Russia signalled impatience on Thursday over a lack of progress in sensitive peace talks with the West, after diplomats were told the risk of war was at its highest in three decades.
Moscow's envoys said Russia would take "all necessary measures" - even hinting at military deployments to Cuba or Venezuela - to eliminate "unacceptable threats" if its demands to curb Nato expansion go nowhere.
Those demands were again rejected by the US at Thursday's summit of the Organisation for Security and Co-Operation in Europe, prolonging the stalemate in a week of high-wire diplomacy after US-Russia talks and a separate Nato-Russia meeting ended without a breakthrough.
“The drumbeat of war is sounding loud, and the rhetoric has gotten rather shrill", said Michael Carpenter, the US envoy to the OSCE, with diplomats on guard for a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine.
"We have to prepare for the eventuality that there could be an escalation – and that is why President [Joe] Biden said that the United States, together with our allies and partners – are prepared to impose massive costs", Mr Carpenter said, alluding to the potential economic sanctions that Washington has been coordinating with its European partners.
The Vienna summit of the 57-member OSCE brought together Nato members and Russia, as well as countries such as Ukraine, Sweden and Finland, which are not part of the US-led alliance.
Russia is seeking a veto on any of these countries joining Nato and limits on the alliance stationing troops in Eastern Europe. The US describes these demands as non-starters and says Russia must pull back its troops from Ukraine's eastern border for any progress to be made.
“For several weeks, we have been faced with the possibility of a major military escalation in Eastern Europe,” said Zbigniew Rau, the Polish foreign minister and chairman of the OSCE. “It seems that the risk of war in the OSCE area is now greater than ever before in the last 30 years."
Moscow's delegate to the talks, Alexander Lukashevich, said Russia's proposals were "not a menu from which to choose convenient items", after the US indicated it was willing to discuss arms control but not a limit on Nato expansion.
He said attempts to "drag out" negotiations would lead to an "inevitable deterioration of the security situation".
"If we do not hear a constructive response to the proposals made within a reasonable time frame, and the aggressive line of behaviour towards Russia continues, we will be forced to draw appropriate conclusions and take all necessary measures", he said.
Speaking separately, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told Russian television that he could neither confirm nor exclude the possibility of sending military assets to Cuba or Venezuela.
A refusal by the US and its allies to consider key Russian demands would raise doubts about continuing the talks, he said.
Western powers said it was the Kremlin raising tensions with a build-up of 100,000 troops near Ukraine, although Moscow denies planning to invade. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and pro-Kremlin separatists have waged a years-long war in eastern Ukraine.
Mr Carpenter said the US would not back down on keeping Nato’s door open to further members or stationing troops in Moscow’s former sphere of influence.
But he sought to reassure Russia that Nato’s military presence in countries such as Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia was “minimal and defensive in nature”.
Neil Bush, the UK's ambassador to the OSCE, called on Russia to de-escalate, remove its troops from Crimea and respect its international commitments.
"We are determined to support Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russia’s threatening behaviour," he said.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said there should be no agreement with Russia over the fate of Ukraine so long as Moscow is massing troops at the country's border.
After previously expressing concern about the US and Russia dominating talks, he said at an EU defence and foreign policy meeting that he was content with Washington's co-operation with Brussels.
"We have developed an extremely advanced co-ordination with the United States," he said. "We are in close co-operation and we are assured that nothing will be decided, nor even negotiated with the Russians without a close co-ordination with Europe and without the participation of the Europeans.”
Mr Rau, who took on the rotating OSCE chairmanship on January 1, told diplomats they should focus on a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine conflict.
“The problem is not related to one or two countries but poses a challenge to the stability and security of a European system that has been developed over the course of more than three decades," he said.
The OSCE was not indifferent to security concerns expressed by members and should be open to dialogue, said Mr Rau.
But he said any resolution of the Ukraine conflict should respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country “within its internationally recognised borders”, which include Crimea.
The OSCE has run a monitoring mission in Ukraine since 2014. Its observers said on Wednesday that there had been hundreds of recent breaches of the ceasefire and that the mission’s freedom of movement was restricted.
