Ukraine suffers heaviest attack as Trump criticises Putin

The overnight strike came after President Donald Trump said the US would send more weapons to Kyiv - a reversal of last week's suspension which US media said Trump had not known about.

Zelensky condemned the "telling attack", adding: "It comes precisely at a time when so many efforts have been made to achieve peace, to establish a ceasefire, and yet only Russia continues to rebuff them all."

President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine has been hit by the biggest ever aerial attack from Russia - 728 drones and 13 cruise or ballistic missiles hit cities around the country in multiple waves.

"We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth," Trump told reporters. "He's very nice to us all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless."

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was "pretty calm about this. Trump's way of talking is generally quite harsh, the phrases he uses."

The two leaders have been in regular contact but this has so far failed to translate into tangible steps towards a ceasefire in Ukraine - something Trump once said he would be able to achieve in a day.

Last week, following a phone call with the Russian president, Trump said he was "very unhappy".

"He wants to go all the way, just keep killing people, it's no good," Trump said of Putin.

The criticism came even as the Trump administration announced a suspension of military aid to Ukraine, reportedly authorised by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Elbridge Colby, the under-secretary of defence for policy.

Asked by reporters on Tuesday who had taken the decision, Trump - sitting right next to Hegseth - replied: "I don't know. Why don't you tell me?"

The reversal of the decision may now mean that 10 Patriot missiles may be sent to Ukraine, according to US outlet Axios.

Kyiv relies on the interceptors to try to counter Russia's missile and drone attacks, which continue to grow in intensity and frequency.

On Tuesday Trump also said he was "looking at" a sanctions bill by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham that would see 500% tariffs imposed on countries that trade with Russia.

Trump has been threatening sanctions on Russia since taking office in January but has so far failed to impose any. In June, he stated that he pointed out sanctions "cost a lot of money" and signalled he was waiting to see whether a deal between Russia and Ukraine would be signed instead.

However, last week the US president said he and Putin had discussed sanctions "a lot" and added: "He understands it may be coming."

Although the east of the country and Kyiv come under fire on a regular basis, no corner of Ukraine has been spared by Russian strikes.

The city of Lutsk - which lies 90km (56 miles) from the Polish border and is a transit hub for military and humanitarian aid - suffered the brunt of Tuesday's overnight attack.

Explosions were also reported in the western cities of Lviv and Rivne.

For their part, Russian authorities have said that a Ukrainian drone attack on the border region of Kursk killed three people and injured seven others on Tuesday.

Two rounds of ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine took place earlier this year but no other meetings have so far been scheduled - and neither Moscow nor Kyiv appear optimistic that diplomacy will solve the conflict, which was sparked by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Meanwhile, Russia's summer offensive in eastern Ukraine grinds on.

"We are moving forward," said Peskov on Wednesday. "Each new day the Ukrainians have to accept the new realities."

Southport survivor 'fought like hell' says mum

23 minutes ago Share Save Jonny Humphries BBC News Reporting from Liverpool Town Hall Judith Moritz Special correspondent Share Save

PA Media The Southport Inquiry has been hearing from the families of survivors

A girl who suffered devastating injuries in the Southport attacks "fought like hell" to escape and save other children, her mother tearfully told a public inquiry. The Southport Inquiry at Liverpool Town Hall heard statements from the families of four girls who survived despite being severely injured during the attacks on 29 July 2024. One of those girls, referred to as C1 to protect her anonymity, was a seven-year-old described by her mother as "our little hippie" who had "loved adventure" before the events of last summer. However she "does not live that way anymore" her mother said, as she describes how the courage her daughter had shown left "me crushed but in complete awe".

C1 was stabbed 33 times by Axel Rudakubana at the dance workshop in Southport's Hart Street and was airlifted to Alder Hey Children's Hospital. Her mother said she had become known as "the girl who was dragged back in", after CCTV footage shown in court captured the moment C1, already wounded, had tried to escape the dance studio building.

