Russia has been suspected of launching several attacks on weapons and defence factories across Europe as part of a ‘destabilisation campaign’.

The alleged operations are thought to be designed to test NATO’s resolve while stopping short of triggering Article 5, which is the alliance’s mutual defence clause.

Last week,Latvia detained three of its own nationals over a suspected arson attack on a drone manufacturer in neighbouring Estonia.

A building belonging to Milrem Robotics, a Tallinn-based company supplying weapons to Ukraine, was set alight on August 15.

Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal has said the country is investigating whether the fire was an act of sabotage and whether Russia was involved.

It comes after a series of suspected attacks involving companies that are supplying Ukraine’s military have also been attacked.

A Nato official said Russia had ‘accelerated its destabilisation campaigns’ against member states in recent years, through the likes of cyber attacks, assassination attempts and sabotage.

Western intelligence sources have even claimed that the Kremlin is using local criminal gangs to carry out the attacks.

The campaign has been described as the Kremlin’s ‘hybrid war’ against the the West to increase tensions between Nato allies and deter support for Ukraine.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, there have been a number of unexplained fires and explosions at sites across Europe.

This month, explosions were reported at major arms manufacturers in Bulgaria and Italy.

On August 10, a major blast hit a plant belonging to EMCO, one of Bulgaria’s largest private arms manufacturers, which produces 155mm artillery ammunition for Ukraine.

The initial fire was reportedly started by a blaze in a lorry parked near a storage warehouse.

Three days later, another explosion hit a munitions factory operated by KNDS Ammo Italy in Colleferro, near Rome.

The cause was reportedly an unexplained fire in a gunpowder processing unit.

Officials in both Italy and Bulgaria, however, have played down any links with Russia.

Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte has described suspected Russian sabotage as ‘reckless and dangerous’, calling for the alliance’s response to be ‘clear, swift and decisive’.

A Nato official said the alliance was strengthening its ability to counter such operations and monitoring hostile activity carried out through proxies.

The official said Nato would remain prepared to ‘deter and defend against any threat’ to its members.

Earlier today, it was revealed that Ukraine marked its Independence Day by targeting Vladimir Putin’s online shopping hubs.

Three Ozon marketplace logistics centres were engulfed by flames following the overnight strikes.

The attacks unfolded on the day UK prime minister Andy Burnham was making his first trip as leader to Kyiv.

Ozon is often referred to as the ‘Amazon of Russia’ and supports Moscow’s military, Ukraine says.

MORE: Russia pulls ambassador out of UK over Britain’s ‘path of confrontation’

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Jo Frost was brutally honest about a skill that many children are lacking before they go to school – so she urged parents to act to rectify this important issue

You’ve probably sorted out uniforms, lunchboxes and stationery, but now Jo Frost is encouraging parents to prepare their children for school in a different way.

The Supernanny star, 56, spoke candidly about an issue she’s seen cropping up among kids who struggle to adjust in the classroom. The parenting expert believes all children need to learn about sharing, communicating and cooperating with others before they go back to school.

In an Instagram plea to mums and dads, Jo said: “Parents, this is worth listening to. You know, your child is special to you. Of course they are. But if we start teaching them that they’re more special than anyone else, that’s where they’re going to struggle.”

Jo continued: “I say this because I see it. Can I ask you, do you teach your children how to lose a game? Do you teach them how to accept someone else’s imaginary game at recess, even when it’s not their idea?

“Do you teach your child how to listen like every other child being asked to line up at school? Do you teach your child how to be sociable? Because these things don’t just happen.”

Worryingly, Jo has witnessed kids who find it tricky to adapt to the classroom environment. She added: “What I’m seeing is children struggling in school with others, not because they’re not capable, but because they haven’t been taught how to function alongside their own peers.

“How to take turns, how to wait, how to not always be in control. And that’s important because your child is special to you.

“But the moment we teach them without even realising that they are more special than anyone else, we’re going to be setting them up to struggle big time, because school doesn’t work like that.

“Friendships don’t work like that. Life doesn’t work like that. It’s give and take.”

How to teach kids to share

If this is something you are struggling with in your household, there are some steps you can take before school starts to help your children adjust to sharing space with others.

According to the parenting expert, this involves showing kids they can’t always get their own way. This may be difficult and cause tantrums, but it’s essential to set your little ones up for life.

Jo added: “So this is where you come in, in the everyday moments. Board games – let them lose. Let them follow someone else’s idea in real life, expect them to listen, to line up, to take turns.

“You guide it, you repeat it, you hold their expectation. Because that’s how they learn and listen.”

You may worry that your children will be upset, but Jo thinks it’s well worth it in the long-term. In fact, she believes setting boundaries is essential for kids to find their place in the world and be more confident.

