The United Nations says high food prices in 2022 led to a crisis of affordability that has pushed millions more people into hunger. VOA U.N. Correspondent Margaret Besheer talks to experts about the situation and what to expect in 2023.
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Окремо, за словами Зеленського, учасники ставки обговорили ситуацію в енергетиці
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Відсьогодні набір «Щедрик. Carol of the Bells» можна придбати у всіх відділеннях «Укрпошти». Наклад марки – 200 тисяч штук
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За попередніми даними, армія РФ атакувала місто реактивними системами залпового вогню
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During the past decade, China funded the construction of massive infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka meant to boost the island nation’s economy. However, after the economic collapse of the tiny Indian Ocean country earlier this year, there were questions whether these projects had contributed to the worst crisis it has ever faced.
A port city that dominates Colombo’s seafront was built on a 269-hectare patch of land reclaimed from the sea. It was to become a thriving business and financial hub, but it is virtually deserted. An international airport commissioned nearly a decade ago at Mattala city is called the “emptiest airport in the world.” Both the Chinese-funded projects are seen as “white elephants” that have added to Sri Lanka’s debt.
“The airport is not functioning. The Colombo port city was supposed to attract international investors, but there is not a single investor right now,” said Asanga Abeyagoonasekera, a Sri Lankan security and geopolitics analyst. “There is a question over the revenue model of all these projects because they are not financially viable. They were built with unsustainable large amounts of borrowings with high interest rates.”
The focus zeroed in on the Chinese projects when Sri Lanka ran out of foreign exchange to import food, fuel and medicines earlier this year. The catastrophic economic downturn has pushed many in the nation of 22 million people into poverty. In what was once a middle-income country, living standards have plummeted as inflation rages. The World Food Program estimates that nearly 6 million people need food assistance.
The country’s crisis is blamed on economic mismanagement by the previous government led by former president Mahinda Rajapaksa and the COVID-19 pandemic that led to a loss of vital tourism earnings in the scenic Indian Ocean country.
Analysts say the billions of dollars spent on Chinese-funded projects deepened Sri Lanka’s woes. Estimates are that the share of Chinese loans in Sri Lanka’s $40 billion debt range from 10% to 20%.
“China is known for working out arrangements that often turn out much costlier than just looking at the paper would tell you,” said Harsh Pant, vice president for studies and foreign policy at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi. “The inability of the Sri Lankan political class to understand the long-term consequences of the kind of short-term gains that they were making from China has allowed this to happen.”
Sri Lanka was one of the countries to sign onto China’s Belt and Road initiative under which Beijing extends loans to developing countries to build roads, airports, seaports and other infrastructure.
Sri Lanka’s debt to China could make it harder to push back against Beijing, according to analysts. In August, Sri Lankan authorities initially refused permission to a Chinese navy ship, Yuan Wang 5, to dock at the Chinese-built Hambantota port following objections by India and the United States, but later allowed it to come.
China has called the ship a scientific and research vessel, but security analysts said India was concerned because it was a surveillance ship packed with space and satellite-tracking electronics that can monitor rocket and missile launches.
The incident reinforced worries that the Chinese projects are linked to its strategic ambitions in the Indian Ocean. The Hambantota port was leased to China for 99 years in 2017 when Sri Lanka was unable to pay back the money borrowed to build it. That raised fears in India and Western countries that the port could be used by China’s navy to project power in the Indian Ocean, a vital seaway for global commerce.
“From my findings I found that these projects are more than a civil operation in Sri Lanka. There could be a military operation that they would introduce in the future such as from Hambantota,” according to Abeyagoonasekera.
China strongly rejects such concerns. At a foreign ministry briefing last month, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said that “China has never attached any political strings to its aid to Sri Lanka or sought any political interests from its investment and financing in that country.” Saying that Beijing empathizes with Sri Lanka’s difficulties, he said that “China has also been offering assistance to the economic and social development in Sri Lanka within its capacity.”
Sri Lanka is now hoping to hold early talks with China to restructure its debt, which is crucial to secure a $2.9 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund.
Colombo reached a staff-level agreement with the IMF in September for getting the loan, but it is contingent on assurances from its creditors, including China, India and Japan, that the debts will be restructured.
