US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya on Monday, as Washington said it will continue its efforts to stand with the Belarusian people and their aspirations for human rights and democracy.
A huge opposition movement led by Ms Svetlana in Belarus is demanding new, democratic leadership and economic reform. They say last year's elections were rigged by the government.
Mr Blinken joined a meeting between Ms Tikhanovskaya and State Department number three Victoria Nuland, known for being a critic of Moscow, in a show of support a day before the Belarusian opposition leader attends meetings at the White House.
“I thanked him for supporting Belarusian democratic aspirations,” Ms Tikhanovskaya wrote afterwards on Twitter.
“I called on [the US] to strengthen help for our civil society, economically and politically pressure the regime, and appeal to Russia to play a constructive role in the crisis resolution,” she said.
State Department spokesman Ned Price said that Mr Blinken and Ms Tikhanovskaya “discussed the ongoing repression, the crackdown” by President Alexander Lukashenko.
The US will “continue our efforts to stand with the Belarusian people and their aspirations for human rights, democracy and their broader Euro-Atlantic aspirations,” Mr Price told reporters.
President Joe Biden has vowed to ramp up pressure on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, an ally of Moscow who has been in power for nearly three decades and whose security forces quelled mass protests following the announcement that he had secured a sixth term.
Mr Tikhanovskaya, until then a stay-at-home mother, ran in place of her husband who was detained before the election, which officials said President Lukashenko won by a “landslide".
The US, EU, Britain and Canada last month jointly imposed new sanctions on Belarus after a Ryanair passenger flight was grounded in Minsk on the pretext of a security threat, with authorities then arresting an opposition activist and his girlfriend who were on board.
President Lukashenko later claimed that the activist and journalist, Roman Protasevich, had been plotting a rebellion.
Ms Tsikhanouskaya claimed that Mr Protasevich had been beaten and tortured in jail.
She said a lawyer visited Mr Protasevich and his girlfriend Sofia Sapega in jail. The lawyer said he was fine “but it’s doubtful, because for sure he was tortured, for sure he was beaten”, Ms Tsikhanouskaya said.
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
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”.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Pari
Produced by: Clean Slate Films (Anushka Sharma, Karnesh Sharma) & KriArj Entertainment
Director: Prosit Roy
Starring: Anushka Sharma, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Ritabhari Chakraborty, Rajat Kapoor, Mansi Multani
Three stars
In Search of Mary Shelley: The Girl Who Wrote Frankenstein
By Fiona Sampson
Profile
'Avengers: Infinity War'
Dir: The Russo Brothers
Starring: Chris Evans, Chris Pratt, Tom Holland, Robert Downey Junior, Scarlett Johansson, Elizabeth Olsen
Four stars
How to become a Boglehead
Bogleheads follow simple investing philosophies to build their wealth and live better lives. Just follow these steps.
• Spend less than you earn and save the rest. You can do this by earning more, or being frugal. Better still, do both.
• Invest early, invest often. It takes time to grow your wealth on the stock market. The sooner you begin, the better.
• Choose the right level of risk. Don't gamble by investing in get-rich-quick schemes or high-risk plays. Don't play it too safe, either, by leaving long-term savings in cash.
• Diversify. Do not keep all your eggs in one basket. Spread your money between different companies, sectors, markets and asset classes such as bonds and property.
• Keep charges low. The biggest drag on investment performance is all the charges you pay to advisers and active fund managers.
• Keep it simple. Complexity is your enemy. You can build a balanced, diversified portfolio with just a handful of ETFs.
• Forget timing the market. Nobody knows where share prices will go next, so don't try to second-guess them.
• Stick with it. Do not sell up in a market crash. Use the opportunity to invest more at the lower price.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
All or Nothing
Amazon Prime
Four stars
How Filipinos in the UAE invest
A recent survey of 10,000 Filipino expatriates in the UAE found that 82 per cent have plans to invest, primarily in property. This is significantly higher than the 2014 poll showing only two out of 10 Filipinos planned to invest.
Fifty-five percent said they plan to invest in property, according to the poll conducted by the New Perspective Media Group, organiser of the Philippine Property and Investment Exhibition. Acquiring a franchised business or starting up a small business was preferred by 25 per cent and 15 per cent said they will invest in mutual funds. The rest said they are keen to invest in insurance (3 per cent) and gold (2 per cent).
Of the 5,500 respondents who preferred property as their primary investment, 54 per cent said they plan to make the purchase within the next year. Manila was the top location, preferred by 53 per cent.
MATCH INFO
Chelsea 1 (Hudson-Odoi 90 1')
Manchester City 3 (Gundogan 18', Foden 21', De Bruyne 34')
Man of the match: Ilkay Gundogan (Man City)
