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MOSCOW (Reuters) - Ultra-nationalist and schooled in their country’s historical grievances, Russian soccer hooligans see themselves as fighting the Kremlin’s geopolitical battles in miniature when they clash with foreign fans at the Euro 2016 tournament. “Our fans in Marseille are a copy of Russian foreign policy,” Professor Sergei Medvedev from Moscow’s Higher School of Economics, wrote on social media after Saturday’s clashes around the England-Russia game in the French city of Marseille....

Dismissing the widely tossed-around term “bounty” to refer to the practice of Russia’s Main Directorate, commonly called the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU), supplying financial assistance to the Taliban in exchange for targeting U.S. troops, those that spoke with Newsweek characterized the actions of Moscow’s elite military espionage unit as part of a wider plan to expedite a U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and to foster working ties with the powerful militant group likely to have a stake in the war-torn country’s future....

The Russian president and Kremlin strategists appear to be pondering their next move after Ukrainian forces in Kharkiv in the north-east of the country recaptured more than 3,000 square miles of territory. The legislatures of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics (DNR) and (LNR) in the Donbas region are calling for their leaderships to hold a referendum to recognize them as Russian subjects, in a status that aimed to bolster Moscow’s military support, said the Institute for the Study of War (ISW)....

Despite their lingering transfer ban, Real Madrid are set to complete the signing of 17-year-old striker Aleksander Isak, Marca reports. Madrid can sign players at the moment, but they cannot be registered to the club in the current transfer window. The Champions League holders have been following Isak for some time. The striker has already represented Sweden’s senior national team and is a regular in the AIK Solna starting XI....

Boca Juniors star Carlos Tevez is set to become the latest big name to emigrate to Chinese football with a lucrative switch to Shanghai Shenhua, according to TyC Sports. The transfer, widely reported in recent days, would ultimately be for a single year, with Tevez picking up $25 million for his time in the Superleague. His Argentine employers would also benefit from the deal, picking up an expected payment of $10m for letting the former Argentina international move to Shenhua for 12 months....

Everton midfielder Ross Barkley is a target for Tottenham, who have made the first steps towards making a bid for him, according to the London Evening Standard. England international Barkley has recently been dropped by Everton boss Ronald Koeman, who does not seen to have full trust in him just yet. Tottenham have a number of midfield options but Barkley still fits the bill for what Mauricio Pochettino looks for in a player, and his attacking skills could offer more support for Harry Kane....

The event launch ceremony was held on 4th January 2019 and was inaugurated by the Assistant collector, Ms. Anju K.S. IAS. The Assistant collector launched the official Calicut half Marathon website. Dr. Rudra Sensarma the Dean of IIM Kozhikode presented the first ticket to Mr. A.K. Rastogi, Chief Technology Officer (Works), Peekay Steels Castings (P) Ltd. The official race jersey was also launched bearing Peekay Steel as the title sponsor of the event....

I believe Gates when he estimates that companies are realizing only 20 percent or so of the potential value of the billions of bucks spent on computer technology (and Microsoft products). The successful examples he cites from companies like Saturn and McDonald’s are only harbingers of what will come on that golden day when we get full value from our investments in silicon and fiber. But I also know about a particularly competitive segment of society that has thoroughly transformed itself from a paperbound info-backwater to a frenetic data cornucopia, much like the ones idealized by Chairman Bill....

After two days, the bowlers have largely got the better of the batsmen. The tourists were all out for 250, although Cheteshwar Pujara made 123, before Australia struggled to 191-7 at stumps on Friday. But while the remaining Australia batsmen - including Travis Head on an unbeaten 61 - will be looking to kick on, Ashwin similarly wants to improve further. The India bowler has figures of 3-50, yet he does not believe his side have the upper hand at this stage....

