KHARKIV, Ukraine (AP) — The night air in eastern Ukraine is crisp, and a myriad of stars scatter above a small crew of soldiers watching for Iranian-designed Shahed drones that Russia launches in waves.

Such teams are deployed across the country as part of a constantly evolving effort to counter the low-cost loitering munitions that have become a deadly weapon of modern warfare, from Ukraine to the Middle East.

While waiting, the crew from the 127th Brigade tests and fine-tunes their self-made interceptor drones, searching for flaws that could undermine performance once the buzzing threat appears. When Shahed drones first appeared in autumn 2022, Ukraine had few ways to stop them. Today, drone crews intercept them in flight with continually adapting technology.

In recent years, Ukraine’s domestic drone interceptor market has burgeoned, producing some key players who tout their products at international arms shows. But it’s on the front line where small teams have become laboratories of rapid military innovation — grassroots technology born of battlefield necessity that now draw international interest.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says U.S. allies in the Middle East have approached Ukraine for help in defending against Iranian drones, the same type that Russia has fired by the tens of thousands in the 4-year-old war.

Iran has also used the same drones in retaliation for joint U.S.-Israeli strikes, at times overwhelming far more sophisticated Western-made air defenses and highlighting the need for cheaper and more flexible countermeasures.

“It’s not like we sat down one day and decided to fight with drones,” said a pilot with Ukraine’s 127th Brigade, sitting at his monitor after completing a preflight check. “We did it because we had nothing else.”

How the drone war began

Moments earlier, the pilot carefully landed his interceptor drone to avoid damaging it. He spoke on condition of anonymity because military rules did not allow him to be quoted by name.

Though designed to be disposable, limited resources mean Ukrainian crews try to preserve every tool they have, often reusing even single-use drones to study their weaknesses and improve them.

“Just imagine — a Patriot missile costs about $2 million, and here you have a small aircraft worth about $2,200,” the pilot said. “And if it doesn’t hit the target, I can land it, fix it a bit and send it back into the air. The difference is huge. And the effect? Not any worse.”

Ukraine’s 127th Brigade is building an air defense unit centered on interceptor drone crews — a model increasingly adopted across the military.

Leading the brigade’s effort is a 27-year-old captain, who previously served in another formation where he had already helped organize a similar system. He also spoke on condition of anonymity because military rules did not allow him to be quoted by name.

Another challenge soon emerged: how to intercept the hundreds of fast, durable Shahed drones flying far beyond the front line.

The young captain’s search for a solution led him to the 127th Brigade in Kharkiv and to cooperation with a local defense company. Their joint efforts resulted in aircraft-style interceptor drones capable of matching the speed of the Shaheds.

Kharkiv is not only where they work — it’s where their families live, a city that regularly comes under Shahed attacks.

Working with the company allows soldiers to test interceptor drones in real conditions and quickly refine the technology through direct feedback.

The company’s Skystriker drone differs from more widely known interceptor systems such as Sting or P1-Sun, which are based on modified first-person view, or FPV, drones. Instead, it resembles a small aircraft with wings, allowing it to stay aloft longer.

“Yes, this is a joint effort,” said the director of the company, who spoke on condition he not disclose the name of the firm or his own identity for security reasons.

“It’s not enough just to build it. It has to work — and work properly — and perform real combat tasks,” he said. “That’s why communication with the military is so important. They give us feedback and help us improve it every time.”

Nonprofits and volunteers

In Ukraine, cooperation often goes beyond the military and manufacturers. Volunteers frequently act as intermediaries between the two, sometimes even helping them find one another.

The Come Back Alive Foundation, a nonprofit think tank and charity that raises money to equip Ukraine’s forces, launched a project called “Dronopad,” loosely translated as “Dronefall,” in summer 2024.

The idea grew from battlefield reports that FPV drone pilots were occasionally able to track and intercept aerial targets — early cases that helped shape efforts to counter the Shaheds.

“At that moment it wasn’t clear whether this was even a scalable solution or just isolated incidents,” said Taras Tymochko, who leads the project. “Our goal was to turn it into a system — to help units that already had their first successful cases build the capability and scale what they had achieved.”

The foundation worked with drone manufacturers to better understand what systems soldiers needed. As the project developed, the capabilities of interceptor drones evolved.

“At some point they were able to reach speeds of more than 200 kilometers per hour (124 mph), which made it possible to intercept targets like Shaheds in the air,” Tymochko said.

