Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday called on the EU to sanction Russian state energy company Rosatom in its upcoming round of sanctions, a sensitive issue for several Eastern European members of the bloc due to their reliance on it.
“We still need the support of all leaders of the EU” to sanction Rosatom, said Mr Zelenskyy during a joint press conference in Kyiv alongside European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel at the end of the first EU-Ukraine summit since Russia’s invasion last year.
EU governments have tentatively agreed to set a $100-per-barrel price cap on sales of Russian diesel, diplomats indicated late on Friday. It appeared the G7 and Australia would follow suit.
There have been fears of a nuclear catastrophe after Russian military forces in March seized Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in the south-eastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia.
The head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog Rafael Grossi told the European Parliament last week that he was trying to convince Russia and Ukraine to establish a nuclear safety zone around the plant, which is still operated by Ukrainian technical staff. He warned that the plant was exposed to shelling.
Rosatom should be sanctioned because it currently manages the power plant, which has six power units, said Mr Zelenskyy.
He accused Russia of forcing Ukrainian staff to take Russian nationality and of sending their children to Russia.
“This is more than slavery,” he said.
Mr Zelenskyy added that the loss of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant had deprived Ukraine of “substantial money”. Before the war, Ukraine used to export energy abroad.
Ms von der Leyen and Mr Michel did not mention Rosatom in their speeches. Ms von der Leyen said the focus of the tenth package of sanctions against Russia, which is expected to be announced later this month on the first anniversary of the start of the war, was on technology.
“We [are looking] at components found in drones to make sure that there is zero availability for Russia for these technologies, or drone production Iran,” she said, referring to western accusations that Iran is supplying drones to Russia for use in Ukraine.
She added that closing loopholes that the Kremlin uses to circumvent sanctions would also be a priority.
The exact measures in the next EU sanctions package must be agreed upon by the bloc’s 27 member countries — a process that can take weeks.
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that the G7 and Australia were also looking to impose a price cap on refined Russian oil products.
Discussions regarding sanctioning Rosatom are highly sensitive within the EU because several Eastern European countries are dependent on its services and technologies.
For this reason, it remains unlikely that the commission will suggest sanctioning Rosatom anytime soon.
Mr Zelenskyy said that he was “really offended” by the countries that enable the circumvention of Russian sanctions, but did not name them.
The EU continues spending millions of euros on Russian nuclear fuel imports despite its stated goal to stop funding Russia’s war machine by halting imports, including in the energy sector.
A report published in October by Investigate Europe found that EU countries paid €210 million for raw uranium imports from Russia in 2021 and another €245 million from Kazakhstan, where uranium mining is controlled by Rosatom.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said last week that his country would veto an EU sanctions against Russian nuclear energy. Hungary has a Russian-built nuclear plant it plans to expand with Rosatom.
EU-member Hungary has repeatedly criticised EU sanctions on Russia over its invasion of neighbouring Ukraine, saying they have failed to weaken Moscow meaningfully, while they risk destroying the European economy.
The West has not imposed sanctions on Rosatom since Russia invaded Ukraine.
Mr Zelenskyy also reiterated Ukraine’s wish to rapidly join the EU and said he hoped that negotiations would start this year.
Ukraine officially became a candidate country in June, and European officials have warned that the process would take a long time.
Mr Michel assured Mr Zelenskyy that the EU Council would make a decision about negotiations after the commission submits this autumn its enlargement report for candidate countries Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia.
“The future of Ukraine is within the EU,” said Mr Michel.
France and Italy have agreed to deliver mobile surface-to-air missile systems to Ukraine, the French defence ministry said.
The systems, called Mamba or Samp/T, are vehicle-mounted medium-range missiles designed to offer protection from airborne threats
The specs: Hyundai Ionic Hybrid
Price, base: Dh117,000 (estimate)
Engine: 1.6L four-cylinder, with 1.56kWh battery
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power: 105hp (engine), plus 43.5hp (battery)
Torque: 147Nm (engine), plus 170Nm (battery)
Fuel economy, combined: 3.4L / 100km
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Andor
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MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)
Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Why does a queen bee feast only on royal jelly?
Some facts about bees:
The queen bee eats only royal jelly, an extraordinary food created by worker bees so she lives much longer
The life cycle of a worker bee is from 40-60 days
A queen bee lives for 3-5 years
This allows her to lay millions of eggs and allows the continuity of the bee colony
About 20,000 honey bees and one queen populate each hive
Honey is packed with vital vitamins, minerals, enzymes, water and anti-oxidants.
