A British-Iraqi woman, who spent 21 days on hunger strike to obtain a visa for the UK for her Ukrainian best friend, has spoken of her joy and disbelief after their reunion.
Rend Platings welcomed Kristina Korniiuk to her home in Cambridge on Sunday, exactly a month after she resorted to hunger striking in an attempt to speed up the visa application under the government’s Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme.
The mother-of-one had lost 10 kilograms while not eating for three weeks, before her friend was granted permission to enter Britain.
“I’m very happy, it was a bit surreal,” Mrs Platings told The National.
“[It's a case of] relief and disbelief. Disbelief in the sense like, 'wow, she’s actually here, I can’t believe it and that she’s managed to make her way safely'.
“There are a lot of concerns because she’s a woman travelling on her own; what if she meets the wrong people on the way? You hear horrible stories. So it’s really good to know that she’s safe and that takes a big weight off all of our minds because we’re family friends.
“My husband was really worried about her as well. In fact, he was sick with worry about the idea of her driving out of Kyiv. It’s just been a relief for everyone.”
Mrs Platings’ husband picked Ms Korniiuk up from Luton Airport on Sunday. He then drove her to the family home in Cambridge, which has been painted in the Ukrainian national colours in a show of solidarity with Ukrainians.
Mrs Platings, who is director of charities Mums4Ukraine and Sugarwise, and her eight-year-old daughter Samantha greeted Ms Korniiuk with hugs outside the house.
“After Kristina was in bed, my daughter asked if she was dreaming that Kristina was here,” Mrs Platings said.
“It’s a big worry when people are in Ukraine and of course Kristina still has family there, and this continues to be a worry that we can’t really predict what’s going to happen to people there. Nowhere in Ukraine is really safe.”
Mrs Platings first met Ms Kornuiiuk, 34, in a cafe during a visit to Kyiv in 2019.
Ms Korniuuk is originally from the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, but had been living in Kyiv and working as a Spanish teacher when Russia invaded in February.
After spending three weeks in the capital following the invasion, she decided to move to the west of the country to be safer.
Her parents, grandfather and other family members are still in Kyiv, while her brother is working for the military.
She said her parents wanted to remain in their homeland, despite the risks.
As she settles into her new life in the UK, she hopes to reach out to fellow Ukrainians and use her skills to help younger generations.
“I have this idea to maybe organise workshops and some readings for Ukrainian kids to give their mothers some spare time and also to do something fun and useful with Ukrainian kids. It would be really nice,” she told The National.
Asked how she reacted to the news that her friend had gone on hunger strike for her visa, she said she felt “very thankful” for her mammoth effort.
“I was a bit worried about her, because it’s not a very healthy thing to do and I was impressed and on the other hand."
Mrs Platings said she hopes the war will end soon and her friend can return to her homeland, which she plans to visit.
Throughout her hunger strike, she suffered from vomiting, dizziness and weakness. “I could barely walk down two steps and felt like I was going to collapse. I could not stay in the playground and watch my daughter.”
“I just thought about how lucky I was. I had access to clean water, I did not have to worry about being raped or bombed. I kind of had it easy compared to a lot of people.
“When people looked at me and thought, 'are you going to be ok?', I wanted them to think about those people who are waiting for visas and if they going to be ok.”
After three weeks, her body grew so weak from lack of nutrition that she was unable to attend a protest against Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Days later she received the news that the application she had made to bring her friend to the UK had been granted, which prompted her to end her hunger strike.
In the early days of the war, the UK government’s scheme for Ukrainian refugees to come to Britain was heavily criticised due to the bureaucracies applicants have to navigate and the slow pace of applications.
The latest government figures show 117,600 Ukrainians have applied for visas, with 86,100 being issued.