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Поранені за минулу добу діти із с. Магдалинівка Запорізької області та м. Марганець – Дніпропетровської
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The committee formed by the House of Representatives to investigate the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol on Thursday released its final report, an 845-page set of documents supporting the committee’s claim that the attack was directly caused by former President Donald Trump and represented the final act in a “multipart conspiracy to overturn the lawful results of the 2020 Presidential election.”
The product of more than 17 months of investigation, the report is the distillation of evidence gathered from thousands of witness interviews, documents and subpoenaed electronic communications. According to the committee, “That evidence has led to an overriding and straight-forward conclusion: The central cause of January 6th was one man, former President Donald Trump, who many others followed. None of the events of January 6th would have happened without him.”
Trump himself has consistently denounced the committee and its work, and has continued to insist, falsely, that the 2020 election was stolen from him.
Expansive report
In addition to examining the attack itself, the report describes Trump’s pressure on U.S. officials, states, legislators and then-Vice President Mike Pence to manipulate the system or violate the law.
The release of the report follows a final hearing by the committee, held on Monday, in which members accused the former president of committing multiple crimes and referred him to the Department of Justice for prosecution. The charges include insurrection, obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiracy to defraud the United States and conspiracy to make a false statement.
The referral carries no legal weight, but the voluminous records produced by the committee will supplement evidence gathered by the Justice Department in its own investigation and could influence the final decision on whether to prosecute the former president.
Major findings
The report issued Thursday builds a case that former President Trump was at the center of a conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, using multiple strategies, all of which ultimately failed.
It documents efforts to pressure state and local officials to challenge or throw out election results that showed a Biden victory, even after dozens of lawsuits challenging the results were dismissed in court challenges.
After other attempts were thwarted, Trump latched on to a theory proposed by attorney John Eastman, which claimed that Pence had the authority to refuse to count the votes of specific states when Congress convened on January 6, a strategy meant to buy time to persuade state legislatures to take action to overturn state-level results. Pence ultimately refused to go along with the plan, and evidence uncovered by the committee indicates that even as he proposed it, Eastman was aware that the scheme was illegal.
Effort to corrupt DOJ
The committee report also lays out in detail what it describes as an effort by the former president to “corrupt the Department of Justice.”
In the aftermath of the election, former Attorney General William Barr informed Trump that all of the investigations into election irregularities undertaken by the Department of Justice had failed to find evidence of fraud sufficiently large to overturn the results of the balloting. In the face of Trump’s continued claims of fraud, Barr announced his resignation in December 2020.
The report documents that, in the weeks that followed, Trump took a number of steps to try to persuade senior officials in the department to issue statements expressing doubt about the results of the election.
Trump found an ally in DOJ attorney Jeffrey Clark, an official in the department’s Civil Division, who drafted a document for the department to send to election officials in Georgia, falsely claiming that the department had “significant concerns” about possible fraud that might have affected the election outcome there and in other states. The document, which was never transmitted, also urged the state legislature to consider overturning the election result in that state.
The report chronicles a dramatic showdown in the Oval Office, in which Trump proposed installing Clark as acting attorney general. The most senior officials in the department all told the president that if he took that step, they would immediately resign.
Trump knew claims were false
A crucial finding in the report, and one that was hammered home in public hearings, was that Trump knew that he had lost a fair election, having been told so unequivocally by a number of his top advisers.
The point is important, because demonstrating that the former president was not acting in good faith when he claimed that the election had been stolen and sought to have state officials produce alternative results is a key component of the fraud charges.
Trump pushed back against that claim in particular on his social media network, Truth Social, writing, “This is a total LIE. I never thought, for even a moment, that the Presidential Election of 2020 was not Rigged & Stolen, and my conviction became even stronger as time went by.”
Capitol assault
The investigative committee, formally the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, was originally conceived of as a bipartisan effort with support from leaders of both the Republican and Democratic caucuses in the House.
It was formed to gather facts and conclusions about the events of that day, when a thousands-strong crowd of Trump supporters attended a rally near the White House, at which Trump told them to march to the Capitol and “fight like hell.” The mob descended on the Capitol, where lawmakers had gathered to certify now-President Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election.
