US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. AFP
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. AFP
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. AFP
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. AFP

Blinken will return to Brussels for talks on Ukraine and Afghanistan


Soraya Ebrahimi
  • English
  • Arabic

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will return to Brussels this week for discussions on Iran, Afghanistan and Ukraine, a US official said.

Mr Blinken will join US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin in Brussels, Reuters reported.

Mr Austin was scheduled to visit Nato headquarters in Belgium on a trip that started on Saturday and also includes Israel, Germany and Britain, the Pentagon said last week.

The coincides with increasing tension over Russian activity near Ukraine's eastern border, where Washington says Moscow has amassed more troops than at any time since 2014.

Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine on Friday of "dangerous, provocative actions" in Ukraine's eastern Donbass region.

Turkey, a Nato ally, said on Friday that the US would send two warships to the Black Sea from April 14 to 15.

Mr Blinken first visited Brussels in March for talks with EU and Nato allies, and pledged to rebuild and revitalise transatlantic alliances.

MATCH INFO

Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium (Malacca, Malayisa)
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD

* Second leg in Australia scheduled for October 10

Profile of Bitex UAE

Date of launch: November 2018

Founder: Monark Modi

Based: Business Bay, Dubai

Sector: Financial services

Size: Eight employees

Investors: Self-funded to date with $1m of personal savings

Retail gloom

Online grocer Ocado revealed retail sales fell 5.7 per cen in its first quarter as customers switched back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns.

It was a tough comparison from a year earlier, when the UK was in lockdown, but on a two-year basis its retail division, a joint venture with Marks&Spencer, rose 31.7 per cent over the quarter.

The group added that a 15 per cent drop in customer basket size offset an 11.6. per cent rise in the number of customer transactions.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets