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AN RAF drone wiped out an IS jihadi on a motorbike after tracking him through Syria, The Sun on Sunday can reveal.

The Islamist terrorist was taken out by a Hellfire missile fired from the £24million Reaper drone.

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Tyrant Bashar Al-Assad fled to Moscow after rebel forces swept to power in Syria[/caption]

The unmanned aircraft began tailing the motorcycle-riding fighter in Sarmada, near the border with Turkey, after intelligence identified him as a “known member” of IS.

The Ministry of Defence told The Sun on Sunday in a statement: “The Reaper’s crew carefully tracked the terrorist on his motorcycle.

“Having checked that there were no signs of civilians nearby who might be placed at risk, [they] conducted a successful engagement, striking the motorcycle and eliminating the terrorist.”

Sources added the remotely-operated drone’s crew were “extremely careful” to wait for a “gap” during the trailing of the terrorist.

The took him out when no other traffic or pedestrians were within a clear radius of him.

It is understood they had been monitoring him for “some time” before firing the Hellfire missile at him.

The June 10 strike was the second RAF drone hit on an IS member in Syria this year.

In February — three months after tyrant Bashar Al-Assad fled to Moscow and rebel forces swept to power — another British drone pilot killed a member of the death cult in Aleppo.

The UK has been fighting IS, also called Daesh, since 2014.

The operation, codenamed Shader, saw the RAF conducting air strikes against the terror group in Iraq and later Syria.

It has become one of the RAF’s biggest operations in the last 25 years, with British pilots flying more than 10,000 sorties and striking more than 1,400 targets.

UK jets have carried out a fifth of all air strikes by coalition forces, equivalent to the contribution by US pilots.

Last year, former Defence Secretary Ben Wallace revealed that an IS terrorist had to be taken out by an RAF drone — because human rights laws prevented the SAS from seizing him.

The Islamist, who was making biological weapons, was among several killed after snatch operations were ruled out.

He was eliminated in a Hellfire missile blitz in 2022.

Mr Wallace said lawyers told him the European Convention on Human Rights made it illegal to hand over any suspects to Syria due to the risk of torture.

But they could also not be taken to Britain because there was no extradition treaty with the Assad regime.

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ISIS propaganda photo showing masked terrorists in Syria[/caption]

ACTRESS Emma Laird seems to have travelled back in time by going on a date with Matt Smith.

The starlet, who at 26 is 16 years Matt’s junior, was last week snapped laughing with the former Doctor Who star outside a trendy bakery in North London.

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Actress Emma Laird has been snapped on a date with Matt Smith in London, pictured attending the 28 Years Later film premiere[/caption]

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Emma laughing with the former Doctor Who star outside a trendy bakery in North London[/caption]

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The pair seem to have rekindled their romance[/caption]

Emma, seen at her 28 Years Later film premiere earlier this month, left, seems to have rekindled her romance with Matt, after the pair were first seen in a clinch outside a pub two years ago.

An onlooker said: “The pair look relaxed in each other’s company as they sat outside and Matt puffed on a cigarette.”

Matt, who stepped down as the sonic screwdriver-wielding Doctor after four years in 2013, has a history of high-profile romances.

He was pictured holding hands with Billie Piper at a Surrey fete in 2006.

She played Rose Tyler in 34 episodes from 2005 to 2008 before returning for one special in 2010 and another in 2013 marking the show’s 50th episode.

At the start of the year, Matt was also spotted with Brazilian model Jessica Felix

The two were snapped sharing a snog.

He counts models Daisy Lowe and Mayana Moura among his ex-flames.

He broke up with actress Lily James in 2019 but briefly rekindled their romance the following year.

Matt played Prince Philip in Netflix series The Crown, then landed a starring role in Game Of Thrones spin-off House Of The Dragon as Daemon Targaryen.

MANCHESTER UNITED manager Ruben Amorim is willing to loan Andre Onana and find a new No 1.

The Red Devils keeper’s salary is so high it has been difficult to sell him after a poor season so the door is open to a temporary switch.

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Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim is willing to loan Andre Onana and find a new No 1[/caption]

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Onana has endured another disappointing season at Old Trafford[/caption]

United are waiting for approaches this summer and would prefer a European club to come in rather than a Premier League rival.

Ligue 1 Monaco have asked the question but even with their wealth it would still be a stretch to pay the Cameroonian’s wages.

Now a replacement for Onana, 29, is being worked on with Aston Villa’s Emi Martinez, 32, a top target — but he would cost a big fee.

The shot-stopper, who wants to stay and fight for his place, has amassed a total of 101 appearances with United since his £47million move from Inter Milan in 2023.

Onana, whose deal runs until 2028, counts 24 clean sheets and has conceded 148 goals during his two-year spell in Manchester.

Botafogo’s John Victor is another option after catching the eye at the Fifa Club World Cup.

The Red Devils were watching the Brazilian, 29, last summer but have yet to commit.

However, he is open to any club in England and available at a bargain £6million.