The crowd quickly became violent, and despite the presence of more than 1,000 law enforcement officers, was able to force entry into the building and force members of Congress and Pence to flee. Members of the crowd were angry at the vice president for his refusal to illegally declare Trump the victor, and many were chanting “Hang Mike Pence.”
The report establishes that, during the hourslong attack, President Trump was aware of what was taking place, and nevertheless sent out a tweet attacking Pence, further inflaming the crowd. Witnesses produced by the committee said that Trump declined requests by aides and members of his family to ask the rioters to leave.
Trump was eventually persuaded to ask the mob to disperse, which he did in a video address that described the rioters as “very special.” Order was eventually restored late in the day, with the help of National Guard troops, and Congress formally certified Biden’s victory.
Born in controversy
In the immediate aftermath of the assault, condemnation of the attack was bipartisan, and a proposal to fully investigate its causes received strong support from leaders on both sides. However, in the weeks that followed the assault, Republican lawmakers, taking cues from Trump, tried to minimize the seriousness of the event.
When the committee was formed in the early summer of 2021, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy nominated five Republicans, including Reps. Jim Jordan and Jim Banks. Because Jordan, a close Trump ally, was likely to be a target of the investigation, and because Banks had publicly stated his unwillingness to cooperate with an investigation, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected their appointments and requested that McCarthy name replacements. Instead, the Republican leader withdrew all five nominees and declined to offer new ones.
Pelosi replied by designating two Republicans, Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, both of whom had continued to denounce the attack and Trump’s role in inciting it.
Beginning in the summer of 2022, the committee held a series of nine public hearings in which it laid out a comprehensive timeline of the assault itself and of the efforts to overturn the election that preceded it.
House Republican report
A competing report issued by the five House Republicans who were originally nominated to serve on the Jan. 6 committee was released Wednesday.
The report focused primarily on the security failures that led the Capitol Police and Washington Metropolitan Police Department to be underprepared for the violence at the Capitol. The report lays much of the blame for the results of the riot on Pelosi, claiming that she decided not to bring on additional security, including the National Guard, in advance of the riot.
The Republican report does not address the root causes of the riot, the actions of former President Trump on Jan. 6 and before, or the broader effort to overturn the results of the election.
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Виконавцями масового вбивства мирних жителів у Бучі на Київщин були російські десантники із 234-го десантно-штурмового полку під командуванням підполковника Артема Городилова, йдеться у розслідуванні The New York Times.
Упродовж восьми місяців журналісти видання збирали докази причетності російських військових до масових розстрілів жителів Бучі. Зібрані ними докази свідчать про те, що вбивства цивільних були частиною навмисних та систематичних зусиль росіян «пробити» собі шлях до Києва.
«Російські солдати допитували і страчували неозброєних чоловіків і вбивали людей, які мимоволі траплялися їм на шляху – чи то діти, які тікали з родинами, чи місцеві жителі, які сподівалися знайти продукти, або люди, які просто намагалися повернутись додому на своїх велосипедах», – пише NYT.
Журналісти провели кілька місяців у Бучі після того, як російські війська відступили звідти. Вони опитували місцевих жителів, збирали записи камер спостереження та отримували ексклюзивні записи з урядових джерел.
Потім вони проаналізували матеріали та з точністю до хвилини реконструювали вбивства людей на вулиці Яблунській, яку місцеві зараз називають «дорогою смерті». Серед доказів причетності 234-го – записи телефонних розмов і розшифровані позивні, які використовували командири на російських радіоканалах.
Хоча в Бучі були різні російські військові підрозділи, а кількість убитих цивільних перевищує 400 осіб, саме 234-й десантний полк, що базується в російському місті Псков, журналісти називають головним винуватцем у вбивствах на вулиці Яблунській. Журналісти вказують на відповідну військову техніку, уніформу, радіомовлення та пакувальні листи на ящиках із боєприпасами.
