The Iran war has deflected global attention from Russia’s all-out invasion of its neighbor Ukraine as Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II enters its fifth year and an emboldened Kremlin undertakes a spring offensive.

The past week showed that neither side is easing up. Russia on Tuesday fired almost 1,000 drones and 34 missiles at Ukraine in one of the war’s biggest bombardments. The following day Ukraine launched almost 400 drones in the largest reported overnight attack on Russian regions and Crimea.

Ukraine’s fate is still Europe’s top foreign policy issue, fueled by fears that Moscow has wider ambitions. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has wound down talks with Russian and Ukrainian delegations as the Iran war grips its attention. The administration has warned it could turn its back on the conflict if peace efforts come to nothing.

Russian takes in billions after US eases oil sanctions

Only weeks ago, the Russian economy was starting to feel the pinch of sanctions. But Russia is now raking in billions of dollars from a temporary U.S. waiver on oil sanctions against Moscow. The measure taken earlier this month aims to free up Russian oil cargo stranded at sea and ease supply shortages caused by the Middle East conflict.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the U.S. move was “ not the right decision ” because it will further enable Russia’s military campaign.

American Patriot air-defense missiles have been moved from Europe toward the Middle East as Washington redirects resources to its war on Iran. Zelenskyy warned that Kyiv will “definitely” face shortages of Patriot systems because of the war against Iran.

The U.S. produces 60 to 65 missiles per month, or about 700 to 800 missiles per year, Zelenskyy said. “And on the first day in the Middle East war, 803 missiles were used,” he said.

Aiming to secure some geopolitical leverage, Ukraine offered its battle-tested technology to help Gulf states fend off Iranian drones. In return, Ukraine wants more of the high-end air-defense missiles that Gulf countries possess and which Kyiv needs to stop Russia’s missiles. Zelenskyy also made Ukrainian drone interceptors available to the U.S.

Ukraine desperately needs money, too. A promised 90-billion-euro ($104-billion) loan from the European Union to fund Ukraine’s armed forces and its war-shattered economy for the next two years is being held up by Hungary.

Fighting on the front line escalates as weather improves

After a winter of relative calm on the front line, Russia is gearing up for the summer fighting season as fields dry out.

Russian forces are in an early phase of a spring offensive, assaulting Ukraine’s eastern so-called Fortress Belt of cities, said Elina Beketova of the Center for European Policy Analysis, a Washington-based think tank.

“Over the past weeks, the Russians have intensified pressure on the battlefield and in the air,” she told The Associated Press. In Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, Ukraine’s industrial heartland long coveted by Russian President Vladimir Putin, the situation is “critical,” she said, though Ukrainian troops say they are holding firm.

“Russia is trying, on the tactical level, some new approaches” with mechanized infantry and armor in its offensive, according to Robert Murrett, a retired vice admiral in the U.S. Navy who is deputy director of Syracuse University’s Institute for Security Policy and Law.

Fierce fighting is taking place along the roughly 1,250-kilometer (750-mile) front line snaking along eastern and southern parts of Ukraine, the commander-in-chief of Ukraine’s armed forces, Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, said this week.

Moscow’s forces have made only incremental gains across rural areas. Russia occupies about 20% of Ukraine. That includes the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia seized in 2014.

Russian war bloggers expect a new Moscow effort to create more footholds in the southern Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions. That would pave the way for a possible push toward those regions’ capital cities, which are key industrial hubs.

The Russian tactic is to surround and then choke cities while bombing them to rubble.

Russia bombards civilian areas, Ukraine targets Moscow’s war machine

After crushing Ukraine’s power grid during one of the worst winters in recent memory, Russian drone and missile barrages of civilian areas have continued unabated.

More than 15,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed in the war, according to the U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.

For its part, Ukraine has developed long-range drones and missiles to hit targets in rear areas that keep Moscow’s war machine going. The targets have included oil refineries, chemical plants, ammunition depots and military logistics hubs up to 1,500 kilometers (900 miles) from Ukraine.

US-led talks are on ice and making little progress

Washington’s peace efforts are largely on hold while the White House is “totally distracted by Iran,” Murrett said.

Months of U.S.-mediated talks between delegations from Moscow and Kyiv have produced no breakthrough on the knottiest problems, such as who keeps Ukrainian territory and how to prevent future Russian invasions.

Russia has rejected Ukraine’s offer of a ceasefire. European leaders have accused Putin of stalling in peace efforts while his army tries to capture more Ukrainian land.

The Kremlin has “never come off (its) maximalist demands” for a settlement, and it would take “overwhelming” Western military and financial support for Ukraine for Putin to back down, Murrett said.

