
UN condemns Russia's largest drone assault on Ukraine

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Arab News
3 hours ago
- Arab News
Sanctions? No big deal, say Russian middle class couple
MYTISHCHI: For Sergei Duzhikov and Maria Tyabut, a middle-class couple living in a town just outside Moscow, Western sanctions on Russia over the conflict in Ukraine have been manageable. The pair drive a Chinese car, vacation in Venezuela and buy 'Camembert' cheese made in Russia. Their modest two-bedroom apartment in Mytishchi, home to 300,000 people northeast of the capital, has been recently renovated and their Chinese-made fridge is stocked with Russian goods. Despite warnings of a looming recession and high inflation, they and many other Russians feel their economy has adapted successfully to Western sanctions, even if it means parting with some well-known Western brands for good. 'From the perspective of my everyday life — home, family, work, leisure, friends, hobbies, and interests, I honestly don't feel the impact of sanctions,' said Maria, who works at a cosmetics company. 'There aren't any brands that have left such a void that I can't live without them,' the 43-year-old added. Supermarkets have found a range of domestic and foreign alternatives to Western products, including Camembert cheese, one of Maria's creature comforts. 'It's delicious. I haven't tried real French Camembert, so I can't compare,' she admitted. 'Overall, my life hasn't changed much,' she told AFP. Western countries first levied economic sanctions against Russia in 2014, after Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine. Those sanctions became significantly tighter following Moscow's full-scale assault on its neighbor. Moscow responded by ramping up production of domestic goods, shifting its trade away from the West to what it calls 'friendly' nations like China and importing other items through third countries. For ordinary Russians, the most noticeable effect of this was an exodus of Western brands from supermarket shelves and from the high street. Among the most well-known brands to leave was fast-food chain McDonald's, famously replaced by Russian-owned 'Vkusno i tochka' (which translates to 'Delicious, Full Stop') in 2022. Maria's husband Sergei, a funeral director, said he had 'no complaints' about the quality of the food. 'The kids love it,' he said of the restaurant chain. When shopping, Maria buys a new brand of yoghurt that replaced one belonging to French company Danone. Danone left the Russian market in 2022 and eventually sold its operations to a businessman linked to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. Some Russian companies have also been able to import popular Western goods via third countries, albeit at a higher cost. As for vacations, Maria and Sergei have opted for trips across Russia and Latin America. Most European countries cut off direct flights to Russia shortly after the offensive began, while some tightened entry requirements for Russian citizens. The couple said they had been to Venezuela, a country under US sanctions, which they described as a nation of 'friendly people who love Russians.' The couple admitted there were a few teething issues. Two years ago, after a car accident, Sergei said he waited 'three months' for spare parts to repair his Korean-made Kia because of sanctions. 'That's when I realized that it probably made sense to sell my beloved Korean car and replace it with a similar Chinese one,' he told AFP. Maria also said she noticed it was harder to find products in 'certain' categories of goods. But overall, she said, 'I don't feel deprived in any way. Certainly not when it comes to food. There's a wide and rich selection.' The Russian economy has been marked by volatility since Moscow launched its Ukraine offensive in 2022, a military assault that has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths. The country reported strong economic expansion in 2023 and 2024, largely due to massive state defense spending on the conflict, but is now slowing down after a period of what officials called 'overheating.' Inflation has also been running high, clocking in at more than double the central bank's target for over a year. Maria and her husband's combined income is around 300,000 rubles (around $3,800), higher than the average wage for one person of around 100,000. While Maria acknowledged prices were going up, she said her family was not 'crying' about it. 'It's not like we used to buy a kilogramme (35 ounces) of buckwheat three years ago, and now we can only afford 600 grams,' she said. 'They are rising little by little.'


