Live updates: follow the latest news on Russia-Ukraine
European leaders on Friday expressed fears they might not see Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy alive again as he held his ground amid a fight for Kiev.
As fighting raged on day two of the Russian invasion, Mr Zelenskyy was pleading for tougher sanctions from the West after it held off hitting Moscow with its full arsenal of punitive measures.
In a moment described in emotional terms by EU leaders, he addressed them by video link from a hideout in Kiev during an overnight summit in an appearance that left them fearing for his fate.
Mr Zelenskyy has said he will not flee the capital and, according to multiple reports, told the European Council that they it might be the last time they saw him alive.
"When we said goodbye, we all knew that it is not obvious that we will ever see each other again," Swedish media quoted Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson as saying.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said the call was a "dramatic moment that hit everyone in the European Council".
Mr Zelenskyy kept up his campaign on Friday with a series of phone calls to western leaders. "Not all possibilities for sanctions have been exhausted yet,” he wrote on Twitter, after talking to European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen. “The pressure on Russia must increase.”
At least one residential building on the outskirts of Ukraine’s capital was hit by shelling on Friday morning, damaging several floors.
Ukrainian Emergency Services rescued 150 residents and reported that eight were wounded.
Russia on Friday claimed to have killed 200 Ukrainian special forces during the capture of an airfield close to Kiev. The claim has not been verified.
Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar said on Friday that Russian forces had lost about 2,800 servicemen and 80 tanks during their assault.
She added on her Facebook page that the Russian troops also lost about 516 armoured combat vehicles, 10 aircraft and seven helicopters as of 1500 local time.
Ukrainian officials' claims of heavy Russian losses have not been independently verified.
Earlier, Britain's Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said Russia had lost 450 soldiers on Thursday, the first day of the invasion.
Streets in Kiev appeared eerily deserted after Russia pressed its invasion of Ukraine to the outskirts of the capital on Friday after unleashing air strikes on cities and military bases and sending in troops and tanks from three sides.
Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the city was in a defensive phase. On Friday Mr Klitschko was pictured wearing military fatigues holding a gun.
In Obolonsky, a northern district of Kiev, pedestrians ran for safety as small-arms fire and explosions were heard.
Russian forces first arrived on the outskirts of Kiev on Thursday when helicopter-borne troops assaulted an airfield just outside the city, close to Obolonsky.
The Ukrainian military said it had repulsed the attack on Gostomel airbase but Russian ground forces have also been pushing down the west bank of the Dnieper River from Belarus.
A video posted on social media, believed to have been filmed in Kiev, showed firearms being distributed to Ukrainian civilians.
Mr Zelenskyy vowed to stay in Kiev as two loud explosions were heard in the centre of the capital early on Friday, in the biggest attack on a European state since the Second World War.
Russia launched its invasion by land, air and sea after a declaration of war by President Vladimir Putin. About 100,000 people have fled as explosions and gunfire rocked big cities. The death toll of Ukrainian civilians and military personnel killed stands at 137, while 316 people have been wounded in the violence.
In a message to his fellow Ukrainians, President Zelenskyy vowed to remain in the capital as Russian troops closed in, and admitted he was the “number one target” for the invading forces.
“[The] enemy has marked me down as the number one target,” Mr Zelenskyy warned in a video message. “My family is the number two target. They want to destroy Ukraine politically by destroying the head of state. I will stay in the capital. My family is also in Ukraine.”
He also made a clear reference to US President Biden's administration when he said; “This morning, we are defending our country alone. Just like yesterday, the most powerful country in the world looked on from a distance."
US and Ukrainian officials say Russia aims to capture Kiev and topple the government, which Mr Putin regards as a puppet of the US.
Ukrainian MP Lesia Vasylenko said Russian forces had hit 33 civilian sites, including three kindergartens. She tweeted a showing bodies lying outside a building, which she said was an apartment block in the eastern city of Okhtyrka.
The lawmaker tweeted: "33 civilian targets hit. 3 kindergartens shelled. Number of civilian casualties still being counted. This is inhumane. Stop Putin residential block in Ohtyrka shelled by BM-27 Uragan."
Ms Vasylenko said a block of flats in the Kiev neighbourhood of Troyeshchyna had been hit by Russia.
Ukrainian MPs are urging European leaders to freeze Russia out of the Swift international payment system.
Dmytro Kuleba, the Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, said Europe was facing a test of its pledge to avoid war on the continent after the Second World War.
“To some European leaders who are still hesitant: each year at commemorative events you say ‘never again’. The time to prove it is now,” he wrote.
“Russia is waging a horrific war of aggression in Europe. Here is your ‘never again’ test: BAN RUSSIA FROM SWIFT and kick it out of everywhere.”
Russian troops seized the decommissioned Chernobyl nuclear power plant north of Kiev on Thursday as they advanced along the shortest route to Kiev from Belarus to the north.
Heavy gunfire
Invading Russian forces pressed deep into Ukraine as deadly battles reached the outskirts of Kiev and the West responded with punishing sanctions.
On Thursday, Russia’s paratroopers wrested control of Gostomel airfield on the north-western outskirts of Kiev, after swooping in with helicopters and jets from the direction of Belarus.
There was also fighting at Hostomel airport, a short distance outside Kiev, where Russian paratroopers landed. A Ukrainian official later said the airfield had been recaptured while a senior US defence official said Russian forces were advancing closer to Kiev.
Heavy exchanges of fire were also reported in the regions of Sumy and Kharkiv in the north-east and Kherson in the south.
The motorway heading west out of Kiev, home to three million people, was choked with traffic across five lanes as residents sought to escape, fearful of bombardments while stuck in their cars.