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Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

St Mary’s Cockerton CE Primary School, on Newton Lane in Cockerton, has been shut to pupils today (Thursday, March 26) following the incident overnight.

The burst pipe has caused a “significant flood” in the school, with the site saying it has had to turn off the water until the issue is resolved.

Darlington Borough Council confirmed the early closure in an email.

It is not yet known when the school will reopen, with parents told to expect updates soon.

It comes just three months after the school was forced to close due to a major plumbing issue that left the site without working toilets.

The school said: “Following a significant flood due to a burst pipe in school overnight, school will not be open today as we have had to turn the water off until we can resolve the issue.

“We will provide updates as soon as we can. Please pass this message on.

“Apologies for the inconvenience this will cause.”

Emmerdale star Lisa Riley, who is best known for her role as Mandy Dingle in the ITV soap, shared snaps of herself with her arm in a sling after suffering a ‘very bad fall’

Emmerdale’s Lisa Riley has revealed her hospital dash after suffering a ‘very bad fall’ over the weekend.

The Mandy Dingle actress, 49, shared snaps of herself in hospital to share the news with her followers on Instagram last night. One image saw Lisa, who recently broke down in tears over the death of her pal, wearing a hospital gown and smiling next to a surgeon while the other showed Lisa’s arm in a sling while she wore a black top and trousers along with a red hoodie.

Lisa then explained that she had suffered a bad fall on a breakfast stool which caused her to injure the UCL in her thumb (Ulnar Collateral Ligament), which required her to undergo surgery. An injury to the UCL in the thumb usually means the ligament is torn and requires four to six weeks in a splint for a partial tear, however complete tears require surgery.

READ MORE: Emmerdale star teases triple prison exit as damning confession changes everythingREAD MORE: Lisa Riley reveals key to her inspirational weight loss after I’m A Celeb star shed 12 stone

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As she posted the photos on her Instagram story, she gushed over the NHS and the specialist surgeon who treated her. Lisa wrote: “OUR NHS @nhsengland IS INCREDIBLE…” Lisa added a trio of yellow heart emojis before continuing: “I have to massively thank my specialist surgeon Mr Daniel Thornton at LGI LEEDS hospital and all the beautiful team, every since one of you who treated me this afternoon – I had a very bad fall over the weekend (no I’m sober) no drunk jokes – it was my extremely slippy breakfast stool and a woollen cardi – my left thumb took all of it – so today hence the massive damage I have had my operation, surgery, treating my UCL in my Thumb repaired.”

She continued: “”£NHS at it’s absolute best – bye for now I have some fantastic pain relief to take #surgery #leeds #hospital #thumb”. Lisa also shared the post on her main Instagram grid, in which she was flooded with well wishes from her followers.

Scarlett Moffatt wrote: “Sending love chick xxxx”. While Steph McGovern added: “Oh no!! Sending love xx”. Meanwhile fans also chimed in as one wrote: “Oh no!!! Hope you feel better soon!! (least you get out of washing up! )Xx”. Another added: “Get well soon lovely xxx”. And a third said: “Oh no hope you heal quickly and your pain is manageable”.

Lisa rose to fame on Emmerdale in 1995, when she first took on the role of Mandy Dingle. She’s remained a stalwart on the ITV soap since.

She took part in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here in 2025, which saw her voted out in a double elimination. During her time in the camp, she lost 1.5st, which she admitted caused chaos for the soap.

With the dramatic weight loss, the star was aided by the costume department who began lining her outfits before she appeared on set. Lisa told The Sun: “I am wearing layers and layers on set.

“I like Mandy to be curvy. I am embracing it. Because it has been freezing cold when we are outside in the village filming, I have had two hot water bottles on my bum. So, Mandy’s bum might look bigger when people tune in on Tuesday, too.” She added: “I am proud of how much weight I lost on I’m A Celebrity. I feel amazing.” Her update comes after Lisa previously told The Mirror that she began losing weight long before she joined the I’m A Celeb cast after ditching alcohol.

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.

Jeremy Savory, also known as the Millionaire Migrant, has left Dubai after 18 years citing school holiday changes as a major reason alongside geopolitical concerns in the Middle East

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A British man has shared his reasons for leaving Dubai – and it’s not due to the conflict in the Middle East. Jeremy Savory, known on the internet as the Millionaire Migrant, swapped life in Southwest London for Dubai at the age of 28. Over the past twenty years, he claims to have visited over 100 countries and established a property empire while residing in the Gulf city.

However, in a YouTube video, he disclosed that he has now departed from the region, reports the Mirror. This comes as warfare persists in the Middle East, with US President Donald Trump accusing Iran of being “afraid” of peace negotiations. The United Arab Emirates, on the other hand, stated it continues to intercept Israeli drones flying over its airspace.

