Day: May 15, 2024

The Biden administration’s transfer of long-range weaponry to Ukraine came with the stipulation that these arms not be used against targets within Russia.

Russia says it downed 10 US-supplied missiles over Crimea as Blinken visits Kyiv  Moneycontrol

Russia says it downed 10 US-supplied missiles over Crimea as Blinken visits Kyiv  New York Post

By moving Sergei Shoigu and promoting key allies, Russia’s leader is shoring up the military-industrial complex that justifies his survival

When the Russian defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, was removed from his post and appointed head of the security council this week, there were two big questions on everyone’s mind. What would his successor, Andrei Belousov, bring to the table, and what would happen to the former head of the security council, Nikolai Patrushev – reputed to be the second most powerful man in Russia and seen by many as a potential successor to Vladimir Putin?

The second question has a straightforward answer. Patrushev, it seems, is being sidelined. Yesterday, the Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Patrushev had been appointed to the grand position of presidential aide for shipbuilding – barring any further surprise moves, this is a considerable downgrade in role.

Samantha de Bendern is an associate fellow in the Russia and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House and a political commentator on LCI television in France

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Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) Market Research | 2024-2031  News Channel Nebraska

MISSION OF VENGEANCE- Available on Amazon! https://t.co/s99RKMz1YO pic.twitter.com/2yusL6H07l

— Robert Morton (@Robert4787) May 15, 2024

Here’s 15 of the most memorable James Bond cars. https://t.co/oMzDswWQQL #jamesbond #bondcars #automobile pic.twitter.com/veEpONVZLU

— Robert Morton (@Robert4787) May 15, 2024

Ukraine war latest updates: ‘Fierce battle’ after Russia launches attack in Kharkiv – as Ukraine says it was ‘prepared’  Sky News

The occupiers continue to bring Russians to Mariupol, over the past six months their number in the city has increased by at least 7,800.

NEW YORK — A sprightly miniature poodle named Sage was crowned “Best in Show” on Tuesday at the 148th annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, winning the grand prize in the most prestigious competition among pure-bred canines in the United States.

Sage, the finalist representing 21 breeds classified as non-sporting dogs, triumphed over more than 2,500 top-ranked dogs competing in the two-day contest, held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in the Queens borough of New York City.

Sage, a 4-year-old black-colored female groomed in the fine, fluffy topiary style traditional for poodles, competed head to head against the winners in six other groups — terriers, hounds, herding dogs, working dogs, sporting dogs and toy dogs.

She was the first female to win the top prize at Westminster since 2020, according to commentators on the Fox Sports channel, which broadcast the event live.

And she became the fourth miniature poodle to claim the top prize in the 148-year history of the contest, with the trophy previously going to her breed in 1943, 1959 and 2002, according to kennel club records.

The larger “standard” poodle breed has been declared Best in Show five times, most recently in 2020, and the smaller “toy” poodle breed has won twice.

The poodle originated as a hunting dog in Germany and is now recognized as the national dog of France.

Sage’s handler, Kaz Hosaka, cried tears of joy and carried his prized poodle in his arms around floor of the auditorium to cheers of the crowd as he celebrated what he said was his 45th year participating at the Westminster dog show and the last of his career.

The Westminster dog show bills itself as the second-oldest U.S. sporting event, behind only the Kentucky Derby thoroughbred horse race. This year’s competition drew a field of contenders representing 200 breeds from all 50 U.S. states and 12 other countries.

Mercedes, a female 4-year-old German shepherd, was named runner-up for the overall contest, after first winning the top prize in the herding dog group.

Along with Sage and Mercedes, the two other finalists chosen on Monday were Comet the Shih Tzu, representing the toy group, and Louis, the Afghan hound leading the hound group.

Rounding out the finalists were three group winners chosen on Tuesday – Micah the black cocker spaniel, representing sporting dogs; Monty, the giant schnauzer, leading the working dogs; and Frankie, a colored bull terrier from the terrier group.