Live updates: follow the latest news on Russia-Ukraine
The US government is consulting with a number of allies on ways to boost Ukraine’s air defence capabilities as reports surface that Russia could be dropping “dumb munitions”, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.
A senior US defence official said discussions are continuing with a number of countries on ways to boost Ukraine’s air defences.
The US is “actively having discussions with allies and partners who have systems that we believe could be useful to the Ukrainians, to include air defence”, the official said.
In a closed address to Congress last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reportedly made a request for Washington to allow Poland and Romania to transfer Soviet-era jets to Kyiv in return for F-16 US planes.
The US official confirmed that Ukraine is looking to receive MiG-29 Russian aircraft from Poland but did not commit Washington to any part of the proposed deal.
“President [Zelenskyy] made it clear he wants them. It would be more appropriate to let them speak to what they would do with them and what their capabilities are.”
On Tuesday, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby issued a statement rejecting an aircraft transfer via a US airbase in Germany, saying the prospect of the jets flying from a US-Nato base “into airspace that is contested with Russia over Ukraine raises serious concerns for the entire Nato alliance”.
“We will continue to consult with Poland and our other Nato allies about this issue and the difficult logistical challenges it presents, but we do not believe Poland’s proposal is a tenable one,” Mr Kirby added.
Russia had warned last week of taking offensive action against any country hosting aircraft bound for Ukraine.
Ukraine had also made a request to purchase Israel's Iron Dome air defence system, Yedioth Ahronoth reported last month, but the request was rejected by the Israeli government.
On Wednesday, the Pentagon confirmed that two Patriot anti-missile batteries have arrived in Poland but insisted the move is purely for defensive purposes and in line with Nato guidelines.
The Pentagon said it has “indications that the Russians are in fact dropping some dumb munitions”, or unguided bombs, over Ukraine.
“What we see manifested is increasing damage to civilian infrastructure and civilian casualties,” it reported.
Ukrainian authorities accused Russia of attacking a children’s hospital in Mariupol on Wednesday. Mr Zelenskyy shared footage of the strike and called once again for a no-fly zone over Ukraine.
The US has reported “stiff resistance” in the cities of Mariupol and Kharkiv and assessed that Russia has fired more than 700 missiles since the start of the war.
Asked about the possibility of an attack on the port city of Odesa, the Pentagon said it has no indications of “an imminent amphibious assault” there.
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Despacito's dominance in numbers
Released: 2017
Peak chart position: No.1 in more than 47 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Lebanon
Views: 5.3 billion on YouTube
Sales: With 10 million downloads in the US, Despacito became the first Latin single to receive Diamond sales certification
Streams: 1.3 billion combined audio and video by the end of 2017, making it the biggest digital hit of the year.
Awards: 17, including Record of the Year at last year’s prestigious Latin Grammy Awards, as well as five Billboard Music Awards
What She Ate: Six Remarkable Women & the Food That Tells Their Stories
Laura Shapiro
Fourth Estate
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
THE SPECS
Cadillac XT6 2020 Premium Luxury
Engine: 3.6L V-6
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 310hp
Torque: 367Nm
Price: Dh280,000
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Have you been targeted?
Tuan Phan of SimplyFI.org lists five signs you have been mis-sold to:
1. Your pension fund has been placed inside an offshore insurance wrapper with a hefty upfront commission.
2. The money has been transferred into a structured note. These products have high upfront, recurring commission and should never be in a pension account.
3. You have also been sold investment funds with an upfront initial charge of around 5 per cent. ETFs, for example, have no upfront charges.
4. The adviser charges a 1 per cent charge for managing your assets. They are being paid for doing nothing. They have already claimed massive amounts in hidden upfront commission.
5. Total annual management cost for your pension account is 2 per cent or more, including platform, underlying fund and advice charges.
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Ipaf in numbers
Established: 2008
Prize money: $50,000 (Dh183,650) for winners and $10,000 for those on the shortlist.
Winning novels: 13
Shortlisted novels: 66
Longlisted novels: 111
Total number of novels submitted: 1,780
Novels translated internationally: 66
FIXTURES
Thu Mar 15 – West Indies v Afghanistan, UAE v Scotland
Fri Mar 16 – Ireland v Zimbabwe
Sun Mar 18 – Ireland v Scotland
Mon Mar 19 – West Indies v Zimbabwe
Tue Mar 20 – UAE v Afghanistan
Wed Mar 21 – West Indies v Scotland
Thu Mar 22 – UAE v Zimbabwe
Fri Mar 23 – Ireland v Afghanistan
The top two teams qualify for the World Cup
Classification matches
The top-placed side out of Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong or Nepal will be granted one-day international status. UAE and Scotland have already won ODI status, having qualified for the Super Six.
Thu Mar 15 – Netherlands v Hong Kong, PNG v Nepal
Sat Mar 17 – 7th-8th place playoff, 9th-10th place play-off
