Section: Politics
Treasury denies Exxon waiver from Russian sanctions – Politico
The Trump administration said Friday that it would not grant a waiver from Russian sanctions to Exxon Mobil or any other energy companies, according to Politico. The Treasury Department announcement follows reports that Exxon had been seeking such a waiver to drill in the Black Sea. It comes as the FBI and congressional intelligence committees...
The average pension in Ukraine is 70$ while former officials gets from 500$ up to 2000$ – social minister
Ukrainian Social Policy Minister Andriy Reva says the maximum pension in Ukraine is set at UAH 58,000, or about US$2,165, and while retirement payments are capped on UAH 10,740, or about $400, the vast majority of 12 million Ukrainian retirees receive even smaller amounts, according to TV Channel 112 Ukraine. ”We have 19,200 pensioners who...
National Anti-Corruption Bureau detains ex-MP Mykola Martynenko
Detectives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine on Thursday took into custody a party colleague of former PM Arseniy Yatsenyuk, ex-MP Mykola Martynenko, Strana news outlet reports. Martynenko was escorted from the office of MP Denys Dzensersky downtown Kyiv, where he was allegedly attempting to hide from detectives, Strana wrote...
No new IMF tranche without pension reform – Ukrainian Finance Minister Danyliuk
Ukrainian Finance Minister Oleksandr Danyliuk says that Ukraine will not receive a new disbursement from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) if it does not conduct pension reform. ”There are some key conditions for receiving the next tranche. Pension reform is very important. There will be no disbursement without the pension reform,” he said...
Russian government think tank drew up plan to sway 2016 U.S. election – documents
A Russian government think tank controlled by Vladimir Putin developed a plan to swing the 2016 U.S. presidential election to Donald Trump and undermine voters` faith in the American electoral system, three current and four former U.S. officials told Reuters. They described two confidential documents from the think tank as providing the framework...
Ukraine`s corruption prevention agency verifying about 100 e-declarations of Ukrainian officials
Deputy Chairman of Ukraine`s National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NAPC) Ruslan Radetsky has announced his agency is conducting full verification of almost 100 electronic declarations of officials along with special checks on 3,000 statements, according to TV Channel 112 Ukraine. ”The full verification will continue to check information about...
U.K.`s financial sanctions enforcer sees U.S.-style results in new powers – Bloomberg
The U.K.`s financial sanctions enforcer has new legal authority to impose fines, toughen prison sentences and reward companies that voluntarily disclose suspected violations, changes that resemble U.S. enforcement and that the agency`s leader describe as ”transformational,” according to Bloomberg. The year-old Office of Financial Sanctions...
Most Ukrainians want peace in Donbas, but not at any cost and consider elections in Donbas ”unacceptable” – poll
Some 43% of Ukrainians consider elections in Donbas ”unacceptable in principle,” according to the poll by Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation. ”People want peace, but not at any cost. Only about 20% of the population agree to peace at any price. The majority are ready to make compromises, but not all compromises,” director of the...
IMF offers recipe for Ukraine`s pension system
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says it is early to introduce defined contribution (DC) plans in Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian economic news portal Ekonomichna Pravda (EP). ”The introduction of the so-called DC system (Tier 2) in addition to the existing system, as many insist on, will not make any sense without fixing the drawbacks...
Trump congratulates Erdogan on successful referendum, White House says
U.S. President Donald Trump has called Recep Tayyip Erdogan to congratulate the Turkish president on his success in a referendum that will expand his powers, the White House said on April 17, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). The move came despite concerns raised by the U.S. State Department, European voting monitors, and...