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Ukrainian intelligence eliminated a high-ranking Russian general – a top military planner who selected civilian targets for attack – using a car bomb near Moscow,Ukrainian MP Roman Kostenko confirmed.

Ukraine’s air defense forces destroyed nine Russian drones that attacked Kyiv overnight. As a result of the drone attack, three people required medical assistance.

Asian shares were mostly higher on Tuesday after U.S. stocks drifted to a mixed, quiet finish ahead of a busy week of corporate earnings and economic data that…

Fast bowler was unfairly demonised by beige fans but has just turned 30 and is honing his skills for a tough summerThis season, in an attempt to distract everyone from the fact that its main sponsors are one of the world’s largest steel companies and the literal state of Saudi Arabia, the Tata Indian Premier League has been planting trees for every dot ball bowled during the tournament. At the post‑match presentation, the bowler who delivered the most dot balls in the game is awarded a ceremonial sapling. Which means that on four occasions this season – the most of any player – Jofra Archer has been contractually obliged to receive a small tree on live television.The first time Archer gets his sapling, he eyes it with the kind of narrow-eyed suspicion any of us might exhibit. By the time he gets his fourth sapling – 10 dot balls against Delhi Capitals, 180 trees planted – he’s basically a pro at this. Shake hands. Look straight into the camera. Gaze at the sapling tenderly, as if he’s going to plant it himself, in his own garden, sheltered and watered, and definitely not throwing it straight into the first bin he finds. Continue reading…

No jumps fan will want to miss this appearance by the horse who still has the glow of otherworldly talent about himThe British jumps season drew to a dramatic close on Saturday, the first Classics of 2025 will be run this weekend – and yet, there will still be time to squeeze in a final moment of drama over jumps on Friday evening, when Constitution Hill is due to burst through the doors of the last-chance saloon in the Boodles Champion Hurdle at Punchestown’s festival meeting.He will do so, of course, with two “F”s against his name, having crashed out when odds-on for the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham in March and then fallen again, as an uneasy even-money shot, in the Aintree Hurdle at the Grand National meeting three weeks ago. There is still enough of a glow of a freakish, otherworldly talent about him, however, to make his date in County Kildare a moment that no jumping fan will want to miss. Continue reading…

Israel’s genuine friends abroad, from governments to Jewish communities, must mobilise to help us end this terrible war• Ami Ayalon is a former director of Shin Bet and a former commander-in-chief of Israel’s navyI spent close to 40 years working as a public servant for the state of Israel, including as commander of the navy and head of the Shin Bet, protecting Israel and defending it from external and internal threats. Several weeks ago, along with 17 other colleagues who have also dedicated their lives to Israel’s security and welfare, I made a decision that the future of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state is so under threat that it is not just my responsibility, but obligation, to sound the alarm.The 18 of us took out a full-page advert in two major Israeli broadsheet papers. In it, we made clear that the very fabric of the state of Israel and the values on which it was founded are being eroded. The truth is that our hostages in Gaza have been abandoned in favour of the government’s messianic ideology and by a prime minister in Benjamin Netanyahu who is desperate to cling to power for his own personal gain. Our government is undermining the democratic functions of the state to shore up and protect its own power. It is forcing us into a perpetual war with no achievable military objectives and which can only result in more loss of life and hatred.Ami Ayalon is a former director of Israel Security Agency (the Shin Bet) and a former commander-in-chief of Israel’s navyDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading…

Real Madrid could not live with his relentlessness but how will Rice fare against João Neves, Fabián Ruiz and Vitinha?Declan Rice went into Arsenal’s Champions League quarter‑final against Real Madrid knowing it was a chance to go to another level. Rise to the occasion against the kings of Europe and people would see the midfielder in a different light. Remember the boy who was kicked out of Chelsea at 14? The tearful one who travelled across London for a trial at West Ham, went on to captain them to their first trophy in 43 years, and left for £105m? Well, the thing you need to know about him is that he has never been afraid to meet a challenge head on and make people think twice about questioning his talent.So Rice backed himself when he faced Madrid and left Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, Luka Modric and Aurélien Tchouaméni in the shade by producing man-of-the-match displays in both legs. He drove Arsenal on, powering them forward, bending the tie to his will. Madrid, the reigning European champions, could not live with his relentlessness. There was hype around Rice’s duel with Bellingham, but it did not live up to much. There was no debate about who dominated the battle between the two leaders of England’s midfield. Continue reading…

An 11-year-old boy in the US died by suicide following relentless bullying by his school teacher, who repeatedly called him “stupid”.