Jeremy has advised those living in Dubai to ensure they stay “ahead of any geopolitical turmoil” in the area. In a video, he stated: “You’ll have seen in the news, a lot of scary stuff, particularly on Saturday morning, we had already decided to make a move on Friday.”

Jeremy, who assists affluent businesspeople in relocating, says a significant factor in his decision to move was the rescheduling of the school holidays by a week. He elaborated: “I love a holiday as much as the next man and I couldn’t wait to have an extra week’s holiday, there’s no way I’m staying in a house with two hyperactive little boys.”

He revealed his family are considering relocating to a country in Eastern Europe or Central Asia. He added: “If we were to set roots down, the tax situation, there’s a lot of countries that people don’t talk about much, [like] Paraguay, Andorra, Cyprus, yeah, people often talk about Cyprus.

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“Albania is quite attractive, Poland, Japan has an incentive for you for residing there tax free and the wife’s favourite place is Japan. What a place to live with your kids, it would be fantastic.”

Jeremy told viewers he had a family holiday arranged and was concerned he “wouldn’t be able to catch a plane” because of the conflict. He said: “They said, ‘No, you either come or push it to another time of year’, which was not really a convenient time for us.”

The businessman explained his mum is also having to relocate from the UAE. He said it’s “not the best place” because she is deaf so couldn’t hear the explosions. He does, however, maintain an optimistic view for Dubai, believing many people will come back once the conflict subsides. He compared the current situation to the 2008 financial crisis, when there was a “mini exodus” of residents departing.

However, he maintains “everything will get back to normal at some point” with many people ultimately returning. Earlier this week, Trump claimed there had been “very good and productive conversations” about ending the war in the Middle East. Tehran refuted the allegations, with one military official stating the Americans had been “negotiating with themselves”. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi even dismissed the concept of peace talks, rejecting Trump’s 15-point plan.

He stated: “Trump’s words are lies and should not be paid attention to.” The politician informed state media that “different ideas” had been presented to the nation’s leadership. In other news, two individuals were reportedly killed in Abu Dhabi after being struck by debris falling from a missile post-interception. Three additional people were injured during the incident, according to the Abu Dhabi Media Office.

The UK Foreign Office currently advises against all non-essential travel to the United Arab Emirates. It said: “Regional escalation poses significant security risks and has led to travel disruption. Stay away from areas around security or military facilities and US or Israeli facilities and institutions. Iran continues to strike civilian infrastructure across the region such as ports, hotels, roads, bridges, energy facilities, financial institutions, oil production sites, water systems, and airports.”

If you do have to travel to the UAE, it recomends travelling during daylight hours. It added: “Always let friends or family know where you are and when you are travelling, and keep your mobile phone with you and charged. If you are away from your home or hotel, and an attack occurs or you receive an alert from the official UAE warning system, seek shelter in the closest building immediately.”

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More than 10,000 issues have been reported on Downdetector as of 7.15am, with the main problems being the X app and the timeline/feed, according to users.

One person, posting on Downdetector, said: “I thought something happened to my account lol as I could see people’s posts but then when I clicked on the posts it says nothing to show here yet.”

Another added: “Here we go again!”

A third person commented: “My morning doomscrolling!!”

User reports indicate problems with X (Twitter) since 3:25 AM EDT.
How is it affecting you? #XTwitterDownhttps://t.co/aJ8hcYM3ot

— DowndetectorUK (@DowndetectorUK) March 26, 2026

What is Downdetector?

Downdetector is an online website that allows users of popular services including X ( Twitter ), Instagram, Facebook, Virgin Media and more to report if they are having trouble with the services.

The site only reports an incident when the number of problem reports is significantly higher than the typical volume for that time of day.

Describing itself on its website, Downdetector is “where people go when services don’t work.”

The website monitors disruptions to various key services including the internet, web hosting platforms, banks, social media and more.

You can see the full methodology and learn more about how Downdetector collects status information and detects problems via its website.

In short, users can get involved by submitting any issue reports on the platform.

Problem indicators are also collected from social media and other factors on the web, Downdetector explained.

These reports are then validated and analysed in real-time.

An incident is then detected if the number of reports is significantly higher than the typical average for that particular service.

When a user goes to investigate the issue, they can see what the most reported problems are currently and check if their areas are in one of the outage hotspots.

Have you experienced issues with X this morning? Let us know in our poll above or in the comments below.

According to a UEFA report published in February, Spurs posted a pre-tax loss of £129m last year, the third-largest in Europe. Under EFL rules, which would apply to Spurs if they are relegated, Championship clubs are permitted to lose a maximum of £39m over a rolling three-year period. Some belt-tightening would be required.

