Russian losses in Ukraine rising faster than ever, finds analysis

Russian losses in the war in Ukraine have been growing at a faster rate than at any point so far since the invasion began in February 2022, new analysis suggests.

Analysis by the BBC found that 40 per cent more obituaries of soldiers were published in Russia this year compared with 2024.

The broadcaster, along with independent outlet Mediazona, compiled a list of named individuals using official reports, newspapers and social media, as well as new memorials and graves. In total, they were able to confirm the names of around 160,000 people who have been killed.

Experts told the broadcaster that the figure is likely to be far higher, with the BBC’s toll only likely to represent between 45 and 65 per cent of the overall total. This would mean that Moscow has suffered between 243,000 and 352,000 casualties since the war began.

The BBC’s data shows that the number of obituaries being published in Russia this year saw a considerable spike in August – the same month that Vladimir Putin met with Donald Trump in Alaska for the first US-Russia summit since the war began. It peaked at 12,035 in October.

Between July 2024 and July 2025, the number of obituaries being published did not exceed 7,155.

The BBC’s overall death toll appears to reflect assessments by international governments. In October, a Nato official said that more than 250,000 Russian troops had been killed in Ukraine, as part of a total of up to 1.1 million battlefield casualties.

Ukraine has seen more than 140,000 of its soldiers killed in the war, according to the BBC.

Meanwhile, Washington’s hopes of brokering a peace agreement in the near future were dashed on Tuesday after Russia accused Ukraine of launching a drone attack at one of Putin’s residences – a claim emphatically denied by Kyiv.

Mr Zelensky said the claim was a “complete fabrication” aimed at derailing the peace process, after Moscow signalled that it would harden its negotiating position in response.

Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said on Tuesday that Russia had not provided any plausible evidence of its accusations.

“Russia has a long record of false claims; it’s their signature tactic,” Mr Sybiha said.

Asked by reporters whether Russia had physical evidence of the drone attack, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said air defences shot the drones down, but that the question of wreckage was for the defence ministry.

Murder probe after British man, 29, shot dead in Costa Blanca

Police have launched an investigation after a 29-year-old British man was shot dead in Costa Blanca.

The man’s body was discovered on 21 December at a housing development in the area of Campoamor, in Alicante, according to Spanish media.

The incident is under investigation by the Homicide Unit of the Judicial Police of the Alicante Command.

Spain’s Civil Guard told The Independent the investigation has been issued with a secrecy order preventing release of further information.

Authorities were alerted after reports by people that their friend had been injured. Orihuela’s local police then contacted the Civil Guard, who took up the investigation. The man’s body is reported to have been found with several bullet wounds.

Police have made no arrests in connection with the incident so far, according to local reports. However, local media suggested the incident may be linked to the shooting of another 32-year-old British man earlier this month.

In that incident, the man suffered three gunshot wounds after being fired at 10 times. He survived his injuries.

Earlier this year, two Scottish men, Eddie Lyons Jr and Ross Monaghan, died after a gunman opened fire outside Monaghans Bar in Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol.

The attack took place when a car pulled up outside the bar and a masked man opened fire on the two men waiting outside. The gunman then fled in the car while the two men died at the scene of the incident.

At the time, Scottish Police urged against speculation as to the circumstances of the incident.

The statement read: “The investigation into the fatal shootings in Fuengirola is being carried out by Spanish police.

“Police Scotland is supporting Spanish police where requested, however, at this time, we have no officers deployed within Spain.

“There is currently no intelligence to suggest the deaths of these two men in Spain are linked to the recent criminal attacks in Scotland being investigated as part of Operation Portaledge.

“Any misinformation or speculation linking the events in Spain is not helpful to the ongoing investigations in either country.

“There is also nothing to suggest that the shooting in Fuengirola was planned from within Scotland.”

A 44-year-old man is awaiting trial in connection with the shooting.

Tyson Fury pays tribute to boxing rival’s friends killed in Nigeria car crash

Tyson Fury has paid tribute to Anthony Joshua’s two “close friends” and members of his team after the pair were confirmed dead following a fatal car crash in Nigeria.

Sina Ghami and Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele are believed to have been travelling in the same Lexus Jeep as Mr Joshua when it collided with a stationary truck by the side of a busy highway of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway at 11am local time on Monday, according to reports.

