The head of Nato has warned there will be no quick conclusion to the war in Ukraine, as Kyiv's counter-offensive against Russia continues.
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told Germany's Funke media group “most wars last longer than expected when they first begin” and because of that “we must prepare ourselves for a long war in Ukraine”.
Ukraine's counter-offensive, which President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced in June, has made some gains in pushing back Russian positions in the country's south and east.
“We are all wishing for quick peace,” Mr Stoltenberg said.
“But at the same time we must recognise if President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainians stop fighting, their country will no longer exist.”
He added that should Russia lay down its weapons, “we will have peace”.
Mr Stoltenberg said there was “no doubt that Ukraine will eventually be in Nato”.
“When this war ends, we need security guarantees for Ukraine. Otherwise, history could repeat itself,” he said.
Call for arms
Mr Zelenskyy is due to visit US President Joe Biden at the White House in Washington this week, where he is expected to renew his request for the supply of Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS).
While more arms are expected to be announced for Ukraine during his visit, ATACMS are not on the list, although four US senators are urging Mr Biden to include them.
“Ukraine has significantly degraded Russian combat power and only requires a small portion of our stockpiled ATACMS,” senators Tom Cotton, Roger Wicker, Susan Collins and Lindsey Graham wrote in a letter on Saturday.
Canada's Defence Minister Bill Blair on Sunday said his country would contribute $24.5 million to a British-led partnership that is buying air defence equipment for Ukraine.
Mr Blair said the contribution would form part of the $370 million military aid package announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in June.
The Russian Defence Ministry on Sunday said it had carried out a missile strike on a plant in the north-east Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, where it claimed armoured vehicles for Ukraine's military were being repaired.
Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Synehubov wrote on the Telegram messaging app that Russia had hit the building of a “civilian enterprise” in the city with four S300 missiles.
Parts of Kharkiv are fewer than 35km from the Russian border and experienced heavy fighting early in the conflict.
Going against the grain
On Sunday, Russia launched a combined drone and missile attack on southern parts of the Odesa region, hitting an agricultural plant, Ukraine's Air Forces wrote on the Telegram app.
Russia launched six Iranian-made Shahed drones and 10 cruise missiles but Ukrainian forces were able to destroy all the drones and six missiles before they hit their targets, the message said.
Ukraine on Saturday said two cargo vessels were sailing towards the port of Chornomorsk on the Black Sea to transport exported grain to African and Asian markets through a temporary sea corridor.
Ukraine revealed the opening of the corridor last month to circumvent a de facto blockade after Russia abandoned a deal to let Kyiv export grain.
Last week, the EU ended a ban on Ukrainian crop imports in five of its eastern countries but that merely prompted Poland, Hungary and Slovakia to announce their own restrictions, which technically would break the rules of the bloc's single market.
Russia remains in a commanding position within the global wheat export market after another significant harvest.
How will Gen Alpha invest?
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
The line up
Friday: Giggs, Sho Madjozi and Masego
Saturday: Nas, Lion Bbae, Roxanne Shante and DaniLeigh
Sole DXB runs from December 6 to 8 at Dubai Design District. Weekend pass is Dh295 while a one day pass is Dh195. Tickets are available from www.soledxb.com
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
THE%C2%A0SPECS
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UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Boston%20Strangler
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
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
The Little Things
Directed by: John Lee Hancock
Starring: Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, Jared Leto
Four stars
Top%2010%20most%20competitive%20economies
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
From Europe to the Middle East, economic success brings wealth - and lifestyle diseases
A rise in obesity figures and the need for more public spending is a familiar trend in the developing world as western lifestyles are adopted.
One in five deaths around the world is now caused by bad diet, with obesity the fastest growing global risk. A high body mass index is also the top cause of metabolic diseases relating to death and disability in Kuwait, Qatar and Oman – and second on the list in Bahrain.
In Britain, heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s remain among the leading causes of death, and people there are spending more time suffering from health problems.
The UK is expected to spend $421.4 billion on healthcare by 2040, up from $239.3 billion in 2014.
And development assistance for health is talking about the financial aid given to governments to support social, environmental development of developing countries.
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
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
The specs: 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV
Price, base: Dh138,000 (estimate)
Engine: 60kWh battery
Transmission: Single-speed Electronic Precision Shift
Power: 204hp
Torque: 360Nm
Range: 520km (claimed)
