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Here's everything you need to know about the latest developments in the Ukraine war for Tuesday 16 May 2023. Ukrainian air defenses, bolstered by sophisticated Western-supplied systems, thwarted an intense Russian air attack on Kyiv early Tuesday, shooting down all 18 missiles aimed at the capital, officials said. The bombardment included six Russian “Kinzhal” aero-ballistic hypersonic missiles — the most fired in a single attack in the war so far — according to air force spokesman Yurii Ihnat. The attack came as Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy returned from a whirlwind weekend tour of Europe where he held talks with leaders in Italy, Germany, France and the UK - extracting promises of missiles, tanks and drones to replenish Ukraine’s depleted weapons supplies ahead of a long-anticipated spring offensive aimed at turning the tide of the war. The trip was also about shoring up European political and military support for the longer term, to ensure Ukraine can hold any ground it takes back and press for a favorable peace. “They’ve got to show … they’re in this conflict for the long term and that they’re able to keep sustaining this effort,” said Justin Crump, a former British tank commander who heads security consultancy Sibylline. “It’s not going to be one shot and done.”

These are the latest developments from the Ukraine war this Wednesday. Ukraine claims it has gained ground around Bakhmut Kyiv said on Tuesday it had captured 20 square kilometres from Russian forces around Bakhmut in recent days. Likened to a "meat grinder", the devastated eastern city has been an epicentre of fighting for months, with both sides suffering heavy losses. Ukraine's army claims it is regaining ground to the north and south, diminishing Russian control over the former salt mining town - currently estimated at 90%. "In recent days, our troops have liberated about 20 square kilometres north and south" of Bakhmut, said Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Ganna Maliar. Russian troops continue their attempt at "completely destroying the city with the help of artillery", he added.

Ex-president slams Washington ‘cockroaches’ but special counsel’s findings fail to live up to blockbuster billing Donald Trump has lashed out what he describes as the “cockroaches” of Washington, DC, following the release of the Durham report into the FBI’s Russia investigation into possible collusion between his 2016 presidential campaign team and the Kremlin. The 306-page report – from a probe led by Trump-appointed special counsel John Durham – railed against the bureau for examining the alleged ties between Mr Trump’s aides and Russian operatives, saying the process lacked “analytical rigor” and accusing agents of acting on “raw, unanalysed and uncorroborated intelligence” but falling short of producing the blockbuster revelations his appointer had promised.

Martin Lewis has issued a 48-hour warning to pensioners who could miss out on a £301 payment from the government. The money-saving expert said up to a million eligible pensioners who have not claimed the Pension Credit benefit from the Department for Work and Pensions should do so before the deadline on Friday. Mr Lewis said single pensioners with income under £220 a week or pensioner couples with income under £320 a week could be entitled to the Pension Credit. He warned pensioners on the lowest income to check if they are eligible and claim the payment so they do not miss out. “If you’re eligible for pension credit and you’re missing out you need to check now, today, or tomorrow or Friday at the latest, because if you are eligible then you get that extra £301,”

A former aide to former Trump attorney Rudolph Giuliani says he told her the ex-New York City mayor and then-president Donald Trump were offering to sell presidential pardons for $2 million apiece, according to court documents. The bombshell allegation was levied in a complaint filed against Mr Giuliani by Noelle Dunphy, a New York-based public relations professional who is suing him for “unlawful abuses of power, wide-ranging sexual assault and harassment, wage theft, and other misconduct” committed while she worked for him in 2019 and 2020.

Our overheating world is likely to break a key temperature limit for the first time over the next few years, scientists predict. Researchers say there's now a 66% chance we will pass the 1.5C global warming threshold between now and 2027. The chances are rising due to emissions from human activities plus the El Niño weather event expected this summer. If the world passes the limit, scientists stress the breach, while worrying, will likely be temporary. Hitting the threshold would mean the world is 1.5C warmer than it was during the second half of the 19th Century, before fossil fuel emissions from industrialisation really began to ramp up. The 1.5C figure has become a symbol of global climate change negotiations. Countries agreed to "pursue efforts" to limit global temperature rises to 1.5C under the 2015 Paris agreement. Going over 1.5C every year for a decade or two would see far greater impacts of warming, such as longer heatwaves, more intense storms and wildfires.

