Live updates: follow the latest news on Russia-Ukraine
Ukraine is set to receive modern lorry-mounted cannons, anti-aircraft tanks and artillery-detecting radar systems in the latest batch of military aid provided by western allies in its war with Russia.
After starting cautiously with protective equipment such as helmets and defensive weapons, Ukraine’s allies have scaled up their response amid warnings of a long, attritional battle in the eastern Donbas region.
Britain, France, Germany and the US have all made new commitments in the last week, providing some of their own gear as well as helping Eastern European countries to furnish Ukraine with Soviet-era equipment.
But Ukraine has not declared itself satisfied, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying he continued to press world leaders for more weapons whenever he speaks to them.
Britain
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to announce an additional £300 million (£376m) of military aid when he addresses Ukraine’s parliament by video link on Tuesday.
This will include electronic warfare equipment, GPS jamming hardware, thousands of night vision devices and counter-battery radar systems that detect incoming artillery.
Britain said it would also send heavy lifting equipment to help isolated forces and a fleet of specialised Toyota Landcruisers to rescue civilians from the front line, meeting what it said was a request from Kyiv.
Ministers last week announced that Ukraine would receive armoured vehicles known as Stormers fitted with anti-air missile launchers, as well as Brimstone missiles which are expected to arrive in the next few weeks.
France
French President Emmanuel Macron has promised Ukraine a shipment of Caesar artillery systems, whose 155mm cannons can fire six times a minute and hit targets 40 kilometres away.
In service with the French army since 2010, the Caesar has been deployed in Afghanistan, Iraq and Mali and is described by military chiefs as the “trump card of the French artillery”.
The truck-loaded Caesar is one of the more modern pieces of hardware offered by western countries who have sometimes put more emphasis on arranging transfers of Soviet-era equipment from the former Eastern Bloc.
Ukrainian gunners were reportedly receiving training in France on how to operate the Caesars, after Paris was cited by a German support tracker as having provided relatively little military aid in recent weeks.
Germany
Germany last week approved the export of heavy weapons to Ukraine after its initially cautious stance and perceived lack of clarity from Chancellor Olaf Scholz led to scathing criticism from Ukraine and many MPs.
Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht announced at the US Air Force Base Ramstein that Ukraine would receive Gepard anti-aircraft tanks which she billed as “exactly what Ukraine needs” to defend its airspace from Russia.
The Gepard, which entered service in 1976 with what was then the West German military, is no longer used by the army but some stocks have been retained by manufacturers, who are also expected to provide training.
The three-person vehicle’s two 35mm cannons can hit airborne targets at an altitude of up to 5,500 metres and ground targets up to 2,000m away.
US
President Joe Biden last week asked Congress to approve $33bn in additional aid to Ukraine, including $20bn in military and security assistance.
The package would include $5bn worth of direct shipments from American military stocks as well as billions more in finance for Ukraine and replenishment of stocks for Nato allies.
The Pentagon said last week it had exported dozens of M777 howitzers and the 155mm rounds that go with them to Ukraine, with US troops providing training at undisclosed sites outside Ukraine’s borders.
Mr Biden was due to visit a Lockheed Martin manufacturing plant on Tuesday that makes Javelin missiles, another element of the hardware sent by the US as well as anti-aircraft Stinger systems, ammunition and body armour.
Other countries
Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said on Monday that the country would consider sending heavy weapons to Ukraine in addition to the 4,000 anti-tank weapons and 100 air defence missiles it has already shipped.
The Dutch defence ministry announced last week that a "limited number" of self-propelled howitzers with a 155m gun, the heaviest weapon in the Dutch army, would be shipped to Ukraine but would first require training outside the country.
Denmark has promised another $90m in military support to Ukraine, which local media said would include M113 armed personnel carriers as well as anti-tank mines and mortar shells.
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The five pillars of Islam
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPAD%20PRO%20(12.9%22%2C%202022)
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Stree
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Movies
Director: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
If you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Chicago from Dh5,215 return including taxes.
The hotels
Recommended hotels include the Intercontinental Chicago Magnificent Mile, located in an iconic skyscraper complete with a 1929 Olympic-size swimming pool from US$299 (Dh1,100) per night including taxes, and the Omni Chicago Hotel, an excellent value downtown address with elegant art deco furnishings and an excellent in-house restaurant. Rooms from US$239 (Dh877) per night including taxes.
THE LOWDOWN
Photograph
Rating: 4/5
Produced by: Poetic License Motion Pictures; RSVP Movies
Director: Ritesh Batra
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra, Farrukh Jaffar, Deepak Chauhan, Vijay Raaz
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'Ashkal'
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Name: Colm McLoughlin
Country: Galway, Ireland
Job: Executive vice chairman and chief executive of Dubai Duty Free
Favourite golf course: Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club
Favourite part of Dubai: Palm Jumeirah
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
More on Quran memorisation:
Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?
Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.
They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.
“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.
He adds that if a person is interested in owning a business or growing a property portfolio to increase their retirement income, this can be encouraged provided they keep in mind the overall risk profile of these assets.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The five pillars of Islam
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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 v Ireland
1st ODI, UAE win by 6 wickets
2nd ODI, January 12
3rd ODI, January 14
4th ODI, January 16
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
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20NOTHING%20PHONE%20(2A)
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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Match info:
Portugal 1
Ronaldo (4')
Morocco 0
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)
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
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)
