The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall light candles during a visit to the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Family, in London, on Wednesday, March 2, 2022. PA
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall light candles during a visit to the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Family, in London, on Wednesday, March 2, 2022. PA
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall light candles during a visit to the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Family, in London, on Wednesday, March 2, 2022. PA
The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall light candles during a visit to the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Family, in London, on Wednesday, March 2, 2022. PA

Prince Charles left moved by plight of Ukrainians facing Russian ‘aggression’


Soraya Ebrahimi
  • English
  • Arabic

The Prince of Wales has spoken about the “truly terrible aggression” of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime as he showed his solidarity with Kiev by visiting Ukrainians in Britain.

Charles and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, lit candles and left flowers at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in London.

They acknowledged the plight of the eastern European nation as fears grow Russia is planning a greater onslaught.

The heir to the UK throne said he and his wife had been moved by the “bravery, generosity and fortitude” of the Ukrainians in the face of the military action by Russian forces.

Cathedral staff reported that Ukrainian men have been seeking blessings before travelling back to their homeland to join the fight against Mr Putin’s army.

Camilla was left close to tears by a mournful rendition of the song Oy, u Luzi Chervona Kalyna, to welcome the couple.

Men, women and children performed the song, which was sung by Ukrainian riflemen during the First World War.

For the second day, Prince Charles spoke out about the conflict in Ukraine.

“I must say my wife and I have been deeply moved by everything we’ve heard today during our visit and above all by the extraordinary bravery, generosity and fortitude of the Ukrainian community in the face of such truly terrible aggression,” he said.

On Tuesday, during a visit to Southend-on-Sea, Essex, he said the values of democracy were under attack in Ukraine in the “most unconscionable way”.

It is understood the heir to the throne had approached the Ukrainian community offering his help and he brought representatives from five humanitarian organisations he is connected with to offer practical support.

The couple were also joined by the Ukrainian ambassador, Vadym Prystaiko, and his wife, Inna, who earlier received a rare tribute from MPs, a standing ovation in the House of Commons when he watched Prime Minister’s Questions from the gallery.

Ms Prystaiko was in tears as the duchess held back her own at the start of the event and when the royal couple left Camilla hugged the diplomat’s wife and said they would pray for her.

Charles’ royal event followed a visit by the Prime Minister to the cathedral on Sunday and emphasised the UK’s position of public support for Ukraine.

Mr Prystaiko said he was “touched” by the duchess hugging his wife and said he would convey the message this symbolised back to his homeland.

He was asked about Charles’ comments and disagreed with the suggestion they were political: “It’s not political any more. We’re past political, we’re in survival mode.

“We’re now, as the prince mentioned, trying to find a way how a nation of 40 million people can survive the aggressor.”

“We hope and pray we will be able to stop this, the question is how without real support from Nato, from the UK, from the United States … he’s still bombarding our cities,” the diplomat said.

Ruslana Bigur has lived in Britain for three years.

“He said the situation was unbelievable in the 21st century,” she said after meeting Prince Charles.

Ms Bigur, an accountant, said her parents in Ukraine had refused to move to safety.

“They want to stay because it’s their land and it’s home to them,” she said.

At the end of the visit, Charles spoke a few words of Ukrainian saying the phrase well-known in the eastern European country: “Glory to Ukraine” and received the response “Glory to the heroes” from the guests.

The couple lit candles in the cathedral. Each left a single sunflower, the national flower of Ukraine.

Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski, of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, hosted the visit.

He said Charles had genuine feelings of shock about events in Ukraine.

“From the moment we walked into the cathedral, one of his first words was how shocked he was to know what was happening and again expressed his solidarity and compassion,” he said.

“I felt he was talking to me, not just to Bishop Kenneth, but to me as a person whose friends and colleagues are suffering in Ukraine and thereby also expressing that to the wider Ukrainian community in the United Kingdom.”

Of the blessing given to men destined to fight, Bishop Kenneth said: “We certainly don’t pray that they kill anybody.

“We want to bless them and assure them of our prayers, and if they have to defend themselves, they have to defend themselves.”

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

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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

THE LIGHT

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Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger

Rating: 3/5

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Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors

Power: Combined output 920hp

Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic

Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km

On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025

Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000

Karwaan

Producer: Ronnie Screwvala

Director: Akarsh Khurana

Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar

Rating: 4/5

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T20 World Cup Qualifier

Final: Netherlands beat PNG by seven wickets

Qualified teams

1. Netherlands
2. PNG
3. Ireland
4. Namibia
5. Scotland
6. Oman

T20 World Cup 2020, Australia

Group A: Sri Lanka, PNG, Ireland, Oman
Group B: Bangladesh, Netherlands, Namibia, Scotland

The biog

First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974  
Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008
Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen
Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region
Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work

Company profile

Date started: January, 2014

Founders: Mike Dawson, Varuna Singh, and Benita Rowe

Based: Dubai

Sector: Education technology

Size: Five employees

Investment: $100,000 from the ExpoLive Innovation Grant programme in 2018 and an initial $30,000 pre-seed investment from the Turn8 Accelerator in 2014. Most of the projects are government funded.

Partners/incubators: Turn8 Accelerator; In5 Innovation Centre; Expo Live Innovation Impact Grant Programme; Dubai Future Accelerators; FHI 360; VSO and Consult and Coach for a Cause (C3)

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Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

Price: From Dh126,000

Available: Now

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More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

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The details

Colette

Director: Wash Westmoreland

Starring: Keira Knightley, Dominic West

Our take: 3/5

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At a glance

Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

 

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

 

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

 

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 

 

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

 

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

 

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances

The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

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Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

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The specs

Engine: 5.2-litre V10

Power: 640hp at 8,000rpm

Torque: 565Nm at 6,500rpm

Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto

Price: From Dh1 million

On sale: Q3 or Q4 2022 

The%20specs
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Pharaoh's curse

British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.

The specs
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  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
Six large-scale objects on show
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Artist: Linkin Park

Label: Warner Records

Number of tracks: 11

Rating: 4/5

Electric scooters: some rules to remember
  • Riders must be 14-years-old or over
  • Wear a protective helmet
  • Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
  • Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
  • Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
  • Do not drive outside designated lanes
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Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric

Range: Up to 610km

Power: 905hp

Torque: 985Nm

Price: From Dh439,000

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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Power: 510hp at 9,000rpm
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
Price: From Dh801,800
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

Dhadak 2

Director: Shazia Iqbal

Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri 

Rating: 1/5

Updated: March 03, 2022, 4:55 AM`