The world’s attention must “stay on Ukraine” as the Russian invasion continues, a former Nato secretary-general has warned. Lord George Robertson said Russian president Vladimir Putin would be emboldened to extend the attacks beyond Ukraine if foreign governments stop providing weaponry. It comes amid a four-day pause in the Israel-Hamas conflict, with the situation in the Middle East dominating much of the news agenda. Lord Robertson, who was in the top Nato role between 1999 and 2003, welcomed the temporary ceasefire in Gaza, but he told the PA news agency: “I think it is inevitable that because we’re seeing the television from Gaza every day, that people are paying less attention to Ukraine, but that must change. “We have got to keep the world’s attention focused on Ukraine because they are involved in a fight with Russia that has got huge implications for all of us as well. “Vladimir Putin is not simply interested in subjugating Ukraine. He has got a much bigger agenda in the future, and if he succeeds in Ukraine, who knows where he is going to stop.” The stakes are enormously high because if Putin succeeds, he won’t stop at Ukraine Lord Robertson The conflict in Ukraine has now surpassed 640 days – the invasion began in February 2022 – and Lord Robertson urged Nato member states to continue to press Russia amid Mr Putin’s “miserable failure”. He added: “We cannot allow the Ukraine conflict to go down the attention span. That suits Vladimir Putin and nobody else. “The fact is that most of his objectives have actually turned to dust. He wanted to stop Nato enlargement, and it is now bigger. He wanted to divide Europe and divide Europe from America, he failed in that respect. “He wanted to take over the whole of Ukraine and now he is stuck in the Donbas. There’s a miserable failure there by the one man who made the decision to invade Ukraine. “We have got to change the mind of that one man by staying absolutely united and making sure that Ukrainians get the weaponry and the ammunition they need, when they actually need it. “That is the only way we’ll change Vladimir Putin’s mind. The stakes are enormously high because if Putin succeeds, he won’t stop at Ukraine.” Meanwhile, the Labour peer called for a long-term solution to resolve the conflict in the Middle East. He said: “I think gradually the countries in the region will need to come together to find a long-term solution so that the Israelis and the Palestinians can live in harmony together. “The present conflict will go on and on for years unless there is a long-term solution.” Read More Reform UK denies offering ‘lot of money’ to Tory MP Lee Anderson to defect ‘Very chilly’ on Sunday after overnight temperatures fall below zero What the papers say – November 26 Relief as latest set of Hamas hostages released Irish-Israeli girl reunited with father who feared she was dead after Hamas attacks Kemi Badenoch unveils £4.5bn funding plan for British manufacturing

Wales newcomer Niall Huggins is ready to step onto the international stage after expressing fears that a mystery injury which left him with weak bones would end his career. Huggins joined up with the senior Wales squad for the first time this week ahead of decisive Euro 2024 qualifiers against Armenia and Turkey after what the Sunderland defender called a “horrendous” period. The 22-year-old made just a couple of league starts in his first two seasons at Sunderland after joining from Leeds in August 2021, with the full-back becoming increasingly concerned over his football future. “The last two years have been horrendous, awful to be honest,” said York-born Huggins, whose father was born in Bangor. “When I first joined Sunderland, I suffered an initial stress fracture in my back and that put me out for four or five months. “I had the same sort of issue but in different places when I was doing my rehab and it was something we struggled to get to the bottom of. “There was never a reason for why it was happening. All the tests we did, nothing ever seemed to stand out. “It was just that the bones were weak, which made it tough.” Asked if he felt his career was at risk at the time, Huggins said: “Yes, 100 per cent. It got to the point where every time I was doing the rehab, the first few steps back on the grass, it was always there in the back of my mind. “I would think: ‘Is this going to happen again?’ And you do start to worry. The years are going by on the contract and you are worrying about it. “When I did finally start to get fit, it helped so much mentally. But it is still hard to look back on.” Huggins said the issue was eventually resolved by “having an injection every morning for three months”, strengthening his bones and allowing him to return to training. But the physical demand of matches took a toll on his body, with muscular issues and a knee problem ruling him out until Sunderland’s Championship play-off games in May. It has not been until this season that Huggins has been able to show the potential that persuaded Marcelo Bielsa to hand him a Premier League debut for Leeds at Arsenal in February 2021. “It literally feels like I’m starting my professional career,” said Huggins, who has started 11 Sunderland games this term and scored his first senior goal – a Championship goal-of-the-month contender – against Watford in October. “This is the first year where I can really show what I can do and what level I can play at. To have the call-up to the senior team shows that even more. “It wasn’t even at the back of my mind, but it felt amazing. “To represent a country feels unbelievable. It means as much to the lads who were born outside Wales as those born in the country and who have lived there for a long time. “It just shows the culture that the set-up creates for the players. You can see how amazing the fans are and how much it means to the country to make it to the Euros. “The previous results show how much the lads want to play for the badge, including the lads born in England – and me being one of them. I’m just excited to one day hopefully put on the shirt and play for the country.” Read More Richard Arnold steps down as Manchester United chief executive Virat Kohli hits record century as India post huge score in semi-final Jon Rahm says it is ‘mainly my fault’ that he cannot catch Rory McIlroy in Dubai Man arrested over death of ice hockey player Adam Johnson bailed by police Ex-Chelsea keeper Petr Cech joins Belfast Giants as ‘temporary emergency cover’ Pat Cummins believes Australia can use past experiences to reach World Cup final