PA Media Hundreds of people blew bubbles into the air outside the Town Hall in Southport during a vigil last year

It showed Rudakubana grabbing her and pulling her backwards into the building to inflict more damage before she escaped, eventually collapsing on the street. A hushed chamber in the town hall building heard that C1's injuries were "vast" and covered "so much of her body and organs". Her mother said: "The damage was catastrophic. The hours and days that followed the attack were a living hell." C1's mother said the "most painful of truths" about the attacks carried out by 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana was that there were no adults to help her. The inquiry heard how her daughter had shielded other children as they were attacked and screamed at them to run. She said that she did not doubt "for one moment" that the actions of the teachers in the class, Leanne Lucas and Heidi Liddle, helped saved lives when they encouraged children to flee. However she added: "The uncomfortable and often unspoken truth of our own reality is that, when the adults left in those first moments, our daughter had to save herself. "It is these untold stories of remarkable strength and bravery that are missing when we have heard other accounts of this day. "I think it is vitally important that those girls are now heard, so that the inquiry can understand the complexities of this experience for everyone."

Family handouts Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice Aguiar and were murdered in the attack on 29 July 2024

She added: "That reality is painful - our children fought alone, they shielded each other, comforted each other, and helped each other and that must be remembered." The inquiry also heard from the father of C3, a nine-year-old girl who was also critically injured that day. He told the inquiry his daughter was: "Stabbed three times in the back by a coward she didn't even see." "She bears the scars, both physically and emotionally, of that terrible day," he said. "We know that she is only a small way down the path that life will take her, and that obstacles will continue to present themselves along the way." Another statement, read by Nicola Ryan-Donnelly, solicitor to the parents of surviving girls, said a "creative" and "full-of-life" seven-year-old remembers the attack "vividly" including how Rudakubana "tried to get her face". "Where she was once an independent and joyful child she now needs constant support, reassurance and protection", her mother had written. The inquiry has adjourned until 8 September and is expected to hear evidence about the circumstances of the attack and Rudakubana's contact with various agencies in the months and years before it. The second phase, expected to start next year, will look at wider issues around how young people become drawn into "extreme violence".

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Penguin says it did 'all necessary due diligence' with The Salt Path

1 hour ago Share Save Steven McIntosh Entertainment reporter Share Save

Getty Images Raynor Winn, pictured in May described the Observer's investigation as "highly misleading"

Publishing house Penguin has said it "undertook all the necessary due diligence" before releasing The Salt Path, after a series of claims about the book's veracity. A recent Observer investigation claimed English author Raynor Winn fabricated or gave misleading information about some elements of her 2018 non-fiction best-seller. Penguin Michael Joseph said it had not received any concerns about the book's content prior to the Observer's story, and that it had a contract with Winn regarding factual accuracy. Winn has described the Observer's article as "highly misleading" and said the couple are taking legal advice, adding that the book was "the true story of our journey".

The Salt Path author defends herself against claims she misled readers The Salt Path, and its recent film adaptation, told the story of a couple who decide to walk the 630-mile South West Coast Path after their home is repossessed. The Observer alleged Winn had misrepresented the events that led to the couple losing their home. Rather than losing money in a bad business deal, as the book described, the newspaper said the couple had lost their home after Winn had defrauded her employer of £64,000. According to the Observer, the couple borrowed £100,000 to pay back the money Winn had been accused of stealing, and it was when this loan was called in that their home was repossessed. It also said it had spoken to medical experts who were sceptical about her husband Moth having corticobasal degeneration (CBD) as she described in the book, given his long survival after diagnosis, lack of acute symptoms and his apparent ability to reverse them. In a statement issued to BBC News, the publisher said: "Penguin (Michael Joseph) published the Salt Path in 2018 and, like many readers, we were moved and inspired by Raynor's story and its message of hope. "Penguin undertook all the necessary pre-publication due diligence, including a contract with an author warranty about factual accuracy, and a legal read, as is standard with most works of non-fiction." A legal read means the book would have been looked over by a lawyer before its publication. "Prior to the Observer enquiry, we had not received any concerns about the book's content," the publisher added. In her statement released earlier this week, Winn said: "[Sunday's] Observer article is highly misleading. "We are taking legal advice and won't be making any further comment at this time." The statement continued: "The Salt Path lays bare the physical and spiritual journey Moth and I shared, an experience that transformed us completely and altered the course of our lives. "This is the true story of our journey." The Salt Path has sold more than two million copies since its publication in March 2018, and a film adaptation starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs was released earlier this year.

Getty Images Left to right: Raynor and Moth Winn with Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs, who portrayed them in the film

Pret unveils new £13 salads as office lunch battle heats up

Pret's new offering comes after the chain faced backlash last year for making changes to its popular subscription model.