Apart from honey, five other products are royal jelly, the special food bees feed their queen
Pollen is their protein source, a super food that is nutritious, rich in amino acids
Beewax is used to construct the combs. Due to its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial elements, it is used in skin treatments
Propolis, a resin-like material produced by bees is used to make hives. It has natural antibiotic qualities so works to sterilize hive, protects from disease, keeps their home free from germs. Also used to treat sores, infection, warts
Bee venom is used by bees to protect themselves. Has anti-inflammatory properties, sometimes used to relieve conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, nerve and muscle pain
Honey, royal jelly, pollen have health enhancing qualities
The other three products are used for therapeutic purposes
Is beekeeping dangerous?
As long as you deal with bees gently, you will be safe, says Mohammed Al Najeh, who has worked with bees since he was a boy.
“The biggest mistake people make is they panic when they see a bee. They are small but smart creatures. If you move your hand quickly to hit the bees, this is an aggressive action and bees will defend themselves. They can sense the adrenalin in our body. But if we are calm, they are move away.”
MATCH INFO
RB Leipzig 2 (Klostermann 24', Schick 68')
Hertha Berlin 2 (Grujic 9', Piatek 82' pen)
Man of the match Matheus Cunha (Hertha Berlin
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday
AC Milan v Sampdoria (2.30pm kick-off UAE)
Atalanta v Udinese (5pm)
Benevento v Parma (5pm)
Cagliari v Hellas Verona (5pm)
Genoa v Fiorentina (5pm)
Lazio v Spezia (5pm)
Napoli v Crotone (5pm)
Sassuolo v Roma (5pm)
Torino v Juventus (8pm)
Bologna v Inter Milan (10.45pm)
Checks continue
A High Court judge issued an interim order on Friday suspending a decision by Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots to direct a stop to Brexit agri-food checks at Northern Ireland ports.
Mr Justice Colton said he was making the temporary direction until a judicial review of the minister's unilateral action this week to order a halt to port checks that are required under the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Civil servants have yet to implement the instruction, pending legal clarity on their obligations, and checks are continuing.
Company%20Profile
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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.
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results
2.30pm: Expo 2020 Dubai – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (Dirt) 1,600m; Winner: Barakka, Ray Dawson (jockey), Ahmad bin Harmash (trainer)
3.05pm: Now Or Never – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: One Idea, Andrea Atzeni, Doug Watson
3.40pm: This Is Our Time – Handicap (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Perfect Balance, Tadhg O’Shea, Bhupat Seemar
4.15pm: Visit Expo 2020 – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Kaheall, Richard Mullen, Salem bin Ghadayer
4.50pm: The World In One Place – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1.900m; Winner: Castlebar, Adrie de Vries, Helal Al Alawi
5.25pm: Vision – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Shanty Star, Richard Mullen, Rashed Bouresly
6pm: Al Wasl Plaza – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Jadwal, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Disposing of non-recycleable masks
Use your ‘black bag’ bin at home
Do not put them in a recycling bin
Take them home with you if there is no litter bin
- No need to bag the mask
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
The specs
Engine: 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 380hp at 5,800rpm
Torque: 530Nm at 1,300-4,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Price: From Dh299,000 ($81,415)
On sale: Now
Napoleon
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Low turnout
Two months before the first round on April 10, the appetite of voters for the election is low.
Mathieu Gallard, account manager with Ipsos, which conducted the most recent poll, said current forecasts suggested only two-thirds were "very likely" to vote in the first round, compared with a 78 per cent turnout in the 2017 presidential elections.
"It depends on how interesting the campaign is on their main concerns," he told The National. "Just now, it's hard to say who, between Macron and the candidates of the right, would be most affected by a low turnout."
ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
The studios taking part (so far)
- Punch
- Vogue Fitness
- Sweat
- Bodytree Studio
- The Hot House
- The Room
- Inspire Sports (Ladies Only)
- Cryo
GROUP RESULTS
Group A
Results
Ireland beat UAE by 226 runs
West Indies beat Netherlands by 54 runs
Group B
Results
Zimbabwe tied with Scotland
Nepal beat Hong Kong by five wickets
Crazy Rich Asians
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeon, Gemma Chan
Four stars