The Supernanny star concluded: “Loving your child deeply – that should be a given – but loving them doesn’t mean removing the lessons they need because teaching them how to exist alongside others, that’s what helps them feel more confident, feel more capable and truly secure them in the world around them.”

The Met Office has revealed what September could bring, with unsettled weather set to start the month before one part of the UK could see hot spells return

Summer may be drawing to a close, but Brits could still be in for a scorching September – with the Met Office giving its verdict on the chance of another heatwave.

Forecasters say early September could be a washout, with longer and heavier spells of rain, strong winds and even thunderstorms across parts of the UK. But the unsettled weather may not last, with the latest outlook suggesting temperatures could climb again in the weeks ahead.

In its outlook for August 28 to September 6, the Met Office says temperatures are likely to be near average, but “some short-lived warm spells are possible, especially in the south”.

And the prospect of hot weather remains further into September. The agency’s outlook for September 2 to September 21 says unsettled conditions are expected to continue at first before drier weather could become more common, particularly across the south and southeast.

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Temperatures could also rise above normal later in the period, with the forecaster warning of “the possibility of some hot spells in the south”.

While the Met Office hasn’t officially predicted a September heatwave, its latest outlook suggests the door remains open for another spell of summer-like weather – especially across southern parts of the UK.

It comes after a summer which has already delivered repeated bouts of extreme heat, with temperatures soaring and rainfall levels plunging across the country.

Large parts of the UK have been left dealing with drought conditions after prolonged periods of exceptionally dry weather, putting further pressure on water supplies.

But before any potential late-summer warmth arrives, the UK could have to endure a much more unsettled start to September.

The Met Office says rainfall amounts are likely to be above average for the time of year, while some strong winds could return.

“Showers or longer spells of rain are possible across many parts of the UK, along with some strong winds,” the forecaster says.

“Some heavy bursts and thunderstorms are likely at times. It will likely remain changeable into early September, with rainfall amounts probably above average for the time year and the potential for some more strong winds at times.”

“However, some drier, more settled interludes could develop at times. Temperatures are likely to be near average, although some short-lived warm or hot spells are possible, especially in the south.”

The nation was once ranked as high as seventh in the world but now faces an uncertain future

The head of Samoa’s rugby union has warned that their national team could cease to exist if the nation’s government doesn’t accept a proposed World Rugby review into the governing body.

Last month, the Samoan Government announced that it was withdrawing its recognition and financial support of Lakapi Samoa – the nation’s rugby governing body – because of “unresolved internal issues and division” at the union. It was then reported that World Rugby had given Samoa an ultimatum to resolve the issues or face a four-year ban from Test rugby, but these were denied.

However, weeks on, the Samoan government and Lakapi Samoa remain at loggerheads, with the government still yet to formally accept the World Rugby review and, instead, launching a rival union, the Samoa Rugby Football Union.

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Now, the CEO of Lakapi Samoa, Seumanu Douglas Ngau Chun, has warned that there will be “no more Manu Samoa” if the government does not accept the proposed review of the union, with heavy sanctions believed to be inevitable.

“Last I heard, they will review the Lakapi Samoa and I am waiting on the government to give their official correspondence to accept the review,” he told RNZ Pacific. “Up to [Friday] I have not been informed of any updates about the review.

“If we get to that point, then there will be no point [in] rugby in Samoa because once we get sanctioned, then there will be no more Manu Samoa, no funding, and that [would be] a great loss to us.”

Seumanu added that he fears the potential consquences of the government not allowing the review to proceed, with a four-year ban from competition among them. If that occurs, Samoa – who ranked as high as seventh in the world in 2012 – would likely miss the next two Rugby World Cups.

For the second time in a row, Italy has topped the medal table at the European Athletics Championships. With a total of 22 medals (ten of them gold) Italy pipped host nation Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the top spot. Once a nation of footballers – having won the World Cup four times – now Italy is showing itself to be a nation of runners and jumpers.

There are a few explanations for how this has happened. First, Italy offers a distinctive form of public support to its athletes. Many elite sportsmen and women are employed by state security forces.

While this system has attracted some criticism for “militarising” sport, it has nevertheless proved very successful. Athletes can receive a salary, training support and a degree of financial stability long before they become famous enough to attract commercial sponsorship. Crucially, they do not have to choose between pursuing an athletic career and simply making ends meet.

Second, Italian families play a crucial role as the primary financial, material and logistical supporters of young athletes. At the grassroots level, local athletics programmes – often led by former professionals or passionate coaches – are equally important in identifying and nurturing talent.

The ‘new Italians’

There is, however, a third important factor that becomes clear when looking at Italy’s medal winners. Five of its ten gold medals were won by athletes from diverse ethnic backgrounds.