«Жителі Бучі розповідали, що коли російські військові їх допитували, вони часто відбирали телефони. Підозрюючи, що військові могли також забрати телефони жертв, наші журналісти отримали від української влади базу даних усіх дзвінків і повідомлень, які надходили з Бучанського району в Росію протягом березня. Опитуючи родичів жертв, ми збирали їхні номери телефонів і перевіряли, чи є вони в базі даних. Відкрилася жахлива картина: солдати регулярно використовували телефони жертв, щоб телефонувати додому в Росію, часто через години після їх вбивства», – пише NYT.
Проаналізувавши телефонні номери, набрані російськими солдатами, та виявивши профілі у соціальних мережах, пов’язані з членами їхніх сімей, ЗМІ ідентифікували особи двох десятків десантників-членів 234-го полку.
«У багатьох випадках ми опитували їхніх родичів і спілкувалися з безпосередньо з деякими військовими, двоє з яких підтвердили, що були у 234-ому і перебували в Бучі», – зазначають журналісти.
Також вони ідентифікували три десятки жертв російських злочинів, основною причиною смерті яких стали вогнепальні поранення.
Вбивства мирних жителів у Бучі, як зазначається у розслідуванні, не були випадковими актами насильства. Жертви на вулиці Яблунській не загинули під час перехресного вогню між російськими та українськими військами і не були помилково застрелені під час бойових дій.
«Російські війська навмисно вбили їх, ймовірно, у рамках систематичної зачистки для забезпечення шляху до столиці. Десятки мирних жителів були розстріляні. В інших випадках чоловіків, підозрюваних у зв’язках з українськими військовими, затримували і страчували», – пише NYT.
Журналістам також вдалося ідентифікувати особу командира 234-го полку підполковника Артема Городилова. Він, за даними розслідувачів, керував діями російського десантного підрозділу у Бучі. Його присутність у цьому місті підтверджують записи камер спостереження, а також двоє військових із цього полку, які були у місті. Також він зафіксований у Бучі, де з двома іншими військовими ходив вулицями біля тіл убитих українців.
Доказами причетності російських десантників 234-го полку до звірств у Бучі стала символіка на військовій техніці, яку вони намагалися приховати, залишена в місті документація та особисті записи загарбників. Зокрема, на одному з документів вказано номер військової частини псковських десантників – в/ч 74268. Також після себе вони залишили шеврон свого полку.
2 квітня Київщина була звільнена від російських військ. Після відступу військових РФ у визволених містах і селах були зафіксовані масові випадки убивств цивільних жителів. Серед найбільш масових – у Бучі.
Кремль «категорично відкидає будь-які звинувачення у вбивствах цивільних», навіть попри те, що факти вбивств цивільних у період російської окупації були підтверджені супутниковими знімками.
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Across the globe, people are on the move as a hectic Christmas and New Year’s holiday travel season is in full swing. December and January are among the busiest months for global aviation, with passenger traffic this year expected to be the highest since travel restrictions were imposed because of the pandemic.
“This is the first time visiting my relatives for the holidays in three years,” Lyla Singh of Aldie, Virginia, told VOA. She arrived at Dulles International Airport outside Washington nearly four hours before her flight to New Delhi. “With so many people traveling and fewer airline staff means you really have to be patient.”
Like other countries, air travel to and from India has picked up since COVID-19 restrictions eased.
“I was going to avoid the crowds and travel overseas in March but wanted to see my family when they all gather,” Singh said.
In other parts of Asia, tens of millions of people are traveling by air, road and rail. China is expecting a surge in domestic travel after the country relaxed its zero-COVID pandemic control measures earlier in December.
The government eliminated many requirements, including frequent virus testing, and relaxed quarantine rules. The moves came as China prepares for Lunar New Year festivities in January, the country’s busiest travel season.
Economic boost
Analysts believe a surge in vacationing will help China’s ailing economy. Chinese state media quoted Chen Linan, a spokesperson for China-based online travel site Ctrip, as saying, “The increase in travel New Year’s Day and during the Spring Festival could be the biggest turning point in China’s tourism sector in three years.”
In Europe, travel experts foresee the busiest Christmas travel season in years after a protracted period of disruptions because of COVID-19 lockdowns.
“There’s a strong demand for Christmas travel, with ticket revenue up 18%,” Johan Lundgren, CEO of British airline easyJet, told Reuters. The airline also expects more passengers will take to the skies in the first part of 2023.
