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Ukraine war briefing: Nightfall – Britain races to develop ballistic missile for Kyiv

Ukraine war briefing: Nightfall – Britain races to develop ballistic missile for Kyiv

UK government starts contest to have deep-strike prototypes delivered within 12 months; heat-starved Kyiv under Russian attack again. What we know on day 1,419 Britain is to develop a new deep-strike ballistic missile for Ukraine , the government has announced. Under the project, named Nightfall , the British government said on Sunday that it had launched a competition to rapidly develop ground-launched ballistic missiles that could carry a 200kg (440lb) warhead to a range of more than 500km (310 miles). “Nightfall missiles will be capable of being launched from a range of vehicles,” said the UK defence ministry (MoD), “firing multiple missiles in quick succession and withdrawing within minutes – allowing Ukrainian forces to hit key military targets before Russian forces can respond.” Three industry teams would each get £9m to design, develop and deliver their first three Nightfall missiles within 12 months for test firings , said the MoD. Ukraine’s current ballistic missiles include Atacms, for which it relies on the US, and the self-developed Sapsan. Russia was again attacking Kyiv early on Monday , the Ukrainian military said, sparking a fire in at least one district. Ukrainian air defences were at work against incoming targets, said Timur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration. The renewed attack came as more than 1,000 apartment buildings in the Ukrainian capital remained without heating because of a Russian bombardment on Friday . Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s president, said that despite repairs the situation was “still extremely difficult”, particularly in border regions. At the Vatican, Pope Leo offered prayers for the people of Ukraine, saying the “particularly serious” strikes on energy infrastructure were “hitting the civilian population hard, just as the cold weather is getting worse … I pray for those who are suffering and renew my appeal for an end to violence and for efforts to achieve peace to be intensified.” Ukraine’s forces hit three drilling platforms operated by Russian oil company Lukoil in the waters of the Caspian Sea , the Ukrainian military general staff announced on Sunday. The strikes on Russian energy sites aim to deprive Moscow of oil export revenue used to fund the war. Moscow meanwhile said a Ukrainian drone strike killed one person and wounded three others in the Russian city of Voronezh. Continue reading...

Trump news at a glance: president weighs up range of actions against Iran

Trump news at a glance: president weighs up range of actions against Iran

Possible next steps for US include military strikes, sanctions and cyber attacks – key US politics stories from 11 January Donald Trump is weighing up his options for responding to protests in Iran, as deaths mount in a crackdown on demonstrations against the regime in Tehran. Possible actions for the US include military strikes, deploying secretive cyber weapons against Iranian military and civilian sites, placing more sanctions on Iran’s government and boosting anti-government sources online, sources say. Continue reading...

Macclesfield’s giant-killing hero Isaac Buckley-Ricketts was almost dumped by club days before downing Crystal Palace

Macclesfield’s giant-killing hero Isaac Buckley-Ricketts was almost dumped by club days before downing Crystal Palace

MACCLESFIELD goal hero Isaac Buckley-Ricketts was set for a move away from the club just days before the giant-killing of Crystal Palace. Buckley-Ricketts, 27, who started his career at Manchester City's academy, grabbed the second goal in Saturday’s 2-1 win over the FA Cup holders. Yet SunSport understands the forward was being made available for...