Zelensky seeks Patriot missiles in return for sending drone experts to Middle East

Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukrainian experts are heading to the Middle East to provide expertise on combatting Iranian drone attacks.

Kyiv is hoping to leverage its experience with drone warfare in exchange for new supplies of US air defence missiles, amid concerns that the Middle East conflict could stretch global supplies.

Asked how Kyiv intended to help the United States and its Gulf allies counter drone attacks, Zelensky said it was “too early to say anything else at this stage”, adding that experts would arrive on site in the coming week and “assess the situation and help”.

Ukraine has highlighted its expertise in drone warfare since the outbreak of the joint US and Israel attack on Iran, and has expressed interest in supplying interceptor drones to counter Iranian “Shahed” UAVs in exchange for Patriot air defence systems.

Ukraine was already facing a shortage of costly PAC-3 interceptor missiles supplied by the United States, and officials fear a prolonged conflict with Iran could further disrupt supplies.

All trains cancelled at Scotland’s biggest station amid fierce fire

A significant fire near Glasgow Central railway station has caused widespread disruption for train passengers, leading to dozens of cancellations on Sunday evening and into Monday morning.

The blaze, which erupted at a vape shop on Union Street, forced the closure of Scotland’s busiest station until further notice, National Rail confirmed.

More than 60 firefighters continued to battle the fire four hours after it started, impacting all services.

Footage from the scene shows a building engulfed in flames with firefighters attempting to control the blaze, while a large crowd of people watches on.

No trains are operating to or from the high-level platforms, while those using the low-level platforms will bypass Glasgow Central entirely.

Passengers are advised to anticipate ongoing disruption on routes that remain operational.

Network Rail said the station will remain closed on Monday morning and National Rail expects disruption to continue on routes to, from and through the station until end of the day on Monday.

In a statement at 8.30pm, a Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “Firefighters continue to work to extinguish a large building fire on Union Street, Glasgow.

“At its height, 15 fire appliances and specialist resources, including three high-reach vehicles and a water rescue team, were mobilised to the area.

“We were first alerted at 3.46pm on Sunday, 8 March, to reports of a fire affecting the ground floor of a four-storey commercial building.

“There are no reported casualties, and crews remain at the scene.”

Some ticket acceptance is in place, with Avanti West Coast passengers able to use their tickets at no extra cost on LNER services between Edinburgh and London King’s Cross.

First minister John Swinney said in a post on X: “I am deeply concerned about the fire near Glasgow Central Station tonight and very grateful to all of the emergency services who are responding.

“Please continue to follow travel guidance, avoid the area and stay safe.”

Paul Sweeney, Labour MSP for Glasgow, said the building – which housed the vape shop where the fire started – had partially collapsed.

In a post on X, he said the building dates back to 1851.

“Sadly the building has now partially collapsed. I hope the fire can be contained. The corner of the Forsyth Building, as well as the Caledonian Chambers and Central Hotel seem unaffected,” Mr Sweeney said.

“It’s a massive blow to Union Street with the restoration of the Egyptian Halls in prospect.”

Bruin the Clumber spaniel wins best in show at Crufts

A Clumber spaniel named Bruin has been crowned Best in Show at Crufts 2026, held at the NEC in Birmingham.

The four-year-old dog, from Somerset, triumphed over 18,000 competitors from around the world during the four-day event, claiming the prestigious honour on Sunday.

Bruin, handled by Lee Cox, had earlier secured victory in the Gundog group.

This marks the first time a Clumber spaniel has won Best in Show since 1991.

Judge Tamas Jakkel selected the spaniel, who beat the winners of six other groups to lift the coveted trophy.

Mr Cox said: “It’s just amazing, I mean, what can I say? I can’t believe it. Thank you so much.

“It’s just wonderful for this breed. You know, it’s just a… for the first time in my life, I’m speechless.”

He added: “He’s just, he’s a dog of a lifetime, he really, really is. He’s very, very special. I absolutely adore him. And he adores me.”

Mr Cox then joked, “I think he wants to eat your microphone”, before adding, “he’s just wonderful”.

Asked what his character is like, Mr Cox said: “Bit of a diva, a bit like me really, likes his own way, very chilled, but will never, ever let me down. Never lets me down.”

Earlier, he described Bruin as a “walking cartoon character in a fluffy white coat”.

A four-year-old petit basset griffon vendeen named Meghan, from Croatia, who earlier won the Hound group, was named reserve dog.

Jannine Edgar, chief executive of the Royal Kennel Club, said: “Congratulations to Bruin and Lee for closing this year’s competition with a truly outstanding win and for taking home the prestigious best in show title.

“Their connection and skill in the ring have shone throughout, making them thoroughly deserving champions.