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Another potential recruit is 25-year-old Portugal international Diogo Costa, who has a £64million release clause in his Porto contract.

Costa seems set to leave his homeland during this window and has ‘dreams’ of playing in the Premier League.

Recent developments suggest that Porto are also on the hunt for a new goalkeeper, which boosts United’s chances of securing him.

Cruz Azul No 1 Kevin Mier, is on Porto‘s shortlist and has been prioritised by club president and former Spurs manager Andre Villas-Boas.

Meanwhile, Real Betis also appear ready to receive a significant cash injection, potentially boosting their ability to afford United flop Antony.

The Spanish side, who lost the Uefa Conference League final to Chelsea, are set to bag a £26m windfall with midfielder Johnny Cardoso on the brink of joining LaLiga rivals Atletico Madrid.

TRANSFER NEWS LIVE – KEEP UP WITH ALL THE LATEST FROM A BUSY SUMMER WINDOW

SHE broke strict lockdown rules to host her boozy 30th bash, but four years on Rita Ora says her birthdays are a lonely affair.

The singer reveals that the milestone birthday in November 2020 sparked a major U-turn that saw her overhaul her health and focus on work. And it seems to have paid off.

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She has just released song Heat, filmed movie Voltron with Superman actor Henry Cavill and this week posed in a bikini from her successful Primark collection.

Rita said: “My work ethic, I’m proud of it. I think it’s higher than other people’s in a lot of different ways.

“I always want to break boundaries and inspire people, that’s always been my goal.

“And I do sacrifice a lot of things to do that, like I don’t see my family as much.

“I have lonely birthdays. I miss Christmases. It’s a lot of sacrifices to do this.

“I just came off this three-and-a- half-month shoot in Australia for a huge film called Voltron, which is a big-budget movie.

“It’s not easy doing these things and then also making a record on the weekends, which is the only days I have off.

“If you’re willing to do the work, nothing is impossible. I really do believe people can do it all.”

Her new attitude to life is a far cry from in her twenties when the Hot Right Now singer admits she was dazzled by the fame and fortune she had created for herself.

It is perhaps why she thought it was acceptable to splash out thousands of pounds on her party at Casa Cruz, in London’s Notting Hill, for all her mates when the UK was in its second strict Covid lockdown.

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‘Confident in my choices’

Not only had the venue been paid to flout the rules, the star’s security team had ordered the CCTV cameras to be turned off. Rita ended up paying a £10,000 fine.

Talking about her hellraising days, Rita, who grew up in West London after her family moved there from Kosovo when she was a baby, admitted: “I made money, I didn’t come from money, and I just really was living every day like it was my last, with no care about what was going to happen the next day.

“I regret not being a bit more considerate, I would say, with myself, my body, my mental health, but also others.

!I was always respectful and appreciative of others, but I was like, ‘This is what we are doing and that’s that’.

“I never really understood, I guess, how much responsibility I had for other people, like my fans, how much I inspire people or, I guess, the pressures we have to keep people on the right path.

“I think a lot of people were looking up at me, looking for me to give them a lot of answers, and I didn’t mentally digest that.

“I was just living, going and going and not stopping.

“But it’s hard for me too. I think for anyone in my position to wake up one day and you’re like, ‘Oh, wow, I have all these people that are depending on me to really give them inspiration’. I’m also human.

“But now I feel like it’s something that I take pride in.”

I don’t want to stop feeling good. That’s the one thing I care about.

Rita Ora

The backlash over her bash, after which her father give her a ticking-off – was the catalyst for change.

On the Reign With Josh Smith podcast, Rita explained she felt “old” and decided to get her “life in check”.

She said: “When I turned 30 a lot changed. My body was just not reacting the same and I was not eating healthily.

“I was getting sick all the time. I couldn’t do more than two, three shows in a row – and usually I could do a whole week of shows if I needed to.

“I was like, ‘OK, I want to just try to simply eat a little healthier’. So I would do cauliflower rice instead of rice. I would change things a little bit.

Rita’s routine

“I don’t want to become a health guru or anything, but during that time I was really seeing my body reacting differently.

“And then I was like, ‘Oh, let me lift some weights’. And now I’m really obsessed with my weekly routine.”

That routine involves “exercise, ginger shots and supplements” and being “mentally present”.

Rita says her mum Vera, a psychiatrist, helped too.

The singer explained: “She never forced therapy on us, but there was always that essence of maybe you should speak to somebody.

“And I did. Now I’ve just got really cool, great tools and I just feel more confident in my choices. I do have the best relationship with myself than ever before, I really do.

“It’s also made other relationships stand out that were not healthy.

“And those people now are angry, but that is their problem and not mine.

“I find that when you have that relationship with yourself, everything changes, you know?

“You find things come to you that you’re like, ‘Whoa, how have I blocked that out?’. But it’s taken me a while, and I’m still working on it.

“I don’t want to stop feeling good. That’s the one thing I care about.”

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Happily married

Rita, who married Hollywood filmmaker Taika Waititi, 49, in 2022, has also slowed down — after a fortune teller, who only works with high- profile clients, suggested she do this.

