The last month has seen the fiercest exchange of missile attacks between Russia and Ukraine in more than four years of war. Russia now fires ballistic missiles at Kyiv and other major centres virtually unopposed. Meanwhile, Ukraine has hugely accelerated long-range attacks on oil refineries, strategic stores including the warehouses of online retailer Wildberries, as well as on Russian shipping in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea.
On Sunday night, in an attack lasting several hours, Ukrainian drones hit industrial sites in Tatartestan, over 600 miles (965km) inside Russia’s borders, where a huge fire erupted in the major refinery at Nizhnekamsk, killing 13 people, according to reports.
Even so, the war is in dynamic impasse, with a huge amount of killing and damage on either side with little to show for it. Russia now looks to be trying to shake that up, and we should all be worried.
Where and when to see solar eclipse – and do you need glasses?
With the UK set to see a rare partial solar eclipse on Wednesday evening, here is everything you need to know ahead of the event.
What you need to know
- A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon moves between the Earth and the Sun, obscuring the Sun’s light for a few minutes.
- Many parts of the country will experience between 89 per cent and 96 per cent coverage of the Sun.
- This year’s eclipse occurs in the evening, starting at around 6.15pm and ending a little after 8pm – depending on your location.
- The next total solar eclipse over the UK will not happen until 23 September 2090.
The best places to view it
People in the south-west of England are likely to get the most coverage.
For the best view, it is important to go high up. In London, this could mean Primrose Hill or the Royal Observatory at Greenwich.
There will be events to watch the eclipse all over the country, including at Calton Hill in Edinburgh, Armagh Observatory, Pendennis Castle in Cornwall and the National Space Centre in Leicester.
Do you need glasses?
There has been a last-minute rush for eclipse glasses, with many high street shops and online retailers sold out. Experts have warned that normal sunglasses are not safe to use to view the solar event.
If you want to view the spectacle, you could alternatively use a pinhole camera to project the shadow of the eclipse onto a flat surface.
5 min read
We should smile at our dogs – a new scientific study reveals why
Man’s best friend can distinguish between positive and negative emotions, according to researchers at the University of Vienna.
What you need to know
- Scientists studied 14 dogs who sat in MRI scanners to see what happens in their brains.
- The reward centre of their brains “light up” with activity when shown photos of smiling human faces.
3 min read
What does this mean?
Laura Cuaya, one of the study’s lead researchers, said “This finding suggests that happy faces, even those of strangers, have a positive value for dogs”.
She added: “We can reward our dogs with treats, but also reward them with happiness.”
Firefighters work ‘tirelessly’ to contain fire
Firefighters are beginning a third day of tackling a fire in the New Forest which they say they are “managing to contain” after working “tirelessly” through the night.
Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service initially scrambled 26 fire engines and four water carriers to the eastbound A31 after receiving 160 emergency calls reporting a van had caught fire on Sunday evening.
How did the fire progress?
The fire service said the blaze spread from the vehicle to the central reservation before progressing into nearby heathland in a south-easterly direction towards Backley Bottom, and is in a “challenging rural location”.
An update released on Tuesday by the fire service said that a change in wind direction had “provided a challenge” overnight but it was managing to prevent “spread and escalation”.
Cows face backdrop of smoke
A closer look at the detail
A total of seven fire engines, with water carriers and off-road vehicles, were involved in the operation overnight, which continued to use water pumped through miles of pipes laid from a nearby lake as part of a high-volume pump (HVP) system.
And the A31 – the main route through the New Forest – remains closed, with National Highways saying that repairs needed to “significant” damage to the road surface can only start once the fire is safely under control.
The story in pictures
What did the fire service say?
Thanks to the efforts of firefighters we are managing to contain the fire. We have been using a mix of fire engines and off-road vehicles to damp down and cool the edges of the area involved in the fire to prevent spread and escalation.
How much parents could save from new school uniform rules
A new law coming into force in September means parents in England will save money by having to buy fewer branded items of school uniform.
What does the new law mean?
From September, uniforms will be limited to three items with a school logo, like a blazer, jumper or sportswear – plus a tie for secondary schools.
The government says the changes will save some families “up to £50 per child”.
How will the law be enforced?
Who is affected?
Around 23 per cent of secondary schools will have to change their uniform lists by September.
How will it be enforced?
The education secretary has legal powers to direct schools to comply.
The rest of the UK
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland do not have a cap on uniform items, but are encoureged to keep uniforms costs minimal.
