Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has ordered security forces to tighten control over the border with Lithuania amid a dispute between the two countries.
Lithuania, an EU member, this week started turning away migrants attempting to cross from Belarus after facing a surge of mostly Iraqi migrants in the past few months.
The influx of migrants is seen by Lithuania as retaliation by Mr Lukashenko after the EU imposed sanctions on his country for diverting a Ryanair flight to the capital, Minsk, and arresting a dissident on board.
The surge of Iraqis and others is emerging as another source of tension between autocratic Belarus and its European neighbours to the west.
European Commissioner Ylva Johansson said on Monday that Belarus was cynically exploiting the hopes of Iraqi migrants by sending them on fruitless journeys.
While the new arrivals can apply for asylum in Lithuania, many are not thought to be refugees and will be returned home if their claims fail.
On Tuesday, Lithuania said it reserved the right to use force to stop such illegal immigration and turned away 180 people attempting to enter the country.
Mr Lukashenko ratcheted up his response on Thursday by ordering security agencies to “close every metre of the border” with Lithuania to prevent migrants being turned back to Belarus.
“God forbid they start implementing the policy of removing people they invited over there through official border crossing points,” he said.
“Starting from today, not a single person should set foot on the territory of Belarus from the adjacent side, be it from the south or from the west.”
Authorities in Belarus this week alleged that Iraqi immigrants forcibly expelled from Lithuania to Belarus had injuries, including dog bites, and had to be admitted to hospital.
Belarus also claimed on Wednesday that a “non-Slavic” person died from injuries at a border town but Lithuania dismissed the report as propaganda from a hostile regime.
Lithuania’s Interior Minister Agne Bilotaite called the report a “nonsense, a Brothers Grimm fairy tale”.
Defence Minister Arvydas Anusauskas said it was an “obvious provocation”. "Lithuania is under hybrid attack and spreading such information is a classic example of this process,” he said.
Lithuania, a nation of less than three million people, has no physical barriers on its 675-kilometre border with Belarus. About 4,090 migrants, most of them from Iraq, have crossed this year from Belarus into Lithuania.
The Lithuanian Interior Ministry this week distributed a video shot from a helicopter, showing large groups of immigrants being escorted to Lithuania’s border by Belarusian border guard vehicles.
Polish media report that some migrants have sought to enter EU member Poland from Belarus, although on a lesser scale.
The Belarusian State Border Committee said on Thursday that Lithuania “continues to force migrants to trespass the Belarusian border” and reported an attempt to “aggressively remove eight migrants … to the Belarusian territory”.
The border dispute comes as Belarus faces intense scrutiny over a series of international incidents.
Belarus Olympic sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya this week decided to defect as she was being driven to a Tokyo airport after her grandmother told her it was not safe to return home.
The 24-year-old athlete, who was granted a humanitarian visa by Poland, caused a furore on Sunday when she said coaches angry at her criticism had ordered her to fly home from Tokyo.
After seeking protection from Japanese police, she flew on Wednesday to Poland instead of Belarus.
“Grandmother called me when they were already driving me to the airport," she said.
"Literally, I had some 10 seconds. She called me, all that she told me was: 'Please do not come back to Belarus, it's not safe'.
“That's it, she hung up. I would want to return to Belarus. I love my country. I did not betray it and I hope I will be able to return."
In another incident, Ukranian police opened a murder investigation after a Belarusian dissident was found dead in the capital Kiev.
Vitaly Shishov, 26, was discovered hanged in a park near his home in Kiev on Tuesday.
Detectives said they were pursuing several lines of inquiry, including “murder disguised as a suicide”.
On Wednesday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson increased pressure on Mr Lukashenko by pledging his full support for opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
Mr Tsikhanouskaya last year lost an election to Mr Lukashenko in a vote decried by western leaders as illegitimate.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.
OPINIONS ON PALESTINE & ISRAEL
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Hotel Silence
Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
Pushkin Press
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The years Ramadan fell in May
No more lice
Defining head lice
Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.
Identifying lice
Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.
Treating lice at home
Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital
The five pillars of Islam
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."
The years Ramadan fell in May
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More on Quran memorisation:
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Zayed Sustainability Prize
THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
SWEET%20TOOTH
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreated%20by%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jim%20Mickle%2C%20Beth%20Schwartz%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nonso%20Anozie%2C%20Christian%20Convery%2C%20Adeel%20Akhtar%2C%20Stefania%20LaVie%20Owen%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Farewell
Director: Lulu Wang
Stars: Awkwafina, Zhao Shuzhen, Diana Lin, Tzi Ma
Four stars
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
'Gold'
Director:Anthony Hayes
Stars:Zaf Efron, Anthony Hayes
Rating:3/5
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
More on animal trafficking
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
The years Ramadan fell in May
RESULT
Argentina 0 Croatia 3
Croatia: Rebic (53'), Modric (80'), Rakitic (90' 1)
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday Benevento v Atalanta (2pm), Genoa v Bologna (5pm), AC Milan v Torino (7.45pm)
Sunday Roma v Inter Milan (3.30pm), Udinese v Napoli, Hellas Verona v Crotone, Parma v Lazio (2pm), Fiorentina v Cagliari (9pm), Juventus v Sassuolo (11.45pm)
Monday Spezia v Sampdoria (11.45pm)
