Live updates: follow the latest news on Russia-Ukraine
At a Shell station on the outskirts of Warrenton, Virginia, Jim Hoovler fills three jerry cans with petrol. The 56-year-old is convinced prices, which are already high, will skyrocket now that Russian President Vladimir Putin has moved into Ukraine.
Mr Hoovler, like many in Warrenton, blames President Joe Biden for failing to deter Mr Putin.
“There were other measures we could have done that could have persuaded Putin not to do this,” he tells The National. “I think it’s just weak leadership on the US side.”
Warrenton is in Fauquier County, which voted overwhelmingly for Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.
It's an hour’s drive from the nation’s capital, but a world away from the liberal enclave.
Entering the county from Washington along route 15, the first house you pass has a flag denouncing Mr Biden, while a few hundred metres down the road, another house proudly displays the Gadsden flag, a revolutionary war symbol that has become associated with the country's far right.
“This shouldn’t even have got to this point; all the signs were there,” said Dan Riley, a Warrenton resident who spent 22 years in the US Army.
Mr Riley worries that war in Europe will have major consequences for the US.
“I'm worried about our country,” he said. “I’m worried about inflation, I’m worried about our military.”
The veteran's concerns stem from a belief that Mr Biden is not up to the task of navigating the US and its allies through what is the most significant military escalation in Europe since the Second World War.
A recent poll by Politico suggested that about half of Americans blame Mr Biden to some extent for the situation in Ukraine.
The poll, which was published before the Russian invasion, showed 58 per cent of Americans would blame Mr Biden if the conflict causes petrol prices to climb.
A popular Warrenton diner was buzzing on Thursday morning over the situation in Ukraine. Even though the town is almost 8,000 kilometres away from Kiev, the Russian invasion was still a major topic of conversation among the diner's regulars.
Jim Armstrong told The National over breakfast that the Biden administration is a “bunch of amateurs” who were “playing checkers” while Mr Putin “played chess".
Mr Armstrong, who last voted Democrat in 1976 for Jimmy Carter, said this would not have happened if Mr Trump were still in office.
“Putin would never have done this under Trump,” Mr Armstrong told The National. “Putin has known Biden for a long time and he knows he’s been feckless and weak.”
He added that the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan likely served as a green light for Mr Putin to begin planning his invasion of Ukraine.
And that sentiment is shared by many Republican leaders.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell blamed the Afghanistan withdrawal as well as Mr Putin's imperial ambitions for the current situation. But he also made it clear in comments on Thursday that “we’re all together at this point and we need to be together about what should be done".
He called for sanctions on Russia to be “ratcheted all the way up".
While some Republican leaders have shown support for Mr Biden, Mr Trump has openly complimented the Russian president's moves, describing them as “smart”.
“[Mr Putin] has taken over a country for $2 worth of sanctions. I'd say that's pretty smart,” Mr Trump said at a Take Back Congress Candidate Forum hosted at the resort in Palm Beach, Florida on Wednesday.
“Putin is playing Biden like a drum. It is not a pretty thing to watch,” Mr Trump said in another statement.
In Warrenton, though many residents express disdain for Mr Putin, they seem to side with Mr Trump when it comes to Mr Biden's actions — or lack thereof.
“I think [Mr Putin] took advantage of the situation,” said Mr Hoovler as he finished filling up his last jerry can.
“When [former president Barack] Obama was there, he knew Obama wouldn’t do anything and then when Trump came into power, he knew Trump wouldn't stand for it.
“But now you have got Biden who is even weaker than Obama.”
Mr Biden, whose wavering political fortunes will take centre stage in November's congressional midterm elections, addressed the cost of the Ukraine crisis, saying he would authorise releases from the strategic oil reserve "as conditions warrant".
"I know this is hard and that Americans are already hurting. I will do everything in my power to limit the pain the American people are feeling the gas pump," he said on Thursday as he announced new sanctions on Russia.
"This is critical to me. But this aggression cannot go unanswered."
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How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now
Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.
The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.
1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):
a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33
b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.
2. For those who have worked more than five years
c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.
Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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MATCH INFO
Bangla Tigers 108-5 (10 ovs)
Ingram 37, Rossouw 26, Pretorius 2-10
Deccan Gladiators 109-4 (9.5 ovs)
Watson 41, Devcich 27, Wiese 2-15
Gladiators win by six wickets
SPECS
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FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday
Saint-Etienne v Montpellier (10.45pm)
Saturday
Monaco v Caen (7pm)
Amiens v Bordeaux (10pm)
Angers v Toulouse (10pm)
Metz v Dijon (10pm)
Nantes v Guingamp (10pm)
Rennes v Lille (10pm)
Sunday
Nice v Strasbourg (5pm)
Troyes v Lyon (7pm)
Marseille v Paris Saint-Germain (11pm)
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
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How to improve Arabic reading in early years
One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient
The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers
Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades
Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic
First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations
Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades
Improve the appearance of textbooks
Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings
Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught
Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
European arms
Known EU weapons transfers to Ukraine since the war began: Germany 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger surface-to-air missiles. Luxembourg 100 NLAW anti-tank weapons, jeeps and 15 military tents as well as air transport capacity. Belgium 2,000 machine guns, 3,800 tons of fuel. Netherlands 200 Stinger missiles. Poland 100 mortars, 8 drones, Javelin anti-tank weapons, Grot assault rifles, munitions. Slovakia 12,000 pieces of artillery ammunition, 10 million litres of fuel, 2.4 million litres of aviation fuel and 2 Bozena de-mining systems. Estonia Javelin anti-tank weapons. Latvia Stinger surface to air missiles. Czech Republic machine guns, assault rifles, other light weapons and ammunition worth $8.57 million.
THE SPECS
Engine: six-litre W12 twin-turbo
Transmission: eight-speed dual clutch auto
Power: 626bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh940,160 (plus VAT)
On sale: Q1 2020
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
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
About RuPay
A homegrown card payment scheme launched by the National Payments Corporation of India and backed by the Reserve Bank of India, the country’s central bank
RuPay process payments between banks and merchants for purchases made with credit or debit cards
It has grown rapidly in India and competes with global payment network firms like MasterCard and Visa.
In India, it can be used at ATMs, for online payments and variations of the card can be used to pay for bus, metro charges, road toll payments
The name blends two words rupee and payment
Some advantages of the network include lower processing fees and transaction costs
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: SimpliFi
Started: August 2021
Founder: Ali Sattar
Based: UAE
Industry: Finance, technology
Investors: 4DX, Rally Cap, Raed, Global Founders, Sukna and individuals
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