“We also extend our congratulations to all the finalists. Each dog, handler and owner should feel extremely proud of reaching such an iconic final.

“Crufts continues to be adored by dog lovers worldwide, and it has been wonderful to welcome so many competitors from around the globe this year.

“We’ve celebrated the extraordinary bond between dogs and their handlers across every competition and activity.

“Thank you to everyone involved for helping make Crufts the remarkable event that it is.”

Rip-roaring or outright dangerous? F1 must stay adaptable in new era

If the big-wigs and boffins at Formula One and the FIA wanted a wholly complimentary verdict after race one of the sport’s brave new world at Albert Park, they did not get one. On the contrary, their ears will have pricked up most markedly at the comments of reigning world champion Lando Norris, sweaty and sharp in the media pen post-race.

“It is way too much, it is chaos,” said the McLaren driver who, it should be stated, is no longer in the dominant car. “We are going to have a big accident, which is a shame because we are the ones driving, just waiting for something to happen and for it to go quite horribly wrong.”

Norris was referring, specifically, to the closing speeds between cars as the drivers acclimatise to new aerodynamic and battery-related devices that, frankly, make F1 in 2026 an entirely new sport. That said, it was an incident at the start that illustrated Norris’s critique most clearly.

When the Racing Bulls of Liam Lawson moved slowly off the start line, Franco Colapinto’s cat-like reactions avoided a massive accident, as the Alpine driver quickly moved to the right. “The video shows it was very dangerous and quite sketchy,” said Colapinto, whose split-second swerve should be applauded.

Only, the incident was not aired in real-time but in the cool-down room afterwards with the Australian Grand Prix winner, title favourite George Russell, and the top-three watching on, gasping in shock. And relief.

The brand-new race starts, with a flashing blue light before the customary five red lights illuminate, have been implemented to allow all drivers to rev the engine higher and for longer, to build the necessary ‘turbo boost’ before the red lights extinguish.

On Sunday, the FIA starter tasked with the procedure held the final red light for less than half-a-second. Given the fresh nature of the challenge, it was completely unnecessary. “I think the person who is switching off the lights has been quite cheeky,” said Charles Leclerc. And he was someone who benefited, storming up from fourth to first.

Given it’s the sport’s most radical overhaul of regulations, there were inevitable peaks and troughs. Leclerc’s thrilling early battle with Russell, in which the lead changed hands six times in nine laps, was rip-roaring racing theatre. Perhaps they weren’t ‘pure overtakes’; perhaps they were simply indicative of conditions which favour the chaser. Still, it was captivating and, for the FIA, a tick in the box.

Now, back to Norris, who finished fifth in Melbourne, some 51 seconds behind Russell. While Leclerc and Russell sparred fairly, judging each gap and opportunity impeccably, Norris was keen to emphasise the potentially serious consequences down the line if a misjudgement is made. The new overtake mode provides a speed boost for a driver looking to overtake, while the car ahead is slowing down to regenerate their battery. Thus, the sudden speed disparity is stark.

“Depending on what drivers do, you can have 30, 40, 50kph [closing] speeds,” he detailed. “And when someone hits another driver at that speed, you are going to fly, and go over the fence, and do a lot of damage to yourself and maybe to others.

“That is a pretty horrible thing to think about.”

It is easy to jump to the conclusion that Norris’s verdict is simply sour grapes. The Briton described the cars after qualifying as “going from the best [last year] to the worst.” Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, flying high in the paddock as Silver Arrows personnel all wore bright blue ‘P1’ T-shirts – as if they really knew the potential of their rocketship car all along – was keen to emphasise that “not one driver was speaking particularly well of the last cars…. we tend to be very nostalgic when looking at past events.”

He is, of course, correct. The previous ground-effect era was far from perfect; remember the horrendous porpoising effect in 2022? Russell added of Norris’s claims: “If he was winning, I don’t think he’d be saying the same.” Also accurate. Lewis Hamilton is one driver outspoken about how much he is enjoying this new generation. Again, understandable, given that Ferrari looks like Mercedes’ closest challenger.

Yet Norris’s intricate comments and incidents like Lawson/Colapinto will, undoubtedly, concern the FIA and they should take note. Strides towards safety have been impressive in recent years, so much so that F1 has only had one driver death in the last 31 years – and none since the ‘halo’ device above the cockpit was introduced in 2018.

Even Russell, in this instance, had a specific request for the sport’s rule-makers. “The only thing I would request from the FIA is that with straight mode [when both front and rear wings open on straights, reducing drag], the front wing doesn’t drop as aggressively.

“When we open straight mode, we have lots of understeer and when I was behind Charles and I was trying to duck out of his slipstream, it was like my front wing wasn’t working. I think from a safety aspect that would make the racing safer, better.”

