Syrian troops withdraw from Aleppo as rebels advance

Published

2 years ago

2024/12/1

Priyan

Syrian government forces have withdrawn from the city of Aleppo following an offensive by rebels opposed to the rule of President Bashar al-Assad.

The army acknowledged that rebels had entered “large parts” of the city, the country’s second largest, but vowed to stage a counterattack.

The offensive marks the most significant fighting in Syria’s civil war in recent years.

More than 300 people, including at least 20 civilians, have been killedBB since it began on Wednesday, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

(BBC)

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Russia launches major ballistic missile attack on Ukrainian cities

Published

3 hours ago

2026/07/19

Priyan

The latest Russian strikes hit both residential and non-residential buildings, Kyiv's mayor said [BBC]

Russia has carried out a wave of ballistic missile strikes on Ukrainian cities, killing five people and wounding at least 35, officials say.

Four people were killed and 19 injured in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, while one person died and 16 were hurt in the capital Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the raid on Kyiv as “one of the most massive ballistic attacks” on the capital since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

Meanwhile Ukraine has continued its assault on Russian sites. Three Russian oil tankers in the Black Sea were hit, as well as facilities in the southwestern Stavropol region, Zelensky said.

A number of areas in the Kyiv region were hit overnight. The Ukrainian military said air defences in the capital had shot down 18 out of 41 missiles. The systems also intercepted 108 drones.

Kharkiv regional head Oleh Syniehubov said a postal terminal in the city suburbs had been attacked, with four men aged between 24 and 62 killed. Several of the injured were in a serious condition.

In a Telegram message, Zelensky said in the past week Russia had “used about 1,450 strike drones, more than 1,640 guided bombs and 99 missiles of various types against Ukraine”.

Zelensky also posted on Telegram about Ukrainian strikes.

“SBU [security service] units hit three oil depots in the Stavropol region simultaneously, while units of our Armed Forces struck another fuel-sector facility in the same region,” he said.

“Precise hits on three Russian ‘shadow fleet’ tankers were recorded in the Black Sea. I thank every one of our units that is helping to spread the realisation within Russia that this war must be brought to an end.”

The Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which carries Kazakhstan’s Caspian oil to Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, said its terminal had been hit.

It said two tankers were damaged, prompting oil loading operations to be suspended. There were no injuries or oil spills.

Stavropol’s governor said a drone attack had caused a fire in an industrial park.

The latest strikes on Kyiv involved a range of Russian weapons systems, including Iskander and hypersonic Zircon missiles, as well as 125 drones, the Ukrainian air force said.

On Sunday Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said both residential and non-residential buildings had been damaged, including a supermarket and a dormitory.

Firefighters have been battling blazes at two warehouses. Ukraine’s emergencies ministry said a logistics hub in Bucha district near Kyiv had been hit, with two people injured.

The overnight strikes came after Ukraine sent drones to destroy two warehouses belonging to Russia’s biggest online retailer, Wildberries, killing eight people and causing major fires.

Seven deaths and 25 injuries occurred at a facility in the city of Tambov, about 295 miles (475km) south-east of Moscow. One death and 37 injuries occurred at another Wildberries warehouse in Elektrostal near the capital.

On Saturday, Zelensky said Ukraine’s operations were in response to “Russian strikes on our civilian infrastructure and on our cities and communities”.

Wildberries is often described as the Russian equivalent of Amazon. The RWB group, which combines Wildberries with advertising company Russ, was valued at about $12.6bn (£9.3bn) by Forbes Russia in 2026.

Ukraine has recently intensified its long-range drone attacks on Russia’s critical energy infrastructure, causing widespread fuel shortages. Earlier this month, Kyiv said nearly 43% of Russia’s oil refining capacity had been “disabled” as a result.

The BBC has not independently verified this figure.

Ukraine says Russian oil and gas facilities are legitimate targets as Moscow relies heavily on fossil fuel exports to finance its full-scale invasion, which began in February 2022.

But Russia has also stepped up attacks on Ukrainian cities, prompting Kyiv to seek increased supplies of ballistic missile interceptors from its European allies.

“Protection against ballistic missiles is our constant and top priority right now,” Zelensky said on Sunday. “Interceptors are needed every day.”

[BBC]

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Messi on the brink of history – will it be his last World Cup game?

Published

3 hours ago

2026/07/19

Priyan

Lionel Messi has scored 15 of his 21 World Cup goals in 2022 and 2026 [BBC]

Argentina are one win away from sporting immortality.

Lionel Scaloni’s side are bidding to become just the third team to win successive World Cups, after Italy (1934 and 1938) and Brazil (1958 and 1962).