She told the podcast: “She said to me, ‘Your life is like a pile of sand in your palm and it can go through your fingers at any moment’.

“It’s about how you protect your one pile of life in the palm of your hand and make sure you move slowly and steadily.

“That always stuck with me. I used to rush to things and be like, ‘I want it now’.

“I’m trying to move a bit more steadily and not react so much because once you react impulsively, it’s usually something you’ll end up regretting, right?

“I try my best to just take a second before I respond to things. And that’s helped me a lot.”

Splash

After a few years away from the charts, Rita’s new summer hit Heat makes a return to unadulterated pop after her last, very personal, album You & I charted her romance and marriage to Taika.

She said: “My last record was amazing, in my opinion, because it had depth and a storyline, and it was about love.

“I got married and I really was inspired by my relationship, and it just was where I was at in my life.

“And now I’m at a point where I love my partner, love my relationship.”

Laughing, Rita added: “But f*** that. I just want to be in the moment and have fun and think about what I want to feel like when I’m in Ibiza with my friends, drinking a Chardonnay with ice, having the sun beaming down, SPF making me sweat.

“How do I want to feel when I’m drunk in the day?

“And that was how Heat happened. I had the best time making this record.

“I love the idea of the fact I’m speaking, it’s like sex on sight, it’s intentional, it’s direct, it’s kind of cheeky, it’s rude, it’s iconic.”

Kind of like Rita herself.

TAMARA Ecclestone has blasted three foreign crooks deported after repaying just £37,000 following her £26million gem raid, saying: “There will never be any justice.”

They were kicked out of Britain in an early removal scheme, despite coughing up just a fraction of the proceeds from the heist at the heiress’s mansion.

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CCTV footage captured the moment the men broke in to the Ecclestone family home[/caption]

But Tamara, 40, daughter of F1 tycoon Bernie Ecclestone, said: “I have not received any compensation for the burglary but no amount could ever compensate for the aggressive home invasion we suffered.”

Jugoslav Jovanovic, 27, Alessandro Maltese, 48, and Alessandro Donati, 47, were jailed for a total of 28 years in November 2021 over the 2019 heist in Kensington, West London.

In a proceeds of crime confiscation order, a judge told the Italians to repay £435,000.

But a Sun on Sunday Freedom of Information request revealed payments of just £30,376.79, £2,155.53 and £4,349.65 respectively.

They were deported having served a fraction of their sentences — and will now walk free.

Tamara said: “My children are in fear that thieves could return to the house while they are sleeping. There will never be any justice for that.”

Tory MP Sir John Hayes said: “These criminals should serve the remainder of their sentence in Italy.

“They should not be allowed to walk the streets.

“We have to work with the Italian authorities to try to recover the proceeds of this robbery.”

The CPS said it will seek more cash if other assets are discovered.

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Jugoslav Jovanovic was one of the crooks involved in the burglary[/caption]

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Alessandro Maltese, 45, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to burgle[/caption]

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Alessandro Donati was also one of the thieves jailed and later deporte[/caption]

ATTORNEY General Lord Richard Hermer enjoyed a £1,500 taxpayer-funded stay at a luxury four-star hotel, stats show.

He and staff racked up the four-figure bill while at an event where he gave a speech promoting stronger EU links.

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Lord Richard Hermer enjoyed a £1,500 taxpayer-funded stay at a luxury four-star hotel, stats show[/caption]

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Lord Hermer and staff racked up the four-figure bill while at an event where he gave a speech promoting stronger EU links[/caption]

The controversial lawyer, appointed last year by PM Sir Keir Starmer, stayed at the Hotel Papadopoli in Venice — which has been described as an “emblem of elegance and legacy”.

Papers released by the Attorney General’s Office show £1,523 was paid on December 7.

Costs are said to include two aides.

A spokesman said: “The Attorney General’s Office remains committed to ensuring the most cost-effective way of travel, delivering best value for money for the taxpayer.”

Lord Hermer has been involved in a number of controversies during Sir Keir’s first year in office.

He has compared those calling to exit the European Court of Human Rights to Nazis.

And The Sun reported yesterday that he called claims the UK has a two-tier justice system “disgusting”.

A WOMAN has bravely shared how her dream of becoming a mother after losing 14 babies was brutally snatched away.

Kirby Hood, 36, said she was blindsided when the woman she trusted to be her surrogate mother kicked her out from the hospital after changing her mind at the last moment – and deciding to keep the newborn.

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Kirby Hood, 36, has bravely opened up about her heartbreak after a surrogate couple turned her life upside down[/caption]

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The photographer had battled infertility for more than a decade, enduring 14 miscarriages[/caption]

Kirby, a photographer from Queensland, Australia, had battled infertility for more than a decade, enduring loss after loss, before the ”experienced surrogate” offered her what she called ”the chance of a lifetime”.

”I trusted her, and she kept my baby after leading me on for nine months believing that the baby would be coming home with me,” the devastated 36-year-old told Daily Mail Australia.

