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Putin has said the Avangard hypersonic system is a response to a new generation of weapons developed by the US.

Russia’s rocket forces have loaded an intercontinental ballistic missile equipped with the nuclear-capable Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle into a launch silo in southern Russia, according to a Defence Ministry TV channel broadcast.

President Vladimir Putin announced the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle in 2018, saying it was a response to the development of a new generation of weapons by the United States.

As it approaches its target, the Avangard detaches from the rocket and can manoeuvre sharply outside the trajectory of the rocket at hypersonic speeds of up to 27 times the speed of sound (about 21,000 miles per hour or 34,000 kilometres per hour).

The Zvezda television channel owned by the Russian Defence Ministry on Thursday showed a ballistic missile being transported to a launch silo, slowly raised into a vertical position and then lowered into a shaft in the Orenburg region near Kazakhstan.

Russia installed its first Avangard-equipped missile in 2019 at the same Orenburg facility.

Russia and the US, by far the world’s biggest nuclear powers, have both expressed regret about the steady disintegration of arms-control treaties which sought to slow the Cold War arms race and reduce the risk of nuclear war.

But they are also developing a range of new weapons systems, including hypersonic ones, as is China.

The US casts China as its biggest competitor and Russia as its biggest nation-state threat, while US President Joe Biden argues that this century will be defined by an existential contest between democracies and autocracies.

Russia says the US’s post-Cold War dominance is crumbling.

Paul Kessler died after falling and hitting his head during duelling protests earlier this month.

A California university professor has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and battery in the death of a Jewish protester during duelling pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel rallies.

Paul Kessler, 69, died after falling and hitting his head during protests over the Israel-Hamas war earlier this month near Los Angeles.

Loay Alnaji, a professor of computer science at Moorpark College, was arrested early on Thursday, Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

Ventura County District Attorney Erik Nasarenko later said that Alnaji would be charged with a count each of involuntary manslaughter and battery.

Kessler, who died on November 6, was among a group of pro-Israel protesters who appeared at a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Thousand Oaks, a suburb northwest of Los Angeles, the previous day.

Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff earlier this month told reporters that investigators had determined that Kessler fell backwards and struck his head, but video footage did not provide a clear view of a physical altercation between the two men before the fall.

Fryhoff said at the time that investigators had not ruled out the possibility of a hate crime.

The arrest comes as demonstrations continue worldwide over Hamas’s October 7 attacks on Israel and Israel’s subsequent bombardment of Gaza.

About 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the Hamas attacks, according to Israeli officials.

Israel’s bombardment of Gaza has killed at least 11,500 people, including more than 4,700 children, according to the Ministry of Health in the Hamas-governed enclave.

Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel is doing all it can to minimise civilian casualties in Gaza but had “not been successful”.

The Israeli prime minister was speaking to CBS when he made the comments regarding the thousands of reported deaths since his forces began their operation against Hamas.

Mr Netanyahu laid the blame for the civilian deaths squarely at the feet of the group which attacked Israel on 7 October.

Israel-Gaza live updates

He said: “Any civilian death is a tragedy. And we shouldn’t have any because we’re doing everything we can to get the civilians out of harm’s way, while Hamas is doing everything to keep them in harm’s way.

“So we send leaflets, (we) call them on their cell phones, and we say: ‘leave’. And many have left.

“The other thing that I can say is that we’ll try to finish that job with minimal civilian casualties. That’s what we’re trying to do. Minimal civilian casualties. But unfortunately, we’re not successful.”

Thousands of civilians are reported to have died during Israel’s weeks-long military campaign in response to the attack by Hamas that killed 1,200 people with another 240 being taken hostage.

In the same interview Mr Netanyahu said there were “strong indications” that some of the hostages had been held in al Shifa hospital, but were no longer there when the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) entered the building.

On Thursday, IDF soldiers continued searching underground levels of the hospital, Gaza’s largest, following a raid that began early on Wednesday.

Technicians responsible for running the hospital equipment were detained, the health ministry in Gaza said in a statement.

The military released footage from inside the hospital showing three duffle bags allegedly found hidden around an MRI lab – each containing an assault rifle, grenades and Hamas uniforms.

Hamas-run health authorities in Gaza claim at least 11,500 people have been killed during Israel’s ongoing operation, with more than 4,700 of them children.

Two thirds of the Gaza Strip’s population of 2.3 million have been made homeless by the war.

On Thursday, Israel’s air force dropped leaflets in parts of southern Gaza telling people to evacuate for their own safety.

Israel has also used leaflet drops in northern Gaza to warn civilians to move.

Read more on Sky News:
How does Hamas count those who have been killed?
Hezbollah’s leader threatens escalation
Stop killing women and babies in Gaza, Macron tells Israel

Hundreds of thousands have done so, in a mass displacement that some fear could become permanent.

Tanks and troops crossed the border with northern Gaza on 26 October in what was described at the time as the “biggest incursion” of the conflict so far, almost three weeks after the 7 October Hamas attack.

Gaza has also experienced four mass communication outages since the ground invasion began.

Wayne’s World star Dana Carvey has announced the death of his “extremely talented” son from an accidental overdose at the age of 32.

The US comedian and actor said he and his wife Paula Zwagerman had suffered a “terrible tragedy” on Wednesday evening following the death of their “beloved son” Dex.

“Dex packed a lot into those 32 years,” the 68-yeqar-old said in a statement on Instagram.

“He was extremely talented at so many things – music, art, film making, comedy – and pursued all of them passionately.

“It’s not an exaggeration to say that Dex loved life. And when you were with him, you loved life too. He made everything fun.

“But most of all, he loved his family, his friends and his girlfriend, Kaylee.

“Dex was a beautiful person. His handmade birthday cards are a treasure. We will miss him forever.”

Carvey, who won an Emmy award in 1993 for outstanding individual performance in US comedy sketch show Saturday Night Live, said to those struggling with addiction or those who have loved ones struggling with addiction “you are in our hearts and prayers”.

Dex starred in a number of TV series alongside his father, including The Funster in 2013, Beyond The Comics a year later and Carpool Pandering in 2016.

UK’s Tyson Fury will fight Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk in Riyadh in the first undisputed heavyweight title fight since 1999.

Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will fight for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on February 17, organisers have announced.

Fury, 35 – a British citizen of Irish Traveller heritage – is the World Boxing Council (WBC) world champion, while Ukrainian Usyk, 36, holds the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Organization (WBO), International Boxing Federation (IBF) and International Boxing Organization (IBO) belts. Both have unbeaten records.

Contracts were signed in September for a proposed December 23 date, although that was never confirmed and slid after Fury’s near defeat to former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champion Francis Ngannou in a non-title bout in Saudi Arabia on October 28.

Fury was left with a swollen eye and cut on the forehead after the split-decision win over Ngannou.

Britain’s Lennox Lewis was the last undisputed heavyweight champion in 1999 when he defeated Evander Holyfield to win the WBA, WBC, and IBF titles.

Fury will look to add to his record of 34 wins with one draw since turning professional in 2008, while Usyk has won all of his 21 professional fights.

Saudi Arabia has staged several leading boxing events in recent years, including Usyk’s win over Anthony Joshua in 2022.