Ukraine amends 2024 budget to channel more funds for defense

Ukraine amends 2024 budget to channel more funds for defense
Ukraine has also increased the pace of mobilization and needs more funds to pay soldiers’ wages. (FILE/AFP)
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Updated 18 September 2024
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Ukraine amends 2024 budget to channel more funds for defense

Ukraine amends 2024 budget to channel more funds for defense
  • Ukraine spends most of its state revenues on funding the national defense effort
  • The government plans to increase a war tax paid by residents to 5% from the current 1.5%

KYIV: Ukraine’s parliament amended the 2024 budget on Wednesday, raising defense spending by an additional 500 billion hryvnias ($12 billion) as the war against Russia rages on after nearly 31 months.
Yaroslav Zheleznyak, a lawmaker from the Holos party, said total budget spending for this year had been increased to a record 3.73 trillion hryvnias ($90 billion).
As Ukrainian troops defend more than 1,000 km (620 miles)of front lines, demand for ammunition and weapons is growing and more money is required. Ukraine has also increased the pace of mobilization and needs more funds to pay soldiers’ wages.
Ukraine spends most of its state revenues on funding the national defense effort, and relies on financial aid from its Western partners to be able to fund pensions, public sector wages and other social spending. The finance ministry said that total budget spending was up by nearly 11 percent, reaching 2.1 trillion hryvnias in the first eight months of the year.
The spending included about 965.8 billion hryvnias on soldiers’ wages, ammunition, equipment and other military needs, it said in a statement.
To raise additional funds for the army for the rest of the year, the government plans to increase taxes and will borrow more from the domestic debt market, the finance ministry said.
Kyiv has also agreed a deal to restructure over $20 billion of international debt, saving about $11.4 billion over the next three years.
The government plans to increase a war tax paid by residents to 5 percent from the current 1.5 percent, and will introduce additional war-related taxes for individual entrepreneurs and small businesses. It has already increased some import and fuel duties.
Parliament has given its initial approval to the planned tax hikes and is expected to vote for the bill in the final reading later this month or in early October.
Tax changes are expected to bring about 58 billion hryvnias to the budget this year and about 137 billion next year, officials have said.


Six migrants including Pakistanis shot dead by Mexican troops near Guatemalan border

Six migrants including Pakistanis shot dead by Mexican troops near Guatemalan border
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Six migrants including Pakistanis shot dead by Mexican troops near Guatemalan border

Six migrants including Pakistanis shot dead by Mexican troops near Guatemalan border
  • Soldiers opened fire on truck carrying migrants from Egypt, Nepal, Cuba, India, Pakistan, one other country
  • Soldiers then approached the truck and found four of the migrants dead and 12 wounded

MEXICO CITY: Six international migrants are dead after Mexican soldiers opened fire on a truck carrying a group near the border with Guatemala, Mexico’s Defense Department said Wednesday.

The department said in a statement that soldiers claimed they heard shots as the trucks and two other vehicles approached their position late Tuesday in the southern state of Chiapas, near the town of Huixtla.

Two soldiers opened fire on the truck, which was carrying migrants from Egypt, Nepal, Cuba, India, Pakistan and at least one other country. Soldiers then approached the truck and found four of the migrants dead, and 12 wounded.

Two of the wounded later died of their injuries. There was no immediate information on the condition of the other 10.

Local prosecutors confirmed all the victims died of gunshot wounds. The Defense Department did not say whether the migrants died as a result of army fire, or whether any weapons were found in the truck.

There were 17 other migrants in the truck who were unharmed. The vehicle was carrying a total of 33 migrants. The area is common route for smuggling migrants, who are often packed into crowded freight trucks.

The department said the two soldiers who opened fire were relieved of duty pending investigations. In Mexico, any incident involving civilians is subject to civilian prosecution, but soldiers can also face military courts martial for those offenses.

It is not the first time Mexican forces have opened fire on vehicles carrying migrants in the area, which is also the object of turf battles between warring drug cartels.