London’s Heathrow Airport lifted its 100,000 daily passenger limit to avoid major disruptions at the end of October and said it would not cap passenger numbers for the Christmas peak travel time.
Industry observers still warn travelers to prepare for potential labor disputes by transportation workers and staff shortages at European airports and rail stations that could cause cancellations. Two of Air France’s cabin crew unions that failed to reach a contract agreement last October filed to take strike action at any time from Thursday to January 2. The French air carrier issued a statement pledging to maintain a full schedule, adding it hoped to avoid cancelations or delays.
US holiday travel
More than 112 million Americans will travel during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, according to AAA, a travel services company. Of those, more than 7 million will fly.
“I’m glad to be flying out to Atlanta before the bad weather arrives,” said Washington resident Todd Brunson, who booked his flight several days before the Christmas holiday. “I find the closer you get to Christmas, chances increase you won’t get to your destination on time.”
According to AAA, 2022 is shaping up to be the third-busiest year for holiday travel in the United States since it began tracking numbers in 2000.
The trepidations that holiday travel could get worse grew as weather forecasters predicted disruptions stemming from a fierce winter storm sweeping across the country, affecting 180 million people in 40 states. The storm brought treacherous road conditions and caused thousands of flights to be canceled.
“There’s snow in Kansas City waiting for us, so we are little bit nervous about getting there, but I think we are going to beat it, so we’ll be OK,” Lindsay Bittfield, who was flying from New York City, told WABC-TV.
Chicago, a major airline hub, is bracing for high winds, subzero temperatures and possibly 30 centimeters of snow before Christmas.
“We prepared well in advance for whatever weather conditions come, whether it’s snow, rain or wind,” said Karen Pride, director of media relations for the Chicago Department of Aviation. “We have 350 pieces of snow removal equipment that’s ready to clear snow on runways and around the airport.”
In anticipation of the storm, airlines rerouted flights and issued weather waivers that allow passengers to reschedule their flights without incurring fees.
“I’m keeping my fingers crossed,” Brunson said. “I just hope the joy of the season won’t be spoiled by any travel headaches.”
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«Після кількох місяців російської окупації два чоловіки, які колись були водіями, добровільно відгукнулись на оголошення окупаційної влади»
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Відповідальності за подію на себе наразі ніхто не взяв
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The House select committee probing the January 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol is scheduled to release its final report Thursday, referring former president Donald Trump to the Department of Justice for criminal investigation and potential prosecution for trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election won by President Joe Biden.
As Attorney General Merrick Garland considers whether to accept the recommendation, the White House has been treading carefully to avoid the appearance it is targeting a potential political opponent in the 2024 election.
On numerous occasions White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has emphasized that the White House will not politicize the process.
“I just want to be very careful and refer you to the Department of Justice on those, because this administration and the DOJ conduct criminal investigation independently, free of any sort of — any kind of political interference or any interference at all,” she said earlier this week.
The report, released just two weeks shy of the two-year anniversary of the storming of the Capitol by Trump supporters, caps an unprecedented chapter in American history where a committee of lawmakers, which included two Republicans, recommended the Justice Department pursue at least four criminal charges against Trump related to his alleged efforts to prevent the peaceful transfer of presidential power: obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to make a false statement and incitement, rebellion or insurrection.
No former U.S. president has ever been indicted for criminal conduct. Given the high stakes and sensitivity, it would be prudent for the administration at this point to simply get out of the way, said Peter Loge, director of the Project on Ethics in Political Communication at George Washington University.
“The best thing that President Biden can do is what he’s doing, which is to say – you know, the House committee made a really compelling case. In my view, it’s really clear, I agree with their conclusions, we have to continue to defend and promote democracy, and now it’s up to the Department of Justice.”
Hold accountable those responsible
Last month after a jury in Washington convicted two members of the far-right group the Oath Keepers on seditious conspiracy charges for crimes related to the Capitol attack, Garland said the department will continue to work “to hold accountable those responsible for crimes related to the attack on our democracy on January 6, 2021.”
However, there are clearly political implications to investigating such a public and controversial figure as Trump, especially after his November announcement that he will be a candidate for president in 2024.
