Live updates: follow the latest news on Russia-Ukraine
US President Joe Biden announced a deal with the European Union to reinforce its energy supplies on Friday as his diplomatic marathon in Europe reached its final leg with a stop near Poland’s border with Ukraine.
In what Mr Biden called a "joint gameplan" to reduce the EU's reliance on politically toxic Russian energy imports, the US promised to speed up deliveries of liquefied natural gas to Europe - one of a battery of measures announced at back-to-back western summits to deal with the fallout of the war in Ukraine.
But the planned eight-year partnership did not resolve the more immediate issues of soaring fuel prices in Europe and the gas imports blamed for financing Russia's invasion, with nine hours of EU talks on Friday ending with several divisive issues parked for further study.
Under the US deal, Washington will arrange shipments of 15 billion cubic metres of LNG to Europe this year, and 50bn per year by 2030, covering about a third of the 155bn that typically come from Russia.
In return, Europe is expected to guarantee stable prices for US suppliers and speed up construction of the infrastructure and special shipping terminals needed to handle the low-temperature fuel.
The two powers will also work together on reducing gas consumption outright, as Europe tries to end Russia's hold over its energy grid and stop the lights going out next winter.
Mr Biden, who has already banned Russian fuel imports to the US, said Russian President Vladimir Putin had used the country's energy stocks to "coerce and manipulate its neighbours" and "used the profits to drive his war machine" in an onslaught on Ukraine that is now in its second month.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said this year's US imports would replace annual LNG supplies from Russia, although most gas purchased from Moscow comes by pipeline rather than being liquefied at minus 162°C.
"We as Europeans want to diversify away from Russia towards suppliers that we trust, that are our friends, that are reliable," she said.
The deal, which a senior White House official said the two sides had been working on for some time, will be overseen by a joint White House-EU task force and comes as leaders switch their focus to energy after two days of talks on sanctions and military aid to Ukraine.
Mr Biden’s guest appearance at a European Union summit, which followed meetings of Nato and the G7 on a day of high-stakes diplomacy in Brussels, produced promises to document Russian atrocities in Ukraine and provide a combined $1.6 billion in humanitarian assistance from the EU and US.
It came after agreements by Nato to bolster military aid to Ukraine, help it prepare for a chemical or nuclear attack and to reinforce its own eastern flank, and by the G7 to work together on food security and stop Russia using gold reserves to prop up its economy.
But the show of unity when Mr Biden was in Brussels gave way to intense EU negotiations once he left for Poland, with consensus proving difficult on whether to cut off Russian imports immediately or intervene in the market to cut consumer prices.
An official close to the talks said all 27 leaders had proposed amendments to a draft text in highly technical discussions, which culminated in an agreement that the joint EU purchasing of gas - an idea supported by Ms von der Leyen - should take place on a voluntary basis.
No new sanctions were agreed, and the questions of an energy price cap and minimum gas storage levels were left open for further discussion. Another source with knowledge of the talks said it was hard for many countries to agree immediate changes to their energy systems rather than planning for the next 5 to 10 years.
Mr Biden and his entourage left Brussels on Friday and landed in the Polish town of Rzeszow, about 80 kilometres from the border with Ukraine.
He met US troops stationed in Poland and was received a briefing on the humanitarian crisis in the country, which has taken in more than two million refugees from Ukraine.
The president promised the US would be a "major piece" of the humanitarian response to the war but said his overall stance on the war, in which Nato is reluctant to intervene directly, would not be changed by seeing the plight of refugees first hand.
But he said any use of chemical weapons by Russia against Ukraine would "trigger a response in kind" from Nato countries.
The European Council called for the establishment of a "solidarity trust fund" for Ukraine which it said should be financed by an international donor conference to add to the money pledged by the EU and Washington.
The council's discussions did not offer Ukraine any progress on its application for EU membership, instead repeating its instructions to the European Commission to give an opinion on that issue.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, making his trademark appearance by video link in a green T-shirt, acknowledged the difficulty of his push for EU membership by naming prominent countries such as Germany and the Netherlands who have rejected the idea of a fast-track application.
Energy debate
Another divisive question, how soon to cut off Russian energy imports, was left unresolved in Brussels with some countries urging an immediate embargo while others see this as impractical.
Although there is broad consensus around the aim of diversifying energy supplies by 2030, the summit came at a time when fuel prices are already high and some leaders, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, fear any import ban would be socially and economically unsustainable.