British heavyweight boxer Mr Fury, with whom Mr Joshua has feuded for years, is among a number of rivals who have sent messages to Mr Joshua and paid tribute to his two friends. Sharing a post about the pair’s deaths on his Instagram story on Tuesday, Mr Fury wrote: “This is so sad. May God give them a good bed in heaven”.

Mr Ayodele, otherwise known as Latz, was seen playing table tennis with Mr Joshua hours before the collision. Known as healthy_mindset on social media, he has been by Mr Joshua’s side over the last decade of his career.

Mr Ghami is a physio in the boxer’s team and a friend of Mr Joshua, who is reportedly in a stable condition and has spoken to his family, but was rushed to hospital after he suffered minor injuries in the crash.

The British boxer, a former two-time world heavyweight champion who is also of Nigerian heritage, was holidaying in Africa just 10 days after his high-profile fight with Jake Paul.

Trump ‘not worried’ as China fires rockets towards Taiwan during war games

US president Donald Trump has said he isn’t worried about China’s military drills around Taiwan, even after Beijing carried out rocket-firing exercises.

China, on the second day of the so-called Justice Mission 2025 drills, fired rockets towards Taiwan and deployed new amphibious assault ships along with bomber aircraft and warships to rehearse a blockade of the island.

Mr Trump told reporters on Monday he wasn’t informed of the military exercises in advance, but he wasn’t worried because China routinely conducted naval exercises.

“I have a great relationship with President Xi and he hasn’t told me anything about it. I certainly have seen it,” the US president said.

“No, nothing worries me. They’ve been doing naval exercises for 20 years in that area.”

China’s largest military exercises to date began less than two weeks after Washington announced a $11.1bn arms package for Taiwan, its biggest arms sale ever to the island.

Announcing the exercises on Monday, Beijing said they were a “stern warning” against separatist and “external interference” forces.

China claims Taiwan as its territory and does not rule out the use of force to reunify it with the mainland. Analysts say Beijing’s exercises increasingly blur the line between routine military training and stage-setting for an attack, a strategy intended to allow the US and its allies minimal warning of an assault.

The Chinese military’s Eastern Theatre Command said that naval and air force units drilled strikes on maritime and aerial targets as well as anti-submarine operations to Taiwan’s north and south and that live-firing would take place until 6pm local time at five locations around the island.

Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration said Chinese authorities had issued a notice saying that seven temporary “dangerous zones” would be set up around the Taiwan Strait to conduct rocket-firing exercises from 8am to 6pm local time, barring aircraft from entering them.

Taipei said nearly 850 international flights were scheduled during that period and the drills would affect over 100,000 travellers. Over 80 domestic flights, involving around 6,000 passengers, were already cancelled.

The island’s defence ministry said debris from live-firing had entered its contiguous zone, defined as 24 nautical miles offshore. It said that 130 Chinese military aircraft and 22 navy and coastguard vessels had been operating around the island in the 24 hours up to 6am.

At least 14 Chinese coastguard vessels continued to sail around Taiwan’s contiguous zone on Tuesday, some of which were engaged in standoffs with Taiwanese vessels, a Taiwan coast guard official told Reuters.

The Chinese army’s “highly proactive and reckless actions severely undermine regional peace and stability”, the Taiwanese defence ministry said.

It added that China fired 27 rockets in Taiwan’s waters.

Conducting live-fire exercises around the Taiwan Strait “does not only mean military pressure on us, it may bring more complex impact and challenges to the international community and neighbouring countries”, Hsieh Jih-sheng, deputy chief of the general staff for intelligence of the Taiwanese defence ministry, said.

Karen Kuo, spokesperson for the president’s office, said the drills were undermining stability and security in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific and openly challenging international law and order.

“Our country strongly condemns the Chinese authorities for disregarding international norms and using military intimidation to threaten neighbouring countries,” she said.

The defence ministry released a video featuring its forces and weapons systems in an apparent show of its power while multiple Mirage 2000 jets conducted landings at an air force base.

In October, Taipei had said that it would accelerate the building of a “Taiwan Shield” air defence system in the face of the military threat from China.

Forget having a boyfriend – these are the trends that will be embarrassing in 2026

Boyfriends officially became embarrassing in 2025. That’s according to a viral article by Chanté Joseph for British Vogue, which articulated a distinct vibe shift: that it is now “fundamentally uncool to be a boyfriend-girl”.

