Mum in tower block determined to make Christmas special despite year of hardship

Denis Ivanov, the Ukrainian producer whose credits include films with Oleg Sentsov and Sergei Loznitsa, has penned an open letter while fighting on the front line of the war backing the proposed boycott of Russian cinema. Read it in full below.

When it comes to fashion we see many trends come and go as quickly as the British weather changes, however, there has been one brand that has stood the test of time and that is the brilliant Birkenstock. Known for their iconic sandals which have always been a topic of discussion, there is a new style on the streets and it has already got the seal of approval from various celebrities.

Strictly Come Dancing pro Nikita Kuzmin has opened up on the agony of being separated from his grandma who lives in Ukraine. During an appearance on ITV’s morning show Lorraine, Nikita described watching the conflict unfold as “absolutely heartbreaking”, as he went on to share how he is in contact with his grandma “all the time.” The 23 year old, who moved from Ukraine to Italy with his family when he was nine years old, explained: “Luckily, we still have a connection to her so we are video calling her all the time.” Nikita, who made his debut on Strictly Come Dancing last year, went on to share how terrifying it is to hear gunshots and explosions in the background as he fears for her safety.

Sam and Billie Faiers have shared their dismay at being turned away from a high-end London restaurant, after turning up 20 minutes late for their reservation. The pair had been in London with their mum Suzie to celebrate her 53rd birthday, and booked a table at the upmarket sushi eatery Sexy Fish in advance.

Vladimir Putin to assassinate Ukraine’s charismatic president Volodymyr Zelensky was “destroyed” by Ukrainian forces following a tip-off from Russia’s own security services. Speaking on Ukraine’s rolling news TV channel "Ukraine 24,” Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, claimed that officials had been informed by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) that a kill team from the feared Chechen Kadyrovtsy group had been sent to Kyiv.He repeated the claim in a Telegram post on Tuesday, saying: “We are well aware of the special operation that was to take place directly by the Kadyrovites to eliminate our president".“And," he added, "I can say that we have received information from the FSB, who today do not want to take part in this bloody war."And thanks to this,” he added, “I can say that Kadyrov’s elite group was destroyed directly, which came here to eliminate our president”.The Kadyrovtsy, or Kadyrovites, are a ruthless armed militia that originally came to prominence fighting for Chechnya against Russia in the early 1990s.When their leader, Chechen warlord Akhmad Kadyrov, defected to Russia most of his followers went with him.An exact figure for the size of Kadyrov’s is hard to come by, with estimates ranging from 10,000 to 80,000.By 2006 the group had become a semi-formal unit of the Russian army, undertaking deadly missions in Syria as well as their native Chechnya.While operating under Russian orders they are also seen as the “private army” of Ramzan Kadyrov, who took over as leader following his father’s death in the 2004 Grozny stadium bombing.

military presence.About £3.7 trillion ($5 trillion) of international trade is passed through the South China Sea yearly and includes the oil that fuels the economies of Japan, China and South Korea.There are also territorial reef claims in the area, with The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei claiming some small islands and reef locations.Since 2014, Beijing has strengthened its hold on the entire area by concreting over reefs to build military airports equipped with radar, missiles and aircraft.China had announced new "research stations" during the pandemic that would be placed on Fiery Cross Reef and Subi Reef.The two geographical features were changed into stationary aircraft carriers with satellite photographs showing that the People's Liberation Army had built runways and radar.The Times reported that the two new carriers were also capable of deploying offensive weapons such as combat aircraft and mobile missile launchers. For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here.Other claimant countries such as Vietnam and Malaysia have, in the past, drilled for oil and natural gas in areas of the South China Sea.China responded to these survey operations with competing operations of their own, hurrying to those areas to carry out their own vessel operations.There are fears China is watching Russia's invasion of Ukraine with a view to performing a similar move on Taiwan.

Premier League is readying itself to carry out tests on Chelsea's next owners such is the advanced stage of the club’s sale.Todd Boehly and Hansjorg Wyss are thought to be collaborating on a deal, according to The Telegraph, with the former even making a £2.2billion bid for the club in 2019 that was turned down.The Premier League is now understood to be braced for carrying out its owners’ and directors’ test should a deal be struck with Wyss and Boehly or any other consortium or buyer. The pair are also talking to other American investors about purchasing the club from Roman Abramovich, who confirmed on Wednesday he would be selling Chelsea and giving all profits to victims of the war in Ukraine.

body positive star has done it again with her latest Instagram post.Georgie, who boasts 698,000 followers on Instagram herself, decided to share the secret hack models use to get 'flattering' sitting down pictures this week.The stunner also shared two side-by-side photos of herself to illustrate her point as she posed in a white bikini.The left-hand shot saw her rocking the 'influencer pose' which gave her a toned stomach and stunning curves. While in the right-hand 'normal sitting' shot, she just rocked her natural body as she relaxed.Captioning the post, Georgie wrote: "Ever wonder how these influencers always get the perfect sitting photos in restaurants?"Well...

Everton defender as one of the toughest opponents he has faced in his career.According to the German midfielder, Yerry Mina is amongst the hardest opposition players he has come up against since joining Manchester City in 2016.Mina was absent from City's win at Everton on Saturday, with a thigh injury currently keeping him on the sidelines but he has played City five times in his career.His record against the Premier League champions, however, makes Gundogan's choice even more surprising, with Mina having lost all five matches and conceded 11 goals.Speaking to German outlet Bild, Gundogan said: “I remember Yerry Mina, a tough Colombian centre-back.“He’ll use his hands in a tackle, scratch or pinch your back when the referee isn’t looking.“I’ve seen him do that once or twice. But not so much in a dirty way.

Animal welfare experts are appealing for a home for an old age pooch.

A man is in hospital today with serious head injuries after being battered in broad daylight in Renfrewshire.

Tickets for Tyson Fury vs Dillian Whyte sold out quickly on Wednesday after around 200,000 attempted to buy a seat at Wembley Stadium. The queue grew as large as 150,000 at one point - with tens of thousands more attempting to buy tickets - leaving many fans inevitably disappointed with Wembley's capacity being only 90,000.

Bolton Wanderers have 11 games left to go of their League One season as they aim to make a late charge for the League One play-offs.

Rio Ferdinand has suggested Arsenal should go after Manchester City forward Gabriel Jesus in the summer.

Anthony Elanga has been named as the only Manchester United player 'close' to getting into the Man City team.

The Chase has proved quizzing is for all ages after viewers and host Bradley Walsh were left speechless by a contestants age.

A man has been charged after a taxi driver was stabbed and choked with a seatbelt in an attempted robbery in Bolton.

Our smile is one of the first things people notice about us.

Russian forces have seized Kherson in southern Ukraine, the city's mayor has said, as he issued a desperate appeal for food and medicine to be allowed in.

A woman set a fire in her own flat whilst on FaceTime to her family in a cry for help.

Strictly Come Dancing star Nikita Kumzin has spoken out about his fears for his grandmother who is currently in Ukraine.