Hungary's Viktor Orban, who before the war was considered one of Mr Putin's closest allies in the EU, said sanctions on Russian energy “would mean that the Hungarian economy would slow down and then stop within moments.”
Those who favour an embargo, such as Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, say Europe is effectively financing Russia's war machine by buying its stocks of gas, oil and coal.
But even some countries that use relatively little Russian energy, such as Ireland and Sweden, said they sympathised with import-reliant neighbours and wanted to ensure that any sanctions punish Mr Putin rather than EU consumers.
Germany separately announced targets on Friday of ending its reliance on Russian coal and oil by the end of this year and on gas by 2024. The US and EU said their deal was in line with their climate change goals, although LNG is not politically uncontroversial either because it may be derived from fracking - a practice frowned upon by campaigners.
Any new sanctions would require consensus from all 27 countries. Baltic countries and Poland had called before the meeting for a ban on road freight from Russia, but many leaders and diplomats have shifted their tone in recent days to focus on implementing existing sanctions and curbing any Russian attempts at evasion.
A second thorny issue is whether the EU should intervene in the market to cut soaring gas prices for consumers, with Belgium supporting such a step and the Spanish government under pressure from an 11-day truck drivers' strike.
"The EU is not only about big principles, big meetings and American presidents," said Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo. "Today is about the everyday issues of the people."
But diplomats from the Netherlands, known as one of the "Frugal Four" group of countries typically wary of free-spending EU intervention, said the bloc should avoid any "sweeping measures" until further studies were carried out.
This position was reflected in a set of conclusions that called for the European Commission to discuss options such as price caps with the energy industry - although Spain and Portugal will be given special clearance to intervene.
Ms von der Leyen separately pushed for joint purchasing of gas by the EU, exploiting the bloc’s economic weight in a manner compared by senior officials to the acquisition of coronavirus vaccines. The final text says this can happen on a voluntary basis and could also apply to hydrogen and LNG.
The US and EU meanwhile promised in a joint statement to "redouble our combined efforts" to ensure global food security during the war between Russia and Ukraine, two of the world's top wheat producers.
The talks came after a Nato summit that produced promises of more weapons shipments to Ukraine as well as equipment to prepare for a potential chemical, nuclear or biological attack.
Mr Biden's visit to Nato headquarters also produced an agreement on establishing four new battalions along the alliance's eastern border to guard against Russia in what diplomats say is a changed security environment.
But the bloc's leaders stopped short of granting Mr Zelenskyy's request, in another video-link intervention, that 1 per cent of Nato's tanks and planes be supplied to the country.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
8 UAE companies helping families reduce their carbon footprint
Greenheart Organic Farms
This Dubai company was one of the country’s first organic farms, set up in 2012, and it now delivers a wide array of fruits and vegetables grown regionally or in the UAE, as well as other grocery items, to both Dubai and Abu Dhabi doorsteps.
www.greenheartuae.com
Modibodi
Founded in Australia, Modibodi is now in the UAE with waste-free, reusable underwear that eliminates the litter created by a woman’s monthly cycle, which adds up to approximately 136kgs of sanitary waste over a lifetime.
www.modibodi.ae
The Good Karma Co
From brushes made of plant fibres to eco-friendly storage solutions, this company has planet-friendly alternatives to almost everything we need, including tin foil and toothbrushes.
www.instagram.com/thegoodkarmaco
Re:told
One Dubai boutique, Re:told, is taking second-hand garments and selling them on at a fraction of the price, helping to cut back on the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of clothes thrown into landfills each year.
www.shopretold.com
Lush
Lush provides products such as shampoo and conditioner as package-free bars with reusable tins to store.
www.mena.lush.com
Bubble Bro
Offering filtered, still and sparkling water on tap, Bubble Bro is attempting to ensure we don’t produce plastic or glass waste. Founded in 2017 by Adel Abu-Aysha, the company is on track to exceeding its target of saving one million bottles by the end of the year.
www.bubble-bro.com
Coethical
This company offers refillable, eco-friendly home cleaning and hygiene products that are all biodegradable, free of chemicals and certifiably not tested on animals.
www.instagram.com/coethical
Eggs & Soldiers
This bricks-and-mortar shop and e-store, founded by a Dubai mum-of-four, is the place to go for all manner of family products – from reusable cloth diapers to organic skincare and sustainable toys.
