List of All Articles with Tag 't'

Andrew Cowell said the journey was seamless but he might have been a bit ambitious with the distance.

Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann have reportedly made multiple 911 calls from their Georgia mansion accusing each other of theft and other crimes

By Jonathan Allen and Hannah Beier DOYLESTOWN, Pennsylvania On May 12, the library coordinator for Pennsylvania's Central Bucks

HANOI Vietnamese lawmakers on Saturday approved a government plan to extend a reduction in value added tax (VAT)

The video was shocking — not just for what it showed but also for what was said. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the outspoken millionaire head of the private military contractor Wagner, stood in front of the bloodied bodies of his slain troops in Ukraine and yelled expletive-riddled insults at Russian military leaders, blaming them for the carnage. “They came here as volunteers and they died to let you lounge in your red wood offices,” Prigozhin shouted. “You are sitting in your expensive clubs, your children are enjoying good living and filming videos on YouTube. Those who don’t give us ammunition will be eaten alive in hell!” It was a disquieting display for Russians used to more than two decades of rigidly controlled rule by President Vladimir Putin — years with little sign of infighting among his top lieutenants. Prigozhin's video in May and his other rants against the military leadership have been met with silence from Putin, as well as the brass. Some see Putin's failure to squelch the infighting as a sign of potential shifts in Russia’s political scene that set the stage for more internal battles. Prigozhin's rift with the military has been ignored by state-controlled TV, where most Russians get their news, although it is followed closely by the politically active, ultrapatriotic readers and viewers on social media networks, which share his contempt for military leaders. While there are no indications that Putin is losing influence, “there are growing signs of deep dysfunction, anxiety, worry about the war and real problems in marshaling the resources necessary to fight it effectively,” said Nigel Gould-Davies, a senior fellow for Russia and Eurasia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies and the editor of its Strategic Survey. Prigozhin’s feud with military leaders goes back years, and it spilled into the open amid the fighting for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut that was spearheaded by his mercenaries. It has pushed the 62-year-old Wagner owner, dubbed “Putin's chef” for his lucrative Kremlin catering contracts, to the forefront of Russian politics and signaled his growing ambitions. He scathingly criticized Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and the chief of the General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov, as weak and incompetent in mocking statements full of vulgar language. At one point, he even alleged the army planted mines on the route his fighters planned to use and opened fire at them. With his crude remarks, Prigozhin ventured into territory where only Putin had gone before: Over the years, the Russian leader occasionally broke decorum with an earthy remark or off-color joke, while top officials used carefully worded language. In a later video, Prigozhin made a statement that some have interpreted as a thinly veiled attack on Putin himself. He declared that while his men were dying due to the Defense Ministry’s failure to supply ammunition, a “happy granddad is thinking he’s doing well,” and then referred to that “granddad” with an obscenity. The blunt comment caused a social media uproar, where it was broadly seen as a reference to Putin. Prigozhin later said he was talking about Gerasimov. “Prigozhin is now sailing much closer to the wind than he ever has,” Gould-Davies told The Associated Press. Sergei Markov, a pro-Kremlin political commentator, described Prigozhin as “the second-most popular man after Putin” and a “symbol of Russia’s military victory for millions of people.” Putin needs Prigozhin's mercenaries at a time when the regular military is still recovering from setbacks earlier in the invasion. The Wagner chief's position was bolstered after the private army captured Bakhmut last month in the war’s longest and bloodiest battle, relying on tens of thousands of convicts who were promised pardons if they survived six months of fighting. “Putin dominates the system, but he still sort of depends upon a small number of big people to implement his will, to provide him with resources to carry out his orders, including fighting the war,” Gould-Davies told AP. While Putin may adhere to keeping various factions divided and then intervening to “decide who wins and who loses, and who’s up and who’s down,” the process erodes the government's authority in wartime, Gould-Davies