Defending the higher price point, a Pret spokesperson told the BBC the new range was launched to meet growing demand for "larger, nutrient-rich lunch options".

The four new "Super Plates" - including options like chipotle chicken and miso salmon - are said to be "nearly 60%" larger than the chain's existing salads and are filled with "premium ingredients" including "hand massaged" kale.

Pret A Manger has launched a new range of "premium" salads costing up to £12.95, which the company says have been "priced competitively".

Like many companies that cater to office workers and commuters, Pret took a hit during the Covid pandemic when the majority of Britons were ordered to work from home if they could.

Many employees who have spent the last few years working from home are now being encouraged, or mandated by their employers, to return to the office - a move which has seen the lunchtime market become fiercely competitive again.

The most expensive of Pret's new range of salads is the miso salmon with a price tag of £12.95. The company said the range had been launched in order to "reflect a shift in customer habits".

The use of more premium ingredients "reflects the growing trend of workers treating themselves to a more filling lunch the days they are in the office", a spokesperson for Pret said.

Pret was criticised by customers last year when it changed its subscription offer of up to five coffees a day for a monthly fee of £30 to up to five half-price coffees a day for £5 a month.

It also ended its 20% discount on food, saying it had "never really got comfortable" with the dual pricing system across its food products as it announced it was scrapping the offer.

Among Pret's biggest competitors is the bakery chain Greggs. The bakery was ranked as the most popular dining brand in the UK in 2025 and the second strongest brand of 2024, according to data platform Statista.

Other competitors include the likes of Atis, Farmer J and Salad Project which already focus their menus on "premium" salads and lunches aimed at inner-city workers.

The new Pret salads are available in over 250 shops in large cities such as London, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Manchester.

Man found guilty of murder of woman walking dog

11 minutes ago Share Save Share Save

Crimewatch Live Anita Rose was a mother and grandmother who was very active and loved walking her dog

A wanted man who was on the run for two years has been found guilty of murdering a woman who was walking her dog last summer. Anita Rose, 57, was found with serious injuries, akin to those seen in high-speed motor accidents, on a footpath in Brantham, Suffolk, on Wednesday, 24 July. Ms Rose, whose dog Bruce had his lead wrapped around her leg when they were discovered, died at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, four days later. Roy Barclay, 56, of no fixed address, denied killing her, but a jury at Ipswich Crown Court delivered its unanimous verdict after deliberating for about two and a half hours. He is due to be sentenced on 6 August.

Crown Prosecution Service Roy Barclay is accused of murdering Anita Rose while she was walking her dog in Brantham last July

Ms Rose was found on a track next to the London-Ipswich railway line, which overlooks the River Stour estuary. Addressing Barclay, Judge Martyn Levett said: "You need to prepare yourself for a life sentence for the unnecessary killing of Anita Rose. "It will be a lengthy sentence, and you need to prepare yourself for that." Barclay was emotionless as the verdict was returned, but Ms Rose's partner of 11 years, Richard Jones, broke down in tears when he left the courtroom. Mr Jones previously told the court how the last time he spoke to her was on the morning of her murder. The lorry driver's final conversation with her ended with her saying: "OK babe, drive safe, I love you."

Watch: Roy Barclay was arrested in Ipswich County Library in October

The trial heard he had been living in a makeshift camp in the area while "on the run" from police for two years. On the day she was discovered, Ms Rose had was subjected to "numerous kicks, stamps and blows" to her face, head and body, according to prosecutors. Barclay's DNA had been discovered on her jacket and on the earbuds of her headphones. Prosecutors argued he also kept some of Ms Rose's belongings as trophies. Barclay had been seen on CCTV in the Brantham area on the morning of the attack, something he accepted.

George King/BBC Ms Rose was found with serious injuries on a track road in her home village on the Essex/Suffolk border

However his defence questioned if it was of "real significance" when it was the area where he kept his clothing and possessions and somewhere that he visited regularly. They similarly questioned why he would have kept her possessions after he had viewed Suffolk Police's social media pages and saw they were interested in finding her missing jacket and phone which were later recovered. Barclay had previously been jailed for attacking an 82-year-old man in Walton-on-the-Naze in Essex 10 years ago.

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