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It was an extraordinarily public recruitment drive from an MI6 chief - an open invitation to senior officials in Russia’s security establishment to join those who have defected in disgust over Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Sir Richard Moore wanted to send a direct message to officials and politicians in Moscow : “You know the address – come and talk to us… Our door is always open… Our loyalty to our agents is lifelong… our gratitude eternal… Their secrets will always be safe with us.” This was only the second public address by Sir Richard since he had taken over as ‘C’, and there was a reason why he chose Prague to raise this theme. It was crushing of the Prague Spring by Russian tanks 55 years ago which had led to a wave of Soviet officials crossing over to the West. There have been other defections since then. But security officers point out, these have been motivated, to a large extent, by other factors such as money, or general unhappiness, or clashes with colleagues. But the Ukraine war has seen a return to Russian officials agreeing to help Western services in numbers which one officer described as “ surprising but very, very welcome”. Sir Richard, speaking at the British embassy, said “Many Russians are wrestling with the same dilemmas and the same tugs of conscience as their predecessors did in 1968. “I invite them to do what others have already done this past 18 monthsand join hands with us. We will handle their offers of help with the discretion and professionalism for which our service is famed.” People in the Kremlin hierarchy have seen Putin’s position become progressively weak, Sir Richard wanted to point out. The fact that Yevgeny Prigozhin is still free and moving around despite marching on Moscow to carry out a coup was an astonishing example of this. “Just remember, in the morning of the coup Prigozhin was a traitor. By the evening he had been pardoned, two days later he was having tea with Putin”, said the head of MI6.” A security official added later: “And of course it was not tea with polonium which is something enemies of President Putin could have expected in the past, but now Putin is in no position to do that.” Ukrainian military and intelligence officials have claimed that they have received information from the Kremlin via Western intelligence services enabling them to carry out attacks inside Russia. Sir Richard would not be drawn on what role his or other British services may have played in this. He wanted to stress, however, that many in Moscow’s security apparatus shared Prigozhin’s scathing assessment of what had unfolded in Ukraine. “One architect of that onslaught, Yevgeny Prigozhin, demolished the whole charade in a single sentence when he said, and I quote Prigozhin’s own words. ‘The war was needed for Shoigu to receive a hero star….The oligarchic clan that rules Russia needed the war. The mentally ill scumbags decided: ‘it’s OK, we’ll throw in a few thousand more Russian men as cannon fodder. They’ll die under artillery fire, but we’ll get what we want.”’ The fact remains, however, that Putin’s Russia has global allies helping in Ukraine. Moore said “Some nations have reduced themselves to being accomplices of the aggressor. Iran’s decision to supply Russia with the suicide drones that mete out random destruction to Ukraine’s cities has provoked internal quarrels at the highest level of the regime in Tehran. And so it should, because that decision was unconscionable. Iran seeks cash by selling arms to Russia to enable them to kill Ukrainian civilians.” Wagner is no longer active in Ukraine, but its widespread and lucrative operations in Africa have continued. The regimes dealing with them in the continent will, in the long run, suffer, Sir Richard held. Russia is “hawking mercenaries around Africa”, and in nations suffering from civil war, poverty and collapsed infrastructure, Moscow is “offering a 21st Century version of a Faustian pact.” But the regimes which welcomed Wagner are at risk. “Now they’ve had to watch the very mercenaries who they are supposed to trust with their livesturning against their ultimate patron, Vladimir Putin, and bearing down on Moscow. If Russian mercenaries can betray Putin, who else might they betray?” Russia has sought ever closer ties with China as international sanctions have begun to bite. But that has come at a cost, China is emerging as the senior partner in the relationship. Sir Richard ended on his theme of redemption of Russians by rejecting Vladimir Putin and his war of aggression. “ They are watching in horror as their soldiers ravage a kindred country. They know in their hearts that Putin’s case for attacking a fellow Slavic nation is fraudulent, a miasma of lies and fantasy. The message to them is “ our door is always open.” Read More Russia-Ukraine war – live: Putin ‘clearly under pressure’ in wake of Wagner mutiny says UK spy chief Ireland will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes, vows Leo Varadkar South Africa says Putin will skip a summit next month because of his ICC arrest warrant The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary

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Whether you’ve heard the sounds of hollow balls bouncing in your neighborhood or scrolled through TikTok to see videos of people volleying with paddles, there’s no denying that pickleball is the It sport of 2023. (Need further proof? According to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, pickleball is one of the fastest-growing athletic activities in the United States.) While some of the popularity may be attributed to the relative ease with which the sport can be picked up, others have turned to the activity for a more unexpected reason: pickleball fashion.

