Tesco west bromwich

Since retiring from the Russian army in 2000, Colonel Mikhail Khodarenok has been an éminence grise of military affairs, regularly popping up on state television to give his analysis. He has been at it too long to be too afraid of the Kremlin. In February, he ridiculed as “fantasy” the idea that Ukraine could be easily conquered. On a primetime Rossiya-1 TV show earlier this week, he went further . “We are now in total geopolitical isolation,” he said. “We don’t want to admit it. But practically, the whole world is against us.” The host, Olga Skabeyeva, confronted him immediately. What about India and China, she asked: aren’t they worthy allies? “I’m looking at the bigger picture,” he replied. So is Joe Biden . This morning, he lands in Seoul as part of a five-day trip to salute the Asian flank of the new anti-Putin alliance. His visit makes a point that has not been lost on Colonel Khodarenok: this war is not (as Moscow TV so often says) Russia vs Nato, or Russia vs “the … [Read more...] about Vladimir Putin’s plot to dismantle the West has backfired spectacularly

There have long been concerns that Turkey is moving away from the democratic values that underpin the Nato alliance. Accusations of authoritarianism have plagued President Erdoğan since he assumed office. This week, Turkey broke Nato unity by holding up applications by Finland and Sweden to join the alliance. At a meeting of ambassadors in Brussels on Wednesday, representatives of the Turkish President stopped a vote on the applications, dashing the hopes of officials that the two Nordic nations could undergo an accelerated accession process. This has inevitably raised questions about how sustainable Turkey’s Nato membership really is. On the one hand, Ankara has done much to support Kyiv since Vladimir Putin launched his invasion. It closed the Bosphorus and the Dardanelle straits to warships, preventing Russia from replacing lost ships. Turkish drones sold to the Ukrainians have also proved highly effective. More generally, Ankara is an important strategic ally, with a … [Read more...] about President Erdogan knows how to secure a high price from the West

Chelsea legend John Terry was hilariously pranked by his barber as Declan Rice was left in stitches Terry was recorded while receiving a trim from celebrity barber Ahmed Alsanawl, known as A Star Barbers, who decided to play a cheeky joke on the former Blues defender. Alsanawl uploaded a video clip to his Instagram with the caption: “Spraying John Terry with water till he notices.” In the clip, the barber repeatedly sprays Terry with water while the former England captain remains seated for a haircut. The iconic central-defender visibly becomes more and more distressed as his barber unleashes countless sprays on his already dripping head. Eventually, with water flowing down into his face, Terry has enough and finally confronts Ahmed. Terry can be heard asking in the video: “Are you giving me a shower? What are you doing?” with a confused smirk on his face. The barber then breaks character and laughs before pointing to the camera which successfully picked up his brilliant … [Read more...] about Baffled John Terry pranked by barber to leave Declan Rice in stitches

A dad left his partner of 10 years after falling in love with the Ukrainian refugee they had taken in. Tony Garnett, 29, applied to be part of the Government’s refugee scheme but grew impatient at how long it was taking and joined Facebook groups where Ukrainians were looking for sponsors. This is where 22-year-old Sofiia Karkadym found him – she was fleeing her home in Lviv after Russia invaded. After figuring out the logistics, Sofiia arrived in the UK on May 4 and went to live with Tony, his partner Lorna and their three and six-year-old daughters in Bradford, West Yorkshire. Tony told The Sun how the pair ‘just clicked’ and got on really well straight away – partly because Tony could speak Slovakian which is similar to Ukrainian. The two them started chatting in a language Lorna did not understand, staying up to watch TV after she had gone to bed and went to gym with each other regularly. They both said that although they were ‘getting on brilliantly’ at … [Read more...] about Family takes in Ukrainian refugee and dad runs off with her just 10 days later

If you had to leave your home and all your worldly belongings in an instant to run for your life, as thousands of Ukrainians have, what would you grab? Money, your passport, some spare clothes? For many Ukrainian families, the one thing they could not leave behind was their pets. Pictures have emerged of refugees carrying cats, dogs and birds as they rush to safety . But those animals that were abandoned roam the streets in search of food and love. One of these much-loved pets found me, while I was reporting in Ukraine, and I could not leave that dog behind. This is my story of how I came back from war with a friend for life, one who helped me cope with the reality of a warzone. Before I left Islington for Ukraine, I could have never imagined the experience. The stories of destruction I found are so devastating that I struggle to comprehend how this is happening in the 21st century. Genocide. War crimes. Invasion. Yet, when entering Ukraine back in February, … [Read more...] about ‘I went to war – and came back with a dog’