A Victorian-style silver snake bangle Freddie Mercury wore with an ivory satin catsuit in the “Bohemian Rhapsody” video has sold for the highest price ever paid for a piece of jewelry owned by a rock star

A few months ago, Manchester United felt this summer would be quieter than last. They purchased five players in their first transfer window under Erik ten Hag. The aim was for a mere three major buys this year. They ended up adding four players on deadline day. They made more signings than in 2022. Typical United, always needing more players? Perhaps. But it is an indication plans can change. Sergio Reguilon, the fifth player through the door, could be seen as Tottenham’s fifth-choice left-back or a former Atletico and Real Madrid defender who was an astute recruit, given the lack of time and limited funds when Luke Shaw joined Tyrell Malacia on the injury list. Altay Bayindir’s aptitude for the role of Andre Onana’s deputy remains to be seen, but for now United know they have emerged in profit from a trade, selling Dean Henderson for an initial £15m – and when it seemed as though a loan with an option to buy was more likely – and replacing him for £4.3m. There was a pragmatism and a cost-conscious element to re-signing Jonny Evans, too, acquiring defensive cover on a free transfer. The signing of the 35-year-old, who first played for them in 2007 and was relegated with Leicester last season, nevertheless invited ridicule. It added to the sense United were patching up their squad on the cheap. With a different position, past and profile, Evans could be this window’s Wout Weghorst. All of which left the last deal of the day to feel like the defining one, for three months of trading to come down to the final few hours. Getting Sofyan Amrabat on loan from Fiorentina brought in the defensive midfielder their first three league games of the campaign underlined they needed. It seems like a fine piece of negotiating: one of the outstanding players in last year’s World Cup was acquired on loan, albeit for a €10m (£8.6m) fee. It also means United will need to pay €20m plus a further €5m in add-ons to buy him: if United had to advance some of this year’s budget to get Antony last summer, now an option to buy means some of 2024’s funds may have to be spent on the Moroccan. It also suggested that United got their priorities in the wrong order, with a pivotal position left until last and when the budget was drained. But United showed the creativity to get a deal done. But, to rewind a few months, two major requirements were evident: a centre-forward and a central midfielder. Harry Kane was the most obvious option but United were swift to rule out an offer, factoring in the difficulties of dealing with Tottenham chair Daniel Levy, perhaps realising they could not afford him while splitting their funds three ways, and maybe not expecting the England captain to go to Bayern Munich. Yet if Rasmus Hojlund was designed as the cheaper, younger alternative, United ended up paying £64m, rising to £72m, for potential, not proven performance, and the young Dane arrived injured. He could debut at Arsenal after the transfer window closed. The feeling at Old Trafford is that Ten Hag got his three major targets, and all relatively early. Yet the combined cost could reach £180m, including add-ons, thus rendering it impossible for United to make a fourth major buy – unless they made more significant sales. As loyal as they were to Scott McTominay and Harry Maguire, they perhaps ought to have done more to usher either or both towards the exit, and they have started the season looking like a team scarcely transformed by hefty investment. Each of the three main recruits has confounded expectations: Hojlund when many presumed Kane would come; Mason Mount instead of a more conventional midfielder; Andre Onana when David de Gea was long on the brink of staying. United’s change of heart came at a price – an initial £43m for a player who joined Inter on a free transfer last summer – but at least reflected Ten Hag’s ethos and ended the uneasy compromise with De Gea. Perhaps there was an ideological element to Mount’s arrival, too, looking to add more attacking incision to the midfield. Yet it was notable that last summer’s principal target, even before Casemiro, was Frenkie de Jong; the initial sense was that United might look for a player, such as Amrabat, who was more comfortable in a deeper role. Instead, the flagship signing has been deployed in a role he rarely occupied for Chelsea. And so Amrabat came to assume a greater importance. There was something anomalous in his presence in the second group of signings, the end-of-window assortment of loans, free transfers and cut-price deals to fill the gaps in the squad, rather than the expensive figures who were the cornerstones of the recruitment policy. United made a little go a long way in the final 24 hours. With a requirement to keep their net spend to around £120m, they needed to. “I think we have done good business,” said Ten Hag, before the signings of Reguilon, Evans and Amrabat were announced, though when he had in effect confirmed the Spaniard’s arrival. The squad now features 12 of his signings. But the eventual verdict on this summer’s splurge may come down to how three fare: not Onana, given the need to move on from De Gea. But Hojlund, who has to deliver the goals expected of a £72m striker; Mount, who has to justify Ten Hag’s decision to reinvent him; and Amrabat, the coup who could add solidity and has the potential to rescue United’s window. The last of them may be the best. Read More Erik ten Hag says Manchester United looking forward to ‘fight’ with Arsenal Mason Greenwood will begin to rebuild career with loan move to Getafe Mason Greenwood leaves Manchester United on loan Sofyan Amrabat ‘will put everything’ into playing for Manchester United Manchester United complete loan deal for World Cup star Deadline deals and Ricky Gervais plays hide-and-seek – Friday’s sporting social