It’s the so-called “second generation”: the children of immigrants who were born or grew up in Italy and who now make the difference in sport. Nadia Battocletti, the queen of European distance running on the track, has Moroccan heritage through her mother. Larissa Iapichino, the long-jump gold medallist at the European championships held in Birmingham, is the daughter of the British-Jamaican long jumper Fiona May.

Marcell Jacobs, the 2020 Olympic champion in the 100 metres and European record-holder at this distance, has an African-American father. And in swimming, the stellar example is 19-year-old world record-holder Sara Curtis.

In short, Italy’s position in European sport owes a great deal to those I call “new Italians”. The great paradox, however, is that while Italy enthusiastically celebrates its diverse champions in the sporting arena, many of these new Italians experience discrimination in everyday life.

As I show in my research, some Italians still express surprise when they hear someone speaking like them, but not looking like them. The Italian national imagination, much like the country’s citizenship law, remains strongly shaped by the principle of ius sanguinis, or descent by blood. This reinforces the idea of an racial core of Italianness that is implicitly associated with whiteness.

As a result, however Italian these children of migrants sound, behave or feel, their national belonging can still be questioned by a society in which anti-immigration attitudes and racist incidents remain significant and affect successful athletes.

Given this context, it is not surprising that over the last few years Italy’s political scene has also shifted to the right. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s political roots are in the post-fascist right.

It is particularly significant that Italy’s fastest-growing political party, Futuro Nazionale, is led by former general Roberto Vannacci. He claimed in a 2023 book that professional volleyball player Paola Egonu’s “facial features” cannot represent Italianness. Futuro Nazionale’s surge means it has a real chance of stealing support from members of Meloni’s conservative coalition in next year’s election.

This is not an isolated comment, but reflects a wider and recurring issue. Racism in Italian sport also affects the country’s football. Black Italian footballers have repeatedly lamented racist episodes they have experienced on the pitch, prompting the Italian Football Federation to renew its commitment to combating all forms of discrimination.

While Italy waits for the resurrection of its football team, its new generation of champions in athletics and beyond is transforming the country’s sporting fortunes. But these new sporting heroes are also prompting wider debate about what it means to be Italian in an increasingly diverse society.

“We will focus relentlessly on protecting public health and safety, respecting and improving the local environment, ensuring what people pay for their water is fair and the most vulnerable are protected, investing to secure clean and reliable water supplies for current and future generations, and being accountable for what we do.

It’s a welcome return for the popular Marks and Spencer offer, as customers had taken to social media and parenting sites to ask if it would be back again before September, after the deals initially ran earlier this summer.

One parent posted on Mumsnet: “I’ve heard a few people say they don’t think M&S are doing 20 per cent off school uniforms this year.”

M&S school uniform is designed to be durable and pass the ’hand-me-down’ quality test to ensure even when it’s outgrown, it can be given another life.

Plus, M&S continues to offer an extended 100-day returns period on school uniform.

See the full range here.

(Image: M&S)

M&S school uniform has a range of schoolwear designed for regular washing and growing children, with multipacks starting from £7.

Some of the better-value options include:

• 3-pack polos – £7: Made with Stainaway technology and StayNew™ to help keep them looking brighter for longer.
• 2-pack trousers – £11: With adjustable waists, crease-resistant fabric and a stain and weather-resistant finish.
• 3-pack shirts – £10: Easy-iron fabric and Expandicuff™ on styles up to age 10.
• 2-pack jumpers – £11: Featuring StayNew™ technology to help maintain colour and finish.
• 2-pack skirts – £10: With adjustable waists, durable crease-resistant fabric and permanent pleats.

Buying several of the basics together can be particularly useful for younger children, who can get through shirts and polo shirts at an alarming rate.

For families trying to reduce the September bill, multipacks are worth comparing against single-item prices, particularly for pieces such as polo shirts, shirts and trousers that children are likely to wear repeatedly.

Save on back to school socks and tights with Sockshop (Image: Sockshop)

Don’t forget specialist retailers

It is also worth looking beyond the supermarkets when putting together a school uniform, particularly for items such as socks and tights.

SOCKSHOP has a dedicated range of children’s school socks and tights in black, white and grey, with several low-cost options and multi-buy offers.

Some of the current deals include:

• Kids’ bamboo plain and striped socks – £1.99 a pair, or five for £4.99
• Kids’ bamboo trainer socks – £1.49 a pair, or three for £2.99
• Girls’ bamboo plain tights – £4.99 a pair, or two for £7.99
• Kids’ bamboo knee-high socks – £2.49 a pair, or three for £4.99
• Kids’ cushioned bamboo sports socks – £2.49 a pair, or three for £4.99
• Heat Holders thermal tights – £8.99
• Falke back-to-school cotton socks – £6.99

For parents working through a school checklist, socks and tights can be easy to overlook until the final shopping trip. Buying several pairs at once through a multi-buy offer could therefore be a simple way to spread the cost and avoid having to replace them halfway through the term.