If they are to pip European champions Spain to the crown, they will need Lionel Messi to be at his best. Again.

Is he the greatest of all time?

Whatever your response to that statement – and it could be debated for hours – it cannot be denied that the Argentine maestro is among the best players to ever set foot on a pitch.

Win on Sunday and Messi will become the first captain to lift the World Cup trophy twice.

After perhaps underwhelming in his first four tournaments, he was outstanding in 2022 – as Argentina won the trophy – and is now just one goal behind Kylian Mbappe in his bid to become the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer.

It is remarkable to think that Messi initially retired from international football back in 2016 before changing his mind.

Sunday’s World Cup final will be his 34th appearance in the competition, but will it be the last we see of Messi in the famous blue and white stripes?

BBC Sport looks at what might be next for the great man – and could he even aim to play at a seventh World Cup in 2030?

If Messi decides to carry on with Argentina to 2030, then he would become the oldest outfield player to appear at a World Cup, at the age of 43 – unless, of course, Cristiano Ronaldo opts to keep going for Portugal.

Not only could Messi add a new record to his long list, but he would have the chance to play in one of the centenary matches held in Argentina at the start of the next World Cup.

Spanish football expert Guillem Balague doesn’t think this is the last fans will be seeing of Messi at the World Cup.

“Even if you hear it is the end, I doubt it but we’ll see. I just see him with the national side, simply because he enjoys it,” he said.

“I don’t see him being at Inter Miami in the MLS, still performing and then saying that’s it and he’s going to play out the rest of his career with Inter Miami.”

Messi’s 2026 World Cup has been nothing short of sensational. He has scored eight goals in seven games – two goals behind tournament top scorer Mbappe – and has carried Argentina into the final with a series of virtuoso performances.

Argentina boss Scaloni hailed Messi as the greatest player ever, saying: “He is history, a legend. I feel proud, he is the best footballer the world has ever seen and reaching a final at 39 is something unbelievable – and that is why I said we must enjoy him.

“With Diego Maradona, we still miss him but Messi is still with us so we must enjoy him.

“I have no idea if this is Leo’s last game, you will have to ask him. We haven’t discussed it.”

His displays in North America continue a quite remarkable late career resurgence for Messi at World Cups. Fifteen of his 21 tournament goals have come since his 35th birthday.

Having already lifted the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, Messi showed he had the motivation to keep going in 2026. The question is whether that continues to 2030.

“I feel that he hasn’t said the last word yet,” said Balague. “He finishes games, 120-minute games, at 39.

“In the first 90 minutes against Cape Verde, he covered 6.5km and 62% of that is walking.

“You can add a bit more walking. The passion is still there. All of that means he’s not going to leave the national side.”

There is also the factor of Messi playing at a World Cup in front of a home crowd.

The 2030 World Cup will have six host nations. While the majority of matches will take place in Spain, Portugal and Morocco, at least one game will be played in each of Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. A world stage game in front of an Argentine crowd may be too much for Messi to resist.

Messi himself hinted that the 2022 final would be his international swansong.

“I am very happy for finishing my journey in World Cups in a final, to play the last game in a final. That is really very gratifying,” he said before the 2022 showpiece.

“There are a lot of years from this year to the next one. I don’t think I will be able to do that. To finish this way is brilliant.”

That has obviously proved to not be the case. So regardless of what might be said after the 2026 final, keep an eye on 2030.

[BBC]

Latest News

Lizaad, Traveen and Bhanuka steer Jaffna Kings to five wicket win

Published

4 hours ago

2026/07/19

Priyan

Lizaad Williams and Traveen Mathew captured three wickets each while Bhanuka Rajapaksa contributed an unbeaten 61 off 37 balls to steer Jaffna Kings to a five wicket win with an over to spare when they took on Dambulla Sixers in the 4th match of the Lanka Premier League played at the SSC ground on Sunday afternoon.\

Scores:
Dambulla Sixers 130 in 19.3 overs [Sahibzada Farhan 11, Dinesh Chandimal 17. Niroshan Dikwella 23, Reeza Hendricks 18, Pavan Rathnayaka 27; Dilshan Madushanka 1-31, Shakib Al Hasan 2-12, Dunith Wellalage 1-31, Lizaad Williams 3-14, Traveen Mathew 3-19]

Jaffna Kings 133/5 in 19 overs [Avishka Fernnado 15, Ibrahim Zadran 21, Bhanuka Rajapaksa 61*, Dunith Wellalage 11*; Dushmantha Chameera 2-29, Maheesh Theekshana 1-11, Vishwa Lahiru 1-11]