Asharq Al-Awsat
3 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Israel Will Send Ceasefire Negotiating Team to Qatar a Day Before Trump and Netanyahu Meet
US-led ceasefire efforts in Gaza appeared to gain momentum Saturday after nearly 21 months of war, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 's office said Israel on Sunday will send a negotiating team to talks in Qatar. The statement also asserted that Hamas was seeking 'unacceptable' changes to the proposal. US President Donald Trump has pushed for an agreement and will host Netanyahu at the White House on Monday to discuss a deal. Inside Gaza, Israeli airstrikes killed 14 Palestinians and another 10 were killed while seeking food aid, hospital officials in the embattled enclave told The Associated Press. And two American aid workers with the Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation were injured in an attack at a food distribution site, which the organization blamed on Hamas, without providing evidence. Weary Palestinians expressed cautious hope after Hamas gave a 'positive' response late Friday to the latest US proposal for a 60-day truce but said further talks were needed on implementation. 'We are tired. Enough starvation, enough closure of crossing points. We want to sleep in calm where we don't hear warplanes or drones or shelling,' said Jamalat Wadi, one of Gaza's hundreds of thousands of displaced people, speaking in Deir al-Balah. She squinted in the sun during a summer heatwave of over 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit). Hamas has sought guarantees that the initial truce would lead to a total end to the war and withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. Previous negotiations have stalled over Hamas demands of guarantees that further negotiations would lead to the war's end, while Netanyahu has insisted Israel would resume fighting to ensure the militant group's destruction. 'Send a delegation with a full mandate to bring a comprehensive agreement to end the war and bring everyone back. No one must be left behind,' Einav Zangauker, mother of hostage Matan Zangauker, told the weekly rally by relatives and supporters in Tel Aviv. A Palestinian doctor and his three children killed Israeli airstrikes struck tents in the crowded Muwasi area on Gaza's Mediterranean coast, killing seven people including a Palestinian doctor and his three children, according to Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis. Four others were killed in the town of Bani Suheila in southern Gaza. Three people were killed in three strikes in Khan Younis. Israel's army did not immediately comment. Separately, eight Palestinians were killed near a GHF aid distribution site in the southern city of Rafah, the hospital said. One Palestinian was killed near another GHF point in Rafah. It was not clear how far the Palestinians were from the sites. GHF denied the killings happened near their sites. The organization has said no one has been shot at its sites, which are guarded by private contractors and can be accessed only by passing Israeli military positions hundreds of meters (yards) away. The army had no immediate comment but has said it fires warning shots as a crowd-control measure and only aims at people when its troops are threatened. Another Palestinian was killed waiting in crowds for aid trucks in eastern Khan Younis, officials at Nasser Hospital said. The United Nations and other international organizations have been bringing in their own supplies of aid since the war began. The incident did not appear to be connected to GHF operations. Much of Gaza's population of over 2 million now relies on international aid after the war has largely devastated agriculture and other food sources and left many people near famine. Crowds of Palestinians often wait for trucks and unload or loot their contents before they reach their destinations. The trucks must pass through areas under Israeli military control. Israel's military did not immediately comment. American aid workers injured The GHF said the two American aid workers were injured on Saturday morning when assailants threw grenades at a distribution site in Khan Younis. The foundation said the injuries were not life-threatening. Israel's military said it evacuated the workers for medical treatment. The GHF — a US- and Israeli-backed initiative meant to bypass the UN — distributes aid from four sites that are surrounded by Israeli troops. Three sites are in Gaza's far south. The UN and other humanitarian groups have rejected the GHF system, saying it allows Israel to use food as a weapon, violates humanitarian principles and is not effective. Israel says Hamas has siphoned off aid delivered by the UN, a claim the UN denies. Hamas has urged Palestinians not to cooperate with the GHF. GHF, registered in Delaware, began distributing food in May to Palestinians, who say Israeli troops open fire almost every day toward crowds on roads heading to the distribution points. Several hundred people have been killed and hundreds more wounded, according to Gaza's Health Ministry and witnesses. The UN human rights office says it has recorded 613 Palestinians killed within a month in Gaza while trying to obtain aid, most of them while trying to reach GHF sites. The war began when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage. Israel responded with an offensive that has killed over 57,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children. according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which is led by medical professionals employed by the Hamas government. It does not differentiate between civilians and combatants, but the UN and other international organizations see its figures as the most reliable statistics on war casualties.


Arab News
3 hours ago
- Arab News
France's Macron to visit UK as Starmer eyes ‘reset' with EU
PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron is to begin a state visit to the United Kingdom on Tuesday, where he is set to address the British Parliament and co-chair a meeting on Ukraine as London seeks to strengthen its ties with Europe after Brexit. King Charles III has invited the French leader and his wife, Brigitte, on a three-day official visit during which Macron is to hold joint discussions with Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the 37th Franco-British Summit on Thursday. Talks will focus on aid to Ukraine, joint efforts to halt illegal migration crossing the Channel, and strengthening defense cooperation between the two countries. 'This is the first state visit to the United Kingdom by a European Union head of state since Brexit,' the Elysee Palace said on Friday, referring to the UK's 2016 vote to leave the bloc. 'And, especially, the first since Prime Minister Starmer signalled what he called a 'reset' of relations between the United Kingdom and Europe,,' it added. There were simmering political tensions between Paris and London in the immediate aftermath of Brexit under the previous right-wing Conservative British government. But there has been a new warmth in relations under the center-left Labour government led by Starmer, and the two countries now lead European efforts to find peace for Ukraine. Buckingham Palace confirmed on Friday that Macron would formally address the British Parliament on Tuesday, following in the footsteps of his predecessors, Charles de Gaulle and Francois Mitterrand. The king will host Macron and his wife for a state banquet at his Windsor Castle residence, west of London, where the couple will also stay. While in Windsor, Macron will privately visit St. George's Chapel to lay flowers on the tomb of the late Queen Elizabeth II. During the visit, Macron and Starmer will host the 37th Franco-British Summit in London on Thursday, where they are set to discuss opportunities to strengthen defense ties between the two countries in response to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The agreements will be 'adapted to this profoundly changed strategic reality,' the Elysee Palace said, without offering further details. Macron and Starmer will also co-chair talks bringing together countries 'willing' to strengthen Kyiv's defenses against Moscow. The two leaders will speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the French presidency said. This comes after the United States, Ukraine's biggest military backer since the launch of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, said Tuesday it was halting some key weapons shipments to Ukraine. Russia launched its largest-ever drone and missile attack on Ukraine overnight on Friday. The summit will touch upon the deployment of 'a reassurance force' to Ukraine after a ceasefire and how to 'increase pressure' on Russia to accept an unconditional ceasefire, the Elysee Palace said. Another topic high on the agenda is agreeing on a strategy to halt migrants making perilous small boat crossings of the Channel, a key political issue in the UK. As more small boats land on English shores, and the UK government comes under mounting pressure from the far right to tackle irregular migration, London has pressed Paris to do more. In recent weeks, France said it is considering stopping migrant boats in its shallow coastal waters, though the move raises safety and legal issues. And on Friday, the British government said it welcomed footage showing French police stopping a small boat carrying migrants from setting off across the Channel. The French president's visit follows King Charles's state visit to France in 2023, which was widely regarded as a success that helped boost relations. The last state visit by a French president to the UK was made by Nicolas Sarkozy in 2008.