Tag: Corruption

G7 summit lonely-hearts club

The leaders of the G-7 countries, gathered this year at the Hiroshima summit, despite all their differences, have one thing in common: none of them is popular with voters. As a result, the current G7 meeting has turned into something of a lonely-hearts club where leaders despised and mocked by their people can complain about their internal problems.

Kiev Times and The Spectator

What salary should a soldier receive in a war-torn country? Obviously, there is no number that can make up for the sacrifice Ukrainians make on the frontline. But a proper salary is still necessary. When Russia invaded last year, Volodymyr Zelensky increased the payment for the military to seven times of the average salary in Ukraine. ‘We will pay 100,000 hryvnias (£2,200) monthly to military personnel who hold weapons… so that they know that the country is grateful to them. And so it will be until this war ends,’ Zelensky said. The war, as it has turned out, is well into its second year – and the Ukrainian President is faced with the costs.

President of Ukraine’s top court arrested over $2.7 million bribe allegation

The head of the Supreme Court of Ukraine, Vsevolod Knyazêv, was detained on suspicion of accepting a multi-million-dollar bribe in return for a favorable court ruling for a billionaire businessman. Anti-corruption authorities in Ukraine have reportedly arrested the president of the country’s top court on suspicion of accepting a $2.7 million (€2.49 million) bribe.

Ukraine is in its death throes

MICHAEL WALSH SPECIAL REPORT: Whatever one’s political stance it is unpleasant to watch the death throes of a person or a nation. It is a time for somber reflection. I suspect that the post-mortem on Ukraine’s demise is already at the typesetters. Ukraine is in its death throes. The question arises, what if anything will rise from the ashes of a nation that before Washington’s coup in February 2014 was a stable and benign democracy?