The team closely monitored the rapidly growing drone market. A key factor, he said, was ensuring close cooperation between manufacturers and the military so that engineers could receive feedback quickly from battlefield tests.

“It’s always action and counteraction,” Tymochko said, noting both sides develop ways to counter enemy drones and improve their technology to neutralize each other’s responses. “That cycle is what drives the evolution of drone warfare.”

The technology itself, he said, is not especially difficult to copy. The real value lies in how it is used — and in the experience of the pilots who have learned to operate it effectively.

“People were very skeptical about the technology,” Tymochko said of the early days of interceptor drones. “Some thought it wouldn’t work, that within a month the Russians would come up with countermeasures and the drones would become useless.”

Nearly two years later, the results suggest otherwise.

“Many people called it air defense for the poor,” he said. “But it turns out that air defense for the poor can sometimes be more effective than air defense for the rich.”

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Associated Press journalist Vasilisa Stepanenko contributed to this report.

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

Expect ‘tomb’ much fun as the award-winning children’s history show confirms a new spot at London’s Battersea Power Station

Families can step back more than 3,000 years this summer as the team behind Horrible Histories brings its trademark mix of comedy and history to London’s NEON at Battersea Power Station. Launching inside the blockbuster Ramses and the Pharaohs’ Gold exhibition, the new ‘Horrible Histories – Live at the Museum!’ experience promises an interactive adventure packed with ancient treasures, larger-than-life characters and plenty of laughs.

Inspired by the life and reign of Ramses II, the experience begins with visitors being led through the exhibition by “Ramses” himself. As families journey through the galleries, they’ll uncover fascinating stories from the legendary pharaoh’s rule while coming face-to-face with more than 180 priceless Egyptian artefacts, including the actual coffin of Ramses the Great and the dazzling gold mask of Amenemope.

The adventure doesn’t end there. After exploring the exhibition, guests will be treated to a hilarious live stage show featuring the infamous Mummy Rap, audience participation and a funny, fact-filled look at the extraordinary process of mummification.

READ MORE:

Tickets for Horrible Histories – Live at the Museum! are available now via the Fever website. Click here to find out more.

If ancient Egypt isn’t quite your child’s thing, there are plenty of other ways to keep the family entertained over the summer holidays. ATG Tickets is currently offering 15% off selected productions until September, including Wicked, Stranger Things: The First Shadow and other popular West End shows.

Book tickets for Horrible Histories here

Horrible Histories celebrate the Awesome Egyptians at Ramses and the Pharaohs Gold, and tickets are out right now.

For young dinosaur fans, Dinosaur World Live offers the chance to step into a prehistoric adventure, where families can come face-to-face with life-sized dinosaurs, including a towering Tyrannosaurus rex and a Triceratops.

While the new Horrible Histories experience doesn’t open until July 27, the Ramses and the Pharaohs’ Gold exhibition has already attracted glowing reviews on TripAdvisor from visitors who have explored its remarkable collection of ancient Egyptian treasures.

The exhibition has already earned plenty of praise on TripAdvisor, with many visitors describing it as both fascinating and beautifully presented. One visitor wrote: “Amazing- excellent audio and exhibition. Makes you wonder how the British Museum survives when you see such well organized and thoughtful pop up exhibits. The VR at the end was also worthwhile.”

Adele was very impressed with the experience, saying: “Fabulous exhibition. Very easy to hear and see all the artefacts. Very well laid out and a really good atmosphere. The admission slots are just right to allow good uncrowded flow through the different rooms. Lots of benches placed throughout for those with mobility issues. The fee I think is realistic for such an informative exhibition. We arrived via Tube and followed the yellow footprints to the exhibition halls quite easily. We were at the exhibition for around 90 to 120 minutes.”

Judith was also delighted, adding: “Fabulous exhibition. We stayed 2.5 hours. Really informative for the non-specialist. Beautiful jewellery. Impressive top notch graphics. Lot of exhibits from the Cairo Museum. Also the staff are very pleasant and helpful.”

Another visitor described it as “the best” ancient Egypt exhibition they had seen in recent years, writing: “Ramses II gets a worthy exhibition in London. Like many ancient Egypt related exhibitions that come to the capital this collection has had a bit of a world tour. This has been the best I’ve seen in recent years with real artefacts from the time of one of Egypt’s longest ruling kings.

“Statues, gold jewellery, mummies and pieces from other kings and dynasties. The VR was definitely worth the £14 extra fee. Some amazing pieces that will end up in the recently opened GEM at Giza when this current tour comes to an end and of course there’s a gift shop and cafe at the end.”

