Putin has a sinister new plan. We should all be worried

The last month has seen the fiercest exchange of missile attacks between Russia and Ukraine in more than four years of war. 

But the fighting 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.

What has changed?

In the past week, Vladimir Putin has urged new field commanders to get the job done to seize the whole of Donetsk by the end of the year. 

Lithuania warned a few days ago intelligence services thought Russia could try to provoke allies in the region in the next few weeks. This points to a dangerous new phase of the war.

The sinister new plan

Russia is 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.

The new military appointments and exhortations suggest Putin intends to intensify ground attacks in Ukraine.

What does this mean for Ukraine?

• 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.
• Ukraine is fighting back hard, but the next phase of the war could stretch it to breaking point.

Why you shouldn’t use your 1999 solar eclipse glasses

With a rare partial solar eclipse later today, many are casting their minds back to the last major eclipse over the UK before the turn of the century.

But experts have warned people not to re-use glasses bought for the astronomical event 27 years ago.

What you need to know

Many parts of the country will experience more than 90 per cent coverage of the Sun.

Depending on your location, it will occur between 6.15pm and 8pm. People in the south-west of England are likely to get the most coverage. For the best view, it is a good idea to head to high ground.

When will this happen again?

There has been a last-minute rush for eclipse glasses, as many high street shops and online retailers have sold out.

The next total solar eclipse over the UK will not happen until 2090.

Put the old glasses away

• Only specialist glasses that are ISO 12312-1 certified should be used, experts said.
• People should only use glasses that are undamaged and no more than a decade old.

How solo working is driving rising hours spent alone

Working from home and other solitary working habits are a bigger driver of loneliness than screen time, research suggests.

• The Resolution Foundation made the findings by analysing UK Time Use Survey.
• It found the average number of people doing paid work alone has nearly tripled in under a decade.
• Working from home accounted for roughly two-thirds of the rise in work done alone.
• The research found that “paid work is the biggest driver of rising time alone among working-age people”.
• Parth Pandya, researcher at the Resolution Foundation, said: “If policy makers are serious about improving young people’s wellbeing, then work needs to be part of the debate as much as screen time.”

15%

Among 18 to 69-year-olds, the average proportion of people who were doing paid work alone in the standard working day increased from five per cent in 2014 up to 15 per cent in 2023.

90 minutes

The biggest change was among men aged 18-29, who spent an additional 90 minutes working alone each day.

This means they spend more than two-fifths of the hours they are awake alone.

The research said: “It is more solo working, rather than screen time, that has driven the rise in reported time alone.

“Despite likely under-reporting of screen time, time alone for young people is still up. So, something else must be driving it – and the diary data points to a sharp rise in solo working.”

Timeline of recent Ukrainian attacks on Russian infrastructure

Ukraine has maintained near-daily attacks on Russian oil refineries, pumping stations and exports – targeting the lifeblood of Moscow’s war economy. 

By some estimates, the campaign has knocked out a third of Russia’s oil processing capacity.

What you need to know

On 18 July, Kyiv ushered in a new era, targeting Wildberries warehouses – Russia’s equivalent to Amazon and one of the country’s largest companies.

For many Russians, the war now feels a lot closer to home, with social media filled with videos of explosions and business owners crying over their destroyed stock.

The timeline of key events

Kyiv has raised the stakes in recent weeks with dozens of attacks. The logic is to aggravate economic problems and harm public support for the war.

• 30 April – Ukraine said it hit one of Russia’s largest oil refineries more than 1,500 kilometres from the front line.
• 24 June – A strike on an electricity substation took out the power in the Russian-occupied city of Sevastopol.
• 4 July – Ukraine hit a major oil terminal in St Petersburg.
• 2 August – Kyiv said it hit an oil refinery and airfield 600 kilometres from the border in Saratov region.
• 3 August – A drone hit a Wildberries warehouse in one of a series of similar attacks on the company.
• 6 August – Ukraine hit two oil refineries, trying to reduce the profits of Russian oil.

When and where to catch a glimpse of Perseid meteor shower

Just hours after the partial solar eclipse, Wednesday night will see stargazers treated to yet another astronomical event.

But what is the Perseid meteor shower and where can you see it best?

The Perseids are seen as streaks of bright meteors across the night sky. They are caused by debris from the Swift-Tuttle comet and are seen in the UK every summer.

Its peak nights are 12 and 13 August this year. Much of the UK will have clear skies overnight, with a new moon meaning the display should also be more visible.

Where best to see it

• Try to go somewhere without light pollution, preferably away from cities.
• Allow your eyes to adjust to the darkness and gaze up towards the widest clear expanse of sky.
• You could see hundreds of “shooting stars”, with the best time between midnight and sunrise.
• Areas of the Highlands, mid-Wales and rural Northumberland are often cited as having the least light pollution.

Why billionaire Lord Sugar has hit out at American Express

Lord Alan Sugar has called American Express “a bunch of idiots” after he was denied an increase on his credit limit.

star, 79, who has a reported net worth of £1.138bn, said he spoke to someone who was aware of his “financial status”, but it made no difference.

What is the row about?

Lord Sugar wrote on X to complain he had been on the phone with American Express for an hour, and eventually “my request was refused due to their system”.

Replying to some criticism in his comments, the entrepreneur responded: “I AM NOT MOANING JUST EXPOSING WHAT A BUNCH OF IDIOTS AMEX ARE.”

Council flat to billionaire status

Some in Lord Sugar’s comments accused him of “trying to flaunt your status” after championing his modest background.

• Lord Sugar was born in Hackney, east London, in 1947 and grew up in a council flat.
• He left school at 16 and briefly worked in the civil service as a statistician.
• He founded electronics company Amstrad at the age of 21 and found commercial success by mass-producing affordable consumer electronics.
• Sugar began hosting reality competition show in 2005.
• He sold his stake in Amstrad to BSkyB in 2007 for £125m.
• His net worth is reportedly £1.138bn.

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.

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

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

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.