37 h. ago ‘Every day there is shelling’: Ukrainian border town torn between hope and despair

Mayor of Bilopillya, where nine people were killed in strike on bus, says Russia has shown it does not care about talksEven before the Russian strike on a shuttle bus travelling from his frontline town at the weekend, the mayor of Bilopillya, Yuri Zarko, was very sceptical that Vladimir Putin’s agreement to direct Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul would lead to peace.The strike, which killed nine people including five over 60, only confirmed his conviction that talks to end the war were going nowhere and Ukraine had a challenging time ahead. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Bruce Springsteen review – a roaring, rousing s how that imagines a better America

Co-op Live, ManchesterThe Boss and his E Street Band pluck hope from the depths of despair with a fiery show that hits out at the US administration but ends with loveBefore Bruce Springsteen sings a word on the opening night of his European tour, he has something to get off his chest. “The mighty E Street Band is here tonight to call upon the righteous power of art, of music, of rock’n’roll in dangerous times,” he says. “The America I love is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent, and treasonous administration.” The band then launch into a roaring, rousing version of Land of Hope and Dreams, as strings swoop, brass soars and Springsteen gives an impassioned take of the song he sang for Clarence Clemons on his deathbed. Followed by Death to My Hometown – with the titular lyrics delivered with venomous sting – it sets the tone for an evening that is bruised and angry yet also hopeful and filled with love.The band – who Springsteen calls a “booty-shaking, lovemaking, Viagra-...

Politics

2 w. ago Twins, 12, among those killed in Indian border town in Pakistani shelling: ‘We are paying with our blood’

Pakistan’s attack in Poonch has left a trail of devastation, with homes shattered and families torn apart in the border town that never saw it coming, Shweta Sharma and Mohammad Dawood report

Events

2 w. ago Ukrainian men paid $15,000 to border guards to ‘dodge military draft’

Ukrainian officials say they are now facing widespread attempts to avoid the draft

Events

2 w. ago Ukraine war briefing: Second night of Moscow drone raids, Kursk substation hit

Ukrainian forces reportedly smash back across border into Kursk, where Syrski says offensive has achieved most of its goals. What we know on day 1,168Ukraine has launched drones at Moscow for the second night in a row, forcing closure of the capital’s three major airports, Russian officials said early on Wednesday. The mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, said six Ukrainian drones approached Moscow and what he claimed was debris from an intercepted drone fell over one of the key highways leading into the city. Russia’s aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, said it halted flights at airports serving Moscow including Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky.Ukrainian forces attacked a power substation at the town of Rylsk in Russia’s western Kursk region, the regional governor said early on Tuesday, after Russian war bloggers reported Ukrainian forces firing missiles had smashed through the border in Kursk, crossing minefields with armoured vehicles. The Kursk governor, Alexander Khinshtein, said two people w...

Events

2 w. ago Ukraine war briefing: Three million shells coming from our allies, says Zelenskyy

Ukrainian attack over border largely destroys Russian electrical equipment plant; mayor reports drones headed for Moscow. What we know on day 1,167See all our Ukraine war coverageUkraine hopes to receive 3m artillery shells from allies and partners in 2025 including 1.8m under a Czech-led programme, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in Prague on Sunday. “The Czech artillery initiative is working brilliantly,” the Ukrainian president said. Prague steers a European drive to supply artillery ammunition to Ukraine, financed largely by Nato allies. “Not only North Korea is capable of helping [Russia] in the war – we have allies who are helping Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said in comments reported by the Kyiv Independent.Zelenskyy added there would be a meeting on Monday with “Czech defence companies”, with details to be announced later. Discussions were under way for a Ukrainian-Czech pilot training school for F16 fighter jets, which could not be established in Ukraine “due to current security concerns”....

Events