Pele's goalden casket: Football legend's mausoleum opens to the public with the Brazilian star laid to rest in a 'stadium' featuring artificial grass and an endless soundtrack of cheering fans Pele lies in a gold coffin on which scenes of his greatest triumphs are engraved The casket takes pride of place in a 2,100 sq.ft. hall lined with memorabilia The footballer, one of the greatest to ever play the game, died on December 30 The grave site of Pele has been opened to the public, and is a fitting resting place for one of the greatest footballers the world has ever known.

Apple on Tuesday announced a series of new accessibility tools for the iPhone and iPad, including a feature that promises to replicate a user’s voice for phone calls after only 15 minutes of training. With an upcoming tool called Personal Voice, users will be able to read text prompts to record audio and have the technology learn their voice. A related feature called Live Speech will then use the “synthesized voice” to read the user’s typed text aloud during phone calls, FaceTime conversations and in-person conversations. People will also be able to save commonly used phrases to use during live conversations.

Former prime minister Liz Truss has made a personal plea for Rishi Sunak to brand China as a "threat" to UK security during a visit to Taiwan. The ex-prime minister challenged Mr Sunak to deliver on pledges he made last summer to clamp down on China. Ms Truss made the speech in Taipei City on Wednesday, making her the first former prime minister to visit Taiwan since Margaret Thatcher. The Chinese Embassy called Ms Truss's visit "a dangerous political stunt". It added that the visit "will do nothing but harm to the UK". In the speech, Ms Truss urged the West not to work with China, warning that totalitarian regimes "don't tell the truth". She drew comparisons between the tensions between China and Taiwan, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Albanian authorities have confirmed that most of its citizens forcibly sent back home from the UK this year were convicted of crimes there. The BBC has spoken to those men sent home, and learnt that some prisoners were offered £1,500 to leave - and some plan to come back. Each week, a small crowd gathers at the razor-wire fence tucked around the back of Albania's Tirana airport. The narrow runway beyond it, pinched between jagged black mountains and the high grey walls of the border police unit, is where UK deportation flights land - closely watched by the families waiting at the fence.

The world's most famous shipwreck has been revealed as never seen before. The first full-sized digital scan of the Titanic, which lies 3,800m (12,500ft) down in the Atlantic, has been created using deep-sea mapping. It provides a unique 3D view of the entire ship, enabling it to be seen as if the water has been drained away. The hope is that this will shed new light on exactly what happened to the liner, which sank in 1912. 'Haunting' new footage of Titanic shipwreck Shackleton's lost ship found after 107 years The book that records all disasters at sea

After emergency talks at the White House, Republican congressional leaders have begun to sound hopeful that a deal to raise the US debt ceiling is within reach. But House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy told reporters the two sides are still far apart. The standoff has forced President Joe Biden to cut short a foreign trip. Without a deal, the US could enter a calamitous default on its $31.4tr (£25tr) debt as soon as 1 June. Mr Biden said Tuesday's hour-long Oval Office meeting was "good, productive", sounding upbeat about the prospects of an agreement. Mr McCarthy told reporters he believed a deal was possible by the end of this week. He told reporters a Biden-appointed representative would negotiate directly with his staff, which he said was a sign that "the structure of how we negotiate has improved". US debt ceiling: A really simple guide How worried should I be about the US economy? What's on the table in the US debt ceiling talks

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen updated her guidance Monday on when the United States could run out of money to pay the bills, warning congressional leaders that the nation could default as soon as June 1, the same date she projected in her letter to Congress two weeks ago. White House and congressional leaders only recently started negotiating over the debt limit, but a deal has not yet been reached, and now that June 1 date is just two weeks away. "[W]e still estimate that Treasury will likely no longer be able to satisfy all of the government's obligations if Congress has not acted to raise or suspend the debt limit by early June, and potentially as early as June 1," Yellen wrote.