Running for president does not shield an individual from criminal probes: Hillary Clinton, Trump’s opponent in 2016, was investigated beginning in 2015 on her use of a private email server. Also, the Justice Department for months has been running investigations related to Trump’s alleged mishandling of classified documents at his Florida residence, Mar-a-Lago, as well as potential attempts to nullify the 2020 election results. Still, officials must take extra caution to avoid even the appearance that the investigation of the former president is politically motivated.
Independence of Justice Department
The attorney general is appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, but the Justice Department has a degree of independence stemming from practices established after the 1974 Watergate scandal, when President Richard Nixon attempted to use department officials for his political agenda, ordering Attorney General Elliot Richardson to fire Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox. Richardson refused and resigned. Nixon then ordered Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus to fire Cox; Ruckelshaus refused, and also resigned.
There’s also the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 that allows investigations into misconduct to operate independently of presidential control, which provided the legal basis for Garland to appoint special counsel Jack Smith to lead the Trump investigations in November.
“Such an appointment underscores the department’s commitment to both independence and accountability in particularly sensitive matters,” Garland said.
Many Republicans, including Mike Pence, Trump’s former vice president, say that even with the investigation being conducted by a special counsel, the Justice Department should not accept the committee’s recommendation.
“I would hope that they would not bring charges against the former president,” Pence said in an interview with FOX News earlier this week. “I think the president’s actions and words on January 6th were reckless. But I don’t know that it is criminal to take bad advice from lawyers. And so I hope the Justice Department is careful.”
Other observers say that despite the risk of widening political divisions even further, a full investigation is worth it.
“There’s at least the possibility of the genuine independence of the Department of Justice and a careful prosecution waged against a former president who in important ways was lawless, that will have the effect of shoring up the rule of law and protecting our democracy,” said William Howell, professor of American politics at the University of Chicago. “That’s the bet the Department of Justice is making.”
Howell said no matter how well Smith carries out the investigations, how much evidence he unearths and how carefully he abides by the law, expect Trump and his supporters to cry foul.
Trump already did. Last month he slammed Smith’s appointment and called it a continuation of what he calls the Democrats’ witch hunt against him.
“Over the years, I’ve given millions and millions of pages of documents, tax returns and everything else, and they have found nothing,” Trump said during a speech at Mar-a-Lago.
“Which means I’ve proven to be one of the most honest and innocent people ever in our country.”
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The Senate passed a massive $1.7 trillion spending bill Thursday that finances federal agencies through September and provides another large round of aid to Ukraine one day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s dramatic address to a joint meeting of Congress.
The bill, which runs for 4,155 pages, includes about $772.5 billion for domestic programs and $858 billion for defense and would finance federal agencies through the fiscal year at the end of September.
The bill passed by a vote of 68-29 and now goes to the House for a final vote before it can be sent to President Joe Biden to be signed into law.
“This is one of the most significant appropriations packages we have done in a very long time,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. said moments before the vote. “The range of people it helps is large and deep,”
Lawmakers were racing to get the bill approved before a partial government shutdown would occur at midnight Friday, and many were anxious to complete the task before a deep freeze and wintry conditions left them stranded in Washington for the holidays. Many also want to lock in government funding before a new GOP-controlled House next year could make it harder to find compromise on spending.
Lawmakers heard from Zelenskyy about the importance of U.S. aid to his country for its war with Russia on Wednesday night. The measure provides about $45 billion in military, economic and humanitarian assistance for the devastated nation and NATO allies, more than Biden requested, raising total assistance so far to more than $100 billion.
“Your money is not charity,” Zelenskyy told lawmakers and Americans watching from home. “It’s an investment in the global security and democracy that we handle in the most responsible way.”
The spending bill is supported by Schumer and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, though for different reasons.
McConnell cited the bill’s 10% boost in defense spending, which he says will give America’s armed forces the funding and certainty needed to ensure the country’s security.
“The world’s greatest military will get the funding increase that it needs, outpacing inflation,” McConnell said. “Meanwhile, non-defense, non-veterans spending will come in below the rate of inflation, for a real-dollar cut.”
McConnell faced pushback from many Republicans who don’t support the spending bill and resent being forced to vote on such a massive package with so little time before a potential shutdown and the Christmas holiday.