Far from being aspirational to post about your partner online, it became a bit, well, cringe. Women refrained from “hard launching” their relationships on social media; if they did ever include their man, he’d be mainly out of shot, with perhaps just a hand creeping into frame. Subtle hints without the confirmation – and certainly minus the gushing posts of old.

“Being partnered doesn’t affirm your womanhood any more. It is no longer considered an achievement and, if anything, it’s become more of a flex to pronounce yourself single,” observed Joseph.

So if openly having a boyfriend is the most decidedly off-trend behaviour of 2025, what’s destined for the lifestyle scrapheap in 2026? Here are my predictions for the most obvious casualties…

Whisper it, but… isn’t posting about your life on social media a bit naff these days? It certainly looks like it. Tired of the infinite scroll and being manipulated by algorithms, people are spending less time on platforms overall and sharing less of their personal lives. This is reflected in young people’s changing tastes; screens may have ruled the roost over the past two decades, but Gen-Zers are all about going analogue, more likely to be pursuing a latent passion for whittling bespoke milking pails than cruising for likes or mindlessly watching TikToks. They’re experimenting with dumbphones, leaning into tech-free hobbies, going off-grid and taking life offline. And, for Gen Alpha, social media is where people like their parents hang out. What could be more deeply uncool?

I’m not attacking hydration, merely the receptacle it comes in. After Booker Prize-winning novelist Ian McEwan branded the modern-day obsession with carrying a water bottle “deranged”, it became clear that the days of insanely gargantuan Stanley cups and their ilk were numbered. Somehow, carting around a vessel that’s roughly the same size and weight as a newborn baby, just to avoid being temporarily thirsty, no longer screams “chic”.

As the AI tsunami that nobody asked for continues to rage unabated, I predict that authenticity and anything with the unmistakable mark of being human-made will command a premium. On the flipside, fessing up to consulting ChatGPT – especially when you could have just googled or, let’s face it, engaged your brain for five minutes – is going to become just a little bit shameful.

Trashy, structured reality shows have long been the guilty viewing pleasure we no longer feel guilty about. But as the proliferation of shows has expanded at an ever-increasing rate – Selling Sunset having spawned Selling the OC, Selling Tampa and Selling the City faster than you can say “How many bathrooms?” – the quality has plummeted. Once-golden formats like Love Is Blind no longer sparkle; now, they’re saturated by self-selecting narcissists (who are much too image-conscious to ever fall in love, let alone get married), while derivative shows like Perfect Match seem like they were dreamed up by an AI bad ideas generator. The only exemption in all of this is The Traitors, which, off the back of its first epic UK celebrity version, remains the most compelling thing on telly.

The world and his wife seem to have been on weight loss injections this year – and boy, do we never stop hearing about it. While there are clearly huge health benefits – especially for those who were pre-diabetic – the darker side of the jabs has also become apparent.

In 2025, we started to hear more about hair loss, “Ozempic teeth”, crippling nausea and the revelation that patients typically gained all their original weight back within 10 months of stopping medication. Not to mention all the potential risks from dodgy, unapproved jabs manufactured by organised crime gangs…

I’d never even heard of these cursed, fanged plastic dolls dressed in fur rompers eight months ago. Now, they haunt my dreams. They inexplicably exploded in popularity with young women in 2025, commanding crazy prices as scarcity increased (Forbes even suggested they might make good investments after one sold for more than $10,000) and becoming the bag accessory du jour, as ubiquitous as it was ugly.

There’s even a Labubu movie reportedly in the works. Too bad the hype has already cooled, with the trend declared “over” at the tail end of 2025 thanks to stalling sales and increased availability.

…otherwise known as Brazilian butt lifts, or BBLs. This cosmetic procedure involves taking fat from other places like the stomach, hips, or thighs via liposuction and injecting it into the bum to create the extremely shapely, rounded (and very clearly not natural) silhouette popularised by the likes of the Kardashian clan and Cardi B in the 2010s.

More than a decade later, the exaggerated posterior feels very much of its time. As one Instagrammer identified, the BBL now looks dated, as anchored to a particular era as the giant perm was to the Eighties. People are even getting them removed, including Geordie Shore’s Chloe Ferry, who said back in August that she looked “so much better” without the oversized derriere.

But you know what never goes out of style? Doing what makes you happy, regardless of trends. So if that’s chugging out of a Labubu-adorned bottle the size of a toddler while watching Real Housewives and consulting ChatGPT about what to have for dinner… well, “you do you”, as the kids say. Ignore me and go live your best life.