said. “That may be a way of keeping the political system going, but it’s certainly not the way to fight the war, because if your military forces are divided and if they’re not fighting together effectively, then your military operations will suffer accordingly and that’s exactly what’s happening here,” he said. Mark Galeotti, a London-based expert on Russian politics and security, noted the infighting was continuing even as Ukraine is in the early stages of its long-expected counteroffensive — "a point when really everyone should have one single common goal.” In a recent podcast, he speculated that Putin’s failure to resolve political disputes could be rooted in a lack of interest, a focus on other issues or, more likely, a reluctance to take sides. “It also raises questions about his overall capacity to do his job,” Galeotti said. “This is the one thing, the one job he can’t really outsource, and he’s not even trying.” The lack of response from military leaders to Prigozhin’s insults appeared to indicate they weren’t sure if Putin was on their side. St. Petersburg regional Gov. Alexander Beglov was another recent Prigozhin target, following their long-standing conflict rooted in Beglov’s reluctance to award lucrative contracts to Prigozhin’s companies. Just like the military leaders, Beglov has not responded. Prigozhin has allied with other hawkish officials, reportedly including Tula Gov. Alexei Dyumin, a former Putin bodyguard seen by many as a potential successor. The Wagner head also gravitated for some time toward Ramzan Kadyrov, the Moscow-backed regional leader of Chechnya. While denouncing most senior military leaders, Prigozhin spoke approvingly about Gen. Sergei Surovikin, who led Russian forces in Ukraine for several months before Putin appointed Gerasimov to oversee the operations. But some of those alliances have been shaky. While Kadyrov initially praised Prigozhin and backed some of his criticism of the military leaders, he later shifted course and criticized him for sounding defeatist. Kadyrov’s lieutenants went further, blasting Wagner's efforts in Bakhmut after Prigozhin made dismissive comments about Chechen fighters in Ukraine. Kadyrov’s right-hand man, Magomed Daudov, bluntly said Prigozhin would have been executed for such statements during World War II. Prigozhin quickly backed off, saying he was only expressing concern about Russian operations. Prigozhin has dodged questions about his ambitions, but in a move that reflected his desire to gain political clout, he recently toured Russia, continuing a barrage of blustery comments. “There are signs that he seeks some sort of political future,” Gould-Davies observed. Even though Prigozhin owes his position and wealth to Putin, he's playing the role of outsider with his criticism of some leaders and by trying to appeal to the masses amid setbacks in Ukraine, said Andrei Kolesnikov of the Carnegie Endowment. “He is posturing as an enemy of the elites, even though he is a product of Putin’s system, the embodiment of his regime and state contracts,” Kolesnikov said. “Prigozhin is playing an independent politician, raising the stakes and testing the system’s limits. But it’s only technically and physically possible for as long as Putin finds him useful and is amused by his escapades.” In a show of support for the military, Putin backed the Defense Ministry’s demand for all private companies to sign contracts with it — something Prigozhin has refused to do. And in another sign Putin's administration may finally be cutting Prigozhin down to size, messaging app channels connected to the Kremlin carried photos of his partying children, including a daughter in Dubai, in apparent retaliation for Prigozhin’s attacks on the defense minister’s daughter. Prigozhin has urged all-out war with Ukraine, including a total nationwide mobilization and the introduction of martial law in Russia — calls welcomed by some hawks. But Kolesnikov notes that the vast majority of Russians who are mostly apathetic or unwilling to make larger sacrifices could be frightened and appalled by that message. He cautions against overestimating Prigozhin’s clout and political prospects, and underestimating Putin's authority. "It’s enough for the commander-in-chief to move his finger to make the Wagner chief disappear,” Kolesnikov said. ___ Associated Press writer Danica Kirka in London contributed. ___ Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine-war Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Live Updates | Armed rebellion by Russian mercenary chief Furious Putin calls Wagner mutiny ‘treason’ and ‘mortal blow’ to troops –live Mapped: Inside Russian Wagner group’s road towards Moscow

A growing number of people -- many in medical or artistic fields -- have found themselves catapulted into the digital limelight after becoming accidental stars in the ASMR community.

Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Aramco) and TotalEnergies have signed an $11 billion contract to start building a new

Former President Donald Trump is set to address evangelical Christian voters at a major gathering Saturday in Washington, where he will seek to shore up their support as his legal troubles mount and rivals take aim at his character.

The U.S. Men’s National Team is a heavy favorite against Jamaica today in the CONCACAF Gold Cup and you can back them with no sweat thanks to FanDuel Sportsbook!USMNT fans who sign up with FanDuel and deposit $10 or more will be rewarded with a no-sweat bet worth up to $1,000!Here&rsqu...

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the bombastic chief of Russia's private mercenary group Wagner, appears to be falling out of favor fast in Moscow, after he unleashed a tirade against the Russian military on Friday and vowed to retaliate against its leaders.

(Reuters) -Following are reactions from foreign governments to the news from Russia, where President Vladimir Putin vowed on Saturday to

A subreddit has gained attention on social media after one of the moderators 'warned' a commenter for "overrating" a woman's looks. The subreddit called "True Rate Me" uses a strict numerical system to rate the physical appearance of users who upload selfies onto the website. The subreddit contains a guide for rating women and men at the top of its page and is strict when it comes to enforcing correct ratings. A tweet, originally posted by the account @kirbylarp, contained a screenshot from the subreddit showing a user receiving a "warning" for "overrating" a woman who uploaded her photo to the subreddit. The tweet has since been deleted at the request of the woman in the photo. After the subreddit went viral, users wanted to gain a better insight into how it operates, with many shocked and even "disgusted", whilst some tried to defend the page. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter One Reddit user uploaded five photos of herself, saying: "Just curious... 21F" (21, female). Her post had 1.8k comments, and it seemed that any user who rated her seven or above was smacked with a "warning" for giving her too high a rating. One person rated her a seven. "I'd consider going higher, too, if it weren't for mods giving people warnings for anything above 7. According to this sub’s guide, I think you’re prettier than most of the 7’s there, and reading through comments, it doesn’t look like I’m the only one who believes that. I think it’s the mods being subjective with this one…" Another rated her a 6.2. "If you're really only 21, you need to start using sunscreen and daily moisturiser now," one brutal comment read. "Drink lots of water and stop smoking if you do. You're getting away with it, but in a few years, your skin is going to look so wrinkled/old." "5.8 attractive and above average," a third added. "Flaws include lips and skin (possible symmetry issues too). Facial harmony is well above average. The lower third bone structure and profile view are unusually good. Beautiful overall." According to the guide attached to the subreddit, a seven is in the top 2.5%. Actresses Tara Shahidi, Shay Mitchell, and Elizabeth Lail are all considered 7s. Model Emily Ratajkowski is considered a 7.5. "Somewhat uncommon and the most attractive women seen on a day-to-day basis," states the guide. "These women stand out from the crowd and may be able to model or be successful as an 'Instagram model' or influencer." It goes on to describe 7's as having "feminine and attractive" facial features but may possess flaws such as "bulbous nasal tip, slight asymmetry, long mid-face." Men also post photos of themselves for ratings, with a "male 7" being similar to that of a "female 7", but their flaws are considered to be "crooked nose, slight asymmetry, long mid-face, Negative Canthal tilt." Penn Badgley, Tony Chung, and Keith Powers were among those rated a seven. When those outside the subreddit discovered True Rate Me, many took to Twitter to express their shock at some of the comments posted: One user tried to explain that people on the subreddit aren't giving their personal opinions (or at least aren't supposed to) and that all users have to follow the guide. Others lauded those who upload their photos as "brave" people, whilst another user joked they were going to give all women a rating of 10: The subreddit states that it "aims to provide accurate and objective ratings, by implementing standards that give raters a common ground." They also disagrees with the phrase "beauty is in the eye of the beholder", they argue "beauty is more objective than subjective. Why do you think there is always general agreement on which celebrities are attractive and which are not?" In bold at the bottom of the subreddit's wiki page reads: "In order to promote accuracy, rating someone without referencing the scale (UNREALISTIC/SUGARCOATED ratings) may result in a warning and/or immediate ban." 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.