Not everyone was completely won over, however. One reviewer pointed out that the virtual reality experience comes at an additional cost, commenting: “Advertising shows VR experience. This is an extra payment. You would be better off going to the museum.”

A different five-star review was pleasantly surprised by the experience saying: “Wasn’t sure what to expect here but this is absolutely worth going to for museum fans – a treasure trove of fantastically well-preserved and priceless artefacts from the height of ancient Egypt. Well laid out and good descriptions that provide the context and history of the era in the right amount of detail – we learnt a lot about the incredible life of Ramses II and seeing his well-preserved coffin at the end was spectacular.”

Horrible Histories presents Ramses and the Pharaohs’ Gold tickets are available to purchase now.

There have been ongoing anti-social behaviour concerns in the area for a number of weeks

Those involved in disorder have been holding a community in West Belfast to ransom, a local MLA has said. On Saturday night, July 18, large crowds of up to 100 people gathered in the Stewartstown Road area.

A police officer was injured, and several PSNI vehicles were damaged in the incidents. Bins and loading cages were placed across part of the road at its junction with Bell Steel Road, with fires being set from some of those bins.

Throughout the day, police launched an operation relating to dangerous driving in the area with a large number of young people travelling at speed on scrambler-type bikes. The PSNI said many riders had their faces partially covered and were not wearing helmets.

The trouble came after weeks of sporadic disorder in the area, with scenes of anti-social behaviour outside flats over weeks, and trouble breaking out at the beginning of May at a diffing event in memory of Shea McGreevy, who died in a jetski incident in Lough Neagh.

Speaking to Belfast Live in the aftermath of the most recent scenes of disorder, Sinn Féin MLA Danny Baker said the local community has been “hemmed in” by those partaking in anti-social behaviour.

He said: “Tensions were building for a number of weeks, we had a major event here on May 4th which caused a lot of chaos, and it’s been building since then. What we saw on Saturday was a real escalation of that with huge numbers coming out onto the street, lots of young people on souped-up strong motorbikes driving dangerously, and there were lots of spectators.

“In the days leading up to it, there were stolen motorbikes and a stolen car came into the area, we were trying to get young people away from being spectators to that. There’s a real safeguarding issue here; if one of these cars or bikes loses control, with some of them being driven really dangerously, like going onto footpaths at high speeds, a life will be lost.

“Like many communities, we’re facing the difficulties of e-scooters, motorbikes, and scramblers. This isn’t unique, unfortunately. After the events at the start of May, we’ve seen the behaviours escalate, with more high-powered bikes coming into the area as well as stolen vehicles. This isn’t just traffic offences, this is putting lives at risk.”

Following the trouble on Saturday night, a 14-year-old boy was among those arrested. A minority of young people are turning towards such disorder, but Danny said many adults and people from outside the area have been “adding fuel to the fire” by getting involved and spectating.

He said: “There were lots of adults there as well, we can’t solely just put this down to kids misbehaving. There were adults on these motorbikes, adults cheering it on and bringing their kids along.

“They’re only adding fuel to the fire; they’re not doing any favours to the children or to the community. The more people come down and watch these behaviours, the more chance more people are gonna be coming in from outside of this community, and then it’s us as a community that has to pick up the pieces.

“Adults who have been coming as spectators need to reflect on their behaviour. There is an element of criminality, adults who are coming in a sinister way to try and influence our young people to get them into trouble.

“They don’t care about their young people’s futures, and I do; that’s the difference. This community does, and we want our young people to have the best future they could possibly have because the actions of Saturday and actions even leading up to that could follow them for the rest of their lives.

“It could cost them getting jobs, or it could cost them their life. The danger in all this is someone could be seriously hurt or killed.”

The impact of the trouble over the past few weeks means many people have been afraid to leave their homes, with many local businesses impacted in the aftermath.

“I work hard with families with children with additional needs, and I’ve got to know a lot of them. They have been telling me their routines have been messed up by the trouble,” Danny explained.

“One parent said their child would walk up and get ice cream in the garage, and they haven’t been able to do that for three weeks.

“That is not on. It’s a disgrace, and those behind that need to reflect on the real-life consequences that this is having for everyone in this community.

“People should not feel afraid to go about their daily business, and people should not be afraid to go to work, and that’s what is happening – businesses are being impacted. This community was hemmed in on Saturday, lots of businesses had to close and that has a massive knock-on effect.”

