Archive June 13, 2025

Russia returns 1,200 bodies of fallen Ukrainian soldiers

By in News, World News

Russia has returned the bodies of 1,200 Ukrainian soldiers to Kyiv, marking one of the largest repatriations of remains since the war began more than three years ago.

The return on Friday was made following an agreement reached during peace talks in Istanbul last month.

However, Moscow has claimed this latest exchange was one-sided, claiming that Ukraine has failed to return the bodies of its fallen soldiers.

“Today, Russia handed over 1,200 bodies of deceased soldiers of the Ukrainian armed forces to Ukraine. Not a single one was handed over to us,” an unnamed source told Russia’s state-run TASS news agency.

Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky also claimed that Ukraine suddenly postponed the handover of remains and prisoner exchanges on June 7, without offering a public explanation.

Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said in a statement on Friday that forensic experts will now work to identify the remains they received, adding that the bodies were believed to be those of Ukrainian military personnel.

Earlier this week, Russia returned another 1,212 bodies and received just 27 bodies of its own troops in return.

Despite tensions, both sides have agreed in principle to exchange up to 6,000 bodies and prioritise the release of sick and severely wounded prisoners of war, as well as those under the age of 25.

EU protection for Ukrainian refugees

Meanwhile, as the war continues between Russia and Ukraine, the European Union has extended its temporary protection scheme for Ukrainian refugees by another year, allowing them to remain in the bloc until March 2027.

The EU’s move, announced on Friday, comes amid ongoing air raids and strikes across Ukraine, which have displaced millions since the start of Russia’s invasion in February 2022.

More than 4.3 million Ukrainians are currently registered under the scheme, with Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic hosting the largest refugee populations.

“While Russia continues to terrorise Ukrainian civilians with indiscriminate air strikes, the EU continues to show its solidarity,” said Tomasz Siemoniak, Poland’s interior minister.

“We will continue to offer protection for millions of Ukrainian refugees for another year.”

Fighting continues

Heavy fighting continued across the front line on Friday, with new casualties reported in both Ukraine and Russia.

In Russia’s Belgorod region, a two-year-old boy was killed and two adults, including his grandmother, were wounded in what officials said was a Ukrainian drone strike overnight, according to Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.

Russia’s Ministry of Defence claimed it had intercepted 260 Ukrainian drones over the past 24 hours, while over the past week, Moscow says its air defences downed a Neptune long-range missile, 18 JDAM guided bombs, nine US-made HIMARS rockets, and 1,582 fixed-wing drones from Ukraine.

In Zaporizhzhia, Ukrainian Governor Ivan Fedorov reported one person killed and three injured in Russian shelling, while in Donetsk, Ukrainian Governor Vadym Filashkin said two civilians were killed and five injured across the region.

Claire Sweeney looks super svelte as she leads glam celeb red carpet at charity bash

By in Entertainment News, News

The Sedulo Foundation’s annual Colour Ball was a star-studded event that brought together celebrities, supporters and business leaders to raise vital funds for children and young people living in poverty

A galaxy of stars descended on Liverpool’s Titanic Hotel for the Sedulo Foundation’s annual Colour Ball on Thursday night. The event was a gathering of celebrities, supporters and business leaders, all united in their mission to raise crucial funds for children and young people living in poverty.

Claire Sweeney, Coronation Street actress and proud Liverpudlian, took on the role of host for the evening. She was joined by a plethora of famous faces including football legend Jamie Carragher and TV favourites such as Linda Robson, Dr Ranj, Real Housewives of Cheshire stars Seema Malhotra and Leanne Brown, and Nermina Pieters-Mekic.

Fashion guru and DJ Gok Wan led the entertainment, with UK Garage stars Lisa Maffia and Romeo, of So Solid Crew, delivering a roof-raising performance. The event was orchestrated by national advisory firm Sedulo, which boasts offices in Manchester, Liverpool, London, Leeds and Birmingham. The Colour Ball is a fundraising initiative for the firm’s charitable arm, The Sedulo Foundation.

Last year’s ball raised £200,000. This year’s total exceeded that, making it the biggest event yet for the foundation with a huge £223,000 raised on the night.

Since its inception in 2022, the Sedulo Foundation has supported over 2,000 young people. Its initiatives include providing school equipment, sanitary products, and Christmas gifts for those in need, as well as creating employment opportunities for young adults from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Who was Hossein Salami, Iran’s IRGC head killed by Israel?