”My baby was born in February and I’m only just coming up for air. 

”I have everything in writing – the card she gave me offering to be my surrogate, the paperwork from the lawyers, and all the texts.”

Kirby attended doctors’ appointments regarding the pregnancy, and viewed ultrasounds – all with the encouragement of the surrogate – and covered all the medical costs throughout the process.

Excited for the new chapter ahead, she threw a baby shower, held a gender reveal party and documented her journey to motherhood on social media.

The birth mother even attended the gender reveal party and met all of Kirby’s close friends and family who ”wanted to touch her tummy and fuss around her”.

Kirby, a newborn photographer, first met the surrogate, who lived in her local area, in 2019.

She was told that this would be the surrogate’s “third and final child”.

In September 2021, the woman rebooked for some family photos, and in 2022 Kirby was booked again as the woman was entering her first surrogacy journey, and Kirby was hired as her photographer to capture the special moment.

The Gold Coast photographer said that having witnessed the woman faithfully fulfil her surrogate role for someone else, she trusted her to do the same again.

Meanwhile, Kirby continued with her own quest to become a mother and underwent an embryo transfer.

Unfortunately, after meeting a family through an IVF group, she suffered a miscarriage in 2023.

Uber Eats order that changed everything

”During the early days of my loss I made an Uber Eats order and the surrogate’s sister was the Uber Eats driver.

”She said to her sister, ‘Hey it’s Kirby, your photographer friend – jump in the car and come for a run to drop this order off’.”

After opening the door, Kirby met the birth mum who had a package with chocolates, magazines, flowers and a card – and they hugged, as Kirby burst into tears.

The card said: “When the time comes, you know I’m good for it. Love to be your surrogate.”

The two kept in touch about a potential surrogacy, but Kirby eventually came to the conclusion that she did not want to risk more potential heartbreak.

However, a call out of the blue changed everything. 

Whilst at work, the photographer received a Facetime call from the surrogate – who announced she was having a baby.

Confused, Kirby asked if the woman had transferred eggs without her knowing.

She explained she had accidentally fallen pregnant with her partner, but they do not want another kid.

”At first I was cautious – how does this work? How does this happen? I’m pretty sure you can’t just cook a baby for someone and just hand it over. 

”Aren’t there laws? I only knew of the laws of surrogacy [not adoption].”

In a state of shock, Kirby handed the phone to her mum who was at the photography studio at the time.

”Mum said: ‘What does this mean?’, and the surrogate said: ‘It means Kirby is going to be a mama,’ and I just bawled.”

The birth mother showed Kirby the living children on Facebook that she still followed and the families that were successful from her donations.

However, given the situation had changed from a standard surrogacy to an agreement to hand over a baby that was both conceived and carried by the birthing mother, Kirby sought legal advice.

Here, she was told that if the parents didn’t want to keep the baby, the newborn had to go to foster care and would be assessed a fair order and placed with a registered family.

Kirby then contacted the woman to pass on that disappointing news – but she already had an alternative plan.

”She told me that was rubbish and that I can be on the birth certificate as a same-sex couple, and so with a lawyer we drew up parentage orders,” she said.

As part of that, you can legally name [the baby] before birth so it’s in the paperwork.

Kirby decided to name her daughter-to-be Xanthe and the pair agreed she was going to be at the birth.

Left all alone

Then came another shock.

Throughout the long process of trying to become a mum, Kirby’s husband had been by her side, but just when it appeared imminent, he suddenly moved out.

Up until then, he had been to the scans and even had the ultrasound photo made into a keyring he carried around.

But he walked out the weekend after Father’s Day.

”I have lost 14 babies and it was too much for him.

”He told me two IVF rounds before that he was done, but I didn’t want to listen, I just wanted one more chance to try.”

Heartbroken Kirby called the surrogate and her partner to tell them her husband had left, but they said they had no issues with her being a single mum and assured her everything remained on course.

Needing to generate enough money as a sole income earner to be able to support herself and a baby, Kirby threw herself into work.

Things felt off

Kirby Hood36

However, after she missed one of the scans as a birth shoot took 10 hours and overlapped with the appointment, the birth mother sent her a text questioning Kirby’s priorities. 

Although she was feeling ”there were red flags”, Kirby ”didn’t want to believe anything may be wrong”.

A few weeks prior to the birth, Kirby was asked to meet the couple in a nearby park, where they told her that they no longer wanted her at the birth, explaining it was for minor medical reasons.

It was at this point that she started to have serious doubts, wondering whether the couple had had a change of heart about handing the daughter over.

On the birth day, she received a message that told her the baby had arrived, and she drove to the hospital – although, totally unsure what to expect when she got there.

”Things felt off, and I knew it wasn’t happening,” she admitted.

Kirby asked for a social worker to be present, but was instead asked to leave.

As if she ”was a danger”, the hospital went into lockdown and Kirby left before bawling in her car.

Two days later, the birth mother called Kirby to notify her that Child Services were involved now and there’s nothing she could do about it.

Kirby spent long hours contacting authorities, trying to track the baby down so she could be considered as a legal parent.