As with any school uniform purchase, check your school’s exact colour and style requirements before ordering, particularly if it has rules around sock length or tights.

Recommended reading:

Five ways to save on school uniform

1. Check the school rules first
Find out which items need school branding and which can be bought from supermarkets.

2. Shop around
Compare supermarket prices with high-street retailers before buying everything in one place.

3. Look for second-hand uniform
Check school uniform shops, Vinted, eBay, Facebook Marketplace and local selling groups.

(Image: M&S)

4. Buy bundles
Multipacks and bundles can bring the cost per item down, particularly for shirts, polo shirts and trousers.

5. Check before you buy
If buying second-hand, ask for measurements rather than relying on the age printed on the label and check high-wear areas such as knees, collars, cuffs and shoe soles.

For families trying to keep costs under control, the biggest saving may not come from finding one spectacular deal, but from mixing discounted supermarket basics with carefully chosen second-hand branded items.

If you’re jetting into Sydney for just a few days around the marathon, you’ll want to be savvy about how you see the highlights. The most efficient (and memorable) way to take it all in? Book a flight with Sydney Seaplanes, which offers 15-minute highlights tours of the harbour and has to have been the best thing I did in my whole 18 months living in the sparkling, waterside city. It’s expensive, at $330 per person, but you’ll see Bondi Beach, the Harbour Bridge and Opera House in a matter of minutes – and come away buzzing for the rest of the day. There’s also a 30-minute Sydney Secrets tour, taking in the northern beaches of Sydney as well as the harbour (including Palm Beach, where Home & Away was filmed), as well as various seaplane and dining experiences if you’re looking for an extra special post-marathon treat. The flight featuring lunch at the Cottage Point Inn on the Hawkesbury River is a customer favourite, and takes four hours in total including flying time.

The problems at Norton and Malton Skatepark have created an environment that is “unpleasant and, at times, dangerous.”

The issues include intimidation, bullying, vandalism, and littering, with broken glass and discarded fishing tackle regularly found at the site.

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Ryan Swain, who runs Ryedale Skate School, said: “This is not about blaming young people, users or the skatepark.

“It is about the actions of a small number of individuals whose behaviour is affecting an entire community.

“And to those responsible: we know who you are.

“You are clearly visible on CCTV.”

Concern has grown over reports of criminal damage and persistent antisocial behaviour, which have made the site unsafe for children, families, and other users.

Ryan, who campaigned to save the skatepark, added: “The way the park is being left is also completely unacceptable.

“Litter, smashed and broken glass and fishing tackle and equipment are being left around the skatepark.

“Fishing line and especially barbed hooks have absolutely no place in or around a facility used by children, skateboarders, scooters, BMX riders, families and even dogs.

“They are dangerous and could cause a serious injury.”

The skatepark serves a wide range of users from across the area and is described as a vital community asset.

Ryan added: “There are far more people who use this skatepark, respect it, want it and need it than there are people trying to ruin it.”

Norton-on-Derwent Town Council and North Yorkshire Police are now taking a tougher stance.

A zero-tolerance policy will be enforced against criminal damage, threatening behaviour, and persistent antisocial behaviour.

The skatepark is equipped with high-quality CCTV, and relevant footage can be provided to the appropriate authorities.

Efforts to engage positively with those causing problems have so far been unsuccessful.

Ryan said: “I’ve tried countless times with Ryedale Skate School over the years to engage positively with some of those causing issues.

“I’ve spoken about skatepark etiquette, encouraged and included people and even provided free skateboarding tuition to try to give them something to do and be involved with and they shun it.

“But there comes a point where opportunities to engage have to be met with personal responsibility and most importantly accountability.”

The facility is seen as an important space for young people, especially those who do not connect with traditional sports or activities.

Ryan said: “It provides exercise, friendships, confidence, resilience, independence, community and somewhere to belong.

“For some young people, particularly those who don’t connect with traditional sports or activities, somewhere like this can mean an enormous amount.

“Don’t allow the actions of a few to destroy something that benefits so many.”

Maintenance and repairs at the skatepark are the responsibility of the council, though community volunteers also contribute.

The public is urged to report criminal damage, intimidation, or antisocial behaviour to the appropriate authorities rather than intervening directly.

Skatepark-related issues and CCTV enquiries can be reported to Norton-on-Derwent Town Council by calling 01653 695348 or emailing clerk@norton-on-derwent-tc.gov.uk.