By in News, World News

Hossein Salami, the commander of Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was among the senior Iranian officials killed in Israel’s sweeping air strikes that began on Thursday.

A longtime confidant of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Salami rose up the ranks in Iran, becoming head of the IRGC in 2019, when he replaced Mohammad Ali Jafari.

Like many of his contemporaries, Salami’s formative years came during the Iran-Iraq war that pitted the neighbours against each other and killed hundreds of thousands of people between 1980 and 1988.

Salami began his IRGC career during the war and is reported to have fought in several battles and held leadership positions.

His wartime experience gave him a badge of legitimacy that was one of the reasons he was then able to rise through the IRGC ranks. By 2005, Salami had been appointed as commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force, where he was responsible for ballistic missile and drone development, before being appointed deputy commander-in-chief of the IRGC in 2009.

Sanctions

As is the case for many in the upper echelons of the Iranian military apparatus, Salami was subject to sanctions in 2007 by the United States for his role in missile development. The United Nations Security Council also sanctioned him for the same reason the year before.

Salami was also subject to Canadian sanctions for his role in subduing antigovernment protests in 2022, while the European Union sanctioned him for his involvement in supplying drones to Russia for military operations in Ukraine.

During his leadership of the IRGC, Iran strengthened the so-called “Axis of Resistance”, a group of allied countries and groups across the Middle East who were funded or acted in coordination with the IRGC, including Syria under the Bashar al-Assad regime, the Lebanese group Hezbollah, the Palestinian group Hamas, Yemen’s Houthi rebels and allied Shia groups in Iraq.

“We shall fight them [our enemies] on the global level, not just in one spot,” Salami was quoted as saying. “Our war is not a local war. We have plans to defeat the world powers.”

Death

“With hearts filled with sorrow and grief, we mourn the unjust martyrdom of the loyal and steadfast commander, Major-General Hossein Salami, the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps,” the IRGC said in a statement reported by IRNA, the Iranian news agency, on Friday.

Salami died in an air strike, according to Iranian media. The attacks killed many of the top military figures in Iran and notable nuclear scientists. Iran has responded by attacking Israel with ballistic missiles – the very weapon Salami had such an important role in developing for the country.

After Salami’s assassination, Ahmad Vahidi was announced as his successor.

“On a human level you will have gaps of knowledge when you assassinate people who decide military strategy, are fluent in multiple languages, have personal networks and charisma within the command chain,” Reza H Akbari, Middle East and North Africa programme manager at the Institute for War and Peace Reporting, told Al Jazeera.

Caitlyn Jenner stranded in Israel as Iran fires missile strikes and begs ‘pray for us’

By in Entertainment News, News

Caitlyn Jenner has been left stranded in Israel amid the ongoing conflict with Iran. She had been in Israel for Tel Aviv’s Pride Parade, which was called off today due to ongoing concerns following missile strikes from Iran. Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, the decathlon icon shared a picture taken at what appears to be her hotel – the image saw dozens of Iranian missiles flying overhead, with smoke rising from the ground.

“‘Quiet’ night in Tel Aviv. Pray for us all. We will prevail. I am happy to stand with Israel today, now more than ever,” she said. The Olympian told a local TV network that she had been in touch with her family, who are in California. Caitlyn said: “I spoke with my daughter Kylie, and she urged me to stay safe. I reassured her.” She went on to add: “Don’t worry, I’ll keep myself safe, and they’ll take care of me.”

On Thursday, the reality star visited Jerusalem’s Western Wall and shared her visit on social media. She said in the caption: “My heart is here, with the beautiful people, in Israel.”






Caitlyn shared a snap from what appears to be her hotel, showing the overhead missiles
(
X/@Caitlyn_Jenner)

Five people have since been injured after Iran fired missiles into Tel Aviv, according to medics. Magen David Adom, Israel’s national emergency medical service, said one person was treated for moderate injuries while four others suffered minor injuries from shrapnel.

Over the past 24 hours, tensions have been escalating in the Middle East after the Israeli military said it had completed a widespread attack on air defences in western Iran. But while Israelis have been cleared to leave air raid shelters, they have been warned to stay close in case of further attacks.