Newcastle United secured Champions League football for next season after collecting a point in a goalless draw with Leicester City. The hosts dominated possession but couldn’t break through Leicester’s low block. Callum Wilson had the best chance of the game when Dan Burn nodded a cross down to him and he turned it onto the post. The rebound came back but Wilson’s next effort was then cleared off the line but Wilfred Ndidi. Miguel Almiron and Alexander Isak also wasted decent chances on a night that saw Leicester offer no threat at all in front of goal. Still, the Foxes could have won it at the death but Timothy Castagne’s effort was palmed clear by Nick Pope. This point which could prove vital for Leicester’s chances of avoiding relegation this season. Here are how the players rated as Newcastle secured Champions League football: Newcastle United Nick Pope, 7 Probably won’t get an easier clean sheet in his career but turned up in stoppage time to deny Timothy Castagne a snatch-and-grab winner. Kieran Trippier, 5 Arguably Newcastle’s best creator by whipping crosses in from the right wing. Some were better than others with his set piece deliveries providing more threat than from open play. Fabian Schar, 5 Got the crowd excited with a volley from range but smoked it high and wide. Was a quiet night for him defensively. Sven Botman, 6 Played most of the match on the halfway line usually to restart Newcastle’s attacks on goal but was solid in shutting down any counter-attacking runs. Dan Burn, 6 Helped Isak attack down the wing with some overlapping runs and set up Newcastle’s best chance only for Wilson to hit the woodwork. Bruno Guimaraes, 5 Pulled out chips, tricks and threaded passes to try and break Leicester down. Collected a yellow card for a high tackle on Soumaré and lucky not to see red. Sean Longstaff, 7 Impressed on his return from injury to show why he’s an important part of Newcastle’s midfield. Provided an alternate option to the forward line by making runs into the box to help spread Leicester’s defence and got back to cut out a counter-attacking run from Jamie Vardy. Elliot Anderson, 6 A late replacement for the injured Joelinton, performed admirably in the midfield, linking up with Isak to good effect on the left side. Miguel Almiron, 6 Characteristically hard-working and willing to run, caused Thomas trouble all night and pummelled the post from close range. Alexander Isak, 7 Is fully bedded in as Newcastle’s go-to on the left-wing. His footwork is wonderful to watch and a nightmare for defenders, lacked a clinical touch in front of goal. Callum Wilson, 6 Should have scored after Dan Burn nodded down a cross to him, hit the post and had an effort cleared off the line. Substitutes Allan Saint-Maximin, 6 Jacob Murphy, n/a Anthony Gordon, n/a Leicester City Daniel Iverson, 7 A mistake in the first half almost undid his team’s hard work but was twice helped by the post as well as a goal-line clearance from Wilfred Ndidi. Made some fantastic saves in the second half to palm Isak’s shot over the top and deny Longstaff from close range. Timothy Castagne, 6 Was made to work hard against the pace and trickery of Isak and ably managed to keep him at bay with help from a defence-minded Ndidi. Could have won it at the death but fizzed his effort straight at Nick Pope. Harry Souttar, 7 Looked nervous early on but grew into the match and was a strong presence in the box especially against crosses from the wide areas. Jonny Evans, 6 His experience was crucial in the heart of Leicester’s back five, brought confidence and control to a defence that has been lacking recently. Was missed when he went off. Wout Faes, 6 Eager to throw himself into tackles but composed enough to time his challenges well and recover the ball for the Foxes. Worked nicely alongside Evans and Thomas. Luke Thomas, 5 Lost his battle with Miguel Almiron and was fortunate that the Newcastle winger left his shooting boots at home. Improved as the match went on but offered no threat in attack. Boubakary Soumaré, 5 Asked to do a job defensively but was useful in transition on the rare occasions when Leicester earned the chance to counter. Youri Tielemans, 5 Wasn’t afforded the opportunity to show off his attacking talents but provided Leicester with a target to get the ball too when they needed to clear their lines. Wilfred Ndidi, 7 Cleared Callum Wilson’s headed effort off the line to keep Leicester in the contest late in the first half. Did a decent job of handling Guimaraes and Longstaff. Kelechi Iheanacho, 3 Hooked off at half-time for James Maddison with Leicester having an xG of 0. No threat in a system built to counter-attack. Jamie Vardy, 4 Asked to do a thankless job up top as the rest of the team dropped deep to defend. Didn’t get a chance at goal but made some interventions from defensive set pieces. Substitutes James Maddison, 6 Patson Daka, 6 Harvey Barnes, 6 Nampalys Mendy, n/a Read More Premier League clubs ‘furious’ over delays to Man City and Everton financial cases Dean Smith knows time is not on Leicester’s side as they fight for survival Eddie Howe won’t ‘relax on a beach’ if Newcastle qualify for Champions League Newcastle clinch Champions League qualification with Leicester draw Premier League clubs ‘furious’ over delays to financial cases including Man City Newcastle vs Leicester LIVE: Premier League result and reaction

The stars are going to be out in the Western Conference Finals, which means we can back them in the prop market for a little extra action on each game.LeBron James, Anthony Daivs, Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic matched up in the 2020 Western Conference Finals, putting together some massive games ...

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