How England could eliminate hepatitis C
England is “on the cusp” of becoming one of the first countries in the world to eliminate hepatitis C, health officials have said.
What have the health officials said?
Global health leaders have set out plans to eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030.
NHS England said the nation is one of a handful of countries globally to have already exceeded the World Health Organisation benchmark of treating 80 per cent of all known cases.
It said that deaths from the virus have reduced by 36 per cent in the last 10 years.
What is hepatitis?
- Hepatitis C is spread through contact with blood infected with the virus.
- Many people have no symptoms but if it is not treated it can cause serious, and potentially life-threatening, liver damage.
- A treatment course of antiviral drugs for eight to 12 weeks cures more than 95 per cent of cases.
- NHS England said that since 2015, more than 100,000 people have been diagnosed and treated for hepatitis C.
The expert view
With C curable in more than nine out of 10 cases, we are committed to finding and treating everyone who needs support and would urge those at greater risk to come forward by ordering a free and confidential home-testing kit online.
Professor Frankie Swords, NHS national medical director
Why August is the worst month for drink driving
August is the worst month of the year for drink-drive crashes as summer events create “more opportunities” to get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol, according to new research.
What does the research show?
RAC analysis found an average of 721 people were injured or killed in drink-drive crashes in August between 2014 and 2024.
Before July, there was an average 704 casualties over the 11-year period.
December, which is often associated with drink driving, had an average of 663 casualties.
The expert view
Drink- is often seen more of a Christmas issue, but our shows collisions involving drivers who have consumed illegal levels of alcohol are actually far more common during the summer.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams
Williams added that warmer weather, longer evenings and “festivals and barbecues” create “opportunities and temptation” for people to drink and then get behind the wheel.
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Are you having as much sex as everyone else?
It’s natural for libido to wax and wane due to life events, dating status or hormonal changes.
And it can be hard to say what a “normal” sexual frequency is. But research and case studies give us a rough idea.
The statistics
When it happens
61%
A 2023 survey concluded that almost two thirds (61 per cent) of us wait until night-time to have sex.
Only 14 per cent opt to get busy in the early evening, and 10 per cent in the morning.
Research from 2019 suggests that the average number of times British live-in or married couples have sex per month is three.
Are Gen Z having less sex than older people?
I see my partner on the weekends and have sex with others in the week.
Leanne, a 27-year-old influencer from Bristol has sex three or four times a week, but only sees her long-distance partner on the weekends. They have agreed they can both sleep with other people during the week.
35-year-old Rebecca usually sleeps with her partner once or twice per week due to not having much child-free time.
Clare, 32, says her job is busy and she has to schedule sex with her partner on weekends, or some afternoons twice a month. “Occasionally this slips and I do worry that it makes us not as connected,” she says.
I haven’t had the issue of my sex life drying up with menopause. I’m more aroused now.
I’ve been married for 15 years. I love my husband, but our sex life is non-existent, and has been for about five years.
I’m not really motivated to seek out partners; I vaguely like the idea of it but not enough to take any action.
I’ve been married for 20 years and sex has become something of a rarity. We maybe have sex once a week on a Sunday morning as we’re both relaxed and I can take Viagra late on Saturday night – without it, I can’t perform.
JACK, 63, OFFICE WORKER, KENT
The seven rules that could save your marriage
Keep your sense of self
I did what I thought I was supposed to do and forgot my needs and wants. I think it’s really important that you’re an individual and not just a person who is married.
KATIE STRATFORD*, A 55-YEAR-OLD MUM OF TWO, WHO DIVORCED ATER 19 YEARS
Seven rules to save your marriage
The small things
Small things, like being brought a cup of tea or saying thank you, make a big difference.
Karen Deulofeu, who ended her six-year marriage, believes all couples should seek support, even before they think they need it.
Listen properly by repeating what you have heard and ask if you’ve got that right.
Don’t lose communication
People don’t talk about the deep issues; nobody else is going to do it for you. You don’t want to ask questions because it might rock the boat…you have to keep talking, and talk about what it is that you want within the relationship to keep going forward.
KATIE STRATFORD
Seven rules to save your marriage
Remember that things change
“What you see on social media and what friends say is quite often the nice version. Everything is a phase,” says Deulofeu.
Look at yourself first
“Focus on what’s in your control and what you can do differently, rather than the other person or a situation that you can’t control. Invest in understanding yourself,” she adds.