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei has claimed that Israel has initiated a war and that “the Iranian nation must be guaranteed that our response will not be half-measured.” He added that Iran will “inflict heavy blows” on Israel. Less than 100 ballistic missiles have been fired into Israel by Iran this evening.






Caitlyn visted Jerusalem's Western Wall on Thursday, hours before the tensions reached a new level


Caitlyn visted Jerusalem’s Western Wall on Thursday, hours before the tensions reached a new level
(
X/@Caitlyn_Jenner)

Effie Defrin said that most were intercepted. He said: “There are a limited number of impacts on buildings, some were caused by interception fragments.”

A spokesperson said this morning that it had destroyed dozens of radar installations and surface-to-air missile launchers. Israel had previously carried out “preemptive strikes” on Iran in the early hours of Friday. wth Israeli officials later declaring a state of emergency ahead of their retaliation.

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, said the ongoing strikes were “concerning” and urged “all parties to step back and reduce tensions urgently”, adding that “now is the time for restraint, calm and a return to diplomacy”.






Israel's Iron Dome air defence system has been intercepting Iranian missiles


Israel’s Iron Dome air defence system has been intercepting Iranian missiles
(
AP)

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said he was “concerned” to learn of the Israeli strikes which targeted the Iranian nuclear programme. Posting on X, he penned: “Stability in the Middle East is vital for global security. I’m concerned to see reports of strikes overnight. Further escalation is a serious threat to peace & stability in the region and in no one’s interest.

“This is a dangerous moment & I urge all parties to show restraint.” Starmer has since chaired an urgent Cobra meeting following the escalating tensions. He also held a phone call with Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu.

Speaking about their conversation, a Downing Street spokesman said: “The Prime Minister was clear that Israel has a right to self-defence and set out the UK’s grave concerns about Iran’s nuclear programme. He reiterated the need for de-escalation and a diplomatic resolution, in the interests of stability in the region.”

Starmer also confirmed the UK did not take part in the strikes but declined to say whether Britain would help Israel if Iran attacks again, as it has before.

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Gardeners ‘delighted’ with ‘fast-growing’ Flamingo trees now half price

By in Entertainment News, News

The pair of elegant Salix Flamingo willow trees come in stylish flared black pots

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The pair of topiary willow trees are now on sale(Image: Gardening Express)

For shoppers looking to spruce up their garden or outdoor space, Gardening Express is offering a pair of ‘fast-growing’ Topiary Trees Salix Flamingo with Planters for half price. Originally costing £79.99, the two’elegant’ willow trees are now £39.99 and come complete with tall flared black pots.

The retailer says the trees ‘give a relaxed feel’, making them ideal for patios and decking areas, as well as framing front and back doors. The stunning white and pink leaves stand out against the green stems that are dotted along the slightly drooped branches.

The topiary leaves will thicken year on year and are approximately 90-120cm in size. Once situated in the accompanying pots, they will stand at around 120-150cm.

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Shopping marketplace Yimbly (owned by the Mirror’s parent company Reach Plc) is also selling Plant in a Box Salix Flamingo Trees. These cost £44.95 for two, however they don’t come with any planters.

For gardeners wanting to add more than two trees to their outdoor space, B&Q is selling four Salix Integra Flamingo Trees for £56.95. This set also doesn’t include pots to plant the trees in.

Topiary Trees Salix Flamingo with Planters

Content Image

£79.99

£39.99

Buy here

Over 50 Gardening Express customers have reviewed the Topiary Trees Salix Flamingo with Planters to date, awarding them an impressive overall rating of 4.9 out of five. One happy shopper wrote: “Absolutely delighted with the trees. Arrived sooner than expected and the delivery chap went the extra mile and carried them round the back for me.

“The trees are very healthy and pretty, and were well packaged. They look fabulous in the fluted pots. Very happy customer, I would happily order from Gardening Express again.”

An up-close image of the leaves on the topiary trees
The leaves have a pretty pink and white tint(Image: Gardening Express)

Someone else commented: “Fantastic, beautiful trees delivered in wonderful condition. They look absolutely magnificent bordering our entrance porch.”

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Another said: “The trees arrived in perfect condition. Brilliantly packed and look very stylish in their lovely black pots outside my front door. It’s my first purchase from Gardening Express, but certainly won’t be the last.”