KYIV: Russia escalated its attacks on Kyiv early Wednesday, launching waves of drones and missiles in its first combined aerial assault on the capital in more than 70 days, authorities said.

The broadside came as Washington and Seoul echoed warnings from Ukraine that North Korean troops had begun “engaging in combat operations” alongside Russian forces on the border between the warring countries.

A security source in Kyiv meanwhile told AFP that Ukraine was behind the assassination of a high-ranking Russian naval officer in a car bombing on the annexed Crimean peninsula.

Ukraine’s air force said its units had downed four missiles and 37 drones launched by Russia over eight regions of Ukraine overnight and into Wednesday morning.

“It is important that our forces have the means to defend the country from Russian terror,“ President Volodymyr Zelensky said in response to the attack.

Ukraine has for months been appealing to its Western allies to provide more air-defence systems to fend off Russian attacks on cities and critical infrastructure.

The large-scale bombardment comes at a critical moment on the battlefield. Russian forces are advancing in the east and concerns are growing over future aid for Ukraine after US Donald Trump’s victory in presidential elections.

Explosions in Kyiv, residents shelter

AFP journalists heard explosions ring out over Kyiv and saw dozens of residents seeking shelter in an underground metro station in the centre of the capital.

Kyiv officials said one man was wounded by falling debris from a downed drone in the suburb of Brovary, while emergency services distributed images of firefighters battling flames at one impact site.

A separate drone attack in the Ukrainian-controlled southern region of Kherson, which the Kremlin claims is part of Russia, killed a 52-year-old woman, the regional head said.

Multiple air raid sirens rang out early Wednesday as authorities said missiles were closing in on Kyiv, which was home to nearly three million people before Russia invaded in February 2022.

“As missiles were approaching Kyiv, the enemy simultaneously launched a ballistic missile attack on the capital. The enemy attack ended with another drone strike,“ city authorities said.

The attack is the latest in an uptick in escalating strikes on Ukrainian cities, mainly in the south of the war-battered country.

A Russian strike this week on Kryvyi Rig, Zelensky’s hometown, killed a 32-year-old mother and her three children.

The Kremlin has repeatedly denied its forces target civilians in Ukraine, a claim its spokesman repeated Wednesday in response to a question over whether Russian forces were working to minimise civilian casualties.

Crimea assassination

“Russian forces treat the civilian population with great care,“ Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, adding that Russia would continue its attacks.

Last week, Moscow and Kyiv launched record overnight drone attacks on each other.

Russian ground forces have been making rapid advances in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, which the Kremlin claims is part of Russia.

On Wednesday, the Russian defence ministry said its troops had wrested control of the village of Rivnopil, where an estimated 98 people lived before the invasion.

As the Kremlin’s forces advance westwards, Kyiv has warned that Russia has amassed a force of 50,000 troops -- including North Korean soldiers -- to push out Ukrainian forces from the Russian border region of Kursk.

In Brussels, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday warned about the deployment of North Korean troops alongside Russian forces fighting on the Ukrainian border.

Blinken said he discussed with NATO chief Mark Rutte the fact that North Korean forces had been “injected into the battle, and now, quite literally, in combat which demands and will get a firm response.”

South Korea’s spy agency said North Korean soldiers were “engaging in combat” in Kursk, hours after US officials confirmed Pyongyang’s troops were actively fighting for Moscow against Ukraine.

Separately,a source in the Security Service of Ukraine said the agency had orchestrated a car bomb attack in the city of Sevastopol that killed a senior naval officer in the Black Sea Fleet.

The killing of Valery Trankovsky, which was confirmed by Moscow, is the latest in a string of targeted attacks on Russian military officers and pro-Kremlin public figures in occupied Ukrainian territory and within Russia.

Crimea was seized by Russia in 2014 in the wake of pro-democracy protests in Kyiv that sparked fighting in the east with Kremlin-backed separatists.

I think Google is confused because most of the words are stop words. (Not sure about "internet" - always thought it was but not on the lists I just looked at which are mostly old, but probably still valid to an extent). Google has coded for known phrases with stop words e.g. "to be or not to be" but this search was not that sort of phrase. So I wonder if what is happening is that Google is confused as it doesn't know what words to actually include and which ones to ignore in its algorithm. You can test this by missing out words. I tried ["this is the best" * "on the internet"] and got 15 results. "this is the " * "on the internet" gave 19 results "this is the best" * "on the" gave 14 results as did "this is the best * on the" "this is the * on the" gave 40 results ["is the * on the" internet] gave 54 results ["is the * on the" planet] gave a number of 588m BUT only 111 were shown (although there was the option to see the rest!) Planet alone gave 754m results so around 30% more. [* "the planet"] gave 460m - with several pages of results. ["the best * the planet"] gave 206m with several result pages BUT ["is the best * the planet"] went down to 89 and ["this is the best * the planet"] gave only 13 results. So if I'm right, and it's stop words, it's an extra thing to include in search training.

