Live updates: follow the latest news on Russia-Ukraine
Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK has said he hopes Russian President Vladimir Putin has miscalculated the Ukrainian population’s will to resist any invasion, cautioning against a rush to panic among his compatriots.
In an interview with The National, Vadym Prystaiko suggested the Russian leader had a warped view of Ukrainians and the strength of their desire to hold on to freedom for themselves and their children.
“They are threatening each and every day with their statements, with their troops on our border and making our life difficult to the extent that they expect — I hope it will never happen and Russians have miscalculated — they hope that we will crumble down ourselves,” he said.
“Over eight years they [the Russians] were trying different tactics, they were having conversations, they were having negotiations … they created a new reality,” he said, referring to Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and rebel enclaves. “We still need time to appreciate what it is, but for obvious reasons we will be able to withstand this pressure, we are prepared for this as well,” Mr Prystaiko said.
'Dangerous developments'
In a wide-ranging interview, Mr Prystaiko touched on Ukraine’s need to bolster its air and sea defences, Germany’s lacklustre support, and how life has been carrying on as normal in his homeland.
He was speaking on Wednesday, two days after Russia recognised the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk “People’s Republics”, and ordered troops and soldiers into the eastern Ukrainian regions. Hours after the ambassador spoke, Mr Putin announced a military operation in Ukraine.
Mr Prystaiko said Mr Putin’s readiness to recognise the breakaway republics means “he is opening up to options [for a] further incursion” into Ukrainian territory. “This is a very, very dangerous development which we have to find our answer to.”
The Russian president gave an hour-long speech on Russian TV on Monday, railing against Ukraine’s behaviour since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. In a bid to trash Ukraine’s right to sovereignty, he said the country “has never had traditions of its own statehood” and said it had morphed into a US colony.
Mr Prystaiko said Mr Putin’s rhetoric showed he is living in the past and has his head stuck in another era.
Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday said that more British weapons would be sent to Ukraine in response to the heightened threat of a full-scale Russian invasion.
Lethal defensive weapons and non-lethal aid would be sent, Mr Johnson said.
The UK has already sent anti-tank weapons to the Ukrainian military to help counter the threat posed by Russian troops, tanks and ships ringed around the country's borders.
“In light of the increasingly threatening behaviour from Russia, and in line with our previous support, the UK will shortly be providing a further package of military support to Ukraine,” Mr Johnson said. “This will include lethal aid in the form of defensive weapons and non-lethal aid.”
Ukraine 'will defend itself against Russia'
Mr Prystaiko insisted Ukraine did not need foreign troops to defend it against a foreign aggressor, but said the country needs help bolstering its air, sea and cyber defences.
“We will defend ourselves, we have enough troops. What we need is equipment, we have almost covered our immediate needs if they decide to come through land, over the border with tanks and people. What we’re missing is air and sea [defences],” he said.
From conversations with his relatives in Ukraine, the ambassador perceives that life looks relatively similar to that in other European nations, despite the increasing threats from Russia.
“Our relatives [in Ukraine] understand that the West is waking up to the call of Russians and are somehow aligning with us in our position,” he said.
“I am happy to report that they actually feel quite sure that the government is doing enough to defend them. Life is sort of normal, the shelves are full of produce and the people are not fleeing.
“There are some worrying moments, like when the airlines are cancelling their flights … many are leaving, companies are closing down, they are pulling out staff, embassies are closing down or moving to the west of Ukraine, further from the Russian border — all these signs are quite worrying.”
On Thursday traffic heading out of Kiev was brought to a standstill as people tried to flee the capital. The city was reportedly targeted by multiple Russian missile strikes in the early hours of the morning. But despite the rush to escape cities and Ukrainian territory, many remained defiant, staying in their communities.
Germany’s 'hesitant support is regrettable'
In recent months Nato member states have ramped up military and moral support for Ukraine as Russia has increased its troop presence on the frontiers.
The UK and the US have taken leading roles in offering military training and equipment, as well as stepping up diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the crisis.
While some of the alliance members have outshone others in their responses, Germany’s response has been described as regrettable.
Berlin long resisted pressure to halt approval of the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline built to pump Russian gas directly to its territory. On Tuesday it finally said the project would be suspended after Russia ordered an invasion of eastern Ukraine.
Mr Prystaiko welcomed the move but said it was regrettable that several Nato countries had been “very, very restrained” in their support for Ukraine.
“The most bright example is Germany. We ask them to allow us to defend ourselves, we are not encroaching on anybody, we are talking about our own national survival, and they’re still hesitant to provide us with anything.”
Putin fears for his legacy
President Putin’s desperate efforts to stay in power have been plain for all to see in recent years.
Russia last year passed a law that would enable the 69-year-old former KGB foreign intelligence officer to remain president until 2036.
Russia’s aggressiveness towards Ukraine and its increasing isolation have left many analysts questioning what Mr Putin’s real intentions are.
Mr Prystaiko said he believes the Russian leader is in a race against time to leave behind the legacy he craves.
“We [Ukrainians] are by far the biggest chunk and most valuable prize. We are 40 million [people] … and the same — Orthodox, Slavic and white. This is the core of his ideas, the core of ‘create Russian greatness’ … We want to be in the West, we just want to live the same way [Europeans] do.”
