'Desperate for Aid, Ukraine First Has to Fight Corruption' diff viewer (0/1)

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Desperate for Aid, Ukraine First Has to Fight Corruption	Desperate for Aid, Ukraine First Has to Fight Corruption
2020-03-27 21:14:13 UTC	2020-06-24 09:46:42 UTC (3 months later)
MOSCOW — A former prime minister of Ukraine said the country’s anti-corruption reforms are at risk of stalling just as the government has asked for a significant expansion in foreign aid to prop up the economy because of coronavirus shutdowns.	MOSCOW — A former prime minister of Ukraine said the country’s anti-corruption reforms are at risk of stalling just as the government has asked for a significant expansion in foreign aid to prop up the economy because of coronavirus shutdowns.
The Ukrainian government had already been deeply reliant on foreign assistance to halt Russia’s military intervention, an issue that became a focus of impeachment hearings in the United States last fall after President Trump withheld American aid. Now it is asking for funding because of the virus.	The Ukrainian government had already been deeply reliant on foreign assistance to halt Russia’s military intervention, an issue that became a focus of impeachment hearings in the United States last fall after President Trump withheld American aid. Now it is asking for funding because of the virus.
Much of Ukraine’s aid, including a pending $5.5 billion package from the International Monetary Fund, is tied to meeting anti-corruption benchmarks. Those have been slipping, putting assistance in doubt at a precarious time.	Much of Ukraine’s aid, including a pending $5.5 billion package from the International Monetary Fund, is tied to meeting anti-corruption benchmarks. Those have been slipping, putting assistance in doubt at a precarious time.
Oleksiy Honcharuk, the former prime minister, said in an interview that President Volodymyr Zelensky fired him and most of his cabinet earlier this month after he crossed the interests of a coterie of powerful insiders in the Ukrainian economy.	Oleksiy Honcharuk, the former prime minister, said in an interview that President Volodymyr Zelensky fired him and most of his cabinet earlier this month after he crossed the interests of a coterie of powerful insiders in the Ukrainian economy.
“Our dismissal I connect, most of all, with our systematic fight against corruption,” Mr. Honcharuk said of his understanding of why he was fired. “We interfered with a lot of people’s ongoing corruption schemes,” and “not everybody was happy with that,” he said.	“Our dismissal I connect, most of all, with our systematic fight against corruption,” Mr. Honcharuk said of his understanding of why he was fired. “We interfered with a lot of people’s ongoing corruption schemes,” and “not everybody was happy with that,” he said.
Mr. Zelensky, a former comedian, won a landslide victory in presidential elections just under a year ago after promising to break the grip of the oligarchs, the insiders who have held sway over Ukraine’s politics and economy since the country declared its independence in 1991.	Mr. Zelensky, a former comedian, won a landslide victory in presidential elections just under a year ago after promising to break the grip of the oligarchs, the insiders who have held sway over Ukraine’s politics and economy since the country declared its independence in 1991.
The broad public support was seen as Ukraine’s best chance in decades to sweep away the myriad schemes for stealing public funds. But Mr. Zelensky’s close ties to an influential oligarch, Ihor Kolomoisky, have raised suspicions that he might be susceptible to pressure.	The broad public support was seen as Ukraine’s best chance in decades to sweep away the myriad schemes for stealing public funds. But Mr. Zelensky’s close ties to an influential oligarch, Ihor Kolomoisky, have raised suspicions that he might be susceptible to pressure.
Mr. Honcharuk said that Mr. Zelensky’s commitment to tackling corruption is now in doubt, and that the president had been pressured to dismiss the government earlier this month by negative coverage of its work on oligarch-owned television stations.	Mr. Honcharuk said that Mr. Zelensky’s commitment to tackling corruption is now in doubt, and that the president had been pressured to dismiss the government earlier this month by negative coverage of its work on oligarch-owned television stations.
