Live updates: follow the latest news on Russia-Ukraine
A little more than two weeks before Russia attacked Ukraine, French President Emanuel Macron was in Moscow trying to avert a war in Europe.
But diplomacy, as Mr Macron’s foreign minister told reporters on Tuesday, “has failed”.
As Russia’s forces pushed for Kiev, eyes were on the response in Europe, Washington and New York.
EU ministers were already meeting when the crisis broke. They were attending the French hosted Indo-Pacific Forum aiming to re-focus Brussel’s relationship with the huge area from the west coast of Africa to the shores of California.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian defended the French president’s efforts in Moscow and the assurance President Vladimir Putin offered the French leader that no action was planned.
Mr Putin’s actions, Mr Le Drian said, had shown the Russian president not to be a man of his word.
“What is new is that President Putin no longer honours Russia’s signature [to international agreements]… and President Putin no longer honours his own commitments either since he publicly declared that a vote in the Duma on recognising the independence of the two republics of Donetsk and Luhansk was not on the agenda. Here is the reality.”
Since Russia crossed the border of Ukraine, Europe has announced a large package of sanctions against Russia. It talked about, but ultimately has not yet booted Moscow from the Swift international payment network. The US has taken action, as have others. Countries have pledged arms for Ukraine to bolster their fight.
Only time will tell what the impact this international isolation will have on the Russian economy and the rationale of the leadership – probably not until long after Kiev has fallen to Russia’s 150,000 soldiers.
As one diplomat in Paris told The National this week, “sanctions alone are rarely effective” the mood in Europe is that there is no other choice.
“Honestly, I think that its indispensable to try and go to the maximum extent [with sanctions] … I don’t know if it will be enough but what is sure is that we cannot allow ourselves to go less,” the diplomat said.
The view from Paris is clear. The fighting right now is in the streets around Kiev and Mariupol, and France is standing beside Ukraine politically, but this is also a confrontation that will shape the world order.
The repercussions of the war and how the West confronts it will radiate from Europe across the Indo-Pacific and the world.
French officials repeatedly said Russia had clearly broken the international law and the UN charter, and it was the responsibility of all UN members to now uphold those articles.
This is central to the French view – the world must be ordered, and laws must be followed. When those rules are not followed, there must be repercussions.
Mr Putin is banking on international division and disunity; the French diplomatic service appears bent on ensuring that does not happen.
And they’re bullish on their progress so far.
The speed of condemnation, of what is – for Europe – a significant sanctions package and the speed of organisation within the Nato defensive alliance has given them cause for cheer.
Leaving Russia alone to use its veto to block a UN Security Council condemnation of the invasion by easing concerns in China so they would not back Moscow was a symbolic diplomatic moment.
That Beijing at the UN also expressed in the same language as the West its concern for the infringement of territorial sovereignty too is key for the West’s isolation of Russia.
One diplomat said he thought Europe had never looked stronger and more united on such a pressing issue.
Another said that in just a matter of days, Mr Putin had made Nato more relevant than it has been since the end of the Cold War more than 30 years ago.
This is a massive mobilisation of the part of the world that extols the idea of a rules-based order and French diplomats are at the centre. The message has a singular focus – Moscow has violated the rules and the world must respond. Now is not the time for fence-sitting.
The implied warning in this message is also clear – today it is Ukraine bearing the brunt of a Russian onslaught, but tomorrow it could be you facing an expansionist neighbour. If that happens, then it will be this rules-based system and those who stand up for it who will mobilise again.
In the face of crisis, international insinuations have often been slow and unwieldy. UN mediation has failed to stop the war in Syria for more than a decade, the EU was bent to the brink of breaking by the 2015 refugee crisis.
But, French officials insist, their political union has learned and evolved in the past decade. It is stronger, more united and more experienced, they insist.
The EU read from one page in the Brexit process and diplomats insist that when it comes to Russia, they have learned from their weak response to the 2014 annexation of Crimea.
But division does remain. Italy, Germany and others were unconvinced about barring Russia from the Swift network earlier this week, but that position changed by the weekend.
Countries around the world that refused to send military aid to Ukraine before the war reversed that position when bombs started falling.
