By David Randall and Davide Barbuscia NEW YORK Some investors believe a bond market selloff that has pushed

Britain’s military chief has defended Ukraine’s counteroffensive and said its troops “continue to hold the initiative” amid criticism that the pushback against the Russian invasion is moving slowly. The comments have also come as the war-hit nation’s deputy defence minister on Thursday said “good news” had emerged in the eastern front of the battlefield. “In the north, they are holding and fixing Russian forces there and in the south they are making progress between 10km and 20km, depending on how you judge it,” Sir Tony Radakin was quoted as saying by The Guardian at the DSEI arms fair in London. “The idea that war is neat and tidy, and you can plan and predict it to the nth degree is nonsense,” said Britain’s most senior military officer. He said progress of the counteroffensive could not be measured by a predictable timetable and warned the UK is vulnerable to a potential missile or drone attack as he pushed for a further discussion on improving homeland security. There is an “aggressive world out there in terms of state threats”, he said, pointing out it is now easy to “get close to a country and fly drones in”. British armed forces were “having a bigger conversation about homeland defences”, the chief of the defence staff said and asked whether within that “we need to have a conversation about integrated missile defence”. Admiral Radakin has been closely monitoring the war with communication lines to Ukraine’s most senior military commander Valerii Zaluzhnyi. The comments come a week after Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg shot back at recent criticism of “slow” counteroffensive from Ukrainian troops as he pointed out the numbers of mines in the battlefield Ukraine is encountering are at a historic high. “The starting point is that the Russian army used to be the second strongest in the world. And now the Russian army is the second strongest in Ukraine. That’s quite impressive by Ukrainians,” he said. “No one ever said that this was going to be easy,” Mr Stoltenberg told lawmakers at the European parliament earlier this month. “Hardly any time in history we have seen more mines on the battlefield than we are seeing in Ukraine today. So it was obvious that this was going to be extremely difficult. “The Ukrainians are gradually gaining ground. They have been able to breach the defensive lines of the Russian forces, and they are moving forward,” he said. Ukrainian officials said the war being fought in the country is unlike any other, as its air space has not been shut down and it does not have top-tier warplanes like F-16s. Last month, several US and other Western officials suggested the grinding war’s counteroffensive stage was falling short of expectations – but did not choose to be quoted on their claims. Some officials pointed holes in Ukraine’s strategy and blamed it for concentrating its forces in the wrong places. The counteroffensive has been backed by billions of dollars’ worth of Western military equipment. Read More Just 14 UK tanks for Ukraine? We must do better than that Sunak says Russian leader ‘doesn’t want to be held accountable’ at G20 US sends Ukraine controversial depleted uranium weapons that can pierce tank armour Zelensky needed to sack his defence minister – but it goes beyond just corruption scandals From Challenger to Leopard: How Ukraine’s tanks compare to Russia’s

Kari Lake is preparing to launch a U.S. Senate campaign with a splashy rally outside Phoenix, having never conceded that she lost last year’s race for Arizona governor

Special counsel David Weiss said the deal his team previously reached with Hunter Biden to resolve a felony gun possession charge was never approved by a probation officer and is not binding.

By Gleb Stolyarov and Alexander Marrow The relaunch of a classic Soviet-era car, the Moskvich, by a state-owned

By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS A deal allowing the safe wartime export of grain and fertilizer from Ukrainian

At least nine people were wounded in a mass shooting at Florida’s Hollywood Beach on Memorial Day, according to reports. The incident, which saw a 15-year-old victim among the wounded, took place in the area of the 1200 block of N Broadwalk on Monday evening, according to CBS Miami. “Please avoid the area of Johnson to Garfield Streets, as well as the Broadwalk, due to an ongoing shooting investigation. Heavy police presence in the area. If you are looking to reunite with a family member, we have set up a reunification area at Johnson St and N Ocean bus loop,” tweeted Hollywood Polie Department. Witnesses posted online that the shooting took place outside Nicks Bar & Grill at around 7pm ET.

A Texas inmate convicted of strangling a 5-year-old girl taken from an El Paso store and then burning her body nearly 22 years ago is facing execution

Police in Los Angeles are investigating after two aspiring models were found dead in apartment complexes just days apart. One of the deaths has already been ruled a murder, while the second is still under investigation. Police said it was too early to say if the cases are connected, according to ABC News. Maleesa Mooney, 31, was killed on 12 September. Police found her around 3.45pm PST by officers responding to a welfare check at her apartment. That death is being investigated as a homicide, according to the broadcaster, citing an LAPD spokesperson. “The investigation revealed that Maleesa Mooney had been murdered inside of her apartment. Maleesa Mooney’s exact cause of death is unknown, pending a post-mortem examination which will be conducted by the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office,” police said in a statement on 15 September. Nichole "Nikki" Coats, 32, was killed on 10 September. Her cause of death is "undetermined" at this point, but a homicide investigation may begin following the LA County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner report. Ms Mooney's family held a rally in LA on Sunday evening demanding justice for the woman's death. The woman's sister, Jourdin Pauline, told an ABC News affiliate that her family became concerned after multiple failed attempts to get in touch with her. "We're supposed to grow old together," Ms Pauline told KABC. "That's not supposed to happen to her." She described her sister as "kind," "genuine," and "loving." "To have someone do what they did to my sister, to that caliber, is sick. It's demented,” she said. The LAPD has asked that anyone with information regarding Ms Mooney's death come forward. Ms Coats' father, Guy Coats, told ABC News that he and his family are "distraught" after learning of her death. He said Ms Coats was an aspiring model who worked as a sale rep in her daytime hours. On 12 September, a cousin who had spent time with Ms Coats told Mr Coats that she couldn't get ahold of the woman. Ms Coats cousin had a key to her apartment and let herself in to see if she was home. She found Ms Coats unresponsive, and said when she touched her she "was like a rock." The cousin then called 911. Ms Coats family became suspicious that foul play led to the woman's death after learning that another aspiring model had been killed just days before, only three miles from her apartment. The family is currently awaiting the coroner's report. Read More Person detained in ‘ambush’ killing of LA sheriff’s deputy Police investigating murders of elderly couple find human remains Idaho murder victim’s father claims Bryan Kohberger is enjoying ‘unprecedented privileges’ in jail

New York City’s police department has agreed to establish new protocols intended to safeguard the rights of protesters and reduce the number of officers that respond to most public demonstrations

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The tiny Pacific island nation of Niue has come up with a novel plan to protect its vast and pristine territorial waters — it will get sponsors to pay