This example, amid a myriad of aerodynamic, battery and engine changes, accentuates why the FIA must stay adaptable in the weeks to come. They must not be afraid to change the regulations where necessary, particularly when a large consensus is reached among the drivers and stakeholders.

On Saturday morning, for instance, they quickly U-turned on a sudden removal of a ‘straight mode’ area on the circuit. It was a mistake, quickly rectified. No problem, move on. The learning curve for all involved, not least the FIA’s single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis, will be significant.

And the rate of change across the first few rounds may well be dramatic. The sport’s standout driver, Max Verstappen, hates the new regulations and hasn’t ruled out quitting. Home hero Oscar Piastri crashed out on a reconnaissance lap to the grid in Australia, having experienced a sudden 100kw surge in engine power. Even youngster Ollie Bearman, who finished an impressive seventh, likened the new form of overtaking to a video game. There is a lot going on, up and down the grid.

But we must wait and see. The excruciating downshifting of gears at the end of straights are, in this correspondent’s view, the biggest issue to grapple with. It will be most audible on the 1.2km back-straight at the next race in Shanghai. Problematically, there looks to be no quick fix on this front.

Yet on the whole, all involved – drivers, executives, fans – would be advised to keep an open mind. For better or for worse, these regulations are here to stay until at least 2030. Fine-tuning will be incremental. It’s an exciting new era – but there are a whole lot of new problems.

Celtic’s Scottish Cup win overshadowed by chaotic post-match scenes

Celtic’s dramatic penalty shootout victory over Rangers was overshadowed by the post-match scenes which unfurled at Ibrox Stadium as fans from both clubs flooded the pitch and released flares and projectiles at each other.

A flock of police officers and stewards were called into action to separate both sets of supporters and quickly gained control of the situation by forming a barricade as pyrotechnics were thrown from end to end.

This match was the first one in a decade that had allowed a sizeable amount of away supporters inside the ground for an Old Firm derby between the two Glasgow rivals.

Celtic had around 7,500 fans in the away end and hundreds of them stormed the pitch following Tomas Cvancara’s winning spot kick with Rangers supporters quickly following them.

The Scottish FA released a statement following the ugly scenes and announced that there will be an investigation into supporters entering the field of play.

They said: “The Scottish FA condemns the behaviour from supporters entering the field of play following today’s Scottish Gas Scottish Cup Quarter-Final at Ibrox Stadium.

“An investigation will be carried out immediately in line with the Judicial Panel Protocol.”

Celtic manager Martin O’Neill was caught up the melee as he attempted to marshall his players off the pitch during the ugly scenes with fans wanting to get photos with him.

Speaking to Premier Sports after the match, O’Neill hoped that the post-game scenes would not take away from his team’s victory and performance.

He said: “There were a few tete-a-tetes, anyway. It’s unfortunate. Hopefully it doesn’t dilute the performance.

“It was our fourth game in 10 days and we were really out on our feet, but we defended magnificently. Blocks, boys throwing their bodies on the line. I’ve got the utmost regard for the team.

“Old Firm games are explosive games, they always have been. That’s maybe one of the reasons why the derby is one of the best in the world.

“We had to defend for long periods in the game and we did that magnificently. It was a tough afternoon for us, but we came through it and we finally won the game.”

Rangers manager Danny Rohl was also asked about the fracas and admitted he had left the pitch before it kicked off after the penalty shootout.

“I’m honest, I wasn’t on the pitch I didn’t see it until now,” Rohl explained. “I think we all know it’s an emotional situation after the game but nobody likes to see this.

“I think it was a great atmosphere for 120 minutes and all the other things should not be in the stadium around football.”

Idyllic beaches and vivid sunsets: Relaxing Spanish island escapes

Australia expands age verification checks to explicit video games and porn

Australians would now have to verify their ages to access explicit video games and “adult” websites starting Monday, months after the country became the world’s first to ban social media platforms for those under 16.

Under Australia’s new rules on age-restricted materials, search engines, social media platforms, app stores, gaming providers, and generative AI systems must take “meaningful steps” to prevent children from being exposed to age-inappropriate content.

The country also joined Britain, France and dozens of US states requiring ⁠websites which disseminate pornography to verify users are over 18. App stores must also run age checks before ​allowing downloads of software labelled 18+.

The new rules are aimed at preventing children’s exposure to online content that includes violence, self-harm material, and dangerous content such as suicide and disordered eating.

Australia’s new rule comes just 13 weeks after it enacted one of the world’s toughest digital restrictions, banning access to the largest social networks, including TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and X/Twitter for its under-16s or face fines of up to A$49.5m (£26.5m).