In the same area in 2021, the quasi-military National Guard opened fire on a pickup truck carrying migrants, killing one and wounding four.

Irineo Mujica, a migrant rights activist who has frequently accompanied caravans of migrants in that area of Chiapas, said he doubted the migrants or their smugglers opened fire.

“It is really impossible that these people would have been shooting at the army,” Mujica said. “Most of the time, they get through by paying bribes.”

The UN agency for refugees in Mexico, known as the ACNUR, wrote that it “expresses its concern about the events in Chiapas,” noting “people in migration are exposed to great risks during their journey, and that is why it is indispensable they have legal means of access, travel, and integration to avoid tragedies like these.”

If the deaths were the result of army fire, as appears likely, it could prove a major embarrassment for President Claudia Sheinbaum, who took office Tuesday.

Sheinbaum has followed the lead of former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador in giving the armed forces extraordinary powers in law enforcement, state-run companies , airports, trains and construction projects.


Taiwan shuts down for second day as Typhoon Krathon to land

Taiwan shuts down for second day as Typhoon Krathon to land
Updated 03 October 2024
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Taiwan shuts down for second day as Typhoon Krathon to land

Taiwan shuts down for second day as Typhoon Krathon to land
  • Krathon packs sustained wind speeds of 126 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 162kph
  • Across Taiwan, nearly 10,000 people had been evacuated as of Thursday

KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan: Taiwan shut down schools and offices for a second day Thursday as Typhoon Krathon pounded the island before its expected landfall, leaving two dead and more than 100 injured.
Krathon, packing sustained wind speeds of 126 kilometers (78 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 162 kph — was 30 kilometers southwest of southern Kaohsiung at 10:00 am (0200 GMT), according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA).
“The center of the typhoon is forecast to make landfall around noon, near southern Tainan, Kaohsiung or Pingtung. The time has been delayed as it’s moving very slowly,” forecaster Chang Chun-yao said.
While CWA chief Cheng Chia-ping said Wednesday that the typhoon was expected to weaken rapidly after landing, residents of Kaohsiung were urged to take shelter.
“There will be winds of destructive force caused by typhoon in this area. Take shelter ASAP,” the CWA said in a warning sent three times to residents’ mobile phones Thursday.
Kaohsiung’s mayor, Chen Chi-mai, told reporters the city was experiencing “the strongest winds” and that he expected the typhoon to make landfall by 1 pm.
“We urge residents not to go out unless necessary,” he said. “So far, Kaohsiung has recorded 356 disaster cases, mostly falling trees and advertising signs.”
Torrential rain and powerful winds unleashed on the island have already left at least two people dead, two missing and 123 injured, said the National Fire Agency.
A 70-year-old man was rushed to hospital on Tuesday after he fell while trimming trees in eastern Hualien county and died in hospital the next day.
And a 66-year-old man, hospitalized in nearby Taitung on Monday after his truck hit a huge rock that had fallen onto the road, also died Wednesday.
Krathon has disrupted traffic, causing all domestic flights to be suspended for a second day and the cancelation of around 240 international flights.
Across Taiwan, nearly 10,000 people had been evacuated as of Thursday, according to the interior ministry.
Krathon has caused mudslides and flooding, and damaged houses and roads in some areas as it slowly moves toward Taiwan, officials and reports said.
In Kaohsiung, strong gusts swept three motorcyclists to the ground as they were driving, while swaying buildings, shattering windows in some buildings and uprooting trees.
Powerful waves pounded the coast of nearby Pingtung county, with some seawater spilling onto a road and causing it to collapse in two places, TV footage showed.
In New Taipei city in the island’s north, where rain and wind was intensifying, a mudslide sent a large rock tumbling down onto a temple near a slope, partially smashing its roof, SET TV reported.
Taiwan is accustomed to frequent tropical storms from July to October, but experts say climate change has increased their intensity, leading to heavy rains, flash floods and strong gusts.
In July, Gaemi became the strongest typhoon to make landfall in Taiwan in eight years, killing at least 10 people, injuring hundreds, and triggering widespread flooding in Kaohsiung.
The storm was approaching Taiwan after slamming into a remote group of Philippine islands, where it cut power and communications and damaged “many” houses, according to a local mayor.