Americans continue to bury themselves in credit card debt this year, with the latest total balance inching close to $1 trillion. U.S. consumers now owe $986 billion on their charge cards, according to Federal Reserve Bank of New York data released Monday. That's a 17% jump from a year ago and a record high, analysts at Bankrate said. The debt keeps piling up partly because stubbornly high inflation is forcing households to lean on their credit cards to cover monthly expenses, financial experts said. "High inflation is certainly contributing to Americans' high credit card balances, along with record high interest rates," Ted Rossman, senior industry analyst at Bankrate said. "More than a third of U.S. adults have more credit card debt than emergency savings, the highest since we started tracking this in 2011."

The Biden administration announced plans on Monday to buy 3 million barrels of crude oil, marking the start of a years-long process aimed at replenishing America’s depleted emergency oil stockpile. The Energy Department is soliciting offers of crude oil to refill Big Hill, one of the four major oil storage facilities along the Gulf Coast that make up the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. However, the 3 million barrels will make up just a sliver of the vast amounts of oil released from the SPR in recent years. Faced with spiking gas prices, President Joe Biden has aggressively drained the SPR, the world’s largest supply of emergency crude oil.

There are reports of a large number of explosions in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and air raid sirens have been sounding. In video on social media, air defence systems can be seen shooting down suspected Russian missiles. Government messages warned people to keep away from windows as debris from intercepted missiles fell from the sky. City mayor Vitali Klitschko said some rocket debris had fallen in central districts, including on the city's zoo. There are reports of injuries. The complex attack, which used both drones and missiles, was described as being "exceptional in its density" by one Kyiv official. Serhiy Popko, head of the Ukrainian capital's military administration, described the barrage as being the "maximum number of attack missiles in the shortest period of time". "According to preliminary information, the vast majority of enemy targets in the airspace of Kyiv were detected and destroyed," he added.

King Charles reportedly told Andrew to leave the £30million, 98-acre property A close source said: 'He has a 75-year lease and has no plans to move house' Prince Andrew has allegedly demanded a face-to-face summit with King Charles after sources close to him claimed he has 'no plans' to vacate his home at Royal Lodge for Prince William and Kate.

The IRS has removed the "entire investigative team" from its multi-year tax fraud investigation of Hunter Biden, and a whistleblower who raised concerns about the handling of the case is claiming the move was "clearly retaliatory," according to a Monday report. Per The New York Post, the whistleblower’s attorneys told Congress that the removal was on the order of the Department of Justice.

Vienna Travellers on an intercity train in Austria were startled on Sunday when a recording of an Adolf Hitler speech was played on board. Instead of the normal announcements, a crowd could also be heard shouting "Heil Hitler" and "Sieg Heil" over the train's speaker system. The operator said there had been several such incidents in recent days. One passenger on the Bregenz-Vienna service told the BBC that everyone on the train was "completely shocked". David Stoegmueller, a Green Party MP, said the speech by the Nazi German leader was played over the intercom shortly before the train, an ÖBB Railjet 661, arrived in Vienna. "We heard two episodes," he said. "First there was 30 seconds of a Hitler speech, and then I heard 'Sieg Heil'."

The former bosses of two US banks that collapsed in March, sparking global fears over the state of the financial industry, say the failures were caused by "unprecedented" circumstances. The remarks come in testimony prepared for a hearing in Washington on Tuesday. Lawmakers are examining the episode amid debate over what should have been done to prevent it. Former Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) chief Greg Becker is set to tell Congress he "never imagined" such events. In his prepared remarks, he blames the bank's downfall on social media rumours and mixed messages about borrowing costs from the US central bank. "I never imagined that these unprecedented events could happen to SVB and strongly believe that the leadership team and I made the best decisions we could with the facts, forecasts, and outside expert advice available to us at the time," he says.

Eleven Indonesian villagers from Aceh province have reached a confidential financial settlement with oil giant ExxonMobil. The villagers have been at the centre of a two-decade long legal battle over alleged human rights abuses. They say they endured torture, sexual assault, and beatings by Indonesian soldiers contracted by ExxonMobil. ExxonMobil said it condemns such abuses "including those asserted in this case against the Indonesian military". The villagers allege a number of crimes were committed - these included witnessing their loved ones being shot. They also said pregnant women were forced to jump repeatedly before being sexually assaulted, and men were subjected to electric shocks, burns, and knife-inflicted graffiti on their backs.