Ten months on and the Ukraine war is distorting life in Europe in new ways every week.
At one end of the continent, the sight of tankers queuing at the Bosphorus demonstrated that the Black Sea oil trade has been disrupted. At the other end, the French are asking the British to reduce the draw of electricity through the sub-sea interconnector so that both sides can manage peak daily demand in a cold snap.
If Russian President Vladimir Putin is gambling that the European public will turn against their politicians’ united front on Ukraine, then the sub-zero temperatures represent his best chance to achieve that goal.
Mr Putin is starving the Europeans of natural gas flows. That has pushed up energy prices. The policy response to this is partly trying to save on demand, but when houses are cold there is only so much that can be saved.
The British and the Germans are leading the way on spending Covid-19-levels of intervention to cap the amount that households and businesses are paying for their winter supplies.
One of the divisions in Europe is that the EU bloc cannot agree over whether to use its pricing power to cap the amount that is paid for the gas in the first place. The European Commission's proposal on forcing producers to keep below a limit has met opposition from Germany. After securing supply deals, Berlin does not want its manoeuvre limited and is, thus, reluctant to let Brussels set the terms for the market.
The Kremlin, meanwhile, could tighten the overall energy situation yet further by retaliating against the G7 decision to impose a cap on its oil exports via the maritime insurance market. That was the reason for the tanker pile-up in Turkey.
The speed of change triggered by the Ukraine conflict is ticking up
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wanted to be seen as even-handed in his implementation of compliance with the oil cap by ordering that all oil vessels be subject to checks in passing through the straits. This gummed up exports from countries such as Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, which are not targeted by the measure.
If Russia decides to redirect its oil to Asia, it will have to procure a shadow fleet of tankers to carry its discounted output. That will not be easy, but you would not rule it out if 2023 is to keep pace with 2022’s record of bad news.
In small ways and big, the speed of change triggered by the conflict is ticking up. Take the recommendation put forward by the UK Parliament’s climate change committee that the government should mandate new domestic boilers to be hydrogen-ready from 2025.
Homes in the UK need to adapt faster, for reasons related to how fuel is sourced and the overarching climate change challenge under its net-zero emissions commitments. This is a huge undertaking. A report out on Monday from another UK parliamentary committee said the country needs to change the way it obtains, uses and stores energy.
“Hydrogen will have its place in this portfolio,” the report says. “But we do not believe that it will be the panacea to our problems that might sometimes be inferred from the hopes placed on it.
“Essential questions remain to be answered as to how in future large quantities of hydrogen can be produced, distributed, and used in ways that are compatible with Net Zero and cost efficiency. In the words of one of the witnesses to our inquiry, hydrogen is likely to be a 'big niche' where it will play a major role in certain sectors of the economy, and be a 'huge growth story' over the next 30 years.”
Also in the UK, the Homes for Ukraine scheme is running into testing times. More than 2,000 Ukrainians are registered homeless as about 50,000 Ukrainians reach the six-month limit for support. A survey of the hosts found still remarkable levels of generosity in straitened times. Overall, three quarters of respondents to the Office of National Statistics said the cost of living was affecting their ability to provide support on the scheme – 18 per cent said “very much”, 29 per cent said “somewhat” and 30 per cent “a little”.
Two thirds said the most common difficulty was uncertainty about what will happen to guests after hosting ends, while seven in 10 have said they have discussed with their guests what will happen after the current hosting arrangement ends, with one quarter having agreed to a plan.
Europe had one shot in the arm late on Thursday, when it got backing from EU members for the €18 billion ($19 billion) package that the bloc is planning to give in budgetary and military support to Ukraine. The package was being vetoed by Hungary, which is still a Russian energy consumer, and then Poland raised objections.
The stand-off drew in the EU’s commitment to a global minimum corporation tax level, something that would have been much swifter to implement without the frustrations over the economic downturn.
These are political wrangles and issues that must be overcome. Despite the widespread hardship, and with Ukraine being an ever-present part of the European news cycle, there is little sign that the continent is changing its mind on support for its neighbour.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Company%20profile
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
Other ways to buy used products in the UAE
UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.
Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.
Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.
For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.
Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.
At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
LEADERBOARD
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
THE TWIN BIO
Their favourite city: Dubai
Their favourite food: Khaleeji
Their favourite past-time : walking on the beach
Their favorite quote: ‘we rise by lifting others’ by Robert Ingersoll
SPEC%20SHEET
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FIXTURES
Saturday
5.30pm: Shabab Al Ahli v Al Wahda
5.30pm: Khorfakkan v Baniyas
8.15pm: Hatta v Ajman
8.15pm: Sharjah v Al Ain
Sunday
5.30pm: Kalba v Al Jazira
5.30pm: Fujairah v Al Dhafra
8.15pm: Al Nasr v Al Wasl
Results
United States beat UAE by three wickets
United States beat Scotland by 35 runs
UAE v Scotland – no result
United States beat UAE by 98 runs
Scotland beat United States by four wickets
Fixtures
Sunday, 10am, ICC Academy, Dubai - UAE v Scotland
Admission is free
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Hotel Data Cloud profile
Date started: June 2016
Founders: Gregor Amon and Kevin Czok
Based: Dubai
Sector: Travel Tech
Size: 10 employees
Funding: $350,000 (Dh1.3 million)
Investors: five angel investors (undisclosed except for Amar Shubar)
Japan 30-10 Russia
Tries: Matsushima (3), Labuschange | Golosnitsky
Conversions: Tamura, Matsuda | Kushnarev
Penalties: Tamura (2) | Kushnarev
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