Danny said the disorder of recent weeks is not reflective of the wider Colin community, and he has called for those cheering on riotous behaviour or getting involved in it to pause and reflect.

He added: “We have hundreds of kids going through our youth clubs today, and we had a group of kids going off to represent this community in the Foyle Cup.

“There are so many great activities and great sports people in this community, as well as great role models. Then, unfortunately, we have some who are hellbent on destruction; we can’t allow them to win, and they need to get off the back of this community.

“It takes a village to raise a child, and it’s true, that’s what we’re going to keep doing. We’re going to work really hard to give our young people the best opportunities, and those who should know better really need to reflect on what they have done. To those who want to exploit our young people, get off the back of this community.

“Anyone who is cheering this behaviour on or involved in it they need to reflect on what they’re doing. They’re holding a community to ransom with their dangerous driving, and at the end of the day, they’re putting their own life at risk as well.”

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Chief Inspector Kelly Gibson, PSNI West Belfast Area Commander, said: “We know the local community is very concerned about what took place in west Belfast on Saturday night – and of ongoing antisocial behaviour in the area.

“We’re continuing to progress our investigation and to review evidence from the weekend. As such, we intend to make further arrests following these shameful scenes.

“Our targeted patrols will subsequently continue in the Stewartstown Road and surrounding areas to detect offenders on bikes who are driving illegally.

“We would reiterate our appeal to parents and guardians to speak to their young people and warn them of the dangers of getting involved in behaviour which could result in them obtaining a criminal record.

“We’d also ask that the community continues to report the illegal and dangerous driving of scrambler-type bikes so we can help to make our roads safer for everyone. The safety of local communities is paramount, and our officers have been working closely alongside our partner agencies, local representatives and the community to address these problems.”

Any photos or digital footage, including CCTV, mobile phone or dash-cam footage, can now be shared with police through the Major Incident Public Portal here: https://mipp.police.uk/operation/PSNI26W20-PO1

Enquiries are ongoing and anyone with information can contact police using our witness appeal form at https://reporting.psni.police.uk/appeals, quoting reference 346 of 18/07/26, or call us on 101.

Video by Justin Kernoghan.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

When the news reached Coronation Street’s Dylan Wilson (Liam McCheyne) that Betsy Swain (Sydney Martin) had suffered a stroke as a result of non-fatal strangulation, his immediate response was to claim he wasn’t responsible for it.

The youngster experienced a stroke in her home, and then another one in hospital.

After some tests, Betsy and her loved ones learnt that the damage to her neck, and temporary loss of circulation, had been sustained as a result of Dylan putting pressure on the body part while they were having sex.

DS Lisa Connor-Swain (Vicky Myers) told the police about Dylan being responsible, which led to him being questioned. Afterwards, Sean Tully (Antony Cotton) suggested that someone else was responsible for putting Betsy in hospital due to the gap in time from them having sex, and her first stroke.

Sean and Dylan weren’t aware of the information that states a stroke may not occur immediately after the event. In fact, medical evidence shows it can happen days, weeks, or even months after the initial compression of the neck. This, along with the fact they were both in denial about the reality, meant they tried to accuse Brody Michaelis (Ryan Mulvey) of sleeping with Betsy.

Everything changed for Dylan in this evening’s episode, as he visited Betsy in hospital. After hearing from her that he caused the strokes, Dylan panicked as he slowly started to accept the truth.

In the corridor, Dylan and Ryan Connor (Ryan Prescott) discussed how erotic asphyxiation, or breath play, is sometimes considered a kink, and reiterated that he didn’t squeeze Betsy’s neck very hard.

In the pub later, Dylan told his dad that he did put Betsy in hospital. The youngster knows that there’s a very real chance he could go to prison for this, and told Sean how terrified he is about returning there.

This plotline was conceived as a way to raise awareness surrounding the incredibly little know risks of consensual strangulation during sex, which can occur regardless of how much or little pressure is used.

Coronation Street has been worked closely alongside the Institute for Addressing Strangulation (IFAS), The Stroke Association and Safeline while plotting the story to ensure complete accuracy.

‘By consulting extensively with IFAS, the Stroke Association and Safeline, we aimed to handle Betsy’s journey with the care and sensitivity it deserves while sparking a difficult and somewhat contentious conversation that helps raise awareness of the risks involved in partaking in such acts’ said Corrie producer, Kate Brooks.