In the past week, Vladimir Putin has announced a change in the command of the Russian armed forces, urging the new field commanders to get the job done to seize the whole of Donetsk by the end of the year. He has told the new men, generals Andrei Ivanayev and Pyotr Bolgarev, their task is “critical and high stakes”.
At the same time, he has announced the appointment of Colonel General Denis Lyamin to head the new Unmanned Systems Forces, which is key to Russia’s present and future drone warfare.
While Putin still refers to the war as a “special military operation”, he has hinted in broad terms at widening the conflict. Unnamed intelligence agents were reported last week by to be warning the White House and allies that Nato should prepare for the real prospect of a Russian land attack any time from next year to 2030.
Despite the vagueness of the report, it has been given wide credence by European media.
More precise, and to the point, Lithuania’s defence minister, Robertas Kaunas, warned a few days ago that Lithuanian and allied intelligence services thought a “false flag” operation by Russia to provoke allies in the region was probable in the next few weeks. He suggested that Russia was actively retooling captured Ukrainian drones to launch into the Baltic states from Belarus – though Kaunas stressed that he didn’t think Putin had yet made a final decision.
All of which point to a dangerous new phase of the war.
Russia is currently using three lines of attack to break the will of Ukraine, to bring misery, a lack of power and utilities with the onset of winter and to grind down the forces on the front line.
Russian forces are attacking the main grain export facilities from the port complex of Odesa to the dockyards at Mykolaiv. Grain ships, even those flying neutral or foreign flags, have been targeted on their approach to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has been attacking shipping in the Sea of Azov – sinking and damaging around 250 freighters and tankers in the past six weeks. The result is that the Russian bombing of Odesa and the stranglehold by the Ukrainian maritime forces to the east in Azov has virtually stopped all commerce and trade across the region. The Black Sea is all but closed.
Crimea, the jewel in Putin’s catalogue of conquests over the past 25 years, is now short of fuel, food and water. Seven holidaymakers were killed by a Ukrainian drone on a Crimean beach last week. It’s probable that they were hit by falling debris from a Russian defence battery striking it.
The new military appointments and exhortations suggest Putin intends to intensify ground attacks in Ukraine.
Along with the missile strikes on cities and the bombing of commercial ships in the Black Sea, the renewed ground offensive in Donetsk is the third element in Putin’s playbook. It could also be a foretaste of what is to come, with a series of combined armour and drone thrusts around Dobropillya and Volodymyrivka in Donetsk last month.
Russia attacked with a swarm of drones as well as tanks protected with a new suite of anti-drone defences, the Arena-M Active Protection System. Footage surfacing over the weekend showed a column of tanks nearly breaking through Ukraine’s lines, until they were struck by a barrage of first person view drones.
It took seven of these drones to knock out a single Russian attack, and nine in another.
Russia’s new command is likely to repeat the tactic before the ground turns to mud in autumn. The combination of manned and unmanned tanks and vehicles supported by drones, missiles and conventional artillery could prove overwhelming on an otherwise stagnant front line.
When it comes to losses, Putin seems undeterred by the numbers game. Ukraine claims that 42,800 Russians were killed or maimed beyond active service in July alone.
This year, Russia has been losing more soldiers that it can replace in the short term. But once September’s round of parliamentary elections in Russia is out of the way, Putin is said to be preparing a new mobilisation, to get another 600,000 soldiers into the field.
Ukraine is desperate. Volodymyr Zelensky senses that time is against him getting adequate air defence missile batteries to protect Kyiv and other major cities from ballistic missiles.
Ukraine has used up nearly all its stock of Patriot defence missiles, the most effective air-defence weapons for this task. It has pleaded with allies to get more. However, the world is running short – with the US having fired over 1,700 precision-guided weapons, including Patriots, in its war against Iran.
Overnight Monday, Zelensky said that the city of Zaporizhzhia was struck by Russia using North Korean ballistic missiles and guided aerial bombs. “It was a vicious attack, calculated to inflict maximum damage specifically on civilian infrastructure,” he said, adding that six people had been killed and 19 injured.
The numbers look bleak for Ukraine going into the winter. The trashing of its cities, including the targeting of filling stations, aims at depriving Ukrainians of heat and comfort, and even adequate food. There could be echoes of the infamous Holodomor famine in the early 1930s, when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin. That famine led to between three and five million deaths.
Ukraine is fighting back hard, but the next phase of the war could stretch it to breaking point.
Putin’s new tactics may end up working no better than those deployed over the last four years, but for Ukraine, the results could be a new phase of pain and suffering timed for the coldest and bleakest parts of the year.