A plane chartered to rescue a former UK marine who founded an animal shelter in Afghanistan is expected to leave Luton Airport later on Thursday, against the backdrop of an escalating war of words between his supporters and the British government.
The process to repatriate Paul 'Pen' Farthing, his staff and animals was called Operation Ark and a supporter of the mission has funded the rescue plane.
While the aircraft is expected to land in the airport in Kabul on Friday, it remains unknown whether Mr Farthing and his menagerie will be waiting.
He revealed that his team have been outside the airport for more than 10 hours, unable to get through the Taliban blockade.
Taking to Twitter, Mr Farthing pleaded with Taliban representative Suhail Shaheen to provide "safe passage".
The Nowzad retinue of 69, including 25 staff and their relatives, have been told they are eligible to move to Britain.
The charity has received offers to adopt the 200 animals they are hoping to move to safety, but Operation Ark benefactor Dominic Dyer expressed his concern that the mission could be foiled if the Taliban did not relent.
"We are ready to go, we have a flight plan approved by the secretary of defence's office ... and we're ready to hit the runway at Kabul Airport on Friday morning to get Pen and his people off," the wildlife campaigner and broadcaster told the BBC.
"But they need to get into the airport ... we're going to have a plane on the runway and no one to rescue at this rate."
Another supporter of the campaign raised concerns that a "humanitarian disaster was brewing", tweeting footage believed to show one of the Nowzad animals having its thirst slaked by a water pump.
In a series of tweets Dr Iain McGill, whose bio states he is a veterinary surgeon, berated the UK government for not doing more to get Pen Farthing and the Nowzad team into the airport.
UK Defence Minister Ben Wallace on Thursday reacted scathingly to accusations of a dereliction of duty on his watch, after having been forced to deny his department was obstructing the Nowzad mission.
In a seven-tweet thread he accused Nowzad supporters of "unacceptable" bullying of Ministry of Defence personnel and rejected suggestions the Operation Ark flight had ever been blocked.
He did, however, reiterate his position that no one has the right to "queue jump".
Armed Forces Minister James Heappey waded into the dispute in an interview with Sky News.
"For [Mr Farthing] it is a grim reality of these situations that as a British national we would seek to expedite his passage into the airport but he, commendably, has said that is not what he wants to do.
"He is asking us, the Americans and the Taliban for safe passage but I am afraid safe passage is also other words for being brought to the front of the queue."
The minister said the UK government would not bow to the pressure only "because of the profile and the support [Mr Farthing] has".
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Results
6pm: Dubai Trophy – Conditions (TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,200m
Winner: Silent Speech, William Buick (jockey), Charlie Appleby
(trainer)
6.35pm: Jumeirah Derby Trial – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (T)
1,800m
Winner: Island Falcon, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
7.10pm: UAE 2000 Guineas Trial – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (Dirt)
1,400m
Winner: Rawy, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer
7.45pm: Al Rashidiya – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner: Desert Fire, Hector Crouch, Saeed bin Suroor
8.20pm: Al Fahidi Fort – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Naval Crown, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
8.55pm: Dubawi Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Al Tariq, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watsons
9.30pm: Aliyah – Rated Conditions (TB) $80,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Dubai Icon, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor
Scores in brief:
- New Medical Centre 129-5 in 17 overs bt Zayed Cricket Academy 125-6 in 20 overs.
- William Hare Abu Dhabi Gymkhana 188-8 in 20 overs bt One Stop Tourism 184-8 in 20 overs
- Alubond Tigers 138-7 in 20 overs bt United Bank Limited 132-7 in 20 overs
- Multiplex 142-6 in 17 overs bt Xconcepts Automobili 140 all out in 20 overs
Dunki
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White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
The%20team
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EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