Former Singapore minister sentenced to a year in prison for receiving illegal gifts

Former Singapore minister sentenced to a year in prison for receiving illegal gifts
Updated 03 October 2024
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Former Singapore minister sentenced to a year in prison for receiving illegal gifts

Former Singapore minister sentenced to a year in prison for receiving illegal gifts
  • Former Transport Minister S. Iswaran had pleaded guilty last week to the charges, in a rare criminal case involving a minister in the Asian financial hub
  • Singapore's ministers are among the world’s best-paid and Iswaran's indictment is an embarrassment in a nation known for clean governance

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: A former Singaporean cabinet minister was sentenced Thursday to a year in prison after he pleaded guilty to charges of receiving illegal gifts, in a rare criminal case involving a minister in the Asian financial hub.
Former Transport Minister S. Iswaran had pleaded guilty last week to one count of obstructing justice and four of accepting gifts from people with whom he had official business. He was the first minister to be charged and imprisoned in nearly half a century.
Justice Vincent Hoong, in his ruling, said holders of high office “must be expected to avoid any perception that they are susceptible to influence by pecuniary benefits,” according to Channel News Asia.
“I am of the view it is appropriate to impose a sentence in excess of both parties’ positions,” Hoong was quoted as saying.
The defense had asked for no more than eight weeks in prison, while the prosecution had pushed for six to seven months imprisonment.
Iswaran, 62, was initially charged with 35 counts, but prosecutors proceeded with only five, while reducing two counts of corruption to receiving illegal gifts. Prosecutors said they will apply for the remaining 30 charges to be taken into consideration for sentencing. No reasons were given for the move.
Iswaran received gifts worth over 74,000 Singapore dollars ($57,000) from Ong Beng Seng, a Singapore-based Malaysian property tycoon, and businessperson Lum Kok Seng. The gifts included tickets to Singapore’s Formula 1 race, wine and whisky and a luxury Brompton bike. Ong owns the right to the local F1 race, and Iswaran was chair of and later adviser to the Grand Prix’s steering committee.
The Attorney-General’s Chambers said it will decide whether to charge Ong and Lum after the case against Iswaran has been resolved.
Singapore ‘s ministers are among the world’s best-paid. Although the amount involved in Iswaran’s case appeared to be relatively minor, his indictment is an embarrassment to the ruling People’s Action Party, which prides itself on a clean image.
The last Cabinet minister charged with graft was Wee Toon Boon, who was found guilty in 1975 and jailed for accepting gifts in exchange for helping a businessperson. Another Cabinet minister was investigated for graft in 1986, but died before charges were filed.
Iswaran had resigned just before he was charged. His trial comes just over four months after Singapore installed new Prime Minister Lawrence Wong after Lee Hsien Loong stepped down after 20 years.


US bans new types of goods from China over allegations of forced labor against Muslim minorities

US bans new types of goods from China over allegations of forced labor against Muslim minorities
Updated 03 October 2024
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US bans new types of goods from China over allegations of forced labor against Muslim minorities

US bans new types of goods from China over allegations of forced labor against Muslim minorities
  • Ban covers products of Chinese steel manufacturer and a maker of artificial sweetener accused of using forced labor from China’s far-west region of Xinjiang
  • Despite China's denial that it was using force labor, the entity list has grown since 2022 to a total of 75 companies accused of using forced labor

