Live updates: follow the latest news on Russia-Ukraine
A Russian-backed breakaway region of Moldova is fast becoming the new front in the war as Russia steps up its offensive in the southern Ukraine.
The Kremlin is accused of staging "false-flag attacks" in Transnistria, a region in Moldova which it occupies.
The interior ministry of Transnistria said on Wednesday that shots were fired at a village housing a Russian arms depot after drones flew over from Ukraine.
"Last night, several drones were noticed in the sky over the village of Kolbasna," the Transnistrian interior ministry said on its website. "The drones were launched on to the territory of Transnistria from Ukraine."
The developments came as Russia intensified attacks on the Black Sea port city of Odesa, which lies less than 160 kilometres east of Transnistria.
A vital bridge in the Odesa region was hit by missiles on Wednesday, a day after several blasts shook Transnistria.
The bridge near the town of Zatoka, 60 kilometres south of Odesa, was damaged in the attack, said Oleksandr Kamyshin, chief executive of Ukraine’s railway operator.
“Today, at 06.45am, the bridge over the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi estuary in Odesa region was again hit with missile strikes,” Mr Kamyshin wrote on the Telegram messaging app. There were no reported casualties among railway workers, he said.
Lesia Vasylenko, a Ukrainian MP, said the destruction of the bridge cut off three districts and passage to the border with Romania.
The same bridge was hit by a missile on Tuesday. The dramatic moment was captured on video and posted online. A huge cloud of smoke can be seen rising in the distance after a loud explosion was heard.
Moldovan officials arranged an emergency meeting on Tuesday, with security forces put on high alert after a series of blasts that destroyed radio antennae.
The explosions stoked fears of a potential spillover from the war in neighbouring Ukraine.
The Institute for the Study of War, a US think tank, said Moscow had used the region to stage “false-flag attacks”.
The region is internationally recognised as part of Moldova but is occupied by Russian forces.
The ISW said Russian battalions stationed in Transnistria were probably “not sufficient” to stage an attack on Odesa by themselves. However, experts noted that troops in the region could support Russian forces in attacking the Ukrainian city.
“Russia is staging false-flag attacks in Transnistria, Moldova ... setting conditions for further actions on that front,” the ISW said.
“The two motorised rifle battalions Russia has illegally maintained in Transnistria since the end of the Cold War are not likely sufficient to mount a credible attack on Odesa by themselves, nor are the Russians likely to be able to reinforce them enough to allow them to do so. They could support more limited attacks to the north-west of Odesa, possibly causing panic and creating psychological effects to benefit Russian operations in the south of Ukraine.”
Tension between the Kremlin and the West was exacerbated on Wednesday with Russia’s announcement that it would cut gas supplies to Nato and EU members Poland and Bulgaria.
Gazprom, the state-owned energy producer, said it would cease deliveries to the two countries because they had refused to pay in Russian roubles, as President Vladimir Putin had demanded.
European gas prices shot up, prompting EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to accuse the Kremlin of blackmail.
The move came a day after the US and western allies vowed to speed up and improve military supplies to Kyiv.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told the parliament in Warsaw that the country would not be cowed by the gas cut-off.
Scotland's team:
15-Sean Maitland, 14-Darcy Graham, 13-Nick Grigg, 12-Sam Johnson, 11-Byron McGuigan, 10-Finn Russell, 9-Ali Price, 8-Magnus Bradbury, 7-Hamish Watson, 6-Sam Skinner, 5-Grant Gilchrist, 4-Ben Toolis, 3-Willem Nel, 2-Stuart McInally (captain), 1-Allan Dell
Replacements: 16-Fraser Brown, 17-Gordon Reid, 18-Simon Berghan, 19-Jonny Gray, 20-Josh Strauss, 21-Greig Laidlaw, 22-Adam Hastings, 23-Chris Harris
MATCH INFO
Liverpool 2 (Van Dijk 18', 24')
Brighton 1 (Dunk 79')
Red card: Alisson (Liverpool)
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How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
What is an ETF?
An exchange traded fund is a type of investment fund that can be traded quickly and easily, just like stocks and shares. They come with no upfront costs aside from your brokerage's dealing charges and annual fees, which are far lower than on traditional mutual investment funds. Charges are as low as 0.03 per cent on one of the very cheapest (and most popular), Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, with the maximum around 0.75 per cent.
There is no fund manager deciding which stocks and other assets to invest in, instead they passively track their chosen index, country, region or commodity, regardless of whether it goes up or down.
The first ETF was launched as recently as 1993, but the sector boasted $5.78 billion in assets under management at the end of September as inflows hit record highs, according to the latest figures from ETFGI, a leading independent research and consultancy firm.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five largest providers BlackRock’s iShares, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisers, Deutsche Bank X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
While the best-known track major indices such as MSCI World, the S&P 500 and FTSE 100, you can also invest in specific countries or regions, large, medium or small companies, government bonds, gold, crude oil, cocoa, water, carbon, cattle, corn futures, currency shifts or even a stock market crash.
Teachers' pay - what you need to know
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
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Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
Know your cyber adversaries
Cryptojacking: Compromises a device or network to mine cryptocurrencies without an organisation's knowledge.
Distributed denial-of-service: Floods systems, servers or networks with information, effectively blocking them.
Man-in-the-middle attack: Intercepts two-way communication to obtain information, spy on participants or alter the outcome.
Malware: Installs itself in a network when a user clicks on a compromised link or email attachment.
Phishing: Aims to secure personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.
Ransomware: Encrypts user data, denying access and demands a payment to decrypt it.
Spyware: Collects information without the user's knowledge, which is then passed on to bad actors.
Trojans: Create a backdoor into systems, which becomes a point of entry for an attack.
Viruses: Infect applications in a system and replicate themselves as they go, just like their biological counterparts.
Worms: Send copies of themselves to other users or contacts. They don't attack the system, but they overload it.
Zero-day exploit: Exploits a vulnerability in software before a fix is found.
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Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
How to join and use Abu Dhabi’s public libraries
• There are six libraries in Abu Dhabi emirate run by the Department of Culture and Tourism, including one in Al Ain and Al Dhafra.
• Libraries are free to visit and visitors can consult books, use online resources and study there. Most are open from 8am to 8pm on weekdays, closed on Fridays and have variable hours on Saturdays, except for Qasr Al Watan which is open from 10am to 8pm every day.
• In order to borrow books, visitors must join the service by providing a passport photograph, Emirates ID and a refundable deposit of Dh400. Members can borrow five books for three weeks, all of which are renewable up to two times online.
• If users do not wish to pay the fee, they can still use the library’s electronic resources for free by simply registering on the website. Once registered, a username and password is provided, allowing remote access.
• For more information visit the library network's website.
The five pillars of Islam
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Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
India squad for fourth and fifth Tests
Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rahul, Shaw, Pujara, Rahane (vc), Karun, Karthik (wk), Pant (wk), Ashwin, Jadeja, Pandya, Ishant, Shami, Umesh, Bumrah, Thakur, Vihari