But it wasn’t until weeks later that she found out the couple had not given the child up – and had instead made the decision to keep the little girl after all. 

”Someone sent me a screenshot of the surrogate’s Facebook where she had announced the birth of her little girl.

”I wasn’t angry, just hurt. If they changed their minds, why didn’t they just tell me? 

”Of course, I would have been upset, but I would have understood. I know how hard it is to lose a baby. I would have understood.”

Kirby has not heard from the couple since March, and they have refused her requests that they refund the thousands of dollars she had forked out on medical costs and baby equipment.

They said they they will her in court, Kirby told the publication.

”But I want people to know about it, about what happened and for legislation to be changed. 

”I just don’t want anyone else to ever feel like this.”

KILLER cop Wayne Couzens was secretly whisked to an NHS hospital for a back op — costing taxpayers an estimated £17,000.

The fiend, 52, who kidnapped, raped and murdered Sarah Everard, required intensive security during his several days away from HMP Frankland, Durham.

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Wayne Couzens was secretly whisked to an NHS hospital for a £17,000 back operation[/caption]

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The killer policeman was escorted from HMP Frankland in a bullet-proof van under a high-security escort[/caption]

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The revelation was slammed as a waste of public money amid concerns Couzens was allowed to jump the waiting list[/caption]

He underwent a lumbar procedure — also known as a spinal tap — which usually has an 18-week waiting time on the NHS.

The cost of getting him in and out of HMP Frankland in Durham was estimated to be £10,000 alone – while the procedure can cost up to £7,000.

The revelation was slammed as a waste of public money last night, amid concerns Couzens was allowed to jump the waiting list.

Labour’s North Durham MP Luke Akehurst said: “I would be disgusted if it turns out that this vile rapist and murderer was able to jump the queue in front of decent law-abiding people to get his treatment.

He should not be given any special treatment in jail. He’s in prison as punishment for his terrible crimes – nobody should forget that

Robert Jenrick on Couzens

“The cost of the security surrounding his time in hospital is an appalling waste of public money.”

Tory shadow Justice Minister Robert Jenrick added: “Wayne Couzens is one of the most despicable criminals in our jails and a traitor to the police uniform he wore.

“He should not be given any special treatment in jail. He’s in prison as punishment for his terrible crimes — nobody should forget that.”

Couzens, who abused police powers to abduct Sarah, 33, in a fake Covid arrest before killing her in 2021, had the procedure this month.

The nearest unit offering his op is the University Hospital of North Durham.

A typical lumbar procedure sees medics sterilise the patient’s back before delivering a local anaesthetic.

They then drain fluid with a syringe.

Couzens is believed to have spent several days in hospital before being driven the three miles back to the Category A prison’s healthcare unit.

A source told how the operation was not an emergency and was carried out “to make him comfortable”.

They said: “People are angry at how he was treated — and how much effort the authorities went to, as well as how much it cost.

“Couzens is constantly moaning in jail and had been complaining about back pain so was assessed in healthcare at the prison.

“The security operation to get him to and from the hospital would have easily run to more than £10,000.

“He was taken straight from his cell into a Category A van, which is bullet-proof with a custody manager and at least four prison officers.

“While he was at the hospital, armed police would have been on guard. Couzens was classed as a ‘high-risk escort’ — not because he poses a danger but because of the danger to him from the public.

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Vile killer cop Couzens kidnapped, raped and murdered Sarah Everard in 2021[/caption]

“He is recognisable and reviled so they do not take chances.

“He would have been treated on a ward — but in his own room — to keep him away from people. The prison and NHS have a duty of care to him, like they do with everyone.

“But this was apparently not even an emergency procedure and was basically done to relieve pressure on him and make him comfortable.”

Ex-prison governor Vanessa Frake, who ran London’s notorious Wormwood Scrubs, said: “Getting prisoners to operations like this is all down to risk. It would have taken a while to plan with the police and the hospital, assessing not only his safety, but the safety of prison staff, healthcare staff, other patients and the public.

Couzens should be at the very bottom of the pecking order when it comes to NHS treatment

Former Met detective Peter Bleksley

“It’s not an unusual thing for prisoners to go out to hospital. This is more unusual because he is who he is, and that makes it much more difficult not only for the prison staff but the hospital staff as well.

“I understand people’s concerns about it. But more than that, I think about Sarah Everard’s family and how they must be feeling.”

Sources said Couzens was “reluctant” to move from the jail’s hospital as he fears being attacked.

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University Hospital of North Durham, where Couzens was treated[/caption]

We told in March 2022 how the former Met firearms officer had been allowed to buy an Xbox 360 as a reward for good behaviour.

But he then moaned after being barred from playing violent games like Call of Duty and Gears of War.

Couzens — handed a whole-life tariff because of his heinous crimes — is housed with other fiends including double child murderer Ian Huntley and morgue monster David Fuller.

He has previously been on suicide watch and is regularly placed on ACCT — Assessment, Care in Custody, and Teamwork — programmes which involve close monitoring of vulnerable lags.

