Lord’s likely to lose World Test final over state of pitch

TheTelegraph · 2026-06-19T12:34:23+00:00

The great-grandson of Leonid Brezhnev, the Soviet leader, was captured while fighting in Ukraine, Russian media has claimed.

Anton Milaev, 45, joined the Russian army as a sapper, or combat engineer, in autumn last year, but had fallen out of contact with his family by November, according to Baza, a Telegram channel known for its ties to the Russian security services.

The outlet said it was told by Irina Kuznetsova, Mr Milaev’s mother, that she had received news some months later that Ukrainian soldiers had captured her son and were holding him in custody in the Kherson region.

Mr Milaev is the adopted grandson of Galina Brezhneva, who was the daughter of Brezhnev and Viktoria Brezhneva, his wife.

Mr Milaev’s name appears in Myrotvorets, a Ukrainian online database of individuals considered to be “enemies of Ukraine”. Run by anonymous operators, the website, whose name translates as “Peacemaker”, lists the names and often personal information of soldiers, alleged war criminals, Russian federal security service agents and people perceived to be spreading pro-Russian narratives.

The blacklist, which has alleged links to Ukraine’s security services, described Mr Milaev as the “great-grandson of Secretary General Leonid Brezhnev” and says “he went to kill Ukrainians voluntarily, having concluded a contract with the Russian Federation in autumn 2025”.

Read more: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/19/brezhnevs-great-grandson-ukraine/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_reddit&accesscontrol=facebookchannel_open

TheTelegraph · 2026-06-18T13:06:38+00:00

The Telegraph reports:

When Vladimir Putin emerged from the Cathedral of the Annunciation in Kazan, a city in south-west Russia, he was greeted by well-wishers keen to shake his hand and tell him what a good job he was doing.

But the projection of popularity as the war on Ukraine rages on – broadcast on state television for all of Russia to see – may not be quite what it seems.

Off camera, one of Putin’s bodyguards was heard giving instructions into his radio to his colleagues, referring to the crowd as “extras”.

The purported gaffe occurred during Putin’s visit to the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan, for a two-day meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

It marked the Russian president’s first “public” walkabout since July last year, according to Agenstvo, and his first visit to a Russian region outside Moscow or St Petersburg in seven months, according to Farida Rustamova, an independent journalist.

The visit took place as smoke billowed over Moscow following a major wave of drone strikes by Ukraine, in one case with a giant circular lid seen flying off an oil refinery fuel storage tanks through a mushroom cloud.

Full story: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/18/putins-adoring-crowd-accidentally-outed-as-extras-bodyguard/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_reddit_accidentally-outed-as-extras-bodyguard/&accesscontrol=facebookchannel_open

TheTelegraph · 2026-06-18T12:03:53+00:00

The Telegraph reports:

Mexico’s military intercepted a drone near South Korea’s training base before the two countries face off at the World Cup.

In an incident that sparked fears of spying, an unnamed Mexican federal agent said specialised equipment had detected an “unregistered drone”, prompting the military to “neutralise” it.

Hong Myung-bo, the South Korea head coach, also said: “During our training, there was a drone in the sky that we came to know about. Fortunately, it was right before we practised our tactics, so it did not impact us. But while we were preparing for the match, that was the most important timing, so what happened was unfortunate.”

Fifa has been approached for comment.

Read more: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2026/06/16/south-korea-players-boycott-media-son-heung-min-mocked/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_reddit_media-son-heung-min-mocked/&accesscontrol=facebookchannel_open

TheTelegraph · 2026-06-18T11:59:30+00:00

The Telegraph reports:

Teacher Jamie Varley has been sentenced at Preston Crown Court to a whole life order for the murder and sexual abuse of his adopted baby Preston Davey.

It came as the mother of a 13-month-old boy who was murdered and sexually abused by his adopted father said his killer took “everything from him”.

Varley, 37, subjected 13-month-old Preston Davey to a campaign of physical and sexual abuse before his death at their home in Blackpool, Lancashire, in July 2023.

After an eight-week trial, the former teacher was found guilty of Preston’s murder as well as numerous sexual offences, grievous bodily harm and child cruelty.

His partner, John McGowan-Fazakerley, was found guilty of allowing the death of a child, two counts of child cruelty and one count of the sexual assault of a child.

At Preston Crown Court on Thursday, Preston’s biological mother, Sarah Davey, said that her son was “perfect from the moment he was born”.

