Gulf states voted at the UN to condemn Russia's self-declared annexation of four eastern Ukrainian territories and threw their weight behind a resolution that demanded that Moscow reverse course.
The resolution was adopted by an overwhelming majority at the UN General Assembly's emergency meeting on Wednesday.
The meeting began on Monday to debate a European-drafted resolution condemning Russia’s annexations, considered illegal by the West, as Kyiv's allies sought to underscore Moscow's international isolation.
In all, 143 nations supported the resolution while 32 abstained. Only North Korea, Syria, Nicaragua, Belarus and Russia opposed it.
Saudi Arabia, which the US has accused of siding with Russia over recent Opec+ oil production cuts, voted in favour of the resolution, as did the UAE, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar.
The decision to bring the matter before the assembly, where the 193 UN members have one vote each and no one has the power of veto, was made after Russia used its veto in a Security Council meeting on September 30 to block a similar proposal.
Last month, Russia held a series of what the West calls illegal referendums in Ukraine's breakaway enclaves of Donetsk and Luhansk, as well as the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.
Shortly after, President Vladimir Putin formally annexed the territories, even though none are fully in Moscow's control.
President Joe Biden said Wednesday's vote demonstrates the world is "more united, and more determined than ever" to hold Russia accountable for violating the UN Charter.
"Together with the UN General Assembly, we will not tolerate illegal attempts at annexation or the theft of a neighbour’s land by force," Mr Biden said in a statement.
Western nations engaged in intense lobbying before the vote while Russia’s ally Syria warned against isolating Moscow.
Britain's Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said the UN vote was a “powerful” demonstration of the international community’s widespread condemnation of Russia’s “outrageous, illegal attempts” to annex the territories.
“This is an important show of international unity against an aggressor that seeks to destabilise the international norms that protect us all,” Mr Cleverly said.
“The vote is indisputable evidence of what we have known for some time — Putin stands alone on the international stage and his actions are driving his country further into self-inflicted isolation.”
The war in Ukraine has entered a perilous new phase after the bombing of a bridge linking Russian-claimed Crimea to the mainland and the deadly response, in which Moscow unleashed a barrage of missile strikes against Ukrainian cities.
Fixtures and results:
Wed, Aug 29:
- Malaysia bt Hong Kong by 3 wickets
- Oman bt Nepal by 7 wickets
- UAE bt Singapore by 215 runs
Thu, Aug 30:
- UAE bt Nepal by 78 runs
- Hong Kong bt Singapore by 5 wickets
- Oman bt Malaysia by 2 wickets
Sat, Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong; Oman v Singapore; Malaysia v Nepal
Sun, Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman; Malaysia v UAE; Nepal v Singapore
Tue, Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore; UAE v Oman; Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu, Sep 6: Final
Shubh Mangal Saavdhan
Directed by: RS Prasanna
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
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.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Funchal via Lisbon, with a connecting flight with Air Portugal. Economy class returns cost from Dh3,845 return including taxes.
The trip
The WalkMe app can be downloaded from the usual sources. If you don’t fancy doing the trip yourself, then Explore offers an eight-day levada trails tour from Dh3,050, not including flights.
The hotel
There isn’t another hotel anywhere in Madeira that matches the history and luxury of the Belmond Reid's Palace in Funchal. Doubles from Dh1,400 per night including taxes.
The biog
Name: Fareed Lafta
Age: 40
From: Baghdad, Iraq
Mission: Promote world peace
Favourite poet: Al Mutanabbi
Role models: His parents
RESULTS
5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000, 2,400m
Winner: Recordman, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer)
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000, 2,200m
Winner: AF Taraha, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000, 1,400m
Winner: Dhafra, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000, 1,400m
Winner: Maqam, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000, 1,600m
Winner: AF Momtaz, Fernando Jara, Musabah Al Muhairi
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000, 1,600m
Winner: Optimizm, Patrick Cosgrave, Abdallah Al Hammadi