“There has not been enough time for a single person to have read this entire bill. The bill and process ignores soaring inflation, rising interest rates and our ballooning debt of $31 trillion,” said Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. “Enough is enough.”
For two senators, the bill puts the finishing touches on their work in Washington. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., is retiring after serving some 48 years in the Senate and as the current chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. He negotiated the bill for months with Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama, the committee’s ranking Republican, who was elected to the Senate in 1986 and is also retiring.
“What a capstone to a brilliant career,” Schumer said.
The bill also contains roughly $40 billion in emergency spending in the U.S., mostly to assist communities across the country recovering from drought, hurricanes and other natural disasters.
And, of course, it includes scores of policy changes unrelated to spending that lawmakers sought to include in what is going to be the last major bill of the Congress.
One of the most notable examples was a historic revision to federal election law that aims to prevent any future presidents or presidential candidates from trying to overturn an election. The bipartisan overhaul of the Electoral Count Act is in direct response to former President Donald Trump’s efforts to convince Republican lawmakers and then-Vice President Mike Pence to object to the certification of Biden’s victory on Jan. 6, 2021.
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The Central Bank of Nigeria has raised the maximum weekly limit for cash withdrawals after a public uproar over the caps it announced two weeks ago. The new limit is five times higher than the initial cap for individuals and ten times more for companies. The bank announced the limits to rein in excess cash and promote cashless payments, but critics say it could stifle millions of small businesses.
The revised Central Bank withdrawal limits were announced in a circular released by the bank Wednesday.
The limit for individual withdrawals was raised from $225 to $1,125, while the limit for corporate entities was raised from $1,100 to $11,000.
Under the directive, any withdrawal above the set limits must be approved in advance in writing by the financial institution from where the withdrawal is to be made.
The CBN also lowered its processing fee for withdrawals above set limits.
But many people like Salisu Umar Garu, a former chairman of the Abuja Zone 4 traders association, say even the new limits will be difficult for businesses yet to be fully integrated into the online banking system.
“The minimum amount, it cannot buy anything for anybody,” he said. “Maybe the CBN should have come to ask us for advice, like if I do this how will it affect the country and the economy.”
The new cash withdrawal limits take effect January 9.
The central bank unveiled newly designed 200-, 500- and 1,000-naira bills in late November in a bid to combat counterfeiting, hoarding, corruption and other crimes.
Authorities also said the action will promote more online-based transactions.
Citizens also have until the end of this month to exchange old bills for the new tender.
Isaac Botti, a finance analyst at the Centre for Social Action, said the policy, if properly implemented, will help stabilize Nigeria’s economy and prevent vote-buying during the February elections.
“Issues around corruption, insecurity, election manipulation and vote-buying, will all be addressed,” he said. “It is important that we recognize that when policies are developed to put the economy in the right direction, it could be painstaking but it needs consistency.”
This week, the Nigerian House of Representatives summoned CBN governor Godwin Emefiele after initially asking the CBN to suspend the cash withdrawal limits.
Botti was skeptical of the lawmakers’ claims to be protecting small and medium-sized enterprises, or SMEs. He thinks the lawmakers want the limits withdrawn so they can access large amounts of money they’ve stashed away.
“I’m beginning to wonder why some persons, including the lawmakers, are saying it will affect SMEs,” he said. They’re crying for themselves. This sudden love and protection for SMEs is borne out of their own selfish interests”.
The CBN says it’s working with money agents in rural areas to help pull in old notes before their expiration date.
But citizens say the changeover time for the newly unveiled bank notes is too short and that unless authorities extend the deadline, up to 40% of Nigerian citizens without access to banks could lose their savings.
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«Сьогодні у Києві стало трохи краще. Розподіл такий: лівий берег столиці – дуже близький до графіків. На правому ситуація трошки гірша»
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Компанія володіє марками Greenfield, TESS, Принцеса Гіта, «Принцеса Канді», «Принцеса Нурі» та «Принцеса Ява», Jardin, Piazza del Caffe та «Жокей»
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За даними Донецької ОВА, із 24 лютого загинули понад 1200 мирних жителів Донеччини, поранені ще більш ніж 2700
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