Former Met detective Peter Bleksley said: “Couzens should be at the very bottom of the pecking order when it comes to NHS treatment.

“It sticks in the craw when any killer like him is effectively whisked to the front of the queue. If anybody has had their procedures cancelled or even delayed so he can be treated, it is a scandal and an insult to the memory of Sarah.”

The Prison Service would not comment on healthcare issues.

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The vigil for Sarah Everard in 2021[/caption]

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Kate Middleton seen here paying her respects as she turns up alone at the Sarah Everard memorial site on Clapham Common[/caption]

GERMAN fighter jets were dramatically scrambled to intercept a Russian spy plane over the Baltic Sea.

It came just hours before the Kremlin warned of a “direct” response to NATO’s growing presence on its doorstep.

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German fighter jets were scrambled to intercept a Russian Il-20 spy plane over the Baltic Sea (stock picture)[/caption]

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It came after Putin’s Kremlin threatened a ‘direct’ response to military buildup on border[/caption]

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Two Eurofighters (stock picture) roared into action after NATO radar spotted the Russian spy plane[/caption]

Two Eurofighters roared into action on Friday after NATO radar spotted a Russian Il-20 with its transponder switched off.

The plane had taken off from Kaliningrad and was heading west toward Poland and Germany, according to Bild and The Kyiv Independent.

Germany’s quick reaction team made visual contact about 100km off the coast.

They snapped a photo before the lumbering Russian aircraft turned north, skirting just 40km from the Baltic island of Usedom but staying out of German airspace.

It’s the ninth time this year German jets have been scrambled to shadow Moscow’s snoopers.

NATO says the Kremlin is using these flights to test alliance defences and gather intel on troop positions as the Ukraine war drags on.

The airborne drama came as Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov slammed Estonia’s willingness to host NATO aircraft armed with nuclear weapons, branding it a “direct” danger to Moscow.

“Directly, of course,” he said, when asked if such a move posed a threat, Russian news agency TASS reported.

Peskov sneered that Baltic leaders often make “absurd” statements, and added icy relations could scarcely get any worse: “It is very difficult to do anything worse.”

Tallinn’s Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur had earlier revealed Estonia is ready to welcome NATO jets capable of carrying tactical nuclear bombs — pointing to recent visits by US F-35s that could soon be guarding the tiny nation’s skies again.

It comes amid mounting alarm that Vladimir Putin is readying Russia for a showdown with NATO itself.

Bruno Kahl, head of Germany’s foreign intelligence service, recently warned “Ukraine is only a step on the journey westward,” adding: “We have intelligence showing it.”

NATO chief Mark Rutte piled on the pressure, saying the alliance must brace for the possibility of a Russian attack by 2030.

Putin’s forces have already begun amassing hardware and troops close to Finland, just 35 miles from the border, according to satellite snaps showing activity at four Russian bases — Kamenka, Petrozavodsk, Severomorsk-2 and Olenya.

Defence experts fear Moscow may attempt to provoke NATO into a limited clash, testing the alliance’s Article 5 pledge of mutual defence without triggering full-scale war.

Meanwhile on the battlefield, Putin’s summer push in Ukraine is grinding on at a snail’s pace, with Kyiv’s fierce drone attacks bogging down Russian advances.

After 448 days of fighting in Chasiv Yar in Donetsk, Moscow’s troops reportedly control just half the city — clawing back land at a rate so slow that even snails would outpace them.

But with an estimated 125,000 Russian soldiers massing along Ukraine’s Sumy and Kharkiv borders, Kyiv is bracing for what could be Putin’s last big gamble to seize ground before negotiating a ceasefire.

Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky said his forces had managed to pin down a 50,000-strong Russian assault near Sumy, stabilising the lines for now.

Alamy

Bruno Kahl, head of Berlin’s Federal Intelligence Service, said his team have intel suggesting Russia is plotting to test the resolve of Nato in the coming years[/caption]

AP

A Russian drone strike on Kyiv overnight left dozens of residential buildings crumbling[/caption]

Getty

Back in Germany, Chancellor Friedrich Merz poured more cold water on any thaw with Moscow, telling Süddeutsche Zeitung he won’t pick up the phone to Putin given Russia’s relentless bombing of Ukraine.

His predecessor Olaf Scholz had broken ranks last year by speaking with the Kremlin tyrant — but Merz insisted the time for friendly calls is over.

As Putin’s bombers continue to pound Kyiv and Odesa with hundreds of drones and missiles every night, NATO eyes remain fixed on the Baltic and beyond — wary that Moscow’s next gambit could spark the very clash the world fears most.

It comes after Ukraine landed another humiliating blow on Vlad’s war machine — blitzing two of Russia’s prized Su-34 fighter jets in a daring long-range drone strike.

Kyiv’s forces targeted the Marinovka military airfield in the Volgograd region, flying drones 200 miles to smash four of the £37million jets.

Two were destroyed outright, while the other pair were damaged, sending pro-war Russian Telegram channels into meltdown over the “multi-billion dollar” losses.