In a statement, Mr. Zelensky’s office praised Mr. Honcharuk’s cabinet for its “zero tolerance to corruption” but said it had not properly promoted legislation in Parliament or coordinated between ministries, and that it had failed to prepare for the coronavirus pandemic.	In a statement, Mr. Zelensky’s office praised Mr. Honcharuk’s cabinet for its “zero tolerance to corruption” but said it had not properly promoted legislation in Parliament or coordinated between ministries, and that it had failed to prepare for the coronavirus pandemic.
“Ukraine and its new government will not reduce the pace of struggle against corruption at all levels,” the statement said. “We guarantee our international partners that their loans will be allocated for the critical needs of Ukrainians, especially in such difficult times.”	“Ukraine and its new government will not reduce the pace of struggle against corruption at all levels,” the statement said. “We guarantee our international partners that their loans will be allocated for the critical needs of Ukrainians, especially in such difficult times.”
The government will crack down on any misuse of funds, it said. “Plundering has never been so dangerous.”	The government will crack down on any misuse of funds, it said. “Plundering has never been so dangerous.”
The unraveling of Mr. Zelensky’s team could hardly have come at a worse time. Investors are fleeing emerging markets like Ukraine in favor of presumably safe assets like United States government bonds.	The unraveling of Mr. Zelensky’s team could hardly have come at a worse time. Investors are fleeing emerging markets like Ukraine in favor of presumably safe assets like United States government bonds.
Mr. Zelensky on Monday asked the I.M.F. to double its lending program for Ukraine that was agreed to in principle last year but never implemented because the Parliament failed to pass a law to prevent politically connected oligarchs from siphoning off some of the aid through bank bailouts. The I.M.F.’s managing director, Kristalina Georgieva, said in a statement the fund was considering “larger access than previously envisaged,” if conditions are met. The United Nations also plans to spend $33 million to slow the virus’s spread in the war zone in eastern Ukraine.	Mr. Zelensky on Monday asked the I.M.F. to double its lending program for Ukraine that was agreed to in principle last year but never implemented because the Parliament failed to pass a law to prevent politically connected oligarchs from siphoning off some of the aid through bank bailouts. The I.M.F.’s managing director, Kristalina Georgieva, said in a statement the fund was considering “larger access than previously envisaged,” if conditions are met. The United Nations also plans to spend $33 million to slow the virus’s spread in the war zone in eastern Ukraine.
This week, with the country already in lockdown to prevent the spread of the virus and amid warnings of a sharp recession, the new cabinet rushed a version of the bank bailout law to Parliament to pass in an emergency session.	This week, with the country already in lockdown to prevent the spread of the virus and amid warnings of a sharp recession, the new cabinet rushed a version of the bank bailout law to Parliament to pass in an emergency session.
“Developing countries are being hit directly and indirectly by the Covid-19 crisis and are going to need massive aid,” Kenneth S. Rogoff, a professor of economics and public policy at Harvard University, said in an interview. “So what to do about countries that are endemically corrupt and where a large part of aid gets siphoned off?”	“Developing countries are being hit directly and indirectly by the Covid-19 crisis and are going to need massive aid,” Kenneth S. Rogoff, a professor of economics and public policy at Harvard University, said in an interview. “So what to do about countries that are endemically corrupt and where a large part of aid gets siphoned off?”
Before his dismissal, Mr. Honcharuk had been replacing the boards of directors and managers of state-owned companies that he described as sources of graft for the elite, who use them to tap into the budget and flows of foreign assistance.	Before his dismissal, Mr. Honcharuk had been replacing the boards of directors and managers of state-owned companies that he described as sources of graft for the elite, who use them to tap into the budget and flows of foreign assistance.
“Every one of these objects is a little breeding ground, a little hot spot, of corruption,” Mr. Honcharuk said in an online video chat from Kyiv.	“Every one of these objects is a little breeding ground, a little hot spot, of corruption,” Mr. Honcharuk said in an online video chat from Kyiv.