‘When I first got told about it, I learnt that it takes more pressure to open a can of Coke than it does to cause brain damage,’ Sydney Martin exclusively told Metro.

‘There was a study where they did a blood test on 30 women, 15 who had partaken and 15 who hadn’t, and the 15 who had all showed signs of brain damage.’

Keir Starmer’s regime got off to the worst possible start two years ago when, as soon as he took power, he said things were in a dire state, then his Chancellor discovered a £20bn black hole that meant things had to get even worse and to prove it, she clobbered the pensioners.

Andy Burnham’s reign has started in the opposite way. He says he wants to “bring back hope” and his first real announcement has been to remove VAT from electricity while saying that his cost-of-living government will “take that little bit of pressure off people’s shoulders”.

Now the £45 the VAT removal will save is paltry, especially as most of it will disappear when energy prices go up, as scheduled, this autumn.

But it is better than the slap that Rachel Reeves delivered when she tried to remove all pensioners’ winter fuel payments.

It will be interesting to see whether new Chancellor, John Healey, can convince us that this money is coming from a genuine saving that is being made by scrapping the digital ID scheme or whether it is just another visit to the magic money tree.

Mr Healey, though, is a surprise but stable appointment as Chancellor. He was respected as Defence Secretary and his resignation fatally wounded Mr Starmer’s government because it was over a point of principle, unlike Wes Streeting’s performative departure.

Now it falls to Mr Healey to find new money, from a country that is heavily taxed but without any spare change, to pay the billions needed to upscale our defence.

Mr Burnham might be hinting that things can only get better but the truth, for him at least, is that things will only get harder now he has to deliver from the hot seat.

This follows earlier Parkinson’s research

Researchers wonder whether this means breathing techniques might be good for our brains

A seven-year-old boy and nine-year-old girl have tragically died after being thrown from a boat that reportedly struck an Intercoastal Waterway channel marker off Berkeley Township, New Jersey, during a trip with their grandparents.

Two young children have died tragically following a collision between their boat and a channel marker.

The nine year old girl and seven year old boy were flung from a 30-foot Tidewater Custom 280 on Saturday night into waters off Berkeley Township, New Jersey. State Police confirmed the vessel struck an Intercoastal Waterway channel marker, causing both children to be thrown overboard.

Boat operator Stephen Schneider, 63, and fellow passenger Laurie Schneider, 64, found the children unconscious in the water, according to reports. The pair are believed to be the youngsters’ grandparents, as per ABC7.

Jersey Shore Online sources revealed the group had visited MJ’s Restaurant Bar and Grill prior to embarking on the boat.

After the incident, the children were taken to hospital where Garden State officials confirmed they were declared dead, reports the Daily Star.

The New Jersey State Police released a statement saying: “On July 19, at approximately 9:09 pm, troopers responded to the report of a serious vessel crash in the Berkeley Township Bay Area.

“Based on a preliminary investigation, a Tidewater Custom 280 30-foot vessel, while travelling through the Intercoastal Waterway, struck an Intercoastal Waterway channel marker, causing a 9 year old juvenile female and a 7 year old juvenile male to be ejected into the water.

“The operator, Stephen Schneider, a 63 year old male from Bayville, NJ, and occupant Laurie Schneider, a 64 year old female from Bayville, found the juveniles unresponsive in the water.

“The youngsters were taken to a local hospital, where they were declared dead. This boat accident is still under investigation, and no further information is available.”

Meanwhile, flights have been grounded at a major airport following a devastating blaze in the vicinity, which has tragically claimed the lives of two firefighters.

Local reports indicate the inferno ignited on Avenue Roland Garros, near Bordeaux Airport’s long-term P4 car park, rapidly engulfing approximately one hectare since erupting at around 2.30pm local time.

France’s Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed the deaths of two firefighters battling the blaze. Departures from Bordeaux Airport were temporarily halted, with numerous surrounding roads cordoned off to allow emergency services to respond to the crisis.

Fire crews continued their efforts to extinguish the flames as dense black smoke billowed into the sky, though the situation is now believed to be under control. Normal flight operations have since resumed at the airport.

Surrey Police have confirmed that the crash was caused by a lorry crashing into an embankment.

In a statement released earlier, the force said: “Officers were called to J6 of the M25 shortly before 9.20am this morning following a report of a single vehicle collision on the anticlockwise carriageway involving a lorry.

“The lorry driver was safely removed from the vehicle.

“No arrests have been made.

“Highways England are facilitating recovery of the lorry and any necessary lane closures in order to do so.”