A couple of years ago (I think just after the initial acquisition and when Flickr was being expanded) they offered an "automatic uploader" that scoured your computer and uploaded all images automatically. This sounded great - until I realised you had no control on what was uploaded. My Flickr account has so much junk in it that it would be really hard to clear out - as I have my photos PLUS images I've purchased PLUS images I've downloaded and even scans and stuff like that which I'd never wanted uploaded. These aren't even in albums - so I can't delete them except one-by-one. Fortunately I have my privacy settings set - but not everybody did, and Flickr is a great source for competitive intelligence as a result. Some of the stuff you can find is in the category of "how stupid can you get" (and is a real lesson in the importance of privacy settings). I found a table for a major manufacturer giving volume sales per month 2016 vs. volume sales per month 2015 and YTD value sales. When I was doing the work it was actually current data - invaluable to my client as it was the sort of stuff you cannot ever expect to find but proves there is such as thing as serendipity.

As soon as it was certain that Trump had won the elections, business news media started publishing a lot of stories about worried investors in China-based manufacturing facilities as well as US marketing companies dependent on their China supply chain.

Digital lender Maya Bank, in partnership with Landers Superstore, has issued over 50,000 credit cards in just three months, making it one of the fastest growing credit cards in the country.

Mental health problems in the country are on the rise.

Google has been omitting terms from searches for several years.  For me, the matter came to a head wayback  in November 2011 (see Dear Google, stop messing with my search).  Many of has had noticed it happening for a while but what suddenly made it more frustrating was that one could no longer prefix a term … Continue reading Google offers to include missing search terms – sometimes →

If you have attempted to download directly from GitHub recently, you have undoubtedly seen the dreaded Unicorn! display, letting you know that No server is currently available to service your request.

Tags: openscholar

Leon Haslam endured another tricky weekend at the Brands Hatch BSB, despite top 10 finishes, as an "issue" limited his performances.

The post Recurring "Issue" Limits Haslam at Brands Hatch BSB appeared first on BikeSport News.

Says matter will now be decided by the PDM

Photographs of the climber's body were sent to his family for positive verification

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Actor was previously married to former model Aliza Sultan until 2022

CM Bugti ordered that all closed schools in the district be reopened by December 14.

CM Bugti ordered that all closed schools in the district be reopened by December 14

Senior minister urges motorbike owners to get fitness certificates

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Much to food and internet enthusiasts’ delight, Masoom’s Bakery has launched an impressive rendition of the dessert

This tutorial will show how to add an admin user and set permissions to it in Shopify.

The post Shopify. How to add an admin user and set permissions to it appeared first on Template Monster Help.

Glen Powell reacts to viral 'Mission Impossible' rumour

Rumour has it that Tom Cruise wants Glen Powell to replace him in Mission Impossible. But the latter response to this was a must-read.

The Top Gun: Maverick star appeared on The Pat McAfee Show after the host asked him...

No material against the integrity of the country and independence of the judiciary can be be published or released

Spinner says decision worked in his team's favour at the Ashes.

In what has been a long period of relative low activity, FDA’s OPDP has taken the opportunity to remind us that low enforcement does not mean no enforcement when it comes to promotional speech by pharmaceutical companies. This past June … Continue reading →

For the second time this month and the third time this year, FDA’s OPDP has posted notice that it has taken an enforcement action. Last week, a Warning Letter was posted regarding a sales aid. This week it action came … Continue reading →

While enforcement has been at a low ebb for quite some time with FDA’s Office of Prescription Drug Promotion (OPDP), this week took a different turn with the posting of two new untitled letters sent October 31. That brings the … Continue reading →

This undated photo shows the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission's rover during a test. — APP/File

In a major development, the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission has announced its collaboration on a groundbreaking lunar...

US Justice Dept announces Haimovich's actions include shipment of components with missile technology applications

Kate Middleton, Prince William issue statement as they make special announcement

Kate Middleton and Prince William issued a statement to make an exciting announcement after confirming that the Princess of Wales will host her fourth Together at Christmas Carol Service.

The Prince...

All arrested members are currently under police custody on physical remand

Washington had sanctioned China-based companies in October 2023 for supplying missile-applicable items to Pakistan

Happy Days: Kriss Kyle, Felix Prangenberg & Daniel Tünte in Copenhagen | freedombmx

Felix Prangenberg was with his Nike team mates Kriss Kyle , Daniel Tünte and Freedombmxmag in copenhagen, to film a new street video, which turned out sick!
Enjoy the video, your kunstform BMX Shop.

Video: Freedombmxmag

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Here's the press release for the latest issue of Blocks Magazine that is landing on doormats this week:

Blocks magazine is feeling playful in Issue 121, with reviews of the new LEGO Fortnite sets, an exclusive interview with the creator of LEGO Games, a look at the world of LEGO Pokémon and much more.

Issue 121 is available worldwide as part of a subscription or as a single issue at blocksmag.com and is now in UK stores.

We’re giving away £3,000 worth of LEGO products this Christmas! One lucky winner will be building well into 2025 with this amazing prize bundle that includes Star Wars, Harry Potter, Icons, Speed Champions and all sorts of other awesome sets. To be in with a chance of winning, take out a subscription before December 24, 2024.

Continue reading »

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