Ukraine war - in pictures
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
LEADERBOARD
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The%20specs
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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 specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 217hp at 5,750rpm
Torque: 300Nm at 1,900rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh130,000
On sale: now
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
ICC T20 Rankings
1. India - 270 ranking points
2. England - 265 points
3. Pakistan - 261 points
4. South Africa - 253 points
5. Australia - 251 points
6. New Zealand - 250 points
7. West Indies - 240 points
8. Bangladesh - 233 points
9. Sri Lanka - 230 points
10. Afghanistan - 226 points
HOW DO SIM CARD SCAMS WORK?
Sim swap frauds are a form of identity theft.
They involve criminals conning mobile phone operators into issuing them with replacement Sim cards, often by claiming their phone has been lost or stolen
They use the victim's personal details - obtained through criminal methods - to convince such companies of their identity.
The criminal can then access any online service that requires security codes to be sent to a user's mobile phone, such as banking services.
Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
ARSENAL IN 1977
Feb 05 Arsenal 0-0 Sunderland
Feb 12 Manchester City 1-0 Arsenal
Feb 15 Middlesbrough 3-0 Arsenal
Feb 19 Arsenal 2-3 West Ham
Feb 26 Middlesbrough 4-1 Arsenal (FA Cup)
Mar 01 Everton 2-1 Arsenal
Mar 05 Arsenal 1-4 ipswich
March 08 Arsenal 1-2 West Brom
Mar 12 QPR 2-1 Arsenal
Mar 23 Stoke 1-1 Arsenal
Apr 02 Arsenal 3-0 Leicester
All%20The%20Light%20We%20Cannot%20See%20
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Company%20profile
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PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Watford v Leicester City (3.30pm)
Brighton v Arsenal (6pm)
West Ham v Wolves (8.30pm)
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace (10.45pm)
Sunday
Newcastle United v Sheffield United (5pm)
Aston Villa v Chelsea (7.15pm)
Everton v Liverpool (10pm)
Monday
Manchester City v Burnley (11pm)
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima
Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650
Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder
Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km
THE%20SPECS
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START-UPS%20IN%20BATCH%204%20OF%20SANABIL%20500'S%20ACCELERATOR%20PROGRAMME
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Changing visa rules
For decades the UAE has granted two and three year visas to foreign workers, tied to their current employer. Now that's changing.
Last year, the UAE cabinet also approved providing 10-year visas to foreigners with investments in the UAE of at least Dh10 million, if non-real estate assets account for at least 60 per cent of the total. Investors can bring their spouses and children into the country.
It also approved five-year residency to owners of UAE real estate worth at least 5 million dirhams.
The government also said that leading academics, medical doctors, scientists, engineers and star students would be eligible for similar long-term visas, without the need for financial investments in the country.
The first batch - 20 finalists for the Mohammed bin Rashid Medal for Scientific Distinction.- were awarded in January and more are expected to follow.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UAE SQUAD FOR ASIAN JIU-JITSU CHAMPIONSHIP
Men’s squad: Faisal Al Ketbi, Omar Al Fadhli, Zayed Al Kathiri, Thiab Al Nuaimi, Khaled Al Shehhi, Mohamed Ali Al Suwaidi, Farraj Khaled Al Awlaqi, Muhammad Al Ameri, Mahdi Al Awlaqi, Saeed Al Qubaisi, Abdullah Al Qubaisi and Hazaa Farhan
Women's squad: Hamda Al Shekheili, Shouq Al Dhanhani, Balqis Abdullah, Sharifa Al Namani, Asma Al Hosani, Maitha Sultan, Bashayer Al Matrooshi, Maha Al Hanaei, Shamma Al Kalbani, Haya Al Jahuri, Mahra Mahfouz, Marwa Al Hosani, Tasneem Al Jahoori and Maryam Al Amri
England's lowest Test innings
- 45 v Australia in Sydney, January 28, 1887
- 46 v West Indies in Port of Spain, March 25, 1994
- 51 v West Indies in Kingston, February 4, 2009
- 52 v Australia at The Oval, August 14, 1948
- 53 v Australia at Lord's, July 16, 1888
- 58 v New Zealand in Auckland, March 22, 2018
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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