Five perfect family getaways in Catalonia’s green heart

Looking for a family holiday that combines adventure, nature, and a touch of culture? Catalonia’s green heart is bursting with possibilities, from mountain valleys where flaming torches light up midsummer skies to tranquil wetlands teeming with wildlife. Whether your crew prefers gentle hikes, ancient ruins or ski slopes and riverside trails, this corner of northern Spain offers unforgettable experiences for every age and season. Here are five destinations that prove The Pyrenees of Catalonia might just be Europe’s ultimate family playground.

Located also in Catalan Pyrenees west, near the border with France, Catalonia’s wonderful all-rounder really does have something for the whole family. In terms of culture, it’s a place rich with traditions and history. Kids of all ages will be entranced by the annual summer solstice Fallas festivals, which involve young men carrying flaming torches from high in the mountains down to their villages where they light bonfires and take part in traditional dances late into the night. Even the most heritage-resistant will surely be converted by Vall de Boí’s unmatched collection of astonishingly preserved Romanesque churches, with their evocative towers, atmospheric interiors, and beautiful settings. The area is blessed with trails that will suit the youngest of hikers, like the routes at Salencar de Barruera where you walk along the river following a paved path from a playground to the Salencar wetlands.

Located just west of Andorra near the border with France, the Valls d’Àneu was the first inland part of Catalonia to receive the DTF family tourism certification, and it’s easy to see why. All valleys and peaks, glacial lakes and seemingly endless meadows, it feels like an unspoilt Eden that’s waiting to be explored all year round. In winter, the Espot ski station is a family favourite, with its dedicated beginners area with magic carpets and a drag lift, and its large number of green and blue slopes. Throughout the rest of the year, families flock to one of the region’s great areas of natural splendour: Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park, which features more than 200 lakes with breathtaking alpine backdrops, many of them easily accessible on flat family walkways.

A few miles inland from Cadaqués in the Mediterranean, the gorgeous seaside town famous for its postcard-perfect whitewashed architecture, lies one of Catalonia’s big draws for nature-loving families: the Aiguamolls de l’Empordà Natural Park. A 47km² wetland wonderland, its varied eco-systems are home to an astonishing range of birds and animals from bitterns and marsh harriers to otters and polecats. Parents to budding history buffs are also well-served in the area, which is home to both the Citadel of Roses – a fascinating journey through time that includes Hellenistic ruins, Visigoth-era buildings and Romanesque monasteries – and the archaeological site of Empúries with its reconstructed forum. It also benefits from being one of Catalonia’s culinary hotspots with its highly regarded seafood and excellent wines for deserving mums and dads.

Situated in the west of the Catalan Pyrenees, Pirineus, Noguera Palleresa is a stunning high peak destination that offers a vast range of family-friendly activities. In the snowy season, head to the celebrated Port Ainé ski resort, which has something to suit children of all ages from sledding play areas to treetop adventure parks. In summer, beat a path to the Alt Pirineu Natural Park which has abundant paths ideal for reluctant hikers, many of them with great views of the Pica d’Estats, which at 3143m is the highest mountain in Catalonia. Lovers of adventure sports should head to Sort on the Noguera Pallaresa river, which is the region’s top spot for whitewater rafting with gentle open kayaking for littler kids and thrilling canyoning for teenagers.

The Vall de Camprodon, located in Girona province just North of the town of Ripoll, is famous for its art nouveau architecture. One of the main draws of the Vall de Camprodon is the Ter and Freser Headwaters Natural Park, with its lush valleys and thrilling backdrop of high peaks. It’s a must-visit for aspiring bird-watchers, who if they’re lucky might see Griffon vultures, golden eagles, and Eurasian eagle-owls. Little kids will love the Camprodon Valley Tourist Train, which takes passengers on a 45 minute tour of Camprodon, allowing them to explore the valley and see incredible views of the Pont Nou without too much walking. And everyone will adore the food, particularly the local specialty biscuits, which they’ve been making since the 19th Century.

Plan your sustainable trip to the Catalan Pyrenees at visitpirineus.com/en

Two men arrested after pedestrian in his 80s killed in collision

Two men have been arrested after a pedestrian in his 80s was killed in a collision in Gillingham, Kent.

Kent Police said the man was hit by a grey Mercedes estate on the A289 Gads Hill at around 12.10pm on Monday 29 December.

It was reported the vehicle continued and was later found in Eastcourt Lane, where the two occupants had left on foot.

