US media report that President Joe Biden intends to provide Ukraine with advanced long-range missiles to aid Kyiv’s ongoing counteroffensive.

They cite US officials familiar with the issue as saying Ukraine will get some ATACMS missiles with a range of up to 190 miles (300km).

This would allow Kiev to strike Russian targets far behind the front line.

On Friday, at least two Ukrainian missiles struck the Russian Black Sea fleet headquarters in occupied Crimea.

A Ukrainian military source told the BBC that British and French-supplied Storm Shadow missiles were used in the attack on the port of Sevastopol.

These missiles have a range of approximately 240 kilometers.

According to unnamed US officials quoted by NBC News and the Wall Street Journal, Vice President Biden told his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky that Kyiv would receive “a small number” of ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) missiles. Thursday, the two leaders met at the White House.

According to the WSJ, the armaments will be sent in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, the Washington Post cited several individuals familiar with the negotiations as saying that Ukraine would receive ATACMS armed with cluster bomblets instead of single payloads.

US media report that President Joe Biden intends to provide Ukraine with advanced long-range missiles to aid Kyiv’s ongoing counteroffensive.

The United States and Ukraine have neither officially confirmed the allegations.

After the Biden-Zelensky discussions, the United States announced a new $325 million (£265 million) military aid package for Ukraine, including artillery and ammunition. Next week, American Abrams tanks will be delivered to Kiev.

On the ATACMS issue, both presidents have been elusive.

“I believe we will be able to reach an agreement on the majority of what we discussed with President Biden yesterday,” Mr. Zelensky said on Friday during a visit to Canada.

“Indeed, it’s only a matter of time. Not everything depends on Ukraine,’ elucidated the speaker.

Kyiv has pushed for ATACMS for months to bolster its brutal and deadly counteroffensive in the south.

US media report that President Joe Biden intends to provide Ukraine with advanced long-range missiles to aid Kyiv’s ongoing counteroffensive.

It is stated that vital Russian supply lines, command positions, and other logistical hubs would be within striking distance, forcing Moscow to move them further away and making it more difficult to resupply soldiers and weapons.

Ukraine asserts that Russian positions in the occupied southern Ukrainian regions, including Crimea, would be particularly vulnerable.

In February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and the Biden administration initially hesitated to provide Ukraine with modern weapons.

Since then, however, its posture has shifted dramatically, with Kyiv acquiring Himar’s long-range rocket systems and Patriot air defense missiles.

President Biden has shown reluctance towards ATACMS out of concern that such missiles could bring about a confrontation with a nuclear-armed Russia.

Source – (BBC)

Shein, created in China in 2008, is a global fast fashion behemoth.

According to the BBC, Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group is in talks to sell its Missguided clothing brand to online fashion giant Shein.

The talks regarding a purchase, first reported by Sky News, occurred only a year after Frasers acquired the brand.

Last year, Frasers Group paid £20 million for Missguided after the online apparel store went bankrupt.

Shein, created in China in 2008, is a global fast fashion behemoth.

Frasers Group and Shein have both been reached for comment.

According to Sky, the agreement will see Shein acquire Missguided’s brand and other intellectual property while Frasers retains the head office.

Missguided, situated in Manchester, was launched in 2009 by Nitin Passi and has since grown to become one of the UK’s largest online fashion players.

However, due to supply chain issues, rising freight prices, and increased competition from rivals, it went into administration in May 2022 before being acquired by Frasers Group.

Frasers, which owns the Mike Ashley-founded Sports Direct company, has grown swiftly by acquiring troubled brands. Game, Evans Cycles, Jack Wills, and Sofa.com are examples.

While Mike Ashley is no longer the CEO of Frasers, he still maintains a majority ownership in the company.

Shein, which currently has its headquarters in Singapore, saw a boost in sales during the Covid epidemic when lockdowns increased internet purchases.

It was valued at roughly $66 billion earlier this year, which was lower than a previous valuation of around $100 billion.

It has been speculated that Shein will attempt to float its shares in the United States.

However, in May, a group of US congressmen demanded that Shein be investigated amid allegations that people from China’s predominantly Muslim Uyghur community were used as forced labor to create some of the clothing it sells.

Human rights organizations and Western governments, particularly the United States and the United Kingdom, have accused China of perpetrating crimes against humanity against the Uyghurs.

Shein responded to the BBC, saying, “We have zero tolerance for forced labour.”

“Our suppliers must follow a strict code of conduct that is aligned with the core conventions of the International Labour Organisation.”

SOURCE – (BBC)

Marc Bohan, Dior’s longest-serving creative director, has died at the age of 97. Hollywood aristocrats such as Grace Kelly and Elizabeth Taylor wore their thin silhouette designs.

After his predecessor, Yves Saint Laurent, was inducted into the French military in 1960, Bohan was selected to oversee the French label. From 1961 through 1989, he served as artistic director for the brand, delivering exquisite and subtle tailored outfits for the modern woman.

In 1961, he launched the “slim” look, a thin version of Dior’s iconic design with feminine shoulders and sensuously refined skirts, in his first couture collection for the house.

Bohan’s death was confirmed by Dior on Friday, who described him as an “immense visionary and passionate creator” who left his stamp on the fashion company.

“Marc Bohan was a unique creator dear to the heart of our House, infusing Dior elegance with his free spirit,” said Dior CEO Delphine Arnault. “A man of enormous talent who profoundly influenced both our history and fashion history.”

Marc Bohan, Dior’s longest-serving creative director, has died at the age of 97.

The couturier became great friends with Princess Grace of Monaco while working at Dior; thus, her wardrobe paid respect to his work as the two shared the same idea of elegance and flair. Even outside his friendship network, Hollywood influenced Marc’s work: in 1966, he created a collection with fur trim and long coats inspired by “Doctor Zhivago.”

Although Marc tried to remain out of the spotlight — he was often described as modest and discreet – his ideas kept him there. Bohan was commissioned to design the magnificent coronation gown for Iran’s then-empress, Farah Diba Pahlavi, in 1967.

During his time at Dior, Marc expanded the brand’s offerings, from starting Dior’s baby shop to creating Miss Dior and Dior Monsieur lines for young ladies and men. He was also lauded for arranging Dior’s first Indian shows.

In 1989, Gianfranco Ferré took over the fashion house from Bohan. Marc left Dior and relocated to London, where he joined the illustrious house of Norman Hartnell, a couturier for the British royal family. His daughter is the only survivor.

SOURCE – (AP)