Delegates from Russia and Ukraine met briefly in Istanbul on Monday for a new round of talks – a day after Kyiv unleashed a surprise drone offensive that hit Russian heavy bombers and surveillance planes.
Ukraine on Sunday sent 117 explosives-laden drones into military bases across Russia, including as far away as Irkutsk, about 4,000km from Kyiv, according to the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Monday's talks in Istanbul ended after about an hour without the two sides appearing any closer to ending the war, but the dialogue paved the way for a new prisoner swap.
Mr Zelenskyy said the drones were operated by people inside Russia across three time zones, adding that “34 per cent of strategic cruise missile carriers at the airfields were hit.” Videos on social media showed drones flying into Russian bombers. The drones had been launched from cargo lorries that had been fitted with retractable roofs.
Russia’s Defence Ministry confirmed that attacks occurred at five military airbases across the nation, from its far east and eastern Siberia to locations a few hundred kilometres from Moscow. Other reports, however, suggested that only “a few aircraft units” were damaged at two military bases in the Murmansk and Irkutsk regions.
Sunday's drone strikes show that Ukraine can still inflict large-scale damage against its much larger neighbour and highlights how quickly advances in drone technology are changing the calculus of modern warfare. During an appearance at the AI+ Expo in Washington on Monday, Ukraine's ambassador to the US, Oksana Markarova, heralded the “very successful defence operation”.
“That means those Russian aircraft that, on a daily basis, bomb our hospitals, schools and kill our kids … our capabilities and our drones are the best examples of how innovation can work for our defence,” she said, drawing applause from some in the crowd.
“This is not just a war in which we defend territories and our loved ones. It's also a war for technological relevance, and Ukraine is rising to meet that challenge, and Ukraine is ready to share that with everyone who shares the same values,” she added.
US President Donald Trump had vowed he would end the war upon taking office but he has been frustrated by Mr Putin's apparent stalling of a peace push. He has also criticised Mr Zelenskyy.
Moscow has so far resisted a US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire and has laid out maximalist demands to end its invasion, which is now in its fourth year. While Mr Trump has threatened to impose more sanctions on Russia, he has so far held off on taking that step.
In Istanbul, Kyiv demanded an unconditional truce, Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said. Russia in turn proposed a ceasefire for two to three days along certain parts of the front to allow the evacuation of war dead, said the head of the Russian delegation, presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky. The meeting was only the second time the two sides have met publicly since Russia invaded Ukraine early in 2022.
The US Secretary of the Navy, John Phelan, described Sunday's operation as “pretty prolific”.
“People tend to talk about carriers, but with [drone attacks], it's a moving airfield, and the fact that it's not easy to take out is a good thing,” he said at the AI defence conference in Washington, when asked whether small drones were a harbinger of the future of war. “It's tough to take that out, it's not a stationary target, and that's a good thing,” he added. “You can't not study that this is happening.”
Secretary Phelan then pivoted to the overall use of drones outside of Ukraine and Russia, referring to the Houthi drone attacks in the Red Sea. “We have to be ready to adapt very quickly,” he said. “I don't think people understand the amount of drone attacks going on there ... the navy has done a pretty good job,” he said, cautioning that “the enemy” is constantly evolving, and that the US is working quickly to learn from those strategies.
The two-day exhibition, focused on artificial intelligence and international defence, is organised by the Special Competitive Studies Project, a non-profit and non-partisan group that seeks to “to strengthen America’s long-term competitiveness”.
RESULTS
Argentina 4 Haiti 0
Peru 2 Scotland 0
Panama 0 Northern Ireland 0
Hidden killer
Sepsis arises when the body tries to fight an infection but damages its own tissue and organs in the process.
The World Health Organisation estimates it affects about 30 million people each year and that about six million die.
Of those about three million are newborns and 1.2 are young children.
Patients with septic shock must often have limbs amputated if clots in their limbs prevent blood flow, causing the limbs to die.
Campaigners say the condition is often diagnosed far too late by medical professionals and that many patients wait too long to seek treatment, confusing the symptoms with flu.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
Key fixtures from January 5-7
Watford v Bristol City
Liverpool v Everton
Brighton v Crystal Palace
Bournemouth v AFC Fylde or Wigan
Coventry v Stoke City
Nottingham Forest v Arsenal
Manchester United v Derby
Forest Green or Exeter v West Brom
Tottenham v AFC Wimbledon
Fleetwood or Hereford v Leicester City
Manchester City v Burnley
Shrewsbury v West Ham United
Wolves v Swansea City
Newcastle United v Luton Town
Fulham v Southampton
Norwich City v Chelsea
UAE rugby in numbers
5 - Year sponsorship deal between Hesco and Jebel Ali Dragons
700 - Dubai Hurricanes had more than 700 playing members last season between their mini and youth, men's and women's teams
Dh600,000 - Dubai Exiles' budget for pitch and court hire next season, for their rugby, netball and cricket teams
Dh1.8m - Dubai Hurricanes' overall budget for next season
Dh2.8m - Dubai Exiles’ overall budget for next season
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