Furious Kremlin cheerleaders raged the attack “could and should have been prevented.”

Ukraine’s SBU boasted the strike sparked a fire in critical infrastructure used to prep and repair Russian warplanes.

Putin lashed out in brutal revenge. Overnight, Russia flattened a 21-storey tower block in Odesa, killing a married couple and wounding at least 14 others — including three children.

Former tennis champ and broadcasting royalty Annabel Croft on downsizing after the loss of her husband, why Strictly was a lifeline,  and who to watch at Wimbledon 

Annabel Croft is in a taxi on her way home after a corporate speaking engagement, fresh from a day of commentating at London’s Queen’s Club.

Mark Hayman

Annabel is one of the BBC’s top tennis presenters, covering tournaments worldwide – including Wimbledon, which starts tomorrow[/caption]

BBC

It’s 8:45pm, yet the former tennis pro is still brimming with energy. Is stamina her superpower? “It does feel a bit like that,” she laughs. “But this is peak season for  me –  and I love it.” 

As one of the BBC’s most respected faces of tennis programming, Annabel covers tournaments around the globe including the Wimbledon Championships, which start tomorrow. 

And the day before she steps on to Centre Court to host the trophy ceremony for a third year running, Annabel will celebrate her 59th birthday,  plus a major milestone in her sporting career. 

“I’ll be 59 on the penultimate day of Wimbledon, and that marks 50 years since I first picked up a racket at the age of nine,” she says, remembering the first time she gave tennis a go during a family holiday to Spain in 1975. 

She went on to win junior versions of Wimbledon and the Australian Open and represented Great Britain in the Federation Cup (now the Billie Jean King Cup), becoming one of the world’s Top 25 players, before quitting at 21 after growing tired of travelling the world alone. 

‘I’ve lived my whole adult life with Mel, and now I’m on my own’ 

Today, 38 years on, Annabel is encountering similar feelings again, two years since losing her husband Mel, 60, to cancer.

At the five-bedroom family home that Mel built, she occupies just the kitchen and her bedroom, saying she no longer “needs very much”. 

“It’s taken me back to living on my  own before Mel came into my life, as that 15-year-old playing at Wimbledon for the first time, travelling the world on planes and across America on Greyhound buses. 

“I’ve gone full circle to that person, because I’ve had to,” says Annabel, who has spent the past few months sorting and decluttering in readiness to move. 

I’ve realised I don’t need much any more. I don’t want overheads, maintenance, a garden to look after and pay for –  anything that is excess to what I need.

“The house has been my life for 25 years. Everything about it is Mel, because he built it. We’ve had amazing memories here that are impossible to forget, but I’m ready to go,” she says, admitting she is looking forward to “simplifying” her life. 

“What gives me pleasure is going for a morning walk in the park, running with my friends, having a coffee, a meal out and being with my family.

“I’ve realised I don’t need much any more. I don’t want overheads, maintenance, a garden to look after and pay for –  anything that is excess to what I need.” 

Annabel’s journey with America’s Cup yachtsman Mel began in 1987, when they met filming  BBC yachting series Cudmore’s Call, when she was just 21.

“The pair went  on to have three children, Amber, now 31, Charlie, 29, and Lily, 27. 

“I’ve lived my whole adult life with  Mel, and now it’s a weird thing to be doing [life] on my own,” she says. 

“I just walk into an empty house, so I  try to trick my brain into thinking about when Mel was out at a work function and I’d come into the house on my own. Only, every night it is like this. 

“Thankfully, I’m busy  –  that’s always been the same and that’s helpful.” 

Annabel remembers the days and nights she devoted to training during the 2023 series of Strictly Come Dancing soon after losing Mel, who died in May 2023,  just 16 weeks after he was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer. 

Partnered with South African dancer and choreographer Johannes Radebe,  38, the pair reached the semi-finals and the BBC show became a lifeline and welcome distraction. 

“I wish I could find some way of replacing Strictly in my life in terms of what that show was to me.

“It was so special and joyful,” she says, choosing not to be drawn on recent Strictly controversies, specifically surrounding pro dancers Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima, who quit over bullying claims. 

Since then, duty-of-care measures have been introduced, including a 24-hour helpline and chaperones in rehearsal rooms. 

“I think having a permanent chaperone would have been quite restrictive [when it comes to building] the relationship between you and the dancer,” says Annabel. “I would have found it quite awkward, but if that’s what you know,  then that’s all you know.” 

Annabel speaks regularly to Johannes, who she says she “adores”. But what of the friend she shared a lunch date with in April, sparking speculation of a new romantic connection? 

“He’s my bank manager and a great friend who was also close to Mel,” sighs Annabel. “We were looking at photographs of Mel together. Mel adored him and he’s been really helpful to me.” 

‘Sport was my chance to feel like  I had something to offer’ 

Family is everything to Annabel – and now, that family is growing. In September, her eldest daughter Amber will welcome her first child. 

“It feels like yesterday that I was cradling my baby [Amber] in my arms, feeding her, bathing her and taking her to nursery school.