The road has reportedly been closed since midnight

A major Cambridgeshire road has been closed for several hours due to a ‘police incident’. The A1134 Newmarket Road in Cambridge has been closed in both directions since around midnight.

Traffic monitoring site INRIX is reporting the closure from Elizabeth Way and East Road to Cheddars Lane near Tesco and Aldi. The route is also reportedly closed to pedestrians.

The closure is in a busy part of Cambridge city centre. It is near to multiple supermarkets, as well as a retail park.

A spokesperson for the force said at 4.30am this morning (March 26): “Please be aware we are dealing with an incident on Newmarket Road. Road closures are in place on Newmarket Road to Elizabeth Way, Coldhams Lane and River Lane, which are likely to result in long delays. Please avoid the area and find alternative routes. Routes will also be closed to pedestrians.”

As a player, Gattuso did not sleep before big games. It’s similar as a manager but he now has the aid of sleeping pills from his doctor.

Otherwise, he says, “at 4.30 or 5am I wake up and I’m wide-eyed like a bat”.

Gattuso is carrying the weight of a nation on his shoulders. It’s a big responsibility.

The former AC Milan midfielder stepped into the role to replace Luciano Spalletti in June, and has won five of his six matches.

“I’ve been coaching for a number of years now, but certainly this game is the most important fixture of my coaching career so far,” said Gattuso.

“I’m prepared and, believe me, I’m not thinking about things going badly, I’m thinking positively.

“I want to think big, and we certainly will compete and we’ll see how things come out.”

He has admiration from O’Neill, who in 2012 was tasked with a similar job of trying to lift a Northern Ireland side at a low point.

Four years later they qualified for the Euros.

“The pressure of managing Italy is a lot different from the pressure of managing Northern Ireland,” O’Neill said.

“I have admiration for him coming in and taking the job at the time that he did, after the previous manager leaving after two games and then having to try to reverse a poor result in the first game for Italy away in Norway.

“I have great admiration for what he did as a player and, obviously, the job he’s done as a coach as well.”

WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT The terrible crash led to the deaths of all 170 people on board, and the frantic final moments in the cockpit were recorded in precise detail, including some of the pilots’ final words

One of the most chilling facts about aviation disasters is that, due to the fact that cabins and cockpits are meticulously monitored, the panicked last moments of those involved are recorded in precise detail.

Such is the case with the final seconds of Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise Flight 612, a flight which tragically crashed mid-journey on its way from southern Russia to St Petersburg in August 2006.

Horrifyingly, not one of its 160 passengers and 10 crew members ever reached their destination.

Things starting to go wrong when, around 30 minutes into the flight, the plane hit a severe thunderstorm. In a desperate attempt at reaching safety, the pilot requested permission to climb to 39,000 feet in order to avoid the turbulence.

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Clearance was granted and the aircraft reported reaching cruising altitude shortly before 3:35pm.

Seconds later, the situation inside the cockpit began to unravel.

The autopilot was disengaged at 3:35:02pm. Almost immediately, the stall warning activated. The aircraft’s angle of attack surged to 46 degrees while its forward airspeed dropped to zero.

The jet entered a deep stall — a perilous aerodynamic condition from which recovery becomes increasingly difficult at high altitude.

In the cockpit voice recording, the rising panic is unmistakable. As the aircraft was battered by the storm, the captain can be heard turning to his co-pilot and asking: “Can we move a little away from the thunderstorm, Igor?”

Several crew members can then be heard asking the pilot to descend, only for him to ignore them and call them “idiots.”

He can then be shouting orders at the others in and around the cock pit, demanding they stay calm. Clearly realising the gravity of the situation, another voice can be heard saying “We are really going down.”

A person described as a trainee pilot in the official transcript then utters the following chilling words “I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die… Don’t kill us, please.”

According to Anatoli Samoshin, Vice Flight Operations Director at Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise, “At an altitude of 37,000 feet, the aircraft sent three SOS signals, dropped sharply in altitude and sent another SOS at 9,800 feet.” After that, there were no further communications.

Two of the aircraft’s three engines flamed out during the stall. Air traffic controllers were aware the plane was descending, but the crew were unable to regain control.

At 15:38:29, just minutes after the first signs of trouble, the Tu-154 slammed into the ground near the village of Sukha Balka in eastern Ukraine, about 45 kilometres northwest of Donetsk.

Witnesses on the ground later reported seeing the aircraft fall from the sky before bursting into flames on impact. The debris field stretched roughly 400 metres.

Investigators later concluded that the crash was caused by the aircraft being flown manually at excessive angles of attack, leading to a stall and subsequent flat spin.

The final report also cited inadequate training and poor crew resource management as factors that allowed the emergency to escalate into a fatal loss of control.