Earlier this month, WADA banned Russian teams and athletes from competing under the country’s flag at global sporting events – including the 2020 Olympics and 2022 World Cup – over inconsistencies in anti-doping data discovered during an investigation. RUSADA was given 21 days to appeal the suspension, and the organisation has now confirmed it will take its case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Should the sanction stay in place, individual Russian athletes will still be able to enter global competitions under a neutral flag, as was the case for 168 Russians at the 2018 Winter Olympics when the country was banned....

Westbrook, the Thunder’s do-everything point guard, confronted spectators after each half of Oklahoma City’s season-ending Game 6 playoff loss Friday night in Salt Lake City. In the second incident, Westbrook appeared to slap at a camera being held by a fan who had leaned over a railing to film him walking to the locker room. NBA PLAYOFFS: Scores, schedules, live updates After the game, Westbrook said Jazz rooters have been “disrespectful” throughout the Western Conference playoff series and that something needs to be done in response....

MORE: Ranking every NBA Finals rematch | 13 chokes in NBA playoff history There’s a clear disdain from Westbrook toward Jackson, and plenty of information about that animosity has leaked into the public. But one story stayed hidden until Nazr Mohammed provided a funny story during his exit interiview Wednesday. “I mean, what’s the game when we were playing against — I hate to mention his name, when we were playing against Detroit,” Mohammed said....

The Seahawks have been linked with All-Pro wide receiver Brown, who was released by the Patriots in September last year amid sexual assault allegations he has denied. Brown — a seven-time Pro Bowler — has been banned for eight games due to “multiple violations of the NFL’s personal conduct policy.” Wilson was asked about Brown and he told reporters on Thursday: “Most of the conversations I’ve had with most his former teammates and stuff like that said that he worked hard every day....

Instead, Wilson has struggled immensely while leading the Broncos to a 3-8 record and last place in the AFC West, and the situation around him seems to be rapidly deteriorating. Wilson has been the subject of drama within the team. Various NFL insiders have reported that he is losing the Broncos’ locker room, and that appeared to be on display when defensive tackle Mike Purcell yelled at Wilson on the sidelines during Denver’s 23-10 loss to the Panthers in Week 12....

According to the Ukrainian National Resistance Center, officials in Russia’s so-called “people’s republics” in Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts have started putting together lists of schoolchildren who can be conscripted into the Russian army, starting with those who will come of age this year. “Ukrainian children born in 2005-2006 in the temporarily occupied territories must register for ‘compulsory military registration,’” the center said in a report on Monday. “Admission onto the so-called registry is taking place in the temporarily occupied territories of Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts....

The newest drills on Wednesday included thousands of troops and heavy firepower. Artillery units practiced firing live ammunition in the southwest region of the country. Russia also deployed fighter jets and paratroopers in Belarus for joint military exercises next month, The Hill reported. Russian state news agency Tass said 20 warships and vessels were deployed to the Baltic sea on Monday for combat training sessions. The training included air defense live-fire exercises, the Fleet’s press office said....

The 15 expelled groups, including Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International, were “excluded due to the discovery of violations of the current legislation of the Russian Federation,” the Justice Ministry said, according to Reuters. The decision also came hours after reports on Friday that Russia had attacked a train station that contained civilians in the Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, killing dozens and injuring at least 100 more, according to Ukrainian officials....

(Reuters) - Russia finds out on Friday if the IAAF Council will lift the country’s ban from athletics but, even if the vote goes against it, the road to Rio remains open as the IOC will make the final decision on Olympic participation. Russia was suspended from all track and field in November after an independent report from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) revealed widespread state-sponsored doping. After a task force reported back that the country appeared to have made little progress on reforms, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Council voted in March to maintain the ban....

Peskov told PBS “no one is thinking about […] using a nuclear weapon,” and that the Ukrainian conflict has “nothing to do with” any threat to Russia’s existence. The comments come a week after on CNN he repeatedly refused to rule out that Russia would consider nuclear force against an “existential threat.” In the PBS interview on Monday, Peskov had been asked to clarify comments from former President Dmitry Medvedev, who has listed scenarios in which Russia reserves the right to use nuclear weapons if it faced an existential threat....