“Users will have to complete some form of age assurance to access online games classified R18+ by the Australian Classification Board,” Australia’s eSafety Commissioner (eSafety) said in a statement.

“For all other games, no age checks are required,” the national independent regulator of online safety said.

The online mode of popular games such as Grand Theft Auto V are likely to become inaccessible to children under 16, according to the new rule.

“We don’t allow children to walk into bars or bottle shops, adult stores or casinos, but when it comes to online spaces where they are spending a lot of their time, there are no such safeguards,” eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said.

“That changes for Australian kids with these codes which simply bring those same, common sense protections we all grew up with to the online world of today,” Ms Grant said.

Canada-based Aylo, ​owner of a large network ​of pornography websites, meanwhile ⁠blocked Australians from accessing the platforms RedTube and YouPorn, while presenting a version of Pornhub without explicit content.All the websites carried a banner saying it was “not currently accepting ​new account registrations in your region”.

Experts have raised concerns about the new age-verification mandate impacting children’s online privacy.

“While the government is framing this next wave of verification as a necessary step to protect children, there is an increasingly worrying situation for our privacy and safety more broadly,” said Joanne Orlando, an associate professor of digital wellbeing at Western Sydney University.

“Mandating government ID or face scans not only on social media platforms, but also now on extreme adult content sites creates a worrying smorgasbord of who has access to our sensitive data,” Dr Orlando said.

Some experts also expressed worry that the move could backfire and push children more towards forbidden online content.

“Young people are always going to find ways around age gating to play games they want to play, and making more adult games seem forbidden is likely to both encourage young people towards them rather than the opposite, and make it harder to talk to parents or carers about their gaming,” said Mark Johnson, a senior lecturer in digital cultures at the University of Sydney.

“Any age verification of this sort also has serious questions about the safety of user data, which is already being captured more and more by many blockbuster and mobile games,” Dr Johnson said.

The Independent has reached out to Rockstar Games, the developer of GTA V, for comments.

While experts agree largely that cutting young people’s exposure to harmful online content can be fruitful, many worry Australian teens might just find workarounds like virtual private networks (VPNs) rather than identifying themselves.

Already, there appears to be a sudden surge in VPN use in Australia, with the number of downloads of such apps among Australian phone users skyrocketing in the past week.

The VPN app Super Unlimited Proxy moved from 40th among free iPhone apps in Australia on 2 March to 7th as of Sunday.

Popular apps like Nord VPN and Proton VPN also saw a sudden surge in downloads, according to Sensor Tower, a firm that offers data and insights into app store performance.

Princess Eugenie steps down as patron of anti-slavery charity

Princess Eugenie is reported to have stepped down as patron of charity Anti-Slavery International, the oldest human rights organisation in the world.

The move comes after emails released by the US government revealed further details about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s relationship with the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Her profile has been removed from the charity’s website, which previously hailed her work “across the board with leaders in the fight against modern slavery”. She has not commented on her father’s relationship with Epstein or the allegations made against him by Virginia Giuffre.

In a statement to The Observer, Anti-Slavery International said: “After seven years, our patronage from HRH Princess Eugenie of York has come to an end. We thank the Princess very much for her support for Anti-Slavery International. We hope that she continues to work to end slavery for good and deliver freedom for everyone.”

Anti-Slavery International’s other patrons include Dame Judi Dench, broadcaster Julie Etchingham, Baroness Helena Kennedy, Vanita Patel, Hugh Quarshie and Baroness Lola Young.

The charity was founded in 1839 by abolitionists campaigning against slavery worldwide. As part of her work fighting modern slavery, the younger daughter of Mr Mountbatten-Windsor is a co-founder of the anti-slavery collective, has visited survivors with the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women and the Salvation Army, and has hosted a roundtable for the US ambassador-at-Large for combating trafficking in persons.

Princess Eugenie currently works for the modern art gallery Hauser & Wirth as a director. There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing by Princess Eugenie in connection with Epstein, and Mr Mountbatten-Windsor denies all allegations against him.

In the latest document release from the US Department of Justice, a Brazilian woman who was abused by Epstein alleges that she massaged Mr Mountbatten-Windsor before he gave her a massage back.

The woman told the FBI that she was “quite shocked to see him”. The revelations come after one photo in a separate document in the Epstein files appears to show Mr Mountbatten-Windsor touching a fully clothed woman’s abdomen.

The royal, stripped of his titles, was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office, following allegations he shared sensitive information with the financier while serving as the UK’s trade envoy.

He spent around 11 hours in custody in February as searches were conducted at his home on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk and at his former home, Royal Lodge in Windsor, Berkshire, and was released pending further investigation.

Anti-Slavery International and Buckingham Palace have been contacted for comment.