“I can’t believe that same baby is now having a baby herself!” says Annabel, who hopes the birth will be before her nationwide speaking tour starts. 

Mark Hayman

Annabel made history at 15 when she became the youngest Brit in nearly a century to play in the Wimbledon main draw[/caption]

“I leave on September 24, so I hope the baby isn’t late because I want to be supporting with cooking and helping out. Amber was 10 days early, so I’m hoping that her baby will be, too!” 

Amber married husband Hector last summer and, in August, it’s son Charlie’s turn to tie the knot. But Annabel will not be imparting marital advice. 

“I can’t bear hearing people talking about how to make a marriage work,”  she says. “If you have to try and make it work, there’s something wrong.

“Marriage should just be, and if you’re compatible with somebody and enjoy their company, you go on the journey together.” 

I was very shy and introverted and had no interest in academics. Sport was my chance to feel like I had something to offer.

Raised in Kent by her club-level-tennis-playing dad James, a chartered surveyor, and mum Susan, a housewife, Annabel  was hooked from the moment she first picked up that racket aged nine. 

“I remember gazing out of maths class at the sports pitches, because all I wanted to do was to be out there.

“I was very shy and introverted and had no interest in academics. Sport was my chance to feel like I had something to offer,” she says. 

This summer, with women’s sport sitting front and centre of a blockbuster line-up of events, Annabel hopes young girls feel inspired, just as she was watching tennis rivals Martina Navratilova and  Chris Evert. 

“From women’s tennis returning to the Queen’s Club for the first time in 50 years and players excelling at Wimbledon, to the Lionesses defending their title at the Women’s Euros and female cricketers and rugby stars competing at their World Cups, these moments matter. 

“Visibility drives engagement.  Sport gave me so much,  and it can do  the same for the next generation of  young girls.” 

Annabel made history at 15 when she became the youngest Brit in nearly a century to play in the Wimbledon main draw.

At 18, she reached the third round, facing her idol Chris Evert on Court One  –  one of her “most defining” career moments –  and won Junior Wimbledon Singles that same year. 

‘I’ll always be part of Wimbledon history and that makes me proud’ 

But, aged 21, she stunned the tennis world by walking away. 

“Ever since, people have come up to me and asked: ‘Why did you stop so early?’” she says, explaining that she “fell out of love” with the job. 

“I didn’t want to live that circus lifestyle any more,” she adds, admitting the decision was unplanned. 

“I shudder now, thinking: ‘How did I do that with such conviction but without any idea of what I was going to do?’

“I didn’t have an education or a plan. I was young and naive, and hadn’t actually thought beyond that moment.” 

Fortunately, life after tennis served her well. After five years starring in pantomime, which built her confidence, Annabel found her stride in television, starring in Channel 4’s adventure series Network Seven, before replacing Anneka Rice on Treasure Hunt in 1989. 

Once digital sports channels emerged, Annabel returned to her tennis roots, becoming a tennis presenter and pundit, first for Eurosport, then Sky Sports and the BBC. 

These days, as a member of the  All England Club, she still plays “two or three times a week”.

Occasionally, she gives friends guided tours, ending at the Wimbledon trophy cabinet, where her junior title is enshrined. 

“At the time, it didn’t mean that much to me, but it does now. I’ll always be in that trophy cabinet, which is part of Wimbledon history,” she says. “That  makes me proud.” 

Does she regret not staying to win the women’s title? 

“Of course, I would have loved to have won the main trophy, but I made a decision that I didn’t want to chase that dream any more.

“I regret that I didn’t understand what I was doing at the time. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, isn’t it?” 

Annabel lights up again as we discuss the players to watch at this year’s Wimbledon Championships, namely Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, 22,  as well as British sensations Jack Draper, 23, and Emma Raducanu, 22 –  who was the last Brit standing last month in the new WTA 500 event, the first time women’s tennis had been played at the Queen’s Club since 1973. 

Annabel has also got her eye on American player Coco Gauff, 21. 

“She’s had her ups and downs on her journey in tennis, but I admire her as a character and a player –  her attitude,  work ethic and how she’s battled through challenges,” she says of young French Open winner, Coco. 

A woman after her own heart. . .   Annabel’s nationwide 28-date tour  starts September 25. For tickets, go to Awaywithmedia.com/tours/annabel-croft. 

Ella Ling/Shutterstock

Mark Hayman

Family is everything to Annabel – and now, that family is growing. In September, her eldest daughter Amber will welcome her first child[/caption]

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• Editorial  Hair: Dino Pereira using Andreia Professional 
• Make-up: Charlie Duffy using Delilah 
• Styling: Lynne McKenna  Annabel wears sports bra, Under Armour at Amazon.co.uk;  skirt, Wimbledon Shop; necklace, bracelet, both Merci Maman; ring, Sif Jakobs; shoes, dress, John Lewis & Partners; sweatband, Wimbledon Shop; necklace, Lucy Quartermaine; rings, Sif Jakobs; shoes, Next 

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