The Ukrainian oligarchs grew enormously wealthy by controlling the management of the country’s 3,754 poorly run state companies through executives known as the smotryashchi, or the watchers. These are figures who ostensibly work for the state but in fact keep an eye on government assets to be sure their true bosses take a share of profits.	The Ukrainian oligarchs grew enormously wealthy by controlling the management of the country’s 3,754 poorly run state companies through executives known as the smotryashchi, or the watchers. These are figures who ostensibly work for the state but in fact keep an eye on government assets to be sure their true bosses take a share of profits.
“The profits were privatized already; all the losses are on the shoulders of taxpayers,” Mr. Honcharuk said. With the system still in place, any money entering the Ukrainian budget risks leaking into foreign bank accounts.	“The profits were privatized already; all the losses are on the shoulders of taxpayers,” Mr. Honcharuk said. With the system still in place, any money entering the Ukrainian budget risks leaking into foreign bank accounts.
	Updated June 22, 2020
	A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico.
	The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth.
	The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave.
	So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement.
	Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks.
	A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study.
	The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April.
	States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people.
	Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days.
	If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.)
	If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.
	If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested.
These government concerns include giant banks, coal mines and natural gas and oil companies, but also smaller enterprises like a horse farm and something called the Potato Research Institute, which leases land.	These government concerns include giant banks, coal mines and natural gas and oil companies, but also smaller enterprises like a horse farm and something called the Potato Research Institute, which leases land.
Over all, Ukraine’s 100 largest state companies lost about $925 million in 2018, the latest year for which figures are available, according to Vox Check, a policy research group. That figure was nearly as much as the $1.2 billion Ukraine received that year in foreign aid, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.	Over all, Ukraine’s 100 largest state companies lost about $925 million in 2018, the latest year for which figures are available, according to Vox Check, a policy research group. That figure was nearly as much as the $1.2 billion Ukraine received that year in foreign aid, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
As a condition for its last major lending program, negotiated in 2015, the I.M.F. insisted Ukraine establish an independent anti-corruption law enforcement group, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine. That agency is now investigating suspected theft from state-owned companies totaling 18 billion hryvnias, or $660 million.	As a condition for its last major lending program, negotiated in 2015, the I.M.F. insisted Ukraine establish an independent anti-corruption law enforcement group, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine. That agency is now investigating suspected theft from state-owned companies totaling 18 billion hryvnias, or $660 million.
For at least a few months last year, for example, the electrical company powering Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, seemed to have reversed the usual way of doing business: it was buying fuel oil at high prices and selling electricity on the cheap. Even more alarmingly, companies tied to Mr. Kolomoisky, whose television station had broadcast Mr. Zelensky’s shows and brought him to fame, were both selling the fuel oil and buying the electricity, a Ukrainian business newspaper reported.	For at least a few months last year, for example, the electrical company powering Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, seemed to have reversed the usual way of doing business: it was buying fuel oil at high prices and selling electricity on the cheap. Even more alarmingly, companies tied to Mr. Kolomoisky, whose television station had broadcast Mr. Zelensky’s shows and brought him to fame, were both selling the fuel oil and buying the electricity, a Ukrainian business newspaper reported.
In the middle was the state-owned electrical company, Centrenergo. The losses that piled up cost the Ukrainian budget — and, ultimately, the Western countries that prop up Ukraine financially, including the United States and European nations — more than $55 million for the first three quarters of 2019.	In the middle was the state-owned electrical company, Centrenergo. The losses that piled up cost the Ukrainian budget — and, ultimately, the Western countries that prop up Ukraine financially, including the United States and European nations — more than $55 million for the first three quarters of 2019.
Donors to Ukraine’s Western-backed government are not eager to see aid effectively vanish into the business empire of Mr. Kolomoisky, rather than help with hospitals, unemployment benefits or the army that is still fighting Russian-backed separatists even as the virus epidemic extends its grip over the country.	Donors to Ukraine’s Western-backed government are not eager to see aid effectively vanish into the business empire of Mr. Kolomoisky, rather than help with hospitals, unemployment benefits or the army that is still fighting Russian-backed separatists even as the virus epidemic extends its grip over the country.