Multiple celebrities are in the mix for a minority ownership stake in the NHL’s Ottawa Senators

Since the 1960s, one scholar has dedicated his career to arguing that Jesus was not a living man, but in fact a mushroom. John Marco Allegro was one of the first scholars permitted to decipher the ancient documents now known as the Dead Sea Scrolls, that were discovered in 1947 in the Judean Desert. They contained the oldest surviving versions of books that would later be incorporated into the biblical canon. Allegro and his colleagues were the first to go about making sense of the documents, as they were obviously discovered untranslated, eventually publishing the texts after hard work and disagreements. Allegro then went on to write two more books on the subject in 1958, The Dead Sea Scrolls and The People of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which remain extremely influential. Then in 1970 and again in 1979, Allegro published two more books. These expanded on his idea that Christianity was a cover for a secret cryptic sex cult generated by people under the influence of Amanita muscaria, more commonly known as Fly agaric. And that Jesus was a metaphor for the fungus and its influences. Using etymology, Allegro argued that early Christianity was created by an Essene cult that recorded their practices through the texts of the New Testament. And that evangelists misunderstood the text's true meaning when they transcribed it. There was never a man called Jesus, only a cult that used mushrooms to have hallucinations. He also argued that the God of the Old Testament was "a mighty penis in the heavens who in a thunderous climax of the storm ejaculated semen upon the furrows of Mother Earth." Allegro's views were not well received, with some believing he created the argument as revenge against Christian critics who dismissed his earlier translations of the Dead Sea Scrolls, whilst some believed he just ran away with the wrong idea. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Israel's military has told international news organisations Reuters and Agence France Presse that it cannot guarantee the safety

Andrew Tate said, 'Having a HUGE ego isn’t the problem, every successful person has one'

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WASHINGTON The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives failed to move forward on a fiscal 2024 defense spending bill

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No. 14 Louisville will try to improve to 7-0 for the first time since 2012 when it travels to Pittsburgh