The "brutal" Russian military spy unit that tried to assassinate Sergei Skripal in Salisbury in 2018 has been handed command of Russia's intelligence operations in Ukraine. The GRU is taking over from the FSB , the intelligence service Vladimir Putin has blamed for failings that contributed to his army's humiliating retreat from Kyiv . It came as US officials suggested Russian officers in Ukraine were refusing to obey their superiors. A senior US defence official said officers as high as battalion commanders were not obeying orders. Other officers in Donbas were not functioning with the "alacrity" that might be expected, the US official said. Analysts have said that, with US help, Ukraine has had access to far better intelligence than Russia. Attacks against the West Several Russian generals have been killed in the war and other high-value targets, such as the flagship of Russia's Black Sea fleet , have been destroyed. The GRU's appointment in Ukraine should … [Read more...] about Putin puts ‘brutal’ GRU spy unit behind Skripal poisoning in charge of intel

A senior Chernobyl manager has been arrested after Ukrainian forces accused him of collaborating with the Russians attempting to seize the nuclear power plant . Ukraine’s police and intelligence services detained the unnamed deputy head of the plant but have only announced the arrest now. “The serviceman fled the station and did not provide physical protection for the facility, which was part of his functional responsibilities,” the DBR, Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation, said in a statement. “DBR officers are also investigating the possible involvement of the official in carrying out subversive activities against Ukraine. In particular ... whether he assisted the Russian military in capturing Chernobyl in late February.” Seizing Chernobyl, a three-hour drive north of Kyiv, was one of the Russian army’s key objectives when it invaded Ukraine on February 24. Russian soldiers gained control of the site , which gained global infamy after its 1986 nuclear disaster, … [Read more...] about Chernobyl manager who fled nuclear plant arrested for colluding with Russians

In the run-up to her wedding day, Lotta Häkämies struggled to get to sleep. But the 40-year-old was not suffering from run-of-the mill nerves. Her wedding was set to be held in the Finnish border town of Imatra, just five kilometres from the Russian border . One night, she was jolted out of bed by the sound of fighter jets. “We went outside,” she told The Telegraph at her wedding reception, as coffee and cake was being served. “I couldn’t see anything and thought, perhaps I’m getting paranoid.” But the next morning local news reported Russia had violated Finland’s airspace . “I opened my phone and saw there had been Russian helicopters over the border and the Finnish Air Force drove them away with their Hornets [fighter jets]. Would a Nato country allow this to happen? I don’t think so.” Like a growing majority of Finns, Ms Häkämies supports her country joining the US-led military alliance . It would mean more peace of mind, a guarantor of international support if … [Read more...] about Finnish town gets ready for Russian attack

The renaming of the world's largest cricket stadium after India's prime minister, has renewed accusations of narcissism and a growing personality cult around the nationalist leader, in the latest row over politically-driven name changes in the country. The announcement that the 132,000-seat venue formerly known as Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad would be become the Narendra Modi Stadium sparked delight in his supporters and scorn from political opponents. Mr Modi's gift for oratory and keen populist instincts have made him by far the most popular politician in India, and in 2019 won his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) a second term. Yet he has also attracted accusations of vanity and attempting to glorify himself as the founder of a new Hindu India. Critics last week asked whether the stadium's new name was an attempt to bolster his legacy with a relabelling spree. Dedicating sports stadiums to former prime ministers is common in India, but renaming such a high-profile venue for … [Read more...] about Modi accused of remaking India in his image after renaming world’s largest stadium after himself

Narendra Modi, the Indian prime minister, suffered a major blow on Sunday after his right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lost a key regional election amid mounting criticism of his response to the country's catastrophic outbrea k of the coronavirus. As the votes were counted for the state elections in West Bengal, a new daily record of 3,689 deaths from Covid was recorded on the day, along with 390,000 new infections. Britain announced on Sunday night that it was sending 1,000 ventilators to India. It comes on top of 200 ventilators, 495 oxygen concentrators and 3 oxygen generation units dispatched last week to Indian hospitals. Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer, and Sir Patrick Vallance, the Chief Scientific Adviser, have also spoken to their Indian counterparts to provide advice and insight. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “The terrible images we have seen in India in recent weeks are all the more powerful because of the close and enduring … [Read more...] about Narendra Modi pays price at the polls as India suffers another day of record deaths