Fifty-seven people were killed and 169 were wounded on Thursday, Ukraine’s health minister said, while the interior ministry said 13 border guards died when a Russian vessel shelled Ukraine’s Zmiinyi Island, south of the Black Sea port of Odessa.
A video surfacing on Twitter showed a military tank rolling over a car being driven along a road, believed to be in Kiev. A badly injured elderly man was later seen being pulled from the wreckage of a car.
Foreign companies shut plants
Brewer Carlsberg, Japan Tobacco and a Coca-Cola bottler were among the companies that shut factories in Ukraine on Thursday after Russia’s invasion, while UPS and FedEx Corp suspended services in and out of the country.
Many companies with exposure to Russia are waiting for more clarity on western sanctions and assessing the impact of those already announced.
Washington on Thursday announced a wave of measures that impede Russia’s ability to do business in major currencies, along with sanctions against banks and state-owned enterprises. Earlier, it had imposed sanctions on the company behind the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.
Ms von der Leyen said Brussels would block Russian access to key technology and markets.
Denmark’s Carlsberg, which has a 31 per cent share of Ukraine’s beer market, suspended production at all three of its breweries in the country, while Coca-Cola HBC said it had triggered contingency plans which included shutting its bottling plant.
Japan Tobacco shut a cigarette plant in Kremenchuk, central Ukraine.
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Upcoming games
SUNDAY
Brighton and Hove Albion v Southampton (5.30pm)
Leicester City v Everton (8pm)
MONDAY
Burnley v Newcastle United (midnight)
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
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The Cairo Statement
1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations
2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred
3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC
4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.
5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.
6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security
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
more from Janine di Giovanni
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: seven-speed auto
Power: 420 bhp
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Florence and the Machine – High as Hope
Three stars
Opening Rugby Championship fixtures: Games can be watched on OSN Sports
Saturday: Australia v New Zealand, Sydney, 1pm (UAE)
Sunday: South Africa v Argentina, Port Elizabeth, 11pm (UAE)
SCHEDULE FOR SHOW COURTS
Centre Court - from 4pm (UAE time)
Angelique Kerber (1) v Irina Falconi
Martin Klizan v Novak Djokovic (2)
Alexandr Dolgopolov v Roger Federer (3)
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Milos Raonic (6) v Jan-Lennard Struff
Karolina Pliskova (3) v Evgeniya Rodina
Dominic Thiem (8) v Vasek Pospisil
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Juan Martin Del Potro (29) v Thanasi Kokkinakis
Agnieszka Radwanska (9) v Jelena Jankovic
Jeremy Chardy v Tomas Berdych (11)
Ons Jabeur v Svetlana Kuznetsova (7)
SPECS
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Power: 235hp
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Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Innotech Profile
Date started: 2013
Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari
Based: Muscat, Oman
Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies
Size: 15 full-time employees
Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing
Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now.
Karwaan
Producer: Ronnie Screwvala
Director: Akarsh Khurana
Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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How Alia's experiment will help humans get to Mars
Alia’s winning experiment examined how genes might change under the stresses caused by being in space, such as cosmic radiation and microgravity.
Her samples were placed in a machine on board the International Space Station. called a miniPCR thermal cycler, which can copy DNA multiple times.
After the samples were examined on return to Earth, scientists were able to successfully detect changes caused by being in space in the way DNA transmits instructions through proteins and other molecules in living organisms.
Although Alia’s samples were taken from nematode worms, the results have much bigger long term applications, especially for human space flight and long term missions, such as to Mars.
It also means that the first DNA experiments using human genomes can now be carried out on the ISS.
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The bio
Job: Coder, website designer and chief executive, Trinet solutions
School: Year 8 pupil at Elite English School in Abu Hail, Deira
Role Models: Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk
Dream City: San Francisco
Hometown: Dubai
City of birth: Thiruvilla, Kerala
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
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The specs: Rolls-Royce Cullinan
Price, base: Dh1 million (estimate)
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbo V12
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 563hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque: 850Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 15L / 100km
Results
6.30pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah Group Two (PA) US$55,000 (Dirt) 1,600m; Winner: Rasi, Harry Bentley (jockey), Sulaiman Al Ghunaimi (trainer).
7.05pm: Meydan Trophy (TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,900m; Winner: Ya Hayati, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Bochart, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
8.15pm: Balanchine Group Two (TB) $250,000 (T) 1,800m; Winner: Magic Lily, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,000m; Winner: Waady, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson.
9.25pm: Firebreak Stakes Group Three (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Capezzano, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.
10pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,410m; Winner: Eynhallow, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby.
Pox that threatens the Middle East's native species
Camelpox
Caused by a virus related to the one that causes human smallpox, camelpox typically causes fever, swelling of lymph nodes and skin lesions in camels aged over three, but the animal usually recovers after a month or so. Younger animals may develop a more acute form that causes internal lesions and diarrhoea, and is often fatal, especially when secondary infections result. It is found across the Middle East as well as in parts of Asia, Africa, Russia and India.
Falconpox
Falconpox can cause a variety of types of lesions, which can affect, for example, the eyelids, feet and the areas above and below the beak. It is a problem among captive falcons and is one of many types of avian pox or avipox diseases that together affect dozens of bird species across the world. Among the other forms are pigeonpox, turkeypox, starlingpox and canarypox. Avipox viruses are spread by mosquitoes and direct bird-to-bird contact.
Houbarapox
Houbarapox is, like falconpox, one of the many forms of avipox diseases. It exists in various forms, with a type that causes skin lesions being least likely to result in death. Other forms cause more severe lesions, including internal lesions, and are more likely to kill the bird, often because secondary infections develop. This summer the CVRL reported an outbreak of pox in houbaras after rains in spring led to an increase in mosquito numbers.
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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My Country: A Syrian Memoir
Kassem Eid, Bloomsbury
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
