to her, Lori had already killed two of her children. Tammy was already on her list of obstacles,” she said. “Instead ofa good night’s sleep, Tammy was brutally executed in her own bed. She was taken from us by murdering thieves.” Vallow is facing a maximum sentence of life in prison after the death penalty was taken off the table ahead of trial. Vallow was found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and grand theft over the deaths of her daughter Tylee Ryan, 16, and son Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 7, back in May. She was also found guilty of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the death of Mr Daybell’s first wife Tammy, 49. Judge Steven Boyce ruled last month that only victims’ immediate family members would be permitted to speak at the sentencing hearing, ruling out some loved ones who hoped to have their say in court. Vallow will also have the opportunity to speak before the court – something she declined to do at her trial. Judge Boyce said that a pre-sentence assessment was carried out, producing a 430-page report to inform his sentencing decision. However, he said that Vallow refused to participate in the assessment. Her sentencing comes almost three years after JJ and Tylee vanished without a trace in September 2019 – sparking fears for their safety from desperate family members all the while Vallow refused to say where they were. One month later, Tammy – an otherwise healthy 49-year-old – also died suddenly. Her death was initially ruled natural causes. This bizarre spate of disappearances and death came just months after Vallow’s fourth husband Charles Vallow was shot dead by Vallow’s brother Alex Cox in Arizona in July 2019. With Vallow’s children and both of their spouses then out of the way, she and Mr Daybell embarked on a new life together – flying to Hawaii to get married in a fairytale wedding on the beach. But, with months passing since the last signs of life of Vallow’s children, concerns continued to grow, prompting authorities to exhume Tammy’s body. A subsequent autopsy revealed that she had died by asphyxiation. In June 2020 – nine months after they were last seen alive – Tylee and JJ’s remains were found buried on the grounds of Mr Daybell’s property in Rexburg, Idaho. JJ, who had autism, had been smothered with a plastic bag taped over his face, his little body still dressed in a pair of red pyjamas. Tylee’s cause of death meanwhile has been impossible to establish as the teenager’s dismembered, charred bones and body parts were found scattered in the ground on Mr Daybell’s pet cemetery. Jurors in Ada County Court in Boise, Idaho, took almost seven hours to find Vallow guilty on all charges over the three murders after a grueling six-week trial where the panel heard harrowing details about the doomsday cult mom’s path of deadly destruction and were shown graphic images of the murdered children’s remains. The state called over 60 witnesses to lay out its case that Vallow was motivated by both her cult beliefs but also lust for Mr Daybell and financial greed when she conspired with him and her brother Cox to kill the three victims. In a bombshell move, Vallow’s attorneys declined to present any defence case or call any witnesses and the “cult mom” chose not to take the stand to give her side of the story. Vallow’s legal troubles and the chilling case are far from over. Following her sentencing, she is expected to be extradited to Arizona where she is awaiting trial on charges of conspiracy to murder her fourth husband Charles Vallow and the attempted murder of her niece’s husband Brandon Boudreaux. Meanwhile, Mr Daybell is still awaiting trial for the murders of JJ, Tylee and Tammy – with a scheduled trial start date set for 1 April 2024. But, the third person accused of being a co-conspirator in the case won’t ever have his day in court. On 11 December 2019 – hours after Tammy’s body was exhumed – Cox died suddenly at the age of 51. His death was ruled natural causes, with indications of a blood clot wedged in the arteries of his lungs. However the overdose drug Narcan was also found in his system. Read More Lori Vallow sentencing – live: ‘Cult mom’ faces life in prison for murders of children and Chad Daybell’s wife Did a doomsday cult really drive Lori Vallow to murder her children? A doomsday cult, murders and children buried in a pet cemetery: The twisted case of Lori Vallow

More than 1,000 fires are still burning across Canada - one-third of them in British Columbia.

In 2020, Lindsay Shiver posted a wedding photo on Instagram about her “perfect marriage” to a former Auburn University football player. But their relationship may not have been picture perfect as it seemed. Their relationship looked like a modern-day romance: football player meets beauty pageant queen. Mr Shiver played as a deep snapper for Auburn’s football team from 2006 to 2008, before signing with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons. And before becoming Mrs Shiver, Lindsay Shirley was named Miss Houston County in 2005. “So thankful for that fitness class 13 years ago that brought us together and all of the love, laughter, and life we have created ever since! I love you babe,” she wrote in the 2020 post. “Cheers to many more.” Three years after toasting to “many more,” Lindsay Shiver was accused of plotting to murder Robert Shiver. The couple – with their three kids – had a home in the Bahamas, according to the Thomasville Times-Enterprise. That’s where Ms Shiver met Terrance Bethel, the outlet reported. “On July 16, 2023 at Abaco, while being together did, with a common purpose agree to commit an offense, namely the murder of Richard Shiver,” a police report obtained by the outlet said. According to court documents, Robert Shiver filed for divorce on 5 April, and his wife subsequently filed counterclaims. But it wasn’t until 28 July, that his soon-to-be ex-wife would be accused of plotting his killing. Bahamas investigators found out about the alleged plot in a roundabout way. According to Bahama Court News, officials were looking into a suspect for an unrelated break-in at Grabbers Bed Bar & Grill. WhatsApp messages on the suspect’s phone revealed the murder plot. Three people were arrested: Mrs Shiver; her alleged 28-year-old lover, Mr Bethal; and 29-year-old Faron Newbold, purported to be the hired hitman. They were arrested in Abaco, and the three were then flown to Nassau, where they are currently being held in custody. They were not required to enter a plea, Bahama Court News reported. The trio appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Roberto Reckley on Friday, according to the Thomasville Times-Enterprise. They are scheduled to appear in court again on 5 October. Although the pair appears to not follow each other anymore on social media, their descriptions are still in-sync. Mrs Shiver’s Instagram bio reads, “Mom to the Shivertrio,” while Mr Shiver’s reads, “Dad to the trio!” The former football player has worked at Senior Life Insurance Company since 2009, where he serves as executive vice president, according to the company website. Read More American mother-of-three arrested in Bahamas over alleged plot to kill ex-football star husband Lori Vallow had two alleged accomplices in her children’s murders. One will never face justice A doomsday cult, murders and children buried in a pet cemetery: The twisted case of Lori Vallow

“Cult mom” Lori Vallow is back in court today to be sentenced for the murders of her two children in a dramatic case that gripped the nation. Vallow, 50, was convicted in May of killing her seven-year-old son Joshua “JJ” Vallow, 16-year-old daughter Tylee Ryan, who vanished without a trace in September 2019. She was also found guilty of conspiring to kill her husband Chad Daybell’s first wife, Tammy, who died in October 2019. The verdict came after prosecutors convinced a jury that Vallow and Mr Daybell conspired with her brother Alex Cox to murder Tammy, JJ and Tylee as part of their bizarre cult beliefs – but also for financial purposes so that they could collect Tammy’s life insurance money and the children’s social security and survivor benefits. Before the sentence is handed down, the court will hear victim impact statements from several family members devastated by the harrowing saga that’s seen countless twists and turns over four years. WATCH LIVE Read More Who is Lori Vallow? Mom-of-three, beauty queen – and convicted killer Lori Vallow had two alleged accomplices in her children’s murders. One will never face justice Napping in court, three words and typing too loudly: Bizarre moments from Lori Vallow’s murder trial

While the US has taken four points from its opening world cup games, flat performances have fans on edge.