www.eggsnsoldiers.com
AIDA%20RETURNS
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THE%20JERSEYS
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Profile box
Founders: Michele Ferrario, Nino Ulsamer and Freddy Lim
Started: established in 2016 and launched in July 2017
Based: Singapore, with offices in the UAE, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand
Sector: FinTech, wealth management
Initial investment: $500,000 in seed round 1 in 2016; $2.2m in seed round 2 in 2017; $5m in series A round in 2018; $12m in series B round in 2019; $16m in series C round in 2020 and $25m in series D round in 2021
Current staff: more than 160 employees
Stage: series D
Investors: EightRoads Ventures, Square Peg Capital, Sequoia Capital India
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
SCORES
Multiply Titans 81-2 in 12.1 overs
(Tony de Zorzi, 34)
bt Auckland Aces 80 all out in 16 overs
(Shawn von Borg 4-15, Alfred Mothoa 2-11, Tshepo Moreki 2-16).
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Third-place play-off: New Zealand v Wales, Friday, 1pm
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
Squad
Ali Kasheif, Salim Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdulrahman, Mohammed Al Attas, Abdullah Ramadan, Zayed Al Ameri (Al Jazira), Mohammed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammed Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Essa, Mohammed Shaker, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah) Walid Abbas, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli), Tariq Ahmed, Jasim Yaqoub (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Muharami (Baniyas)
Results:
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m | Winner: Eghel De Pine, Pat Cosgrave (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m | Winner: AF Sheaar, Szczepan Mazur, Saeed Al Shamsi
6pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan National Day Cup (PA) Group 3 Dh500,000 1,600m | Winner: RB Torch, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6.30pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan National Day Cup (TB) Listed Dh380,000 1,600m | Winner: Forjatt, Chris Hayes, Nicholas Bachalard
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup for Private Owners Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 1,400m | Winner: Hawafez, Connor Beasley, Ridha ben Attia
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 80,000 1,600m | Winner: Qader, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roaulle
Race card
6.30pm: Emirates Holidays Maiden (TB), Dh82,500 (Dirt), 1,900m
7.05pm: Arabian Adventures Maiden (TB), Dh82,500 (D), 1,200m
7.40pm: Emirates Skywards Handicap (TB), Dh82,500 (D), 1,200m
8.15pm: Emirates Airline Conditions (TB), Dh120,000 (D), 1,400m
8.50pm: Emirates Sky Cargo (TB), Dh92,500 (D)1,400m
9.15pm: Emirates.com (TB), Dh95,000 (D), 2,000m
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Company%C2%A0profile
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UAE SQUAD FOR ASIAN JIU-JITSU CHAMPIONSHIP
Men’s squad: Faisal Al Ketbi, Omar Al Fadhli, Zayed Al Kathiri, Thiab Al Nuaimi, Khaled Al Shehhi, Mohamed Ali Al Suwaidi, Farraj Khaled Al Awlaqi, Muhammad Al Ameri, Mahdi Al Awlaqi, Saeed Al Qubaisi, Abdullah Al Qubaisi and Hazaa Farhan
Women's squad: Hamda Al Shekheili, Shouq Al Dhanhani, Balqis Abdullah, Sharifa Al Namani, Asma Al Hosani, Maitha Sultan, Bashayer Al Matrooshi, Maha Al Hanaei, Shamma Al Kalbani, Haya Al Jahuri, Mahra Mahfouz, Marwa Al Hosani, Tasneem Al Jahoori and Maryam Al Amri
'Gehraiyaan'
Director:Shakun Batra
Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa
Rating: 4/5
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
A%20MAN%20FROM%20MOTIHARI
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAuthor%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbdullah%20Khan%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPenguin%20Random%20House%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPages%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E304%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EAvailable%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
The%20specs
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Visit Abu Dhabi culinary team's top Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi
Yadoo’s House Restaurant & Cafe
For the karak and Yoodo's house platter with includes eggs, balaleet, khamir and chebab bread.
Golden Dallah
For the cappuccino, luqaimat and aseeda.
Al Mrzab Restaurant
For the shrimp murabian and Kuwaiti options including Kuwaiti machboos with kebab and spicy sauce.
Al Derwaza
For the fish hubul, regag bread, biryani and special seafood soup.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
RESULTS
Argentina 4 Haiti 0
Peru 2 Scotland 0
Panama 0 Northern Ireland 0
Company%20Profile
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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.
Isle of Dogs
Director: Wes Anderson
Starring: Bryan Cranston, Liev Schreiber, Ed Norton, Greta Gerwig, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Scarlett Johansson
Three stars
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
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