WASHINGTON: The Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday that it would ban the import of goods from a Chinese steel manufacturer and a Chinese maker of artificial sweetener, accusing both of being involved in the use of forced labor from China’s far-west region of Xinjiang.
The action broadens the scope of the US effort to counter products from entering the country that the government says are tied to human rights abuses.
The additions to the entity list under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act marks the first time a China-based steel company or aspartame sweetener business have been targeted by US law enforcement, DHS said.
“Today’s actions reaffirm our commitment to eliminating forced labor from US supply chains and upholding our values of human rights for all,” said Robert Silvers, undersecretary of Homeland Security for policy. “No sector is off-limits. We will continue to identify entities across industries and hold accountable those who seek to profit from exploitation and abuse.”
The federal law that President Joe Biden signed at the end of 2021 followed allegations of human rights abuses by Beijing against members of the ethnic Uyghur group and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang. The Chinese government has refuted the claims as lies and defended its practice and policy in Xinjiang as fighting terror and ensuring stability.
The new approach marked a shift in the US trade relationship with China to increasingly take into account national security and human rights. Beijing has accused the US of using human rights as a pretext to suppress China’s economic growth.
Enforcement of the law initially targeted solar products, tomatoes, cotton and apparel, but over the last several months, the US government has identified new sectors for enforcement, including aluminum and seafood.
“That’s just a reflection of the fact that sadly, forced labor continues to taint all too many supply chains,” Silvers told a trade group in June when marking the two-year anniversary of the creation of the entity list. “So our enforcement net has actually been quite wide from an industry-sector perspective.”
He said the law “changed the dynamic in terms of putting the onus on importers to know their own supply chains” and that its enforcement had showed that the US could “do the right thing” without halting normal trade.
Since June 2022, the entity list has grown to a total of 75 companies accused of using forced labor in Xinjiang or sourcing materials tied to that forced labor, Homeland Security said.
Baowu Group Xinjiang Bayi Iron and Steel Co. Ltd. and Changzhou Guanghui Food Ingredients Co. Ltd. were the Chinese companies newly added to the list.


Russian guided bomb hits apartment building in Ukraine’s Kharkiv, injures 10

Russian guided bomb hits apartment building in Ukraine’s Kharkiv, injures 10
Updated 03 October 2024
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Russian guided bomb hits apartment building in Ukraine’s Kharkiv, injures 10

Russian guided bomb hits apartment building in Ukraine’s Kharkiv, injures 10
  • President Zelensky said the strike underscored the need for more help from Ukraine’s Western backers
  • Russia denies targeting civilians, but has regularly struck towns and cities behind the front line

A Russian guided bomb struck a five-story apartment block in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, late on Wednesday, starting fires and injuring at least 10 people, local officials said.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said the strike, the latest in a long series of attacks on the city, underscored the need for more help from Ukraine’s Western backers. He pointed to Iran’s strike on Israel as an example of allies working together.
He said that in order to stop Russian strikes, “Ukraine must receive the necessary, and most importantly, sufficient help from the world, from our partners.
“Every leader knows exactly what needs to be done. It’s important to be decisive,” Zelensky said in a posting on the Telegram messaging app.
Kharkiv regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said the bomb hit between the third and fourth floors of the building in the city’s Saltivka district.
“Several floors have been destroyed. An apartment by apartment search is under way. People could be under the rubble,” Syniehubov said in a video posted online.
Pictures posted online showed cars ablaze outside the apartment block and firefighters making their way through smoke rubble to get inside the building.
Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov put the injury toll at 10, including a three-year-old child. He said guided bombs had struck two city districts.
Located 30 km (18 miles) from the Russian border, Kharkiv has been a frequent target of Russian forces throughout the more than 2-1/2-year-old war.
In Kyiv, the head of the capital’s military administration said fragments from a downed Russian drone damaged an apartment building in one of the capital’s eastern districts. There was no indication of any casualties.
Russia denies targeting civilians, but has regularly struck towns and cities behind the front line.
In his nightly video address, Zelensky referred to the help the United States and other partners provide Israel to fend off attacks.
“Every time in the Middle East, during criminal Iranian strikes, we see how the international coalition acts together,” he said, echoing comments he made during an April raid launched by Iran on Israel.
Zelensky also issued the latest of a series of calls for more help to be agreed at a meeting this month in Germany devoted to providing Ukraine with military assistance. US President Joe Biden is to attend the meeting.