- Carey sparks recovery as Australia thrash England in 2nd ODI
- Leclerc, Sainz lament 'disappointing' Saturday in Singapore
- Bottega Veneta holds investors' aces as Madonna pops into D&G
- Beirut digs for victims at building flattened in Israeli strike
- Verstappen stages protest over 'ridiculous' swearing punishment
- Bayern boss Kompany lauds 'special talent' Olise
- Diaz fires Liverpool top of Premier League, Spurs bounce back
- Heavy fire over Israel-Lebanon border after deadly Beirut strike
- Ramos guides unbeaten Toulouse to Montpellier win despite Hogg scuffle
- Myanmar flood death toll jumps to 384
- Chelsea owners 'happy' with win at West Ham amid rift report
- Kane and Olise run riot as Bayern thump Bremen
- Ramos guides unbeaten Toulouse to Montpellier win
- Norris pips Verstappen to dramatic Singapore pole after Sainz crash
- Carey takes Australia to 270 in 2nd ODI against England after collapse
- Two Hezbollah leaders killed in Israel's Beirut strike
- Hungary Danube waters reach decade high after Storm Boris
- Bagnaia cuts Martin's MotoGP lead with Emilia-Romagna sprint win
- Jackson double fires Chelsea to victory at woeful West Ham
- Fiji beat Japan to lift Pacific Nations Cup
- Kasatkina to face Haddad Maia in Korea Open final
- S.Africa snowfall closes roads, strands motorists overnight
- Lawyers of women alleging Al-Fayed sex abuse receive over 150 new enquiries
- President Museveni's son backs Ugandan strongman for 7th term
- Norris quickest as Verstappen bounces back in Singapore practice
- Wallabies lament All Blacks' fast start
- Germany's Oktoberfest opens under tight security after attacks
- Environmental protesters block French cruise liner port
- Hezbollah in disarray after Israeli strike kills top commanders
- No place like home: Biden hosts 'Quad' leaders
- One dead, 7 missing as heavy rains trigger floods in central Japan
- Zelensky says no UK, US go-ahead to use long-range missiles
- New Zealand edge Australia 31-28 in Bledisloe Cup thriller
- Japan orders evacuations as heavy rains trigger floods in quake-hit area
- New Zealand pilot freed in Indonesia after 19 months in rebel captivity
- Hezbollah in disarray after Israeli air strike kills top commanders
- Leading climate activist released from Vietnam jail
- Ethiopians struggle with bitter pill of currency reform
- Sri Lanka votes in first poll since economic collapse
- Feminist author warns of abortion disaster if Trump wins US election
- US city of Flint still reeling from water crisis, 10 years on
- Arsenal's mean defence faces acid test to shut out Man City again
- Late surge lifts Thailand's Jeeno to LPGA Queen City lead
- DeChambeau says PGA's Ryder Cup decision 'just the start'
- Alcaraz defeated on Laver Cup debut
- Postecoglou embraces 'struggle' to make Spurs a success
- Nice hand 'ashamed' Saint-Etienne 8-0 Ligue 1 mauling
- Boeing CEO says ending strike 'a top priority'
- Stock markets mostly fall after Fed-fueled rally
- Harris slams Trump for hypocrisy on abortion as US starts voting
'Z': on Russia's tanks and capturing the public's military mindset
Since Russia moved troops into Ukraine, the letter "Z" -- emblazoned on Moscow's advancing armoured vehicles -- has gripped the country's public consciousness on social media, in manicures and on an athlete's uniform.
There's no consensus on what the letter actually signifies, but almost two weeks into Russia's military incursion into Ukraine it has become synonymous with the Russian army.
And increasingly, it's being used as a rallying cry either in support of the operation in Ukraine -- or against it.
"Z", a letter that features in the Latin alphabet but not in Cyrillic, first appeared several weeks ago on military vehicles rolling towards Ukraine, possibly to distinguish them from Ukrainian forces and avoid friendly fire.
But the sign has since become ubiquitous on cars on the streets of Moscow, clothing and across social media profiles on the Russian internet -- a trend the authorities are eager to encourage.
The official Instagram and Telegram pages of Russia's defence ministry prominently show messages starting with the letter, such as "Za Pobedu" (For Victory), "Za Mir" (For Peace), "Za Pravdu" (For Truth) and "Za Rossiyu" (For Russia).
The government-aligned Kommersant business daily this week published aerial photos of some 60 children and their families forming the shape of the letter in the snowy courtyard of a hospice in Kazan, central Russia.
Several days later, 20-year-old gymnast Ivan Kuliak stepped onto the third-place podium step at the World Cup in Doha, Qatar, wearing a "Z" affixed to his chest -- a Ukrainian athlete stood to his right, having snagged gold.
The International Gymnastics Federation responded by calling for an investigation into Kuliak for his "shocking behaviour".
He however told Russian media that, if he could, "I would do it again".
"I saw our military was wearing it, and I looked at what the symbol represents. As an athlete, I will always fight for victory and I will play for peace," he said.
- Flash mobs -
Among theories swirling, one is that "Z" stands for the first letter of the Russian word "Zapad", which means West, a reference to forces of the Western military district.
Some observers noted it was the first letter in the surname of Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky.
Regardless, an array of politicians, celebrities and influencers want to show off their patriotic zeal by splashing the symbol that is emblematic of allegiance to the Kremlin.
Roskomnadzor, Russia's media regulator, which has recently been working to block media critical of the military operation, accordingly edited its profile on the Telegram messenger to capitalise the "Z" in the agency's name.
Beyond Moscow and Saint Petersburg, flash mobs and demonstrations of support have sprung up in far-flung regions under the slogan "We do not abandon our own".
Women have been singing with choir members wearing a "Z" on their chests, taxis have displayed a "Z" on their windows and cars have parked in the shape of a "Z".
In the region of Barnaul in southern Siberia, a huge "Z" was on the snow, in the orange and brown colours of the Saint George ribbon, a historical symbol of Russian and Soviet military successes.
Business-savvy minds have seen that T-shirts with the "Z" logo are now being sold online.
C.Meier--BTB