As Moscow's forces push to encircle the frontline hotspot of Bakhmut, the battle-scarred town's last residents say they will not budge if the Russians arrive.. Russian forces have been trying to seize control of Bakhmut in the eastern region of Donetsk for months in what has become the longest and bloodiest battle since Russia invaded Ukraine last February.
Israel launched air strikes on the Gaza Strip early Thursday, which Palestinian fighters reacted to by firing rockets in the latest bout of unrest in the region.. The strikes came "in response to the rocket launch from the Gaza Strip into Israel earlier" Wednesday.
President Vladimir Putin is set to preside Thursday over commemorations to mark the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory at the Battle of Stalingrad, one of the bloodiest in World War II. The high-profile celebrations in the southern city of Volgograd come as the Kremlin is drumming up support for its offensive in Ukraine, launched nearly a year ago to "de-Nazify" Ukraine, whose soldiers fought alongside Russia against Nazi Germany.. Since 2013, the city is temporarily renamed Stalingrad several times a year, including on February 2 and on May 9, when Russia holds nationwide celebrations on the anniversary of the Soviet victory in the Great Patriotic War. bur/js/dhc
South Korea said Thursday it had staged joint air drills with the United States featuring strategic bombers and stealth fighters, prompting Pyongyang to warn that such exercises could "ignite an all-out showdown".. A North Korean foreign ministry spokesman warned the exercises could "ignite an all-out showdown", the state news agency KCNA reported.
Australia will erase the British-based monarch from its banknotes, replacing the late Queen Elizabeth II's image on its $5 note with a design honouring Indigenous culture, the central bank said Thursday.. A British-based monarch has featured on Australian banknotes since 1923, and was on all paper bills until 1953, the year of Elizabeth II's coronation.
Chatbots spouting falsehoods, face-swapping apps crafting porn videos and cloned voices defrauding companies of millions -- the scramble is on to rein in AI deepfakes that have become a misinformation super spreader.. In a study, media watchdog NewsGuard, which called it the "next great misinformation super spreader," said most of the chatbot's responses to prompts related to topics such as Covid-19 and school shootings were "eloquent, false and misleading."
Civil rights leaders, family and friends came together in a Memphis church Wednesday to bid farewell to Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old African American whose fatal beating by police shocked the nation -- and triggered urgent calls for reform.. Speaking though tears, Nichols' mother RowVaughn Wells joined Harris in calling on lawmakers to act -- flanked by the veteran civil rights leader Al Sharpton who delivered the eulogy for her son.
Australia announced Thursday it will erase the British monarch from its banknotes, replacing the late Queen Elizabeth II's image on its $5 note with a design honouring Indigenous culture.. The Reserve Bank of Australia said it would consult with Indigenous people on a new design that "honours the culture and history of the First Australians".
Protesters denounced late Australian cardinal George Pell for his "bigoted" views on Thursday, as the Catholic Church remembered his "remarkable legacy" with a grand funeral mass in Sydney. . From humble beginnings, Pell climbed higher in the Catholic Church than any Australian before him.
The United States and the Philippines are expected to announce a deal Thursday that will give US troops access to another four military bases in the Southeast Asian nation, as the longtime allies seek to deter Chinese aggression in the region.. Under the EDCA expansion to be unveiled Thursday, the United States will have access to at least nine military bases across the archipelago.
