Western allies of Ukraine cover up their inability to provide assistance with accusations of corruption; in Britain, there is a growing crisis of domestic animals; the Federal Reserve may abandon conservative models; November 1 is the deadline for the voluntary departure of Afghans from Pakistan. This is what the world media are writing about.
Spoiled Publicity
Fox News reports that the Time correspondent Simon Shuster wrote about his experience interacting with the President of Ukraine and his team after they visited the U.S. in September asking for assistance. Shuster notes that in Washington, Ukrainians faced «persistent calls for Zelensky to fight corruption within his own government and waning enthusiasm about a war with no end in sight.»
Such gloomy sentiments also arise among the public, as those who have money «sometimes bribe to be dismissed from service,» and that such cases «had become so widespread by the end of summer that on August 11, President Zelensky fired the military commissariat heads in all regions of the country.»
«This decision was intended to demonstrate his commitment to the fight against bribery. But this step, according to a senior military officer, had unpleasant consequences, as recruitment almost came to a halt without leadership,» Shuster wrote. «It also proved difficult to replace the dismissed officials, partly because the reputation of the draft offices had been tarnished.» «Who needs this job?» the officer rhetorically asked the reporter. «It’s like hanging a sign saying ‘corrupt’ on your back.»
Shuster pointed out that the White House «prepared a list of anti-corruption reforms that the Ukrainians need to carry out.» «These were not suggestions,» said one of Zelensky’s close aides, but rather «conditions.»
Shuster wrote that Zelensky dismissed his Minister of Defense, Oleksii Reznikov, a member of his inner circle, to address the issue of corruption in America after Reznikov was suspected of corrupt behavior in his ministry.
Two presidential advisers stated that Reznikov was not personally involved. «But he could not maintain order in his ministry,» one of them said, noting that the ministry overpays for critically important supplies, including eggs.
Amidst all the pressure aimed at eradicating corruption, I assumed, perhaps naively, that officials in Ukraine would think twice before taking bribes or embezzling state funds. But when I voiced this to the president’s chief advisor in early October, he asked me to turn off the tape recorder so he could speak more freely,» Shuster wrote. «Simon, you are mistaken,» the assistant said, «people steal as if there is no tomorrow.»
The same official stated that the dismissal of the Minister of Defense did not have the desired effect because it happened too late. Another advisor also noted that by the time of Zelensky’s crackdowns «it was too late,» as «the reputational damage had been done.»
«When I asked Zelensky about this issue, he acknowledged its severity and the threat it poses to the moral spirit of Ukraine and its relations with foreign partners. The fight against corruption,» he assured me, «is among his top priorities,» Shuster wrote. «He also suggested that some foreign allies have an incentive to exaggerate the problem because it gives them a reason to stop financial support.»
«It’s wrong,» Zelensky told him, «for them to cover up their inability to help Ukraine by making these accusations.»
Pet Crisis
The Guardian reports on a growing problem in the field of animal protection. Animal shelters in Britain are «overwhelmed» as owners surrender their pets due to the cost-of-living crisis. The public organization RSPCA, which works with shelters, has reported that abandonments have reached a three-year high: in the first nine months of 2023, the charity’s emergency helpline received reports of over 16,000 abandoned animals, which is 7% more than during the same period last year.
At the same time, offers to adopt a pet from shelters have dropped by a third. The issue of abandonment has created another problem—shelters are struggling to raise funds for veterinary care. Donations have hardly increased, while expenses are rising. The crisis in the country has changed the profile of dogs ending up in shelters, with an increasing number of abandoned dogs being breeds such as dachshunds, French bulldogs, pugs, and cockapoos, which are more prone to complex diseases.
Increase Not Reduce
The Wall Street Journal writes about debates within the Federal Reserve—officials are arguing about how closely to follow traditional economic models. Since the last time Federal Reserve officials raised interest rates in July, the economy is doing two things that central bankers believe it can’t sustain for long: increasing business activity while at the same time slowing inflation.
The debates are unlikely to affect the outcome of this week’s meeting when the Fed intends to keep interest rates steady to allow more time to see the effects of their rapid increases over the last two years.
Central Bank Warns
Bloomberg writes about the budgetary problems of the Canadian government. The central bank governor, Tiff Macklem, has called on officials to consider the inflationary consequences of their spending plans as the Central Bank tries to cool price pressures.
Speaking to a committee of lawmakers in Ottawa, Macklem said that the cumulative budget promises of governments mean that spending could increase at rates that stoke consumer price inflation, complicating the bank’s attempt to bring it back to the target of 2%.
Trump is No Friend of Democracy
The New York Times is tracking the situation in Pakistan, where there is an ongoing process of deporting «illegal» foreign nationals. This mainly concerns Afghans who live in Pakistan without documents, having fled the country after the Taliban returned to power.
There are more than 600,000 such people, and the Pakistani authorities have asked them to leave the country by November 1, 2023. The United Nations Human Rights Office is trying to persuade Pakistan to abandon this plan, as those returned to their homeland may face terror. As of the morning of October 30, about 70,000 Afghans had crossed the border, fearing that they would end up behind bars in Pakistan after November 1.
