Belarusian gold imports have been banned in the UK under new sanctions targeting the regime of President Alexander Lukashenko over his support for Russia.
Restrictions have also been imposed on the buying of cement, wood and rubber from Belarus, commodities which are “sources of revenue for the Lukashenko regime”, the Foreign Office in London said. The measures enable the UK to “crack down on Russia’s efforts to circumvent sanctions”, the department said.
Banknotes, machinery, goods, technologies and materials that could be used to produce chemical and biological weapons will also be blocked from being sent to the landlocked country bordering Russia and Ukraine.
James Cleverly, the British foreign secretary, said the new package of measures would be felt by Mr Lukashenko and his inner circle.
The package grants Rishi Sunak’s government the power to prevent designated Belarusian media companies from “spreading propaganda in the UK, including over the internet”.
Belarus continues to “actively facilitate Russia’s invasion of Ukraine”, 16 months into the war, the Foreign Office said.
Mr Lukashenko, described as "Europe’s last dictator", is a staunch ally of President Vladimir Putin and has allowed his country to be used as a training ground for Russian troops and a launchpad for them to invade Ukraine.
“This new package ratchets up the economic pressure on Lukashenko and his regime which actively facilitates the Russian war effort and ignores Ukraine’s territorial integrity,” Mr Cleverly said.
“Our support for Ukraine will remain resolute for as long as it takes and the UK will not hesitate to introduce further measures against those who prop up Putin’s war.”
The changes aim to close loopholes in existing sanctions, which would allow gold originating in Russia to be marketed as a Belarusian product and sold to UK buyers.
Belarus’s access to UK financial markets will be further tightened, and travel bans and asset freezes can be imposed on family members of sanctioned individuals.
Last summer, the UK introduced bans on the import and export of goods worth about £60 million from Belarus. Oil, iron and steel were among the materials affected.
Mr Lukashenko has continued to stick by his friend Mr Putin in the face of global condemnation and sanctions over the war in Ukraine.
The Belarusian leader on Thursday backed Moscow’s claim that Ukraine blew up the Kakhovka dam and hydroelectric station, which lies along the Dnipro river in the Russian-occupied Kherson region of Ukraine. The explosion, which Kyiv blamed on Moscow, unleashed serious flooding in nearby communities.
“They needed to cover up the three days of their ‘counteroffensive’ in which they lost nearly 200 armoured vehicles and more than 2,000 troops,” Mr Lukashenko said. “And so it’s all about Kakhovka and no one is talking about that. It’s quite obvious.”
In the wake of the incident on Tuesday, at least 4,000 people have been evacuated from the Russian and Ukrainian-controlled sides of the Dnipro river, an official said.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
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Teams
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
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- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
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- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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Spring break will be from March 8 - 19
Public school pupils will undergo distance learning from March 22 - April 2. School hours will be 8.30am to 1.30pm
Staff will be trained in distance learning programmes from March 15 - 19
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The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
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Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
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Company name: Farmin
Date started: March 2019
Founder: Dr Ali Al Hammadi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: AgriTech
Initial investment: None to date
Partners/Incubators: UAE Space Agency/Krypto Labs
