US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Tuesday that he has cancelled a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Mr Blinken had agreed to the meeting — originally slated for Thursday — last week as part of a diplomatic bid to convince Russia not to move forward with an invasion of Ukraine.
The meeting had been contingent on Russia not commencing an invasion.
“Now that we see the invasion is beginning and Russia has made clear its wholesale rejection of diplomacy, it does not make sense to go forward with that meeting at this time,” Mr Blinken said at a press conference alongside Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
However, Mr Blinken said he remains “committed to diplomacy” should Russia take “demonstrable steps” to de-escalate the conflict.
“We, our partners, remain open to diplomacy,” said Mr Blinken. “But Moscow needs to demonstrate that it’s serious. The last 24 hours have demonstrated just the opposite.”
His meeting with Mr Kuleba came the same day that President Joe Biden announced the opening salvo in a series of harsh sanctions on Russia in response to the Ukraine invasion.
The first wave of measures is focused on the Corporation Bank for Development and Foreign Economic Affairs Vnesheconombank (VEB) and Promsvyazbank Public Joint Stock Company (PSB), along with 42 of their subsidiaries.
Mr Biden vowed to “escalate sanctions if Russia escalates” and promised to continue security and economic aid to Ukraine.
For his part, Mr Kuleba welcomed the Biden administration’s phased sanctions approach.
He noted that Ukrainians were initially “puzzled” by Mr Biden’s first executive order on Monday to sanction the Russian-backed breakaway territories Donetsk and Luhansk without levying any penalties on Russia.
However, he noted that Ukraine “appreciates” the Russia sanctions that the Biden administration announced on Tuesday.
“This strategy of imposing sanctions by waves, if I may put it this way, is something that can work if it continues in a sustainable way,” said Mr Kuleba.
“This pressure should continue to be stepped up. And if that involves regular issuance of executive orders or new sanctions, we will be more than happy to see that.”
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Where to donate in the UAE
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
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Yodhin Punja The seam bowler was named in the UAE’s extended World Cup squad in 2015 despite being just 15 at the time. He made his senior UAE debut aged 16, and subsequently took up a scholarship at Claremont High School in the south of England.
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From: Giza Governorate, Egypt
Family: A daughter, two sons and wife
Favourite tree: Ghaf
Runner up favourite tree: Frankincense
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Saturday: Australia v New Zealand, Sydney, 1pm (UAE)
Sunday: South Africa v Argentina, Port Elizabeth, 11pm (UAE)
Primera Liga fixtures (all times UAE: 4 GMT)
Friday
Real Sociedad v Villarreal (10.15pm)
Real Betis v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Saturday
Alaves v Barcelona (8.15pm)
Levante v Deportivo La Coruna (10.15pm)
Girona v Malaga (10.15pm)
Las Palmas v Atletico Madrid (12.15am)
Sunday
Espanyol v Leganes (8.15pm)
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Want to sound on message about the biggest show on television without actually watching it? Best not to get locked into the labyrinthine tales of revenge and royalty: as Isaac Hempstead Wright put it, all you really need to know from now on is that there’s going to be a huge fight between humans and the armies of undead White Walkers.
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How to donate
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
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Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
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Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
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Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
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