And cracks have already started to appear. India and China have said they will launch a mechanism to continue financial transactions with Russia despite EU and US sanctions.
South Africa, who first condemned Russia’s action, turned on the US for not meeting Moscow for talks without pre-conditions to avert the crisis.
Mr Macron’s diplomats appear to be working hard to ensure that while they have been caught diplomatically on the back foot – Russia is the president of the UN Security Council, France is facing an election next month and in Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the successor to political heavyweight Angela Merkel, has only been in in the job three months – they will put up a united front.
On Friday night, the Eiffel Tower was bathed in the yellow and blue of the Ukrainian flag. France is mobilising the world to stand with Ukraine but the battle being fought from the corridors of Paris to Brussels to New York is one for the very idea of the rules-based systems.
As one diplomat said this week, “sanctions can have a deterrence – not on what is happening now but what is happening next.”
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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
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Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu World Tour Calendar 2018/19
July 29: OTA Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan
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Feb 7-9: Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE
Mar 9-10: Copper Box Arena in London, UK
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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UAE
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Japan
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Canada
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South Korea
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Players Selected for La Liga Trials
U18 Age Group
Name: Ahmed Salam (Malaga)
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U16 Age Group
Name: Mehdi Elkhamlichi (Malaga)
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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
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- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
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Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
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Tearful appearance
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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.
UAE players with central contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.
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Citizenship-by-investment programmes
United Kingdom
The UK offers three programmes for residency. The UK Overseas Business Representative Visa lets you open an overseas branch office of your existing company in the country at no extra investment. For the UK Tier 1 Innovator Visa, you are required to invest £50,000 (Dh238,000) into a business. You can also get a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you invest £2 million, £5m or £10m (the higher the investment, the sooner you obtain your permanent residency).
All UK residency visas get approved in 90 to 120 days and are valid for 3 years. After 3 years, the applicant can apply for extension of another 2 years. Once they have lived in the UK for a minimum of 6 months every year, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency (called Indefinite Leave to Remain). After one year of ILR, the applicant can apply for UK passport.
The Caribbean
Depending on the country, the investment amount starts from $100,000 (Dh367,250) and can go up to $400,000 in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take between four to five months to receive a passport.
Portugal
The investment amount ranges from €350,000 to €500,000 (Dh1.5m to Dh2.16m) in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take a maximum of six months to receive a Golden Visa. Applicants can apply for permanent residency after five years and Portuguese citizenship after six years.
“Among European countries with residency programmes, Portugal has been the most popular because it offers the most cost-effective programme to eventually acquire citizenship of the European Union without ever residing in Portugal,” states Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest.
Greece
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Greece is €250,000, making it the cheapest real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. You can apply for residency in four months and citizenship after seven years.
Spain
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Spain is €500,000. You can apply for permanent residency after five years and citizenship after 10 years. It is not necessary to live in Spain to retain and renew the residency visa permit.
Cyprus
Cyprus offers the quickest route to citizenship of a European country in only six months. An investment of €2m in real estate is required, making it the highest priced programme in Europe.
Malta
The Malta citizenship by investment programme is lengthy and investors are required to contribute sums as donations to the Maltese government. The applicant must either contribute at least €650,000 to the National Development & Social Fund. Spouses and children are required to contribute €25,000; unmarried children between 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each.
The second step is to make an investment in property of at least €350,000 or enter a property rental contract for at least €16,000 per annum for five years. The third step is to invest at least €150,000 in bonds or shares approved by the Maltese government to be kept for at least five years.
Candidates must commit to a minimum physical presence in Malta before citizenship is granted. While you get residency in two months, you can apply for citizenship after a year.
Egypt
A one-year residency permit can be bought if you purchase property in Egypt worth $100,000. A three-year residency is available for those who invest $200,000 in property, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000.
Source: Citizenship Invest and Aqua Properties
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Name: Mamo Year it started: 2019 Founders: Imad Gharazeddine, Asim Janjua Based: Dubai, UAE Number of employees: 28 Sector: Financial services Investment: $9.5m Funding stage: Pre-Series A Investors: Global Ventures, GFC, 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital, and prominent Silicon Valley investors. Men from Barca's class of 99
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- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
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EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