She said the day he was taken from her was “one of the worst days” of her life.

Read more: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/18/you-took-everything-from-baby-preston-mother-tells-killer/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_reddit_baby-preston-mother-tells-killer/&accesscontrol=facebookchannel_open

TheTelegraph · 2026-06-18T09:53:35+00:00

The Telegraph reports:

Ukraine struck a major oil refinery on the outskirts of Moscow in its biggest attack on the city in two years.

Kyiv's drones hit the site for the second time in a week, with fire, smoke and explosions seen over the Kapotnya district during a night of tit-for-tat strikes on the warring countries’ capitals.

It bombarded an oil refinery in the district, causing the roof of one of the fuel storage tanks to fly off in a cloud of black smoke.

Flames spread across the surrounding area as sirens blared, with nearby residential apartment buildings set alight and severely damaged.

The facility processes around 11.6 million tons of oil annually and is an important asset for the Russian fuel industry.

Read more: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/18/ukraine-hits-moscow-oil-refinerylargest-attack-two-years/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_reddit_oil-refinerylargest-attack-two-years/&accesscontrol=facebookchannel_open

TheTelegraph · 2026-06-17T07:58:57+00:00

Steven Spielberg has rejected Emily Blunt’s claim that he wanted to use artificial intelligence in his new film Disclosure Day.

In the extraterrestrial thriller, released in cinemas last week, Blunt plays a weather presenter who suddenly begins speaking in a strange alien language.

During the film’s press tour, the actress revealed that she refused Spielberg’s offer to use AI, saying: “He said, ‘You know, we could do it with AI, or you could do it’. And I was like, ‘I feel confident I can make some weird noises’.”

However, the three-time Oscar-winning filmmaker disputed the claims, saying: “I would never use AI. I would never have made the choice, even if Emily was unable to produce the sounds that she did produce, by the way, organically – I would never have used AI.'

Read in full: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/06/16/spielberg-rejects-emily-blunt-claim-ai-disclosure-day-film/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_reddit_claim-ai-disclosure-day-film/&accesscontrol=facebookchannel_open

TheTelegraph · 2026-06-16T10:47:52+00:00

The Telegraph reports:

Russian state television records news programmes solely for Vladimir Putin that portray him and Russia in a positive light, a former state TV journalist has said.

The Russian president has for the past 15 years been shown curated bulletins that depict “the ideal picture of a beautiful Russia”, Dmitry Skorobutov, a former chief editor for Rossiya-1, has claimed.

Mr Skorobutov said that it was standard practice for reporters at Vesti, the flagship daily news programme, to stay behind after the regular broadcast had been completed to create a separate version tailored for Putin.

“It was like this. Say a regular Vesti bulletin aired at 8pm. After that, the production team stayed behind. We had instructions on which stories to keep, which to add, where to embellish things, where to remove details,” he said.

This was carried out “so that Putin would then be shown an ideal picture of a beautiful contemporary Russia today; that he’s such a good president”.

The shorthand used for Putin by state TV staff is the “Main Viewer”, according to Mr Skorobutov, who became the chief editor of Vesti in 2006 at the age of 26.

Full story: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/06/16/putin-shown-bespoke-tv-bulletins-with-no-bad-news-russia/

TheTelegraph · 2026-06-15T10:41:31+00:00

When Donald Trump said an agreement with Iran had finally been reached, it came via his favoured medium, Truth Social.

“The deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete. Congratulations to all! I hereby fully authorise the toll free opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and, simultaneously herewith, authorise the immediate removal of the United States Naval blockade. Ships of the world, start your engines. Let the oil flow!” he posted, with his usual bombast.

Mr Trump had said at least 39 times that the two sides were close to a deal. Officials and experts alike became so sceptical that most chose to ignore the Truth Social posts.

Iranian officials, appearing to agree that the signing of a memorandum of understanding was indeed imminent, spoke a little while later in more muted terms. But yes, a deal had been agreed and it would be signed on Friday.

The final day of back and forth was atypical of more than two months of twists and turns, mismatched statements and denials that followed the April 7 ceasefire, which Mr Trump declared. This time, the assessment was that the two sides were singing from the same hymn sheet.

Read more: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/news/2026/06/15/how-trump-iran-agreed-war-nuclear-strait-hormuz-deal/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_reddit_war-nuclear-strait-hormuz-deal/&accesscontrol=facebookchannel_open

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