Common%20symptoms%20of%20MS
%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EFatigue%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3Enumbness%20and%20tingling%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ELoss%20of%20balance%20and%20dizziness%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EStiffness%20or%20spasms%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ETremor%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EPain%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EBladder%20problems%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EBowel%20trouble%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EVision%20problems%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EProblems%20with%20memory%20and%20thinking%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 480hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 570Nm from 2,300-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 10.4L/100km
Price: from Dh547,600
On sale: now
Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
Like a Fading Shadow
Antonio Muñoz Molina
Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez
Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)
DMZ facts
- The DMZ was created as a buffer after the 1950-53 Korean War.
- It runs 248 kilometers across the Korean Peninsula and is 4km wide.
- The zone is jointly overseen by the US-led United Nations Command and North Korea.
- It is littered with an estimated 2 million mines, tank traps, razor wire fences and guard posts.
- Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un met at a building in Panmunjom, where an armistice was signed to stop the Korean War.
- Panmunjom is 52km north of the Korean capital Seoul and 147km south of Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital.
- Former US president Bill Clinton visited Panmunjom in 1993, while Ronald Reagan visited the DMZ in 1983, George W. Bush in 2002 and Barack Obama visited a nearby military camp in 2012.
- Mr Trump planned to visit in November 2017, but heavy fog that prevented his helicopter from landing.
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Mobile phone packages comparison
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
Our legal advisor
Rasmi Ragy is a senior counsel at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Prosecutor in Egypt with more than 40 years experience across the GCC.
Education: Ain Shams University, Egypt, in 1978.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
T20 World Cup Qualifier fixtures
Tuesday, October 29
Qualifier one, 2.10pm – Netherlands v UAE
Qualifier two, 7.30pm – Namibia v Oman
Wednesday, October 30
Qualifier three, 2.10pm – Scotland v loser of qualifier one
Qualifier four, 7.30pm – Hong Kong v loser of qualifier two
Thursday, October 31
Fifth-place playoff, 2.10pm – winner of qualifier three v winner of qualifier four
Friday, November 1
Semi-final one, 2.10pm – Ireland v winner of qualifier one
Semi-final two, 7.30pm – PNG v winner of qualifier two
Saturday, November 2
Third-place playoff, 2.10pm
Final, 7.30pm
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The five pillars of Islam
HAJJAN
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Abu%20Bakr%20Shawky%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cbr%3EStarring%3A%20Omar%20Alatawi%2C%20Tulin%20Essam%2C%20Ibrahim%20Al-Hasawi%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The years Ramadan fell in May
Key changes
Commission caps
For life insurance products with a savings component, Peter Hodgins of Clyde & Co said different caps apply to the saving and protection elements:
• For the saving component, a cap of 4.5 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 90 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• On the protection component, there is a cap of 10 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 160 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• Indemnity commission, the amount of commission that can be advanced to a product salesperson, can be 50 per cent of the annualised premium for the first year or 50 per cent of the total commissions on the policy calculated.
• The remaining commission after deduction of the indemnity commission is paid equally over the premium payment term.
• For pure protection products, which only offer a life insurance component, the maximum commission will be 10 per cent of the annualised premium multiplied by the length of the policy in years.
Disclosure
Customers must now be provided with a full illustration of the product they are buying to ensure they understand the potential returns on savings products as well as the effects of any charges. There is also a “free-look” period of 30 days, where insurers must provide a full refund if the buyer wishes to cancel the policy.
“The illustration should provide for at least two scenarios to illustrate the performance of the product,” said Mr Hodgins. “All illustrations are required to be signed by the customer.”
Another illustration must outline surrender charges to ensure they understand the costs of exiting a fixed-term product early.
Illustrations must also be kept updatedand insurers must provide information on the top five investment funds available annually, including at least five years' performance data.
“This may be segregated based on the risk appetite of the customer (in which case, the top five funds for each segment must be provided),” said Mr Hodgins.
Product providers must also disclose the ratio of protection benefit to savings benefits. If a protection benefit ratio is less than 10 per cent "the product must carry a warning stating that it has limited or no protection benefit" Mr Hodgins added.
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
History's medical milestones
1799 - First small pox vaccine administered
1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery
1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases
1895 - Discovery of x-rays
1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
1953 - Structure of DNA discovered
1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place
1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill
1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.
1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
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