The pedestrian, a man in his 80s, had been carried by the car and was found on the ground at Grange Road.

He was treated by South East Coast Ambulance Service but died at the scene.

Later the same day, two men were arrested in connection with the collision – a 29 year old from Chatham and a 28 year old of no fixed address. They remain in custody.

Officers from Kent Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit are urging anyone who witnessed the incident, or saw the vehicle or pedestrian prior to the collision, to contact them.

Anyone with information should call 01622 798538 or email sciu.td@kent.police.uk, quoting reference EW/LB/093/25.

UK considered military action for ‘depressingly healthy’ Robert Mugabe

Military action to remove Robert Mugabe was deemed not a “serious option” by the Foreign Office, despite mounting frustration within Tony Blair’s government over the Zimbabwean dictator’s refusal to relinquish power, newly declassified files reveal.

Documents released to the National Archives in Kew show that Downing Street pressed the Foreign Office to devise new strategies to exert pressure on Mugabe, as the former British colony descended into widespread violence and economic chaos.

A No 10 adviser warned the prime minister that the deteriorating situation could prove a “real spoiler” to his ambition of making 2005 “the year of Africa” at the Gleneagles G8 summit.

However, the Foreign Office was forced to admit that few effective avenues existed for intensifying pressure on the veteran Zanu-PF leader who, at 80, remained “depressingly healthy” and determined to stay until he had secured a succession to his liking.

An options paper, drawn up in July 2004, was quick to rule out any use of military force. A year after the UK joined a US-led coalition to overthrow the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, it said that this time Britain would be on its own if it tried to invade.

“The only candidate for leading such a military option is the UK. No one else (even the US) would be prepared to do so,” the paper said.

“Any UK military intervention would result in heavy casualties (including on the UK side). Nor would there be any obvious end state or exit strategy.

“Short of a major humanitarian and political catastrophe – resulting in massive violence, large-scale refugee flows and regional instability – we judge that no African state would agree to any attempts to remove Mugabe forcibly.”

Thabo Mbeki, who was president of South Africa at the time, subsequently claimed that in the early 2000s, Mr Blair had tried to pressurise him into joining a military coalition to overthrow Mugabe.

Mr Blair strongly denied the claim, but the suggestion that military action had previously been mooted may explain why, in 2004, the Foreign Office was so quick to make clear that it was a non-starter.

The files show that Mr Blair was, however, attracted to a suggestion by the outgoing British ambassador Sir Brian Donnelly, who urged him to engage with Mugabe to try to persuade him to step aside once parliamentary elections due in early 2005 were out of the way.

In a valedictory telegram to the prime minister’s foreign policy adviser, Sir Nigel Sheinwald, he pointed to Mr Blair’s success in getting the Libyan dictator Colonel Muammar Gaddafi to give up his weapons of mass destruction after years of being treated as a pariah by the West.

“I can well understand why you and the prime minister might shudder at the thought given all that Mugabe has said and done,” he wrote.

“I also recognise Mugabe’s unique place in our demonology creates some special problems with UK public and parliamentary opinion. It is a political call.

“All I can say is that you steeled yourself to do it with Gaddafi, another megalomaniac, often irrational de facto dictator. The payoff more than justified the effort.”

Mr Blair appeared to like the idea, writing: “We should work out a way of exposing the lies and malpractice of Zanu-PF up to the election and then afterwards, we could try to re-engage on the basis of a clear understanding of what that means.

“I can see a way of making it work but we would need to have the FCO work out a complete strategy.”

But Foreign Office officials in London were deeply sceptical, warning that such an approach had been tried before and failed, and would risk “looking like a U-turn for nothing”.

At the same time, they warned that imposing new sanctions, on top of the international measures already in place, would be counterproductive, hurting ordinary Zimbabweans while allowing Mugabe to persist in his “big lie” that the UK was responsible for all the country’s woes.

More than two decades after the liberation struggle against white minority rule, which brought him power, they concluded, Mugabe would not step aside without “overwhelming pressure” and the only realistic course was to “hang firm” until he chose to go of his own accord.

Sir Brian’s successor, Rod Pullen, wrote: “He is not mad (as some suggest), nor is he simply clinging to power out of fear (as others suggest). Rather he comes across as believing he has business to finish.”

In the event that business was to remain unfinished for another 13 years until he was finally deposed in a coup in 2017, aged 93.