Ukraine on Wednesday declared it would introduce a nationwide state of emergency in which special restrictions would apply in order to keep the country calm and protect its economy.
The state of emergency lasts for 30 days and can be extended for another 30 days, Oleksiy Danilov, a senior Ukrainian security official told a briefing. Parliament must now vote to enact the decision.
After Russia announced a military attack on Ukraine in the early hours of Thursday morning, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy introduced martial law and urged people to remain calm.
The specs
BMW M8 Competition Coupe
Engine 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8
Power 625hp at 6,000rpm
Torque 750Nm from 1,800-5,800rpm
Gearbox Eight-speed paddleshift auto
Acceleration 0-100kph in 3.2 sec
Top speed 305kph
Fuel economy, combined 10.6L / 100km
Price from Dh700,000 (estimate)
On sale Jan/Feb 2020
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
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
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.
Know your camel milk:
Flavour: Similar to goat’s milk, although less pungent. Vaguely sweet with a subtle, salty aftertaste.
Texture: Smooth and creamy, with a slightly thinner consistency than cow’s milk.
Use it: In your morning coffee, to add flavour to homemade ice cream and milk-heavy desserts, smoothies, spiced camel-milk hot chocolate.
Goes well with: chocolate and caramel, saffron, cardamom and cloves. Also works well with honey and dates.
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
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
CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES
%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Enterprise-grade%20security%20and%20privacy%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Unlimited%20higher-speed%20GPT-4%20access%20with%20no%20caps%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Longer%20context%20windows%20for%20processing%20longer%20inputs%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Advanced%20data%20analysis%20capabilities%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Customisation%20options%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Shareable%20chat%20templates%20that%20companies%20can%20use%20to%20collaborate%20and%20build%20common%20workflows%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Analytics%20dashboard%20for%20usage%20insights%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Free%20credits%20to%20use%20OpenAI%20APIs%20to%20extend%20OpenAI%20into%20a%20fully-custom%20solution%20for%20enterprises%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Directed by: Craig Gillespie
Starring: Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Joel Fry
4/5
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
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MATCH INFO
Champions League last 16, first leg
Tottenham v RB Leipzig, Wednesday, midnight (UAE)
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse Of Madness'
Director: Sam Raimi
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, Michael Stuhlbarg and Rachel McAdams
Rating: 3/5
Important questions to consider
1. Where on the plane does my pet travel?
There are different types of travel available for pets:
- Manifest cargo
- Excess luggage in the hold
- Excess luggage in the cabin
Each option is safe. The feasibility of each option is based on the size and breed of your pet, the airline they are traveling on and country they are travelling to.
2. What is the difference between my pet traveling as manifest cargo or as excess luggage?
If traveling as manifest cargo, your pet is traveling in the front hold of the plane and can travel with or without you being on the same plane. The cost of your pets travel is based on volumetric weight, in other words, the size of their travel crate.
If traveling as excess luggage, your pet will be in the rear hold of the plane and must be traveling under the ticket of a human passenger. The cost of your pets travel is based on the actual (combined) weight of your pet in their crate.
3. What happens when my pet arrives in the country they are traveling to?
As soon as the flight arrives, your pet will be taken from the plane straight to the airport terminal.
If your pet is traveling as excess luggage, they will taken to the oversized luggage area in the arrival hall. Once you clear passport control, you will be able to collect them at the same time as your normal luggage. As you exit the airport via the ‘something to declare’ customs channel you will be asked to present your pets travel paperwork to the customs official and / or the vet on duty.
If your pet is traveling as manifest cargo, they will be taken to the Animal Reception Centre. There, their documentation will be reviewed by the staff of the ARC to ensure all is in order. At the same time, relevant customs formalities will be completed by staff based at the arriving airport.
4. How long does the travel paperwork and other travel preparations take?
This depends entirely on the location that your pet is traveling to. Your pet relocation compnay will provide you with an accurate timeline of how long the relevant preparations will take and at what point in the process the various steps must be taken.
In some cases they can get your pet ‘travel ready’ in a few days. In others it can be up to six months or more.
5. What vaccinations does my pet need to travel?
Regardless of where your pet is traveling, they will need certain vaccinations. The exact vaccinations they need are entirely dependent on the location they are traveling to. The one vaccination that is mandatory for every country your pet may travel to is a rabies vaccination.
Other vaccinations may also be necessary. These will be advised to you as relevant. In every situation, it is essential to keep your vaccinations current and to not miss a due date, even by one day. To do so could severely hinder your pets travel plans.
Source: Pawsome Pets UAE
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Profile
Company name: Jaib
Started: January 2018
Co-founders: Fouad Jeryes and Sinan Taifour
Based: Jordan
Sector: FinTech
Total transactions: over $800,000 since January, 2018
Investors in Jaib's mother company Alpha Apps: Aramex and 500 Startups
Frida%20
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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.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
THE BIO
Occupation: Specialised chief medical laboratory technologist
Age: 78
Favourite destination: Always Al Ain “Dar Al Zain”
Hobbies: his work - “ the thing which I am most passionate for and which occupied all my time in the morning and evening from 1963 to 2019”
Other hobbies: football
Favorite football club: Al Ain Sports Club
