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NORTH KOREAN LEADER Kim Jong Un was shown nuclear-capable bombers as he arrived in the far east port of Vladivostok on his visit to Russia.
He also inspected the Admiral Shaposhnikov frigate of Russia’s Pacific fleet and was briefed by navy commander Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov on the ship’s capabilities and weapons, which include long-range Kalibr cruise missiles that Russian warships have regularly fired at targets in Ukraine.
Oleg Kozhemyako, the governor of the Primorsky region, announced Kim’s arrival in the city of Artyom – about 25 miles northeast of Vladivostok – before the visit to the airport where he was shown Russia’s nuclear-capable strategic bombers and other warplanes by Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu and other military officials.
Shoigu also showed off Russia’s latest missile, the hypersonic Kinzhal which is carried by the MiG-31 fighter jet.
After meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin at Russia’s main spaceport, North Korea’s leader reappeared on Friday in the far eastern city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur for a visit to a plant producing Russia’s Su-57 fighter jets.
Kim’s plans to see Russian naval ships in Vladivostok could be another hint at what he wants from Russia, possibly in exchange for supplying munitions to refill Putin’s declining reserves as his invasion of Ukraine becomes a drawn-out war of attrition.
Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency said that during his visit to the aircraft plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Kim expressed “sincere regard” for what he described as Russia’s rapidly advancing aviation technologies, which he said were “outpacing the outside potential threats”.
North Korean state media have been reporting Kim’s activities in Russia a day late.
Russia’s cabinet released a video on Friday showing Kim on an elevated platform looking at the cockpit of an Su-57 while listening to its pilot.
His top military officer, army Marshal Ri Pyong Chol, said his leader’s visit to the facility “added another glorious page” to the relations between the countries, KCNA said.
On Friday, Putin reiterated that Russia would abide by UN sanctions, some of which ban North Korea from exporting or importing any weapons.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that no agreements on bilateral military cooperation were signed after the two leaders’ meeting on Wednesday.
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Looking forward to the brits saying saidhbhín, they cant even sat doherty correctly
@Brian Dunne: Lee Mack might have to update his Irish names routine…
@Brian Dunne: Does anyone know why the British pronounce Doherty as Dockerty? There is clearly no k in the name. Does my head in.
@Peter Cavey: because they know it annoys us, aul brits up to their old tricks
@Peter Cavey: McGrath and Moran are two other simple names they can’t master
@Brian Dunne: And Gallagher. They say Gallagurr but yet they can pronounce Callaghan just fine.
@Brian Dunne: how is it pronounced?
@Madra: Sadabadahnnnnnnnnnnnin I think
@Madra: sive-een
@Madra: sive-een.
@Brian Dunne: I would have problems with the pronunciation of Saidbhin Sorry about the lack of a fada I don’t know how to type one
@Brian Dunne: Hope we don’t get as far as S!
@Peter Cavey: yup. It comes from a time when even we pronounced it closer to Dockerty. It’s from Middle Irish Dochartaigh, where the ch is pronounced as in Scottish loch. The English continued to pronounce this k/ch sound, while we in Ireland lost it. Think along the lines of Monaghan (originally Muineachán), Fermanagh (Fear Manach), Gallagher (Gallchobhair) etc. The gh in Monaghan and Fermanagh is now rendered a h or absent in all English dialects, but in some words the original sound has been retained in a much closer approximation in English dialects than in Irish English dialects.
@Peter Cavey: Scottish
@dmcardle: I remember that! I’m still trying to figure out whether I ought to be amused or insulted by that sketch :)
Diversity for storm names…talk about snowflakes and first world problems..
@Canyon: People complaining about storm names – first world problems.
@Canyon: Well, we do live in the first world last time I checked…
@KilkennyProud: in case you missed it…I’m complaining about those wanting diversity in storm names.
They have put the phonetics under Evert, Klaas and Minnie but have left Saidhbhàin to chance. Good luck BBC weather team!
@Ted Logan: This is Met Eireann’s graphic for Ireland. I imagine the UK and Dutch met offices will produce their own version with phonetics for the ones that are challenging locally.
I wonder why Saidhbhín and not Saidhbh. I know noone with that name, though I Saidhbh is familiar
@Goban Saor: Do you know many Everts?
@Goban Saor: It’s just so that we could have more fun messing with some Sky presenters’ heads!
Congratulations to all the team. No longer will have to point at the weather and shout, ‘I hate that nameless b@stard’.
Saidhbhín? Picking a random, barely pronounceable name is the way forward I guess.
Can imagine the person who added the phonetic spelling getting to Saidhbhin ..” Sai.. …what the F …I give up”
What happens if there are more storms than names listed about.. 21 there.. will No 22 be called Aiden +1?
What a load of bl…… seriously picking hardest to say names a poss.
Wheres Mohammud?
Naming weather. Whatever!
They should have got enough practise trying to pronounce Eyjafjallajökull a few years ago.
Should not there be a list from time to time and then, once all the names have been used, to get a new list